I am feeling the LOVE!!!

Over at Crochetville, I have participated in a few swaps this Fall. Basically, a swap is where you send goodies and handmade stuff to your partner and you get goodies and handmade stuff from your partner. Goodies? Handmade stuff?? Packages in the mail??? What could possibly be more fun?!?!?

I was in a tea cosy swap and also a secret pal swap. My tea cosy partner made a great wool cosy for my teapot and then felted it. Let me tell you, that bad boy keeps my teapot hot for over an hour!! She also enclosed a bunch of goodies in my package, but when it arrived, it was mangled and torn and there was nothing in the envelope but the cosy! Thank goodness the cosy made it! Well, a few days ago, even though it was not required, that dear lady sent me a new package and look at what I got:



She sent me...

~a crocheted pot holder
~a crocheted mesh bag (YES! A bag she crocheted for me!! It is awesome!)
~a crocheted book mark
~a beautiful note card
~oodles and oodles of herb tea
~some imported chocolate from Holland (which is totally yummy!!!)
~a votive candle that made the whole box smell like flowers!
~some pretty floral tissues
~a ball of gorgeous yarn (with wool and cashmere in it, no less!)
~some L'occitane samples (which I have never had a chance to try before)
~a mending set (compact needles and thread for any emergency)

There were even more assorted tea bags that made their way to my kitchen before I took the photo. Also, the candle is not in the picture because my daughter swiped it. Oh, and the chocolate?? Let me just say, if anyone wants to make me a happy person, just send me some of this:



Here is another shot of the mesh bag:



Thank you, Joanne!!! I really appreciate your thoughtfulness and going WAY beyond the call of duty!!


AND JUST LOOK AT WHAT MR. POSTMAN BROUGHT ME TODAY!!!



My Autumn Secret Pal, Anna sent me a box bursting with goodies!! It included:

~4 balls of Sugar'n Cream cotton yarn in 4 colors that I do not yet have!
~a bag of Hersheys Special Dark chocolates in the shapes of leaves
~a bag of assorted candies (Smarties, Sweetarts, Tootsie Rolls, Atomic Fire Balls, jawbreakers, bubblegum and lollipops)
~Ferrero Rocher Hazelnut Chocolates
~a BIG bar of Cadbury milk chocolate
~a bag of Sour Bears
~Vanilla Caramel Truffle tea
~a tin of Cafe' Vienna
~some Stash tea bags in the Chai Spice flavor (her personal favorite and I can't wait to try it!)
~some pumpkin pie candles (spicy scents are my favorite!!)
~some Holly Hobbie stickers
~a pocket calendar
~a pad of stationary (or is it spelled "stationery?")
~some post cards
~a set of turkey taper candles (I can't wait to use these on Thanksgiving!)
~a Tom Turkey candle (adorable!!! Thanksgiving is my FAVORITE holiday!!)
~and the BEST for last...a tote bag that she designed and crocheted just for ME!!!

Here are some close-up pictures of the turkey candles:





I told you they were precious!!

And here are some photos of the tote bag she made for me. I can not imagine all the time it must have taken her to not only design the pattern, but then all the hours of work!!! She not only crocheted the bag, but then, she crocheted the lining!!! The pictures just do not do it justice!! The blue lining is more of a grayish denim blue and not as bright as it appears on my computer.





I would also like to point out that during this Autumn Swap, Anna moved across several states, continued to run her online business (http://www.lullabiesandlace.com/) bought a new home and painted it all by herself while keeping up with her toddler, and still found time to spoil me rotten! Thank you, sooooo much, Anna!! I am awed!!

Time for a Change??

I am really feeling the need to change the "look" of my blog. Sort of like the regular urge I get to rearrange furniture. HOWEVER, and this is a big "however," I am just not too familiar with "blogger" and how it works. It has been a while since I set the whole thing up. I used to change the way my old blog looked frequently, but that was a different host site and it was soooo easy! I am afraid that I might totally mess up the entire thing!!

I guess it is time to start investigating and see what I can figure out. Any advice will be appreciated.

The Best Way to Eat an OREO!!

Oreos and how to properly eat one...I know that there is much controversy on the subject. Do you take it apart and eat the cream first? Do you dunk it in milk? Well, my dear friends, I am here to tell you that today I made a fantastic discovery. Perhaps it is nothing new. Perhaps you have known this all along and neglected to tell me the wonderful news, (shame on you if you did!) but I have stumbled upon the truly BEST way to eat an Oreo. No glass of milk for me. No sirree! You dunk it in...a cup of coffee! Oh yum! Oh ecstasy! Oh delight! All these years and to think I never knew!!!

Just too CUTE!!!

Aren't these adorable?? A fellow home-schooling-mom-of-multitudes who goes to my church made these. Makes me want to go out and learn needle felting! So many crafts, so little time!!

Oh, and if you want your own little acorns, I believe she sells them on Ebay.

May I recommend???

Every now and then, I come across web sites or small businesses that I am impressed with. It is not always easy to find places that give quality products and good service. When I find someone who is trying to make a go at it offering unique, often hand-made items in our mass-produced society, I am always happy to tell my friends.

I recently participated in a "Teacosy Swap" with some other ladies on Crochetville. In my search for teapot-themed items, I came across Roses and Teacups. If you like teapots, or floral-themed items, then this is the place for you to go! Nancy sells some really beautiful items there. Be sure to browse the Carol Wilson stationery...the butterflies and teacups are gorgeous!! I recently ordered from her and when my package arrived, it was like having a birthday celebration. Everything was so sweet and lovely. I have had a lot of email correspondence with Nancy and I can tell you that she is a great lady. I highly recommend ordering from her.

In the interest of full disclosure and total honesty, I will tell you that Nancy and I got along so well, that she is going to sell some of my teapot earrings and hair sticks on her site. BUT that is NOT why I am recommending her site! If I wanted to hawk my stuff to you, my fine reader, I would just send you to MY site (which, by the way, is www.bluemoonartistry.com heh! heh!)

I have enjoyed my dealings with Nancy at "Roses and Teacups." I am a satisfied customer. I also happen to know that she is using the proceeds from her business to help pay medical bills for her children, but don't tell her I told you that!

Here are a few items from Roses and Teacups.

Butterfly notecards and Rose Journals:



Hand-crafted table linens and beautiful fabric boxes.




I would also like to recommend another site I enjoy visiting. This site does not actually sell anything, but if you like old-fashioned and vintage, if you want to be encouraged in your homemaking, if you like sites that have a sweet and gentle spirit, then go visit Debra's site: My Vintage Home. Funny, now that I think of it, I "met" Debra through Crochetville!

So, I guess it would be appropriate to end this entry with a plug for Crochetville an online community of folks who enjoy the art of crochet. If you crochet, or want to learn, this is the place to go for information and encouragement.

You May be Getting Tired of Hearing This!

I hate to sound like a broken record...I am still alive and kicking, just incredibly busy!!! Since I have been negligent in my blogging duties, I will try to make amends by giving you a few quotes, just to stimulate your thinking. Feel free to comment on any or all of them.


"If history has taught us anything, it is that pop culture products, performances and personalities don’t have to be good, credible, accurate or even real as long as they stimulate and motivate the masses. That’s why the most popular household appliance sold in America today is not the dishwasher or the clothes washer, but the brainwasher; that big screen fantasy machine that talks you through the highs and lows of life each day like an electronic psychiatrist, while you recline on the couch for hours on end."

--Paul Proctor


And here is something to chew on by A. W. Tozer:

"If I see aright, the cross of popular evangelicalism is not the cross of the New Testament. It is rather a new bright ornament upon the bosom of a self-assured and carnal Christianity...
The old cross slew men; the new cross entertains them. The old cross condemned; the new cross amuses. The old cross destroyed confidence in the flesh; the new cross encourages it...
The flesh, smiling and confident, preaches and sings about the cross; before that cross it bows and toward that cross it points with carefully staged histrionics--but upon that cross it will not die, and the reproach of the cross it stubbornly refuses to bear."

That is worth taking a moment to re-read slowly and think about.

Ack! Has it been almost a week?!?!

Don't you just hate it when you go to a blog that you visit regularly day after day, only to find that the blogger has not made any new posts??? Oh wait! Ummm, that would be me! Sorry about that. It is just that in the grand scheme of things, blogging has gotten pushed way down on my list. Sorry to neglect my blog and leave you hanging. I have not been able to post my projects because I have been working on something for my secret pal. (and if I posted it, it would not be secret!) And my life has been pretty boring to read about. Here is how my past week has gone: (Warning! These are just the boring details of my life, so please feel free to move on to a more exciting blog now.)

--Friday was get ready for the outdoor artisan's market. This means gathering all my creations and borrowing a tent and tables for display.
--Saturday found me out of bed before 6 a.m. and dragging all my "goodies" (i.e. hairsticks, jewelry, needlework and my son's photography) off to a nearby town to sit under a tent and peddle my wares. We did very well, thank you! Saturday evening was spent returning the borrowed tables and tent and then rushing to the kitchen to prepare food for Sunday because...
--Sunday was homecoming at our church. Is homecoming a southern thing or universal? Well, to explain it in 20 words or less, it is essentially like a family reunion, but for the church family. Everyone brings lots of yummy food and you fellowship. To make it an even more hectic day, on Sunday evening, the youth group were gathering at our house, so that meant Sunday afternoon was spent cleaning up (although I don't know why I bothered!) and preparing food to feed the hungry masses. It was great fun.
--Monday was back to home schooling all the usual family madness. (Lot's of shuttling people back and forth to various commitments.
--Tuesday meant a Dr's appt for my 12 year old son. If you pray, keep him in your prayers please, he has a medical issue that I will not broadcast to the world for the sake of his privacy.
--Wednesday brought more shuttling around during the day and AWANA on Wednesday night. My younger kids participate and my older ones help the leadership.
--And today, well let's just say I have driven one child to a violin lesson. Come home. Driven a son to the community college for a meeting. Come home. Taken 2 teens to a meeting at a house across town, dropped off another at her piano lesson, run an errand, retrieved the pianist, come home...and I STILL have to go back and pick up the teens from their meeting across town!!

Saying that I am a stay-at-home mom is becoming the family joke.

Note to Self...

When it has been months since you have even thought of working out with your TaeBo videos, it might be wise to think twice before popping in the ADVANCED video and doing 55 minutes of torture, ahem, I mean vigorous cardio, upper body and lower body workout. Also, if you are going to be stupid enough to jump right in and "Just do it" as a famous sporting goods company says, you might want to "just do it" to your upper body or lower body on that first day. Choosing a workout that does cardio plus targets the arms, legs, abdominals and glutes may not be so wise. Unless, of course, you enjoy that painful day-after feeling of not being able to move any muscles but your eyebrows!

Being Painfully Honest...

I hope that I can express myself in a coherent manner here. Please note that if I pose questions to you, that really, I am posing them to myself! However, if you have any answers that you would like to share, please feel free to leave them in the comments.

What makes you feel valued, good about yourself, appreciated? Where do you go to be affirmed? Here is another question: are you nicer to people outside your household, or the ones who live with you 24/7? Okay, I bet I know the answer to that last one...everyone I know, if they were honest, would admit that they are nicer and more polite to outsiders. Not that you are mean and unkind to your loved ones, just that we don't put forth that extra effort to be pleasant like we do with others. Why is that? Let me extend that train of thought. Why do you... okay nevermind, why do I care about what other people think of me, some of them, people I do not even know??? Why do I feel happy and affirmed when people come to my blog and leave comments? Why does it make me feel valuable and appreciated when someone admires or buys something that I make?? Why do I give a Saturday of my life to go to an artisan's market and sell my creations instead of being home with my hubby?

I wonder, how much time have I spent on outside friends that I should have devoted to my family and/or God? I am not saying that friends are bad or wrong. No way! I just wonder if I have substituted "good" for "best." TV is not a big issue in this house. We did not even have one until a few months ago, but how much time have I blown piddling on the internet when my children needed my attention?

I wonder which one pleases God more? Does He look down at me and say to Himself "Wow! Look at those hair sticks Michele made?" Or is he more pleased when I set it all aside to read that same book for the 687th time to my four-year-old? When I stand before Him one day, will He show me all the times that I said, "Not now, I'm busy!" And will He show me that what I was really saying was "Not now, I am selfish."

How do you strike a balance? How do you "find time for yourself" without neglecting the others who need you? My seven kids are only here for a limited time. Why would I want to spend one single precious moment of it doing things that are not going to matter in the end? And really, why is it not enough? Why can I not feel as eager and excited about doing a history lesson with one of my children, washing the dishes or cooking a meal for my family as I can about starting a new knitting project or chatting with an online friend? Being "mom" is not glamorous. Often it is not fun, and usually it is a thankless job. I wish that I could get the warm fuzzies from housework and disciplining children. It might make it all easier.

I truly do have creative urges. Are they something put there by God, or something I need to control so that I can focus on what is TRULY important. Are my outside interests legit and something that makes me a more complete person, or just a distraction from what I should be doing? What is the balance?

Hmmmm...

Still alive and kicking!

I'm still alive and doing fine. I have just been too busy living life to blog about it!!

That tends to happen sometimes, especially when you are the mom of 7 kids and you home school all of them and it is the beginning of the school year, and you have a mother who is in poor health and needs meals and visiting, and your family is active at church with AWANA and Word-of-Life, and you have a small at-home business with orders rolling in, and you are participating in two different swaps at Crochetville because you like to make things, and you are fortunate enough to be married to a man who actually likes you and wants to spend time with you and he deserves a little attention, and because you are having a lot of muscle and joint pain and your hair is shedding like crazy, you make a Dr's appointment, even though you hardly EVER go to the Dr, and the Dr. has the gall to suggest that if the thyroid and iron tests come back normal, you may have too much stress in your life and wants to give you a prescription for that, and you laugh in his face because you would rather ache all over than take some drug that messes with your brain chemistry, (which is not a judgement on others, just a personal thing) and so you are trying to spend less time on line and get more rest and sleep and eat more healthy so that your body can heal itself...

Not that I would know anything about this. I am just speaking hypothetically.

A Busy Home School Mom's Laundry System

Schedule your laundry! This has been the biggest life-saving tip that I can give. I will share my system with you. If my system can keep a family of 9 from having laundry pile up, then it can certainly work for you too!

–There are three basic principles to my system.

1) Keep the dirty laundry pre-sorted. (more about this below)

2) Teach everyone in the family who is big enough to reach the machine how to properly do laundry. (All my kids help load, unload, and fold. At about age eight or nine, I will trust them to actually run the machine.)

3) Designate days of the weeks for different “zones” to do laundry.

–As an example, here is how it works in my household: The “zones” around here are GIRLS, BOYS and PARENTS. Each zone contains at least two dirty clothes hampers — one is for lights/whites and one is for darks/colors. In the boys zone, there is also a hamper for towels/linens. Even the youngest person in my house knows that their dirty clothes go into the proper hamper. We no longer spend time sorting laundry. It is pre-sorted for washing!

–My laundry schedule runs like this:

On Monday and Thursday, the girls must do all the laundry in their zone. That means wash, dry and fold and put away! They are also required to change their bed linens on one of those days.

On Tuesday and Friday, the boys must completely do all the laundry in their zone, including all the towels. They also must do their bed linens.

I do laundry on Wednesday and Saturday.

Even if your family is not as big as mine, making a laundry schedule and following it may revolutionize your life!!!

For more Works-for-Me-Wednesday tips, visit Rocks In My Dryer.

Kim, Are You Reading This???

I have a friend named "Kim." My old blog used to be listed on her list of blogs that she reads. But my old blog is dead and this blog is not on her list. It makes me sad. I feel left out. It may be an oversight, or it may be on purpose in an effort to make her list more concise.

I don't know what I need to do to merit getting listed again, but hopefully flattery will work!

Kim is smart.
Kim is witty.
Kim is pretty.
Kim is nice.
Kim has cute kids.
I like Kim!!!

Can You Smell It???

My wheat finally came in last week! So today, just like the Little Red Hen, I ground the wheat and made the dough and baked the bread. Mmmmmmmm! Can you smell it??



And just like the Little Red Hen, plenty of folk showed up once the baking was done, happy to help me EAT the bread! Truly, it took less than 60 seconds for the entire first loaf to disappear!!

Works-for-Me-Wednesday!

A good friend of mine is participating in this and so I thought I would jump on the bandwagon. The concept is simple: every Wednesday, post an idea or system or recipe or helpful hint...something that makes life easier!



Maybe in the next week or two I will tell you about my laundry system...a life altering plan that I developed that has made doing laundry for nine folks manageable. But for today, I am sticking with something very small and simple.

HOW DO GET OIL/GREASE STAINS OUT

I can not tell you how many solid t-shirts and turtlenecks I have **ruined** by splattering something greasy or oily on them in the kitchen. If you have spent any time in a kitchen, then you know how cooking oil, or any type of fat will leave a dark spot. Well, I have found that if I use Dawn dish detergent on the spot followed by scalding hot (preferably boiling) water, the oil stain usually comes out! In fact, you can just boil some water in a pot and then plunge the offending shirt into the water and let it soak a bit. (I recommend taking off the shirt first!)

Of course, wearing an apron is a good option, but some of us who are messy cooks need something more like full body armor!

**NOTE--"ruin" means that they become worthy of wearing around the house only. If worn out in public requires quick action when sighting someone who you don't want to think you are a total mess. The duck and hide technique, or the quick-pick-up-the-youngest-kid-to-hide-your-stained-shirt technique are options.)

For more WORKS FOR ME WEDNESDAY tips, go to Rocks in My Dryer here.

Now, if I could just figure out how to get her handy little banner up! Kim, please help! EDIT: Hey Kim! Thanks! I did it!

THANK YOU, Secret Pal!!!

I have a lovely secret pal! This Saturday, after waking at 5 a.m. and spending a hot and tiring day at an open-air artisan's market, I came home to find a package waiting for me! Woo! Hoo! Of course, I ripped into it and found these lovely things: hand-crocheted dish cloths, a crochet pattern book, a cook book and a nice card. The red in the dish cloths matches the cranberry color on my walls in my dining room and kitchen perfectly. Later in the evening I sat down and browsed the Gooseberry Patch Taste of Autumn cookbook and now I have a bad case of autumn fever! I can't wait for cool weather, crisp leaves and autumn colors!

Thank you, Secret Pal! You are a real sweetie pie!



And here is a close up of one of the cloths. Isn't it pretty???

Who's the Busy Bee??? Me!

I like photos in blogs. So, here is a photo-rich entry.

I have been busy, busy, busy the last week or so. Just look at all that I have made! (For those of you who may be wondering what some of these are...they are earrings, of course. And the ones with beads sitting atop wood are beaded hairsticks. Most of the metal is sterling silver. The glass beads are either Swarovski crystals or fire-polished Czech glass. The ceramic beads are hand made and one-of-a-kind by a local artist. So, although they may not be "perfectly" symmetrical, I think that adds much interest. Her glazes are to die for!

Note to Self...

Dear Me,

In the future, please remember that when going out for a special dinner with your inlaws, deciding three hours before departure to knit a bag to match your wrap may not be the brightest idea! You will create un-needed extra pressure on yourself. Also, you will run out of time and not be able to sew a proper lining in the the bag. In fact, you will find yourself seated in a limo tying the shoulder strap to aforementioned bag and trying to explain it all to the others who will of course think that you are loony.

Much love,
Me

Here is another completed project!

I seem to be going through a "wrap" stage. I am inspired and motivated to make wraps! Why? I don't know. I guess because they are fun and versatile to wear and relatively easy to make.

Here are some pictures of my latest. I knit it using Patons Evita, a funky, variegated ladder yarn. It is incredibly soft!

I apologize for the photo quality. My camera and my skills are not equal to those of my dear son. However, he is not here at the moment, so these will have to do! The photos look mysteriously like they are taken in black and white...but nope! It is only because everything in the pictures are black, white and shades of gray!



And a close-up to better show the texture of the yarn.


I can not decide whether to add fringe or not. What do you think?

Oh, and I would like to say that I have actually completed several projects in the last week! (1 wrap, 2 crocheted head bands, 1 crocheted circle pendant necklace, 11 pairs of earrings and 3 pairs of hairsticks!) How's that for productivity?? Now I just have to get photos of it all edited and up on my Blue Moon Artistry site! (((sigh))) No rest for the weary!

I'm Famous!!

Well, no. Not really. However I have been published in another blog! Work at Home wanted moms who have businesses at home to write a short article about themselves and how they get it all done.

I jotted off a not-so-short email with some little household and time management tips I have learned along the way. Lo and behold, it has been posted on the site! So, if you want to know how I manage laundry with 9 people, or feed a family this big, or other similar fascinating information, go to http://wahm-business.momswithaspine.com/ and enjoy!

As for me, it is too painful to read...I just see all the things I would edit if I had it to do all over again!

It's THAT time again!!

Warning: This is a post about home schooling. If you do not home school, nor have any interest in home schooling, please move on because I will probably bore you to tears!

Another warning: My mind is running in 10 different directions at moment on this subject. I apologize ahead of time for any incoherence!


It is that time again. Time to start planning for the upcoming school year...and I am floundering!

Here is what people on the outside see and say: "Wow! She really must have her act together. I can't imagine juggling 7 kids and home schooling them too! And they are all so smart and accomplished and polite. I don't know how she does it!"

Here is what I think on the inside: "I am a miserable failure. Yes, my kids are smart, but I should have done so much MORE! They are fine by the world's standards, but I should have pushed harder, been more disciplined. If I had been more pushy and not allowed them to be so self-directed they would have more accomplishments by now. They could be fluent in a foreign language or studying nuclear physics by now or playing an instrument at Carnegie Hall. The older ones got all my attention and zeal because I was younger and excited when I started to home school them. The middle ones have fallen through the cracks. I can't believe that I have compromised all my ideals and haven fallen back on boxed curriculum for my older kids so that I can get it all done. If I was more self-disciplined we could be doing more creative stuff."

Here is what people on the outside say: "You've been doing this for 13 years? You must have a lot of experience and wisdom. You probably know exactly how to do it all now."

Here is what I think on the inside: "I have NO IDEA what I should be doing this year with my 5th grader!! I want her to be more excited about learning. During her beginning school year I was pregnant and miserable. Then I got distracted trying to figure out the whole high school thing with her older siblings. Her last year was a big mess. She is so bright in all areas and even natural to math and yet she says she hates math! ARGH! I don't want her to think learning is a drudge...something to get out of the way so she can move on to what she enjoys. And my 7th grader...I certainly have not spent enough time with him. He is definitely the neglected middle kid. It isn't fair! And what about my 4 1/2 year old? She is so bright and eager. It doesn't seem fair to hold her back when she is so ready to learn, but really, I had not planned on starting her until after her oldest brother graduated this coming year."

Honestly, I was more self-assured in the beginning than I am now. I guess there is something to be said for being young and foolish and believing you have all the answers. With maturity and wisdom comes the realization that I do NOT have all the answers, that there is not just one way to do it, that I should not look down my nose at folks who use a "boxed curriculum," that what worked great for one child may be a total flop with the next.

When all those nagging doubts plague me, this is what I have to tell myself:

~My children are people. Yes, people. They are not empty boxes to be filled. They have unique personalities, abilities and needs.

~It is not necessary for me or my children to meet other people's standards. We must do our best to follow God's plan for ourfamily. NEVER compare ourselves to others.

~My children are happy and content with who they are. Most of their accomplishments are their own...they pursued their own interests and were not pushed by some over zealous parent who needed to be fulfilled by having a child prodigy to brag about.

~My children have had the good fortune to be allowed to be children. They have not been pushed by the media, pop culture, or peers into dealing with adult issues before they are old enough.

~My children can relate to and converse with anyone of any age. They do not require that someone be within 12 months of their own age to be able to communicate. They can talk to folks decades older and younger than they are. They do not look at adults as if we are aliens and they do not treat younger folk with disdain.

~My children know that in our home, relationships with God other people come first.

~My older kids all know the satisfaction of hard work and earning their own money. They also know that money and possessions will not bring happiness.

~My kids may not know everything, but if they are interested in something, they know HOW to pursue it and learn more about it.


Well, I guess I am not such a failure after all!

Love it? Hate it?

Here is a WIP (work in progress) that one can't feel ambivalent about. It is a scrap afghan and you either love it or hate it! My goal was to use up a bunch of scrap yarn I have lying about. At first, I must be honest, I hated it. I am not good at being truly random. I want to work with color, play with it, arrange it. But this is supposed to be an easy project where color placement is random and does not matter. The only rule I imposed is that every 4th row is black to offer a bit of continuity.

If I was making it for myself, it would have been ripped long ago. Sometimes I like it. Sometimes...ehh. However, it is for my teenage son, and he likes it. In fact, all my teenagers like it!

So, whaddaya' think?? Love it? Hate it?

Another completed project!!!

A few weeks ago, I went to a fiber store in another town. The kind I could just spend hours in. The kind that has all the lovely, expensive yarns and wools and silks. The kind where you walk around in a daze, touching, and ooo-ing and aah-ing.

I picked up a hank of Rayon Boucle' by Fiesta. I put it down again, saying to myself, "There is no way I am paying that!"

I picked it up.

I put it down.

Suffice to say, I did that multiple times. Finally, I walked out. So overwhelmed by all the possibilities that I bought nothing!

But that beautiful sapphire skein of rayon haunted me the rest of the afternoon. And thus I begged my hubby to swing back by the shop before we left town!

Here is what I made. Photos do not do it justice. Everyone who has seen it is amazed. I can't take credit. It is not a hard pattern, but this fiber is gorgeous! My teenage daughter keeps trying to sneak off with it!

And a close up of the fiber:

I did it! I did it! Hooray!!

Ack! Do I sound like Dora the Explorer???

I just wanted to announce that after a few weeks of self-induced exhile, I am back! I am happy to report that I actually have something to show for my time of absence from cyber-world. Presenting...

Blue Moon Artistry
...which is the new name of my business. You can find it at www.bluemoonartistry.com. Taa-daaa!

"Big deal," you may be saying. Well, for me it is! I am no idiot, but when it comes to site building, I confess great ignorance! Because I could not find a template I liked, I started with a blank page and built my own web-site from scratch. I learned some HTML so that I could have a shopping cart. I created several new pairs of hair sticks and earrings to build up some stock. I have also been working hard on some knitted items that will be added soon! Everything had to be photographed and described. Photos had to be cropped, resized, inserted. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Every one of those steps was a new skill that I had to learn (except for the actual crafting of items...that,I already knew!)

As best I can tell, everything on the site is working fine now. I have even had a few orders! Please, if you will, take a few minutes and look around www.bluemoonartistry.com and let me know what you think! Criticism is welcome too. I can take it as long as it isn't mean spirited!

Where is she???

Yes, I am still here. However, I have been hunkered down, desperately trying to get my website up and running for my little business. I will let you all know when it is ready to be unveiled. Until then, let's just say my esteem for web designers has grown by leaps and bounds and leave it at that!

Happy Birthday to...ME! (thoughts on turning 40)

Today is the dreaded day. The one everybody warns you about. Yep, it's the big 4-0! (Imagine, if you will, creepy music in the background and a piercing scream.)

All I want to know is this: How in the world did I get to be old??

Well, actually, I don't really think 40 is old. In fact 40 is quite young. I am in the prime of my life!

(Hey! I can hear you chuckling and saying to yourself, "She's in denial!")

But so many people seem to think that I am now ancient, over the hill, etc. Sure do wish we lived in a society that had more respect for the old and less obsession with the young and beautiful. It is really sad to see the extremes that people go to, especially women, to try to look younger than they are. They spend incredible amounts of money on cosmetics, color their hair, and have surgeons cut them up in desperate attempts to hang on to their youthful appearance.

Even I am brainwashed by this type of thinking. I can not tell you how very gratified I feel when someone says to me, "You don't look old enough to have 7 children!" I guess that deep down inside, I am just as vain as the next woman. I want others to see me as young and attractive.

But you know, the more I think about it, the more I think that there is a balance that God has built into the human race. Be really honest. How many of you would like to go back to being as stupid as you were when you were 18? Not me!! So you see, earlier on in life we get youth and outward beauty. As those begin to fade we gain (hopefully) wisdom and depth as a person (i.e. more inner beauty). The outer beauty fades as the inner beauty increases. It is only fair and just.

So I hope and pray that as this outer shell ages one more year, the inner me, the real me, will grow and mature and become a wiser, better person. Perhaps a stranger may look at me and see "old," but hopefully, those who know me will see "beautiful."

Breaking up is HARD to do!

Feel sorry for me. I have had a tough weekend!

Have you ever heard the saying, "Never go into business with friends or family"? Well, I guess that proverbs, adages, and old sayings become proverbs, adages and old sayings because there is some nugget of wisdom or truth contained in them.

My good friend and I both enjoy making hair sticks. So, we thought "Wouldn't it be great fun to start a small business together and sell our creations?" This weekend, I came to the conclusion that I was not having fun. (And to be quite honest, I don't think she was either!) Our relationship was morphing from a pleasant friendship full of banter and laughter to a business partnership in which we both drove the other half nuts! It was not her fault. It was not my fault.

I also realized that I was spending waaaaaay too much time thinking about the business, worrying about the business, trying to market the business, yada, yada, yada... I am a wife. I am a mother. I am a friend. I want to be a good wife. A good mother. A good friend.

It was not an easy decision to make. In fact, I walked around with a tornado in my gut for a day or two before finally doing what had to be done. It is hard to walk away from a project that you have spent countless hours and lots of hard work to develop. But it was the right thing to do. I know that it will take a LOT of stress off her back and mine.

So, on Saturday, I gracefully bowed out. I will keep the things I made, she will keep the things she made, the stuff we bought together we will split. She will keep the website since she was the one managing it anyway, and hopefully, I will still be able to place my creations in a local boutique that has been carrying our stuff.

We can go back to just being friends and having fun again.

Once the decision was made, I felt so relieved.

Then I began to think about all that I now have to do...

Essentially, I am back to square one. I have to decide exactly what it is I am going to do. I have to come up with a name. I have to get a web site. I have lost the customers and exposure that we worked hard to develop on the web. I have to develop a "look." I have to work on making more stuff...

Funny, for some strange reason, that tornado in my gut came right back!

On second thought, maybe you should feel sorry for my hubby and kids!

In praise of finished projects!

I know that I agonize over all the projects I have started and then sadly neglected. However, I do manage to finish a good many as well!

Check this out. It is my first ever knitted sweater made out of Lopi wool. I will confess that I worked for hours and hours and hours on it, got it done from the waistline all the way up to the shoulders and then proceeded to "frog" it and start all over again!

For those of you not in knitting/crocheting circles, "frogging" is what you do when you are not happy with how something it working out. It means to take hold of the yarn and unravel the work you have done. In other words, you rip it, rip it, rip it.

Maintaining a Balance

I am first, and foremost a wife and mother. And that, in and of itself is a full-time job! However, I am also a creative person. (Can I say that? Does that sound egotistical? I don't mean it to! In fact, I think every person is creative in some way or another.) I am periodically struck with a need to create something. It can border on obsessive! I guess in some ways, I have a one-track-mind. When it hits me, look out! I become a knitting, sewing, tatting, needlepoint, crocheting, or beading fanatic. It can also manifest itself as an overwhelming urge to learn a new musical instrument, or begin practicing on an old one that has been gathering dust (there is already a flute, piano, guitar and violin in that category). I take off like fireworks. Sparkle in all my splendor, and then slowly fade away. The sad result of this is that I have too many UFO's (unfinished objects) lurking in closets and on shelves. There are patterns and fabrics to make clothes that my kids have long since outgrown. Afghans to be finished. Needlepoint projects that are half-done. {{{sigh}}}

So, I am making an effort to be more consistent, steady, and determined to actually finish some of my many projects and use up all those containers stashed with fabric and fiber.

And if you hear the sound of someone cheering, don't be alarmed. It is just my husband!

A new direction for my poor, neglected blog.

I haven't been blogging much. I know all my readers, okay, my one reader, out there has missed me! Therefore, for the benefit of myself and my beloved fan (hugs to Kim!), I am going to start adding pictures...that is, if I can figure it out! My goal is to make a record of some of the items that I have spent my precious time making. I realize that I have hand knit, crocheted, needlepointed, beaded, yada, yada, yada, countless items and given them away or sold them with no photographic record to remind me of all the blood, sweat and tears hard work and love I have poured into them.

So, here goes. Hopefully this will work and you will see my first photo!


I designed this pair of hairsticks for my lovely niece, Christy as a gift on her 17th birthday. I also made matching earrings (which I neglected to photograph! Grrrr!)

To ALL my readers...(Ha! Ha! Har! Har! Ho! Ho!)

Just wanted to recommend a site to all of you...okay, I know nobody is reading this. It is my own fault. I used to blog quite regularly on another site and I had a group of friends who were frequent visitors. I have spent the past several months being silent and now nobody even knows I am here. (((sigh)))

Anyway, there is a new site out there for folks who like to save $$$ but not live like a bag lady. I have found her entertaining and informative. So go visit www.wantnot.net when you get a chance.

One Big, Healthy, Family

I have boxes of organic, whole grain cereal that have been sitting in my kitchen, untouched for over a month. BUT, buy a 38 ounce bag of Marshmallow Mateys (a Lucky Charms rip-off) and watch it disappear in less than 48 hours!

One of Life's Petty Annoyances

I admit it. In some ways I am an old fashioned . I cook, from scratch, most of my family meals. Okay, I confess to the ocasional frozen pizza. I like to hang our clothes on the line whenever possible, and I iron my husband's shirts. It is not that love cooking. Nor do I have lot's of time to hang out at the clothes line or have a passion for my ironing board. It's just that in a family our size you have to economize as much as possible. (I've tried to convince them to stop eating, but that is a habit no one around here seems willing to give up.) Now about the ironing...you do the math. 5 shirts a week times 52 weeks and that is a lot of $$$ spent at cleaners. Not me! No way! That would buy a lot of frozen pizzas!

So here is my dilemna...my dear hubby, bless his heart, likes 100% cotton shirts and he does not like polos. Hence, I must iron. Anyone who irons will know that you need steam to press a cotton shirt. For steam, you need water in the iron. What I want to know is: am I a clumsy stupid oaf or is there some serious design flaw in every iron I have ever owned?? Never, not once have I ever been able to get the water in the iron without making a huge mess!!! They put this teeny tiny hole on the top of the iron that no self-respecting stream of water wants to squeeze in. Then they ignore a basic law of physics...no two objects can occupy the same space at the same time...so where does the air inside of the iron go when you fill it with water?? Right! It tries to escape out of the same miniscule hole the water is trying to go in. The result? A big, wet mess!