New ideas, new projects and supplies

Quite often after I have attended a Fiber festival, a workshop or Art class I am filled with new ideas and just can't wait to start something new. It equivalent to Julia Camerons's Artist Date but on a bigger scale. Sometimes there is just so much information that you can be overwhelmed.














At Ann's booth I saw Susan's pattern for the Branching Leaf Scarf and thought I might make it out of some bamboo yarn I bought in Missoula this past year. It turned out the yarn was much too fine, so instead AI chose this Alpaca/Silk I got at the Needlepoint Joint last summer. The yarn is exquisite and the pattern seems easy so far. Maybe I can do lace. I had been wanting to find a nice scarf pattern and this fit the bill perfectly. This pattern is free at Knitty.


















I have been making stitch markers. I have been using different kinds of findings to decide which kind I like best. All these beaded markers really jazz up your knitting.


























I picked out these fabrics to use for the fabric book I will be making with Kristin Steiner at the Artnest retreat in Park City in June. It was hard picking out plain fabrics, they will really be embellished so you need to choose simple patterns. I went with pastels for that reason. Then here is a pic of fabrics that I had on hand that will go with those colors. Now I need to see what trims and other embellishments I can find to take with me.

I have found a way to handle all the slow computer time of late. I have this fleece from way back when I used to dye fleece in a crock pot. I have been flicking opening the ends of the locks. Then I will combine colors and put them on the drum carder and make some wonderful batts. I have this pile by my computer and i just do a little while I am waiting for things to load and so forth. It makes me think I am accomplishing something.















Here is the basket of locks.














Now the combed locks, they look so nice now.

Multiple Mishaps

It seems like I am having lots of mishaps of late; do you ever find you seem to have a series of mishaps over and over again. Its like you need to step back from your life and say stop. What does this all mean. I am on the phone with Citibank right now since I can't find a credit card. So I am getting that closed off. Then this past weekend after teaching my weaving class Dave came to pick up my loom and I put all the tools and things in a bag and put them in the truck. It wasn't till almost everyone else had left that I realized my car keys were in the bag. I had to hitch a ride to the restaurant where I was meeting friends and then have to call Dave and have him bring me my keys. I really felt like an idiot.

I am trying to decide what I want to be when I grow up. The last 2 fairs I have both taught and had a booth selling my dyed fibers. Its very wearing physically. I am thinking maybe I should stick to one or the other. Perhaps I should just stick to dyeing since that is what I am good at. Its not that I am not good at teaching I think I can do that well too. I wish there was just this phone number that you could call and ask. What should I do? How should I best spend my time? I know it doesn't exist but it would make life so much easier.

It snowed yesterday, Only in Idaho. So its been cool the last few days, I am back to long sleeves and a jacket. I had turn the heat back on too. Weather is so unpredictable.

I guess it was spending all that time with Cyndi and her beads this past weekend. I found myself going downstairs to retrieve something only to sit down and sort some of my smaller beads. It is somehow very calming separating colors into their little piles. I am not done yet but I got a good start. I find when I don't have some semblance of order I really do not use the materials.














I recently purchases this book but haven't had any time to start some of the techniques. I think its the best book I have seen on wire work for jewelry. It has great pictures that demonstrate techniques.


Quote of the Day: "Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment,
or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around." - Dr. Leo Buscaglia

Three baby owls

These pictures were taken by my Dave with his new camera a Sony Cybershot. This is the mother owl. We did find out that there are 3 baby owls. If you enlarge the baby pic you can see 3 of them.
















I woke up this morning and decided I just could not take the pain anymore. I have scheduled a steroid shot for Friday morning. I sure hope this one does the trick.

Ever since my trip to Maryland I have been in a lot of pain. I try to put on a happy face but it does get hard to even do that. I have had a few weeks of things that had to get done, like weaving the blanket or preparing for the Fiber Fair. I manage to pull through and do it all but when I get out of the other side of all this activity I am a mess. Dave is headed to Yellowstone for a week and I was going to go but I just can't be far from a heating pad. Its sad to think that my life has deteriorated to this stage. I find myself becoming a person who only can think about what she can't do instead of all the things that are possible. I guess that is why I felt I had to try the shot one more time. I need to move beyond this back problem, its starting to eat me alive in some ways. I am starting to feel like one of those people in the depression commercials on TV and I don't like it. Enough of all this downer talk.

Thrift Store Finds

I have been slowly accumulating materials for the class with Misty Mawn. Now I am looking for collage items like old books, magazines etc. So I went to a thrift store yesterday. I found some old sheet music and an old scrabble game. I took all the wood tile pieces out, kept the board since its heavy cardboard that I can use for some bookmaking and tossed the beat up box. Some old games have great collage elements to them. I think I will hit some of the other thrift store now to see if I can find other gems.

The Fiber Fair

The Fiber Fair went well. I taught my classes ran by booth bought new things and had a great time. Cyndi and Shirley came up a day early so we had a relaxing day before all the fair. Cyndi sat making yarn markers and zipper pulls, That was fun, she gave me some ideas for the Retreat Fiber Exchange so I have started working on that again.


This is what my booth looks like, lots of dyed rovings for sale. I did fairly well thanks to all my friends who buy from me. My classes went well too so that was great.















Here are Ginger and Shirley untangling a mess of Pendelton Wool Selvedges















This little puppy named Casey was everyones favorite.

Now what you have been waiting for all the things I bought.














I bought this Laurel Burch bag in my favorite colors, purple and teal.














Then I got this little bag to put inside to hold small things. I just love her cats.















This was a blend of mohair and alpaca, I wish you could feel it; it is so soft.


















This is from a kit the yarn is shades of purple in alpaca and I'll make a scarf with it like this.


























Last but but not least are these pair of fused glass earrings, I also got some charms but I will show them when they are made in to earrings.

Help find this girl

I have seen this little girl on several blogs so its time I helped pass her picture around in hopes that helps in finding her.

Please cut & paste today's post and send it to as many people as you can.It is a section from an e-mail I received last night.The world of blogging reaches far and wide,let's use it's power to get this into the news all around the world.

As you are aware my niece is still missing and I am asking everyone I know to sendthis as a chain letteri.e. you send it to everyone you know, and askthem to do the same, as the story is only being covered in Britain, Eire andPortugal.We don't believe that she is in Portugal anymore and need to get her picture and the story across Europe and USA as quickly aspossible.Suggestions are welcome.Phil McCannphilmccann@ecosse.net

Violette's Self Care Challenge

I should be cleaning but we all need a break sometime. Over at Violette's blog (link in sidebar). She did a Self Care Card and challenged us to do the same. Oh this was so much fun. Making yourself into a paper doll is such a blast. I think I want to do more now. Mine is only a single sheet not a card. Maybe I will follow directions next time and maybe not. That what it is all about. I used Golden fluid acrylics to paint the clothes, added some glitter to the wings and added the border paper and some stick on jewels for the dress. Try making one they are such fun.

The Trip East part 1

Here is Jack getting all comfortable while we wait for Julie and Nancy's plane to arrive. I had a 2 hour wait and was pretty tired so I bought one of these to haul around my stuff.

I had no trouble recognizing them when they got to the baggage area where I was waiting. We had a group hug and then waited for their luggage to show up. We picked up the rental car and then drove the 2 hours to the beach house. First stop was a liquor store so I knew this was to be an entertaining weekend for sure. We hit the grocery store next for some breakfast food. Then on to the house. In some instances I felt like the odd man out. Julie and Nancy had met before so they were familiar with each other. My comment had been that they look liked I expected buy different. They were not a flat picture anymore but dimensional beings now.















Here is Nancy on the left and Julie on the right. Nancy is from Phoenix and Julie is living in Napa.

The next day all the other women started to arrive. There were six other women who came. They were all Nancy's friends and most of them she met in an adoption support group and others were friends of her kids. It was a varied group and the conversation never failed to amaze me. The interesting thing is I think we all bonded as women. These women didn't know Julie or myself at all and yet we were sharing things that I have never shared with any other women before. It was incredible. We are talking about meeting in Sedona next year and I think that would really be awesome.















If you are into orbs look at the number of them in this picture
















Here is a better one, what a group of truly amazing women. B- Linda, Tammy, Deb Julie, Sharon. F- Vicki, Carolyn, Nancy and myself

Beyond Dyeing

It been 4 days since I started dyeing and 21 pots later I am done. I think that is plenty for a respectable showing at the fair. For awhile it seems like all I dyed was purple and orange. Its funny that I have 4 color ways with an orange base to them. It no surprise there is a lot of purple but I do try to do different things sometimes. I have the next 2 days to get the house cleaned and for all those other miscellaneous things that need to done for a show. I think I will make it. I have most of the stuff ready for my classes. I need to get to the copy shop and get the loom ready. I think I will do that on Friday after everything is done. I have 4 friends coming to stay too so I need room cleaned out for that and so forth. At least Sarah has gotten most of her stuff put away.

Sarah got a job at Linen and Things and she starts tomorrow. I need my car so I will driving her to and from work until our truck comes back from the shop. Then she can drive that.

Still thinking about Claire and wished they were something that I could do to help. It is so hard feeling so helpless. Sending thoughts of healing her way.

I know I still have not reported on my trip but I will soon.

Break Time

This is a scarf my friend Margaret wove out of some fiber that I dyed. She showed it to me when I was at the Knowltons for the Wool Trek. I think it is just beautiful!

I have dyed 6 pots of wool today so I am taking a break. I think I deserve it. I just heard that a dear friend Claire over in the UK had a stroke last week. Yikes that was a shock. She appears to recovering movement on her right side but the speech recovery is slow. Say a prayer or light a candle for her. She is such a wonderful artist that I am hoping she is back in the swing of things soon.

Isn't it strange how we can complain about not having enough time or these little issues and problems we all have. They all seem so big until we hear of something like this. It puts it all into perspective once more. Since I have heard about Claire its like my world has stopped. I have a zillion things to do but I find myself stopped in silence for the sadness of this event and my powerlessness to help at all.

Sarah is off at a job interview, so I hope she comes home with a job. I spent last evening weighing all the Shetland Roving I have to sell and some of the other fibers I have dyed. It takes a long time to do. I keep thinking I need to buy a digital scale to do this. The triple balance beam scale I use really takes a long time. I guess I just don't want to spend the money on it. Maybe if I start looking a bargain will present itself. I know you never know until you look.


Quote Of the Day Friends are the angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly."- Unknown

Mama Owl

We went to see the Owls on Saturday morning. The babies were deep in the nest sleeping and Mom was out hunting, but we found her here. Click on the pic to see her better. She was really watching us. We stayed a little while and then left so she could get back to the babies. It was great to see her.













The trip to pick up Sarah was grueling. Dave and I went up and back in one day. We planned to stop in Dell for breakfast. This little Cafe was so cool, Its an old school house. It still has the blackboards on the walls and other school memorabilia. The key though was the food is fantastic. In the close up you can see it was called the Standard school and its years of operation. Its funny that they called it the Calf-a.














Happy Mothers Day

Happy Mothers day to all the mothers out there whether you have children or not. We are all mothers in some way.













This is what Dave got me, some additions to my Fiestaware. I have been wanting these so it was nice to get them. Sarah gave me a flat niji waterbrush. I have been wanting one of them too.

Back to the Dyepot

At the last minute I got a booth for the Snake River Fiber Fair so I have got to start dyeing in earnest. I have Shetland to sell, but want some dyed fibers as well. I did 3 lbs yesterday and plan to some today too. I thought I had an extra week but I mis-caculated. So this will be a really busy week. It looks like my classes will go so I need to prepare for them too. I am teaching Introduction to Weaving and Preparing a Fleece. They will both be fun.

Quote of the Day: I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read and all the friends I want to see. ~John Burroughs

Wonderful Gifts

Angela tagged me with a meme of 7 statements about myself. So here they are. If you are reading this you are tagged.

1. I love the quote "Follow your Bliss" by Joseph Campbell. Its how I try to live my life.
2. My favorite poet in Mary Oliver, and my favorite poem by her is called The Journey.
3. I love books, I have several bookshelves full. Sometimes I will give one I don't need anymore away and other times I can not bear to part with them.
4. Blogging has changed my life in many ways, mainly with all the wonderful women that I have met all over the world. They are the best, you know who you are.
5. I like collecting rocks and shells, and other things from nature.
6. I like to help others find their creativity, When I taught classes it would irk me so much when women would say they weren't creative, I would say back everyone is creative and hope to show them a little of their own creativity.
7. I love keeping a journal, some I write in some I draw in, some I do both in. The worst thing for me would be to be somewhere with out pen and paper. I have a notebook of some sorts with me at all times.me

I received another birthday gift. This time from Lisa Oceandreamer. She sent this hand painted mug and crown for my weaving room. She also sent some make your own prayer flags. I just love her work and she is just the sweetest person on the planet. Thanks Lisa.































Then I won Anna's birthday giveaway and got these. I just love the Angel, she is just gorgeous. The notebook is in my favorite color so you can't beat that. Thanks Anna.


























Quote of the Day: Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Act as though it were impossible to fail. Dorothea Brandt

I think they liked it!

Some of you may wonder if I really finished that blanket on time. Yes I finished weaving on Wednesday, spent Thursday repairing mistakes and twisting the fringe, which gave me Friday to wash and let it dry. It was a surprise gift for friends Fred and Jo Knowlton. They raise sheep and do a tremendous amount for the spinning community I wanted them to know how much they were appreciated.

On Saturday morning when I got up we had almost a blizzard, yes it was snowing like a banshee. I waited an hour to leave when it let up a little. I had an uneventful drive and then arrived to the pandemonium of spinners in search of fleeces. I was all set to pick up a fleece for my friend Amy, so I headed to the fleece area once I put my stuff down. Luckily I did since there was not much left at that point. I got her a beautiful grey fleece I know she will love.

Right before lunch we presented the blanket. They were totally surprised which was good. Sometimes keeping things a secret can be difficult. There were a lot of people involved. I got Dee Jo's daughter in law to get a hold of the mailing list so I could write everyone and ask for yarn donations. A special thanks to Shirley who gave me stamps for the mailing and spun extra yarn for me. Thanks also to all those spinners who donated their time and talent. The gift was quite a success, I am sure that Fred an Jo know they are loved and appreciated by all of us.
















Here are Fred and Jo all wrapped up in their blanket.

Thursday we go and pick up Sarah from College. It is hard to believe that she's ready to come home for the summer. How time flies.

Quote if the Day: If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.
-Thomas A Edison

What a face

Who wouldn't love a face like this. This is a little Jacob ewe at my friend Judy's place. I stayed with Judy in Salr Lake City before my flight to Baltimore and then when I got back. I fell in love with this little critter, so cute.















This is a Mule Deer who traveled down from the Mountains and was in the pasture next door. The sheep were really curious about her.

I am still plugging away on the blanket. so I have to get back to work.

The Branchlings

I got home yesterday afternoon and had to take a quick trip to see the Owls. Once the trees are all full of leaves you won't be able to see them anymore. Look at these guys, I can't say they are that cute but they are really big fluff balls for sure. You can see a little bit of the mom. She was watching us very intently. What a treat this has been. Remember you can click on to make the pictures bigger.



























We also saw these swallows and a Sandhill Crane.


I have to get back to the loom so I this is it for now. I will report on the trip in the next week or so. It was fantastic!

Ocean Bound

I am Ocean bound. in a few hours I will be packed up and on my way. My flight leaves tomorrow but I fly out of Salt Lake so I will be heading down there today. I just realized I have something I really need to add to the list today so there is no time to blog. I will be back on Tuesday. Have a great weekend everyone.

Rejuvenation

I just love how a change in thoughts can change ones life. Last night after an incredible episode of Heroes I tried to weave after advancing the warp I lost the shed again. I really do not know what is going on with this loom. I had planned on weaving all day but have not even tackled it at all.

I have been dealing with this acid reflux thing. I definetly have seen a decline in all the burping but my stomach hurts most of the time. Recommendations were to eat small meals, to stay away from spicy foods. I think I need to go really low fat too. Also my feet are swelling up, I am not drinking enough water since I am too sick to my stomach to want to eat or drink. Its sort of a vicious cycle. I leave for this trip tomorrow and I don't even want to get out of bed. Well that was last night, this morning when I woke up things were the same if not worse and thats when despondancy seems to set in for me. I felt so crappy I just want to crawl in a hole and never come out again.

It is at this point that I get on the computer and I see a note by LisaFroggy and oh that changed everything. Thanks Lisa for posting about the commentary on the Secret Video. I went to watch it right away, at first I could not find it, but it is in the settings section. It was a conversation with Rhonda Byrne and another producer. Its like one long interview. It took me back and made me realize what I have been doing to myself. If I don't start seeing myself as healthy I never will be. I don't know why I need to be constantly reminded of this but I do. I only listened to about half of the commentary and everything changed for me. I now know for certain that the trip is really going to be one of healing for me on several levels. I know when I get back I will discover whats wrong with the loom and be able to finish the project on time. I have let go of all those expectations and now I can enjoy the day, get ready for my trip and go and have a fantastic time. Isn't it wonderful!

Workshop News

Now the good news, you know I was disappointed at not getting into the Writers Spa and then there were a couple other offerings I was interested in but I couldn't make up my mind. I remember saying to myself why can't there be a workshop closer. I had decided to just wait and see. Well one did come to my attention but it has nothing to do with writing, but it does have a lot to do with Art. I really want to go to this one. Its held in Utah which is really close for me, just a 4 hour drive. Its an art retreat called the Artnest. Its held in June and the following artists will each teach a one day class. Misty Mawn teaches Spontaneous Art. Sally Jean Alexander teaches a Gothic pendant and Kristin Steiner teaches I am a woman who(a fabric book). To say that I am just a little excited about meeting and taking a class from Misty Mawn would be an understatement. Then I looked at her class list and thought, oh wow this is going to be serious I wonder if I am up to this challenge. Then I thought you have to jump out of the box and explore, this is what you want. So feel the fear and do it anyways. So yes I am planning on going. As soon as they send a registration form my check will be in the mail.


Quote of the Day:"My philosophy is that not only are you responsible for your life, but doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment." -Oprah Winfrey

Heroes is back

For all of us fanatics Heroes is back on tonight. Last night I took a peak at the videos over at the Heroes website. Ohh I can't wait till tonight. I already have a few questions answered so its going to be great.


















This is a picture of the shawl my sister sent me. The color did not come out well in the picture. The lighter shade is a pale teal and lavender and the dark is a very deep teal. It is very warm and cozy. What a wonderful sister I have.

Its one of those Spring rainy days today. I'll stay in and weave most of the day, but I do have to venture out for my workout at 11:00. Maybe it will let up by then.

Finding Donations

Yesterday I went through 3 plastic totes of fabric looking for what I could donate to my friend Barbara in Salt Lake. She is a girl scout leader and it taking her girls back to Costa Rica this summer. Th fabrics are for a program that helps teen girls. Here is a little of what she told me.

Renacer (“rebirth”) is a residential program for teen girls caught up in the street culture of San Jose. Most have been involved in prostitution, many with drugs, and some with unwanted pregnancies and other consequences of the street. They are all in the program voluntarily (though sometimes with law enforcement “encouragement”) and participate in a variety of educational and counseling programs. In addition to the academic programs, Renacer has a variety of occupational options, including sewing classes. They also can use yarn for crochet and knitting.

When we visited the facility in 2005, my Girl Scouts had a really wonderful experience --- sharing feelings, food, and fun with peers. My girls provided role models as well as international understanding, and the Renacer girls provided insights into teens struggling (and succeeding) to become teens again. This seemed like such a worthy cause.

When I am going to let go of things I like seeing them go to a good cause. I have 2 of those white garbage bags full of fabric along with some yarn and knitting needles to donate. A lot of what I have left are scraps. I should find someway to use them or pass them on to someone else. I can see a future date of going through these tubs again and organizing it all.



Quote of the Day: "I think of life itself, now, as a wonderful play that I've written for myself. ... And so my purpose is to have the most fun playing my part." - Shirley MacLaine

New things

After a trip to town to a million places on Saturday I came home with this bird bath for my garden. I really like it. I hope the birds will.














This is the yarn I just finished. Its a 3 ply yarn made from a Blue Faced Leicester roving I died. I was aiming for a finer yarn than I have been able to do. This is a first step. I think the next time I can even do better.















Here is the blanket on the loom. My friend Ginger came over and got hhe loom working for me so I should be able to get it finished now.
I started painting the spare room. The walls are very textured so its going to take at least 2 coats to get thing covered. So it looks like its going to take a lot longer than I expected. I was hoping to get it painted before I leave on Wednesday but that might not happen now; oh well such is life.


Finding Water

I have not checked in for 2 weeks now. I have been doing the work just not managed to record anything about it all here. I have it all recorded in my notebook but just haven't felt inclined to report it here for some reason. I guess that I am getting bored with the process. I don't think that the text has been very inspiring.

Some Answers

This morning when I woke up I decided it was time for some answers, I was tired of feeling miserable. I called and made a Dr. appointment. I have really been feeling lousy all week and to be honest for some time. Turns out I have acid reflux disease, so I have meds to try for that. In addition no more eating on the couch. I need to eat sitting up, stay away from spicy foods and not eat 2 hours before bed. I am also allergic to something so the coughing and post nasal drip at night are from that. I got some kind of spray to help out there. It was suggested that my feet are swelling due to a lack of water so I will try to increase my water intake. All these problems that have nothing to do with my back. I feel like a wreck. At least now I have something to work with. So I feel good about that.

Right now I am sitting at my desk eating a Marie Callender's Chicken Pot Pie. Ahh comfort food is the best.

In the mail today I got the soldering tool I ordered and a package from my sister. Its a handwoven shawl. I will take some pics of it and show it tomorrow. What a delightful surprise that was. I have a friend who is giving me some microscope slides to play with. Once I get those and some time I will start playing with the solder. I'll post result here for sure.

I still can't figure out what is wrong with the loom. Oh I know what doesn't work I just don't know how to fix it. I may have to get the engineer husband working on it. Meanwhile no weaving can be accomplished so that is very frustrating.

There is a drum circle for Earth Day at Church tonight and I do plan to go. It should be a fun time. I really like drumming and should really do it more often, so I do like to take the opportunity to do so. The last few months I have been out of town on the dates it is done.

Good news... Sarah got an apartment for next year. She signed up late and hadn't made a dorm reservation as a back up. We really didn't want her ending up in the Party dorm, way on the other side of campus. These are University owned apartments, so she will still get her housing scholarship. If she moved into other housing she would lose 1000.00 and thats a lot for a kid to make up. She has to pay for the apartment year round but it should be cheaper that the dorm was. She'll be on to another adventure.

Quote for the Day: "Art becomes a spiritual process depending upon the degree of commitment that you bring to it. Every experience becomes direct food for your art. Then your art teaches you about life. - Nick Bantock

Gifts from Charleston

I got this wonderful piece of art from my friend Pam, celebrating her town Charleston. Its her birthday today so send Pam a greeting.



















This is the front of the card.

















Here is the inside. The back had a printed history of Charleston on it and she also included a recipe for Huguenot torte and a map of Charleston too. What fun,

Weaving Update:

The loom fix I thought I had made fell apart so now I have to do a whole slew of things to it before I can weave again. It is annoying to no end but hopefully things will be right after this.

I am fixing up the bedroom downstairs, my idea is for a cottage look. I have bought paint called Spring Waterfall, its a lovely shade of light blue. I bought a white headboard for the bed and will get a white nightstand. So things will definetly be blue and white. I have some blue and white striped seersucker that I might make curtains out of. I would like to add sea motif's or a painting or two on the theme later. Or maybe I will take the leap and paint something myself. I think it will be great when its finished.

Next week I go to Maryland for a weekend at the beach with 2 internet friends, Nancy and Julie whom I have not met. I will drive up to Salt Lake City on Wednesday and spend the night and then take a plane early Thursday morning. I have never gone anywhere for a weekend like this before so it shall be a fun adventure. It will be fantastic to see the Ocean again.

Quote of the Day: "I'm not old enough to play baseball or football. I'm not eight yet. My mom told me when you start baseball, you aren't going to be able to run that fast because you had an operation. I told Mom I wouldn't need to run that fast. When I play baseball, I'll just hit them out of the park. Then I'll be able to walk. "

~Edward J. McGrath, Jr., "An Exceptional View of Life," quoted in Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield & Mark Victor Hansen, 1993

Just turn off CNN

I started the day by watching CNN but it made me cry too much. I had to turn it off. The stories remind me so much of 9/11. So much heartache and nothing anyone can do about it. I can't help but think it could have been my daughter.

I was so saddened I had to do some Art, nothing I can share since its a secret project but it felt good to be working on something. Art truly does heal.

I went and tackled the loom, last night I must have adjusted something because all of a sudden I had no shed. I was about ready to put it in a pile for kindling. It was pretty upsetting. This morning I called my friend Amy to come over and help me. I'd get behind and under the loom while I made adjustment to the tie up she would check the shed. We would get one side to work and then the other would disappear. It was a frustrating time. We finally decided we needed to go look at my friend Gingers loom. So we drove to her office got her keys, went to her house and checked out her loom. It turns out that mine is set up differently than hers so there is something major wrong. We came back to my house and fiddled with it enough so I can weave my project. After its done, I will have to do a major overhaul. I don't think the loom was put together right when I bought it. At least the mystery is solved now.













My friend Gari gave me this piece of jewelry for a late birthday present. It looks really pretty on. She also gave me a copy of The Secret in book form, which of course I already have but I am sure the universe will provide the correct person for me to give it to.

Quote of the Day:"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending." - Anonymous

Sadness in Virginia

I was working out when I saw the totals on CNN keep going up and watched in horror. What an awful thing to have happened today. All I could think of was the Mothers, the worry, the grieving and how life will never be the same. I talked to Sarah twice today. I had to hear her voice, know she was OK, even though she in nowhere near Virgina, she is still on a college campus. When I heard that the college in Virgina sent emails out to warn, I thought I wonder if Sarah checks her email before class. I found out she does but not her University email. She says she would have found out in other ways. Its still scary though.

Please hold all the grieving in Virginia and elsewhere in your hearts tonight and in the coming days.

Spring is back

The sun is out again and Spring is back, yippee and my computer is working again. Last week I made these earrings. Some are gifts and some will become gifts at a later date. I had fun making them. I am trying to use up some of the beads I have.

As to my decision on workshops at this point I decided to make no decision at all. I will just wait and see what happens.

Today I have been on the health mission. I need to start eating better so it was off to stock up on fruits and vegetables and to start thinking about what new things I can eat or make. Its a lifestyle change of sorts, you know where you choose to eat an apple instead of ice cream. Hard to do but worth it in the long run.

Yesterday we went to Market Lake to check on the Owl, still no sign of the Branchlings which is what baby Great Horned Owls are called. Great Horned Owls do not make their own nests. They steal an old one, in this case its a Magpie nest. You also need to be careful too, you don't want to disturb her or she will abandon the nest. I am hoping we'll get to see the babies soon.



















On the way back home we stopped in Roberts, it is this little dinky town and I have always been enthralled by this.















I can just picture bandits on horseback pulling up to this bank to rob it. All was quiet this day though so I decided to take a picture.


Quote of the day:"Use the talents you possess - for the woods would be a very silent place if no birds sang except for the best." ~Henry Van Dyke

Internet Issues

I have been having Internet Problems along with computer problems. I hope that they will be fixed sometime today.

Disappointed

I am disappointed as soon as I finally make that decision to go to that writers spa in Taos this July, I can't go. I discussed it with Dave, I got the money to do it, I have collected some writing to submit and then the thing is filled. I was probably more mad at myself than anything. If I hadn't vacillated on going or not I could have gone. This is one of those times when you wonder. Is this a lesson to act when you get the inclination or is it a case of I am not supposed to go and something else will appear. Its hard to decide which camp to stay in.

I am starting to get used to the idea that my plans for the summer have changed. I did come across another offer that I might pursue. There is a writing coach out there who is having a special rate of 3 sessions for 200.00. Now that is a deal so maybe I will just try working with a coach. The thing is I really don't know much about this person. They write a lovely blog but what kind of coach are they. I guess I need to do a little more research before I go this route. Or maybe its time to look and see what other opportunities are out there that I might pursue. I know that when one door closes another will open. Its just hard to decide which direction to go in.

I am back from all my Dr. appointments to finish this and now I find out that SARK is doing a writers workshop, in June and there are openings. It is in Sonoma. I am not sure I can do that but now I have enough choices to explore, so maybe other doors are opening now. At least I hope so. Now I need to decide just what is it I am hoping to gain from any of these encounters. So a little soul-searching is in order. I think I need the answer to that in order to decide what to do.

The Schedule Continues

My schedule worked pretty good and no I did not manage to be in the art room for only an hour, just what was I thinking! I managed to do a little of everything on the list. So that really felt good.

Today Schedule:

7:00 - woke early to a sore neck, trying to wake up
7:30-8:00 Write Morning Pages
8:00- 9:00 email, blog etc
9:00-9:30 get dressed, eat
9:30-12:30 go to Spinning group at Celestes
12:30-1:30 lunch
1:30-3:30 DO SOME ART
3:30-4:00 Check mail
4:00-6:00 dinner and misc
6:00-8:00 weave
8:00-10:00 read, work on revision

Thats a start, we'll see how I do on this one.

I made 3 birthday cards yesterday and was quite pleased with myself. Those who don't have birthdays in April can look here. That means Anna, Pam and Angela, I am sorry but you'll will have to wait. I got a start on the items I am going to put in the cards. I needed more supplies so I made a stop at Roberts when I was in town. They tempted me with a 50% off coupon so I got a new jewelry tool while I was there. These are for wire work, I can't remember what they are called but I have never seen them before. One arm of the pliers has 3 different sizes to make loops or spirals with. I have all the basic tools but am now adding to my collection some more specialized pieces. I saw a tool thats a jump ring maker, it had 3 sizes that you could make with it. I guess I will put that on my list. Then there was a pair of bent nosed pliers I am not sure what you use them for but I think they might come in handy to hold pieces while you are trying to work on them.

I got started weaving on the blanket, I hope to have a picture tomorrow as there is not much to see yet. I couldn't believe that I could weave 3" and not see a mistake. I had a 2 threading errors but it was easy to fix, it was the weaving of the seven thread back in the cloth that was not fun. I am glad I got started on this. Sometimes for me the challenge is just to get started.

Quote of the Day: "Keep your heart open to dreams.
For as long as there's a dream, there is hope,
and as long as there is hope, there is joy in living." - anonymous

New Schedule

Its cool and dreary this morning. I hope the sun appears sometime this morning.

I decided to try some advice from Barbara Sher's book Refuse To Choose. I am going to try a school like schedule to try and do all the things I like to do in a day.

Todays schedule:
8:00-8:30 write morning pages
8:30-9:00 breakfast
9:00-10:00 internet time
10-11:00 work on art projects
11:00-1:00 weaving
1-2:30 slack time,like lunch and to do some of the above when I am off schedule.
2:30 - 4:30 drive to town, exercise and come back
4:30- make dinner etc, work on taxes, check email
6:30 -10:00 go to women meeting


We'll see how this works, I may need 2 hours for art today. or something. I am going to make a different schedule for every day this week and see how it works. Since its past 10:00 I need to be in the art room. Have a Creative Day!


Quote of the Day: "Jumping at several small opportunities may get us there more quickly than waiting for one big one to come along." ~Hugh Allen

The New me vs the Old me

Happy Easter

Its almost 4 pm and the sun is finally coming out. We had a lousy morning the weather was overcast, threatening rain and extremely windy but things look lovely now.

I just spent an hour talking on the phone to my sister Peggy and that was so much fun. Being far away is hard sometimes, but this call was great. It was almost like we were in the room together. She has this new concept that I want to share. I call it the new me and the old me. Her analogy was this, she'd be out to dinner and what she would normally order is the open faced roast beef sandwich with mashed potatoes and gravy, now today she thought what would the new me order and she had salmon and a
salad. She is trying to make changes and its easier when she thinks of it this way

I just saw this parallel in my life. One of my weaknesses is ice cream. I can eat a half a gallon in a couple days easily. One of the additions to the Fiesta Ware I bought recently is the fruit bowl. Its this tiny little bowl, that Dave likes cause he can have a snack in it and he hasn't eaten too much. First we just had 2 of them but now we have 8 and I have started using them too. Instead of the regular bowl for ice cream I now use these little fruit bowls, now I don't eat as much and I get the same satisfaction. Another thing is that the ice cream lasts a lot longer in my house. It reminded me of the old new me idea. The old me would fill the other bowl and chow down on a lot of ice cream but the new me chooses the smaller bowl and is just as happy. I think I am going to transfer this to other parts of my life. It seems like a simple way to start to make changes that you want to but never seem to.















Look at the size difference in these bowls.

I spent last night working on my taxes. I use Turbo tax so its not too bad. I am concerned since my refund is turning out to be twice as much as last year so I may have done something wrong. I will have to go through it again and see what mistake I could have been made.

Quote of the Day: "If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it." - Mary Engelbreit

Finding Water week 7

It was it the high 60's really warm here today. Isn't he a beauty! He is one of the horses I see on my drive into town every day. Here is his partner in the field. I think these horses are just beautiful.
















Its time for Finding Water's check in for week 7. I was annoyed with Cameron this week. She goes on and on about being an alcoholic and being in a mood and not selling her art. I just wanted to tell her to just shut up and get over it. Geez she can be depressing at times.

I managed my morning pages all days but didn't take a formal artist date. I think I had times where I can say oh that was an artist date but not really. I did spend time perusing gardening books for inspiration and that might qualify but I will just let that slide. I really did not do the exercises either. I guess this week was a bust. On to next week with more enthusiasm.

We went to see Wild Hogs yesterday and oh was it funny. Sure the jokes were predictable but I still enjoyed it. I would love to see a womens movie like this. The glitter sisters ride again and we could just sprinkle glitter all over the bad guys.

Quote of the Day:"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around." - Dr. Leo Buscaglia


Happy Easter Everyone!