Made More Changes

Sooooo.....ever since the "whitewashing" experiment yesterday I had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Even so, I'd have probably given it a few days trial period if it weren't for the fact that the kiddos and hubby somehow clued themselves in to what I had done and were none too happy about it! Frankly I don't know why they care at all given none of them even peek at my postings. Come to think of it I'm not sure how they knew what color the background originally was, but they did and were quite verbal about the fact that changing it had been a very, very bad idea.

And so, by popular demand, this site is officially BACK IN BLACK!!!

Made Some Changes

I'm honestly not quite sure what possessed me but I seem to have whitewashed my blog. I went at it as one would tackle a bout of spring cleaning thinking the end results would be refreshing and a joy to bask in. Now, however, I'm wondering if I wasn't merely a tad delirious from fever. I'm thinking it's quite blah and somehow doesn't look right.....maybe I just really miss my black background. On the other hand, reading it seems easier on the eyes and it might encourage me to work on my photos a bit more.

Either way I'll let it stay as is until I've fully recouperated and can think striaght once again.....summer colds are the worst!

Made it a Movie Marathon Day

Today found the majority of us slightly under the weather.....bellies a bit too full of birthday cake, heat headaches, and several cases of the summer sniffles. So in order to remedy the situation I called a time out for everyone and fed us a steady stream of tea, kleenex, and movie entertainment. 

Made a Wish Come True

Today was the 11th birthday of dear child #3. As has been the tradition for many years running, he and dear hubby make a "buddy day" out of it in which they see a movie, get a bite to eat, and have a   shopping spree extravaganza. This year, however, another request was made...to have a store bought birthday cake?!!! Apparently #3 had been deprived of such an experience but always eyed the confections in the bakery case at the grocery store. So, when he spoke up, I put my baking apron aside, placed an order and when the time finally arrived, dished him up a hearty slice of sweetness with the "J" on top!

Made Me Want One!

 Look what I found in my newest issue of Doll News!

 How could it be that I've never heard of these dear little wooden wonders? Possibly because they are almost nowhere to be found.....Ebay, Etsy, and Pinterest all empty of the Woodettes. Even a   Google search revealed nothing more than this.

 The article in Doll News, however, provided a wealth of information. Designed by the children's book illustrator Mary Alice Stoddard, these small collectible dolls were produced from 1940 to 1945. Sold  primarily in an unassembled state, children had the fun of putting the little wooden doll pieces together, painting the figures, and playing with the fiished product.

And now I want to make one too!

Made More than a Few Frowns

We are one week into summer vacation and, thanks to me, the party's over! An exponential increase in household messiness forced me to put my foot down and put a chore chart up. Needless to say it was not well received.....

Made the Best of It

Well today was definitely one of those hodge podge days in which I ran every which way but ended up completing not much of anything. I did manage, however, to trim up one tiny pillow and start up some embroidery while waiting for a batch of teenagers to emerge from the movie theaters earlier this evening.

Made Something Delicious

I recently happened upon The Sheer Stories-Everything by Julia Marek, a blog rich with inspiration, amazing photography, and good things to eat.

So inspired was I in fact, that I decided to try her recipe for Chocolate Cloud Cake (and to top it off with what appears to be a favorite of hers....pansies!)

It was more than delicious AND gluten free to boot so everyone in the family could partake!

During clean up I was about to toss the remnants when I luckily recalled Julia's delight in pressed flowers. I decided to follow suit once more and tuck away a few of the sweet pansy faces in  the pages of a favorite cookbook as a sweet reminder of her generous spirit.

 

Made a Salad

Today teen #1 hosted his own birthday party and for some odd reason I thought the boys would enjoy a refreshing side salad.....

.....to accompany this hot greasy goodness.

WRONG.

I'd feel bad except for the fact that they didn't eat a bite of cake either. Now I'm thinking they're the odd ones.....who doesn't like chocolate cake for goodness sake?!!!

Made Lots of Iced Tea.....

.....and then spent the rest of the day drinking it.

Too hot for words.....

Made My Etsy "About" Page.....

.....and I nearly ripped my hair out doing it! What is it with me and computers? 

Have a look see for yourself and I'll keep my fingers crossed that the script and pictures haven't disappeared again!

LOOK SEE HERE

Made: The Lost Weekend in Reveiw

 While our little trip took us slightly north of our humble abode, the destination was actually quite familiar.....another house, behind another picket fence, bordering another yard full of hostas and fairy roses.....

Yep! We were hunkered down at pop and grandma's for the weekend. While there was a wee bit of business to attend to along with one flat tire and a lost set of keys, there was also oodles of goodness to be had.

 Made a promise to spend some time out on the porch.

  Made sure to don a pair of old red wellies.

 Made my way past Snake Rock (no further reason for red wellies required!)

 Made my way out back.....

 .....over the river....

 .....and through the woods because that's what your supposed to do at grandma's house!

 Made me wish we had a pocket door at our house!

 Made my toes red (to match the wellies of course!)

 Made a wonderful surprise discovery in the book Prayers for Sale. It's by Sandra Dallas and if your name happens to be Connie your going to want to check it out!

 Made myself quiet as a mouse in the early morning hours.

 Made up some mini pillows.

 Made a Father's Day trip to the flea market...where we lost those keys,

 but found wonderful wooden delights!

 Made a bet with dear hubby that this thing will eventually brew the best coffee he's ever had.

 Made several attempts to round up the kids come Sunday evening.

Made our goodbyes and gave our best wishes to these amazing little pavement pansies.

Made It to the End!

 

Yes, we made it back home.....and just in time to attend the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!

I'm not sure who is more excited, me or the kids? I am so looking forward to the lazy, peaceful days of summer ahead. No more 5AM alarm clocks, fights over the bathroom, missing books, late night study sessions, forgotten lunches, last minute homework scribbles, grumpy faces, or missed buses for 9 WHOLE WEEKS! 

On second thought, we'll probably still have fights over the bathroom and I imagine the remote control will now be in high demand as well.....so much for those peaceful days!

Made a Great Escape.....

....no, I'm not bound for Bermuda but I am off on an adventure of sorts.

Well not an adventure per say, but I am about to head out the door and will eventually rest my head on a strange pillow in another state.

In other words...I'll be playing hookie for a day or two.

Promise to make up for it with an extra post!

Enjoy your weekends everyone!!!

Made Someone for the Wee Pincushion

 It's been ages since I made up a May Belle Sweetie and I had forgotten how much fun they were to detail.....

 .....what with a bit of crochet lace on the apron,

 ..... some free flowing ribbons,

 .....and of course a pair of decorative knickers in case the wind kicks up!

Needless to say, this wee wooden girlie has won my heart!

Made My Headache Go Away

I am continually amazed to find

 taking tiny stitches

can make a frazzled day disappear.....

Made My Garden Grow

 A few days of sunshine has done wonders with the garden. So many of my favorites are starting to show their faces...Lady's  Mantle, lavender, daisies, and of course the fairy roses!

With several days of rain once again in the forecast I grabbed up a handful for an impromptu bouquet before the deluge arrives and leaves them worse for wear.

Made the Beans Spill

 No I didn't spoil a surprise. In fact the invites went out weeks ago. It's only now, however, that the sun has returned and the temps have risen (somewhat at least) that the prep work has gotten into full swing. Good thing too because next Saturday is our neighborhood's annual summer block party. This year's theme is "Survivor"  and we've got challenges galore planned out!

 

 

One such contest involves beanbags and so with the assistance of child #3 several color coded batches were stitched up in no time.

Go Team!

Made the Effort

Remember my talk of a  "someday, maybe yard sale?"

Well guess what?

Today was the day!

It was a spontaneous decision that sounded like a good idea at 9PM last night. Unfortunately we now know Sundays are not ideal for yard sale crowds. No matter.....we had so much fun hanging out with our neighbors we've decided to have another sale come August and to make it a multi family one this time. Yippee!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to find a place to stash all this stuff until then.....



Made a Comparison

 On those days when I'm headed out the door on an adventure of sorts I have a habit of  

 gathering up all the items I'll need in one spot in order to make a quick and efficient escape. Today was no different except I decided to document it so as to create a before and after comparison. No particular reason why.....just seemed kind of fun.

 

Before...

1. Sweater and lotion since the weather has been so un-June like I half expect to be freezing and develop chapped hands. 

2. My go-to sewing basket outfitted with supplies and a hearty pile of Picca-Little doll pillows to work on.

3. Must have purse pile including sunglasses to drive, cell phone for emergencies, and money for a stop at Little Peach to see Dave and grab a cup of coffee.

4. Hitty cape wool remnants to match up with fabric for future linings.

5. One dozen Itty Bitty pincushions to drop off.

6. My slightly off  block of the month along with notebook and pen to make note of what to bring next time.

7. A pile of cheerios used to distract one little bichon puppy who has by this time taken note of the gathering ritual and is beginning to nervously anticipate my departure. By tossing them across the living room an instant scavenger hunt is created allowing me a quick minute or two in which to exit without having my skirt hem viciously attacked! 

After...

1. Seem to have misplaced the lotion but am now wearing the sweater as it WAS too COLD for short sleeves. Some borrowed books were returned and requests for new loaners were noted in #6.

2. "Hmmmm" dear hubby wants to know, "only one and a half doll pillows finished in 3 hours time?" Seriously, how much sewing does he think can be accomplished with so much chit chat to catch up on?!!!

3. The coffee was delicious but the phone useless. Child #3's "emergency" question pertaining to his Lego contest submission had to be dialed directly to the shop's main line since my ring tone could not be heard over the all important chit chat.

4.Success in the shopping department!

5. In the spirit of old fashioned scrap bags I usually come home with and assortment of other member's trimming to make up even more doll pillows with.

6. Directions for next month's block which I promise to read this time around and lots of happy notes like "bring fun snacks."

7. Evidence of this month's snacking in the form of crumpled candy wrappers.