annielizabeth's heart to heart

HAPPY HEARTS DAY!

2012-02-14T10:12:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

Ice cube tray from Ikea

Hope you enjoyed a little of my "heart" world. Wishing you a sweet day!

OXOXOX

Award Thank You!

2012-02-13T19:24:00.000-08:00

Lovestitch gave me this award, thanks! I've hardly blogged at all lately so thanks for thinkin' of me.

1 Add the award to your blog

2 Thank the blogger who gave it to you

3 Mention 7 random things about yourself.

4 List the rules

5 Award to 15 bloggers

6 Inform each of those 15 by leaving a comment on their blog.

I can do all but 6 and 7 until I can make the time to do it.

The 7 random things are...hmmm, let's see:

I have always loved Valentine's day. Not because it's for lovers and involves candy and flowers, two things I love but because it involves hearts. I love most anything with hearts on 'em.

Most of my jewelry has hearts on them or are heart shaped.

Around Valentine's day is the only time I like red and pink together.

I could spend all day in a garden, mine or a public one. Working in it or admiring it.

I haven't been on an airplane since 1999.

I work too many hours trying to live the American dream.

I'm still looking for that prince charming on his darn white horse to save me from working all the time, hee, hee ;)

Thanks for stopping by, have a lovely evening!

What I've been hookin'

2012-01-27T18:39:00.000-08:00

Hey! Here's what I've finally finished. These were supposed to be done as a Christmas gift for my sis but I only got one of 'em partly made and you should have seen the look on her face when she saw the yarn ball attached and more yarn balls in the gift box (she doesn't knit or crochet). I mailed them off to her today so she could start using them now instead of waiting until we visited next.

Isn't that a pretty soap? French milled lavender from France that I got from Tuesday Morning. I love that store.

Got sick last weekend with that darn head cold that's been going around and actually had a fever and by yesterday I started feeling much better and more energetic. Haven't been sick for a long time, (I knock on wood). Which is good because I can't call in sick as I'm the only one who can do all the jobs at the little shop. We had some rain the other day which always clears the air and cleans everything and we've had the nicest 3 days of sunshine and warmth. I need to transplant my indoor African Violets and I also got some Daffodils to plant in a pot this weekend. They should be blooming by Easter or a little before that.

Time to leave work and get to redbox and rent a couple movies. Nothing much exciting going on over here!

Thanks for stopping by!

HAPPY 2010!

2012-01-01T14:37:00.000-08:00

Hi! Hope you all are up without any hangovers and ready to tackle 2012. This year has got to be better than last year!

I rang in the new year with some friends in their lovely craftsman home in an old part of Pasadena. We had a delicious simple dinner of prime rib, asparagus, roasted fingerling potatoes and spinach salad. Home made carrot cake for dessert!

Here are some pics of last weekend with my brother, mother, sis and her kids spending a gorgeous day at the beach. We played games and Andy my bro, brought his metal detector and Josiah having been told not to go in the water just couldn't help himself since it was so darn nice out!

San Clemente Beach Sunset Dec. 26, 2011

The sun set on another year but we get a brand new one, yeah! Make it a great one.

Thanks blog friends for visiting me and making me laugh and inspiring me with all your food and crafting projects this past year. I'll be back soon...

Sights of the Season

2011-12-24T15:06:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Everyone! Happy Holy Days to you all.

Here are some sights from my little piece of the world. Enjoy your time off from what you regularly do and may you find some PEACE this weekend.

My son, he's all happy that they sent another smoked turkey to a mailbox customer that isn't here any longer and she said we can always keep the turkeys since she didn't like it anyhow. This is our 4th turkey!

Chocolate gifts for my delivery men and customers.

A tiny plant for my mom.

It's just not holiday time without this stuff!

Rushing to get a couple of gifts off the hook and into a gift bag!

From the backdoor of my shop you can see that Mt. Baldy has snow!

My little Charlie Brown tree that sits outside the door. I got it years ago from Trader Joes and it was one of those tiny live trees with those little ornaments held on by chenille wire. It's about 3 feet tall now.

Have a wonderful magical day! I'm headed down to my mom's and then my sisters and then tomorrow off to my brother's and then back to my sisters. Bye for now!

WIND

2011-12-10T15:09:00.000-08:00

Wow, we had super strong winds approx 90mph (a record for us here) that hit us Dec. 1st, early Thursday morning. Our power got knocked out at our shop for 6 days. Six days of no income! Whereas, many people lost trees and awnings and some even had structure damage from big trees falling on their property, all I lost was the NOTARY sign (shingle) attached to the awning in the front window. God only knows where that ended up. The wind brought a cold front and boy, it was cold and dark here in my shop. I came in every day hoping that the power would come on and could only sort mail for my mailbox customers and sign for pkgs from Fedex and UPS. I did manage to do a few notarizations since they are a "low tech" service; good ol' paper and pen! Soooo glad that is over and can get back to business. This is our busy time of year and we do way more shipping for people.

I'm making a few crochet Xmas gifts that I'll post pics of after Xmas. The shop is closed for the day and I plan to hopefully finish my holiday shopping today. Don't hate me!!!! I just don't have too many gifts to get this year. My daughter isn't able to make it out here so she wants me to send her some goodies from Trader Joe's Mkt.

I like this pic. It's from the Crate and Barrel catalog. Kinda cute kid isn't he? It put me in the holiday spirit somewhat so I thought I'd share it with ya.

Hope you're getting into the spirit of things and enjoying the season. Wish me luck finding parking spaces!

Happy Turkey Day Everyone!

2011-11-23T16:45:00.000-08:00

Hope ya get to have family and friends around you and you eat til your heart (or stomach) is content!

I'm headed to Rancho Cucamonga to my (second to the youngest) brother's place. Then whatever family members don't have somewhere else to be (about 6-7 of us) then we'll go to his girlfriend's family and celebrate there. My bro wanted us esp., our Mom to meet his girlfriend's parents and family. SOoooo, does this mean there are wedding bells in his future? I get kinda nervous about meeting so many new people at one time at their house. But I will just deal with it. Since Mom and I aren't cooking the dinner like we originally planned, then we can sit and catch up on things. I'm making candied yams with walnuts tonight since my bro asked me to "pleeeease" bring them. Maybe I'll go visit my sis and her family at her in-laws for dessert since she'll just be across town.

I was planning to take Friday off for the first time ever since opening the shop but decided whatever $ I make on that day I get to spend on gifts, so there, Black Friday. I'll make money instead of spend it.

Don't forget before delving into that pumpkin pie to give thanks!

Be Good, Be Well, Be Happy!

Some things I've been doing...

2011-11-18T19:53:00.000-08:00

What's been happening around here that I meant to post about sooner:
I got a new "Welcome" mat back in June for the front door after someone stole my neighbors and mine back in May. It's big, heavy, stiff and super scratchy. Hopefully it will be enough of a deterrent for any future stealing of my mat!!

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Back in Mid August, a lady drove up the curb and hit a chair that got knocked into the window of the Mexican Restaurant a couple doors down from my shop. I heard a loud bang and then went out, hurried back in and grabbed the camera and took these photos for the restaurant owner since he's my friend. The lady's guardian angel was with her since she managed to go between 2 parked cars, 2 trees and up onto the sidewalk and just hit the chair into the window which broke but she could have smashed into the place and best of all is NO ONE WAS HURT!! We found out later that she had a mild stroke and doesn't even remember going up the curb. Temple City is a sleepy little place and not much excitement happens here!

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Also in August, my eldest brother and his wife invited our mutual friend, Tracy, her husband and me to go on their boat for the day. We piled in his Jeep and headed northeast a bit to Silverwood Lake. I hadn't been there in ages and we had such a nice day. Being on the lake was so relaxing that I wanted to go out and buy a boat so I could feel that way all the time but of course that is not realistic!!! We all had a great time. I didn't want it to end. Tracy brought cup cakes for my b-day and the frosting had melted off but hey still tasted yummy.

Getting the boat in the water

Magical glistening water

Floating outhouses were on the lake

Long may you wave!

Bye, Silverwood hope to see ya again next year!

The crew

I've picked up my hooks after a seemingly long hiatus! I want to make some holiday gifts. I still have tendonitis in my finger that happened from too much gardening and I've tried giving it a bit of a rest. So I should have some projects to share pretty soon.

This year has just blown by so fast and I've made some changes in my life that I will write about soon. Hope you all have a terrific weekend and are warm, safe and dry.

OXOX

Happy All Hallows Eve!

2011-10-31T18:26:00.000-07:00

Hi! Here's my co-worker and me.

This is Skully. He's had fun sitting on my boob all day!

Weekend before last was my niece, Tamara's 13th birthday. She had a sleepover with 6 friends and we all had a great time. My sis wanted me to go and help with the party and of course I wouldn't have missed it for the world. We split into 2 teams and had a scavenger hunt on Del Mar (the main street that goes down to the ocean and the San Clemente Pier) by going into the retail stores and restaurants that were open past 7pm and since it was a foggy night it was quite eery which made it more fun. After that we had pizza and then headed to a frozen yogurt place. Then we went back home so the girls could take the gingerbread houses that I bought at IKEA and make them into haunted houses. Some came out great and some well....they won't become architects any time soon!!

Two more girls came later. The b-day girl is the barefoot kid.

We sang h-b-day and they ate the dessert and then it was off to the yogurt shop

Remember when we had small butts & we could share a chair with a friend?

All ready to decorate

Uh oh!

Well, I'm off to meet with some princesses, ghosts, goblins and some super heroes, they need their candy.

Have a fantastic All Hallows Eve!

My Sadie is 1400 Miles Away!

2011-10-27T20:01:00.000-07:00

My sweet daughter left on a jet plane to make her new home in Austin, Texas, boo hoo, sniffle, sniffle. On August 23rd she left California with a little savings and no job. Within a week though, she had 3 job offers and is now happily working for a large vitamin company. She is staying with her best friend's family and will move out when she is ready. Barely there 3 weeks and she's already purchased a car and cowboy (cowgirl?) boots!

This is a pic of us on her last day in CA just before leaving for the airport. She plans to start a photography business and TX is a great place to do that since they are FAR more business friendly than CA is. Two years ago, she had spent about 6 months just outside of Dallas, TX on a temp. project and called me when she was there and said she LOVED TX, the people are so friendly and that she might just move there someday. Well, someday arrived and she is happy. As a mom that is all you really want for your kids.

The following are some pics that were taken of her in the first month of living in Austin. She modeled for a friend's photography business and I borrowed the pics from her blog. They are very sweet and show Sadie's personality. Is it alright to say that I love these pics or is that bragging???

If you live in the Austin area, her friend, JJ does creative photography and you can find her here: www.jjphotographyaustin.net

I've been a bit depressed lately and haven't felt like blogging. I've been busier at work so hopefully it's a sign of the economy getting better! Been going thru some changes that I'll write about when I can wrap my wits around it and can explain in a sensible manner.

I'll be back soon!

Mom's B-day Pix

2011-09-29T16:30:00.000-07:00

Howdy! I know...I know...I've been absent from posting but there's lotsa changes going on here that I will write about soon. I started this post back in mid-August; boy has time flown by!

Finally, here are some pics of my mom's birthday bash! I took some of the first photos when we got there while setting up and then I gave the camera to my daughter because she likes to take pics and I thought she took more pics of the party and of her grandma, darn! I wish I had a better pic of my mom. It was so dark in the restaurant and most pics came out fuzzy or out of focus.

Here's the birthday girl. She had sooooo much fun at her party and just seeing the smiles on her face all day made it all soooo worth it!

My daughter, Sadie and her Grandma. Sadie and I had stayed up and
talked into the night for so long and both felt like something the
cat dragged in by the end of the night!


Sadie and my Sis getting the decorations together

Me, in my conductor's hat with my hair up, adding color to the cake

Nearly finished decorating

A wedding pic of mom and dad in 1953

The guests arriving

A few of her friends, mostly her kids, grand and great-grand kids!

A FUN DAY WAS HAD BY ALL!

I'll be back soon.

Bye for now...

Happy Birthday to MEEEEEEE!

2011-08-06T15:12:00.000-07:00

Hi! It's been awhile since I posted! I've been super busy, I'll explain in another post...

It was my b-day yesterday and I just couldn't justify closing the shop since I took a Saturday a couple weeks ago for my mom's b-day party. So instead, I just told everyone that crossed my path yesterday that it was my b-day and I got lotsa happy b-day greetings. I even had one customer who unbeknownst to me, likes to do karaoke and he sang a beautiful happy birthday song to me. I've lost a little weight and so I felt I could get a little sponge cake with raspberries and whip cream to celebrate in the afternoon!

My sis, her hubby, JD and kids are coming up to stay the night and then JD is gonna do some electrical work and we'll go see the Griffith Park Observatory that is just up the road from us because I've wanted them to see it before we moved away. Then we'll come back and have some cake and ice cream for my b-day.

I hope you are doing something fun and staying cool!

Beach Weekend and Party

2011-07-22T17:22:00.000-07:00

Hi, seems forever since I posted and quickly this is what I've been up to:

Of course working the shop like usual. The credit card machine went psycho last Saturday and began spitting out paper from the printer. Glad I got to work when I did to shut it all off. I had to order another one and so my customers have had to write checks and pay with cash this week. Inconvenient for them but I've gotten to keep all the money and not share a percentage with the banks (Visa/MC) :)

Looking for a place to move to since the house will go on the market pretty soon (I'm told).

Packing up items, bit by bit (I hate moving).
Slowed down on the planting since my finger needed a rest and it is doing better. Just as well I'm taking the weekend off from gardening.

Planning the 80th birthday party for our mom whereas my sis has been doing the footwork. Thanks, Yvonne!
We have about 60 people attending.

Tonight my daughter and I are driving down to my sis' to prepare for the party that will be held on Sunday.
We plan to sneak away from the party preparation for a little time tomorrow or Sunday and go to the beach and the pier and have an umbrella drink, just the two of us. Here are some pics of San Clemente Beach where we are headed tonight.


Walking towards the San Clemente pier

South side of pier

See the Amtrak Train?

The train runs along the beach on it's way to San Diego


North side of the pier

Since my air conditioner is packed :( I picked up a couple of these temporary window screens at Big Lots for cheap and it's better than nuthin' to let cool night air in and keep the bugs out. Thank goodness it cools down here at night. Made in America, too!

Have a great weekend and I'll have some party pics for ya next week!

Plants and Paint

2011-07-13T15:36:00.000-07:00

Hi there,
I couldn't open my right hand all the way when I woke up yesterday morning. I have tendonitis in my middle finger! That hand has been stiff a bit lately with all the scrubbing, painting, gardening and yup, that's the hand I hit with the hammer several weeks ago. Monday night I left the shop on time, got home and worked planting some more plants and then came morning and the inability to make my middle finger go straight. So I got up and ran it under hot water and rubbed it and then it began complying with me to open and close. No worry. Just gotta give it a rest. Not painful during the day or anything. I did work Sat. afternoon and Sunday in the garden so I've just overexerted it is all. Here's my progress:

The ivy geranium are filling in and blooming now!

Here are the Lilies that I planted exactly a year ago and they are blooming like crazy this year.

Cute!

            Cuter after being painted!
These are the thumb screws to the blue bathroom fixture. They hold the glass pieces on. Amazing what a little paint can do!
                  That's all folks!

5 Down More to Go (Grow)

2011-07-09T13:39:00.000-07:00

Howdeeee,
Just a quick update and a few photos of what I did last holiday wknd. I got the bathroom cabinet finished and planted 2 clumps of Bird of Paradise shrubs (that have been in pots for 10 years) for a total of only 5 plants in the new garden so far. I worked again to get all the roots out which took time and then had to deal with moving some of the potted plants onto the porch to avoid the extreme summer sun. The rest of the plants are much smaller and will get planted faster and I hope to get most of them in tomorrow.

Here is a before pic of the bathroom cabinet.

Can you believe the previous owners put the same tile on the walls, around the sinks and then onto the floor? Way too busy looking and I think this particular tile would look good on an in-ground pool, don'tcha think?

I tell ya, I'm working with what I've got to make this place sell-able. Some "after" pics coming soon. I haven't crocheted in weeks now. I'm not that motivated. Seems I just want to focus on getting this house ready because I can't stand living like this much longer. Plus my hands are tired from all the scrubbing and pulling roots and all that.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you're all finding some time to relax and enjoy your summer!

Happy Independence Day!

2011-07-04T10:19:00.000-07:00

Hi! I do feel grateful right now.

I'm sitting having my coffee, blogging on my favorite holiday. Ya know why it is my favorite holiday? It's because at the fundamental core of everyone on this planet called earth is their right to religious freedom. Yup, our forefathers came to this land to get away from taxation but that was after they left their beloved homelands for the right to their own religious beliefs without persecution. I believe that people's spiritual beliefs are deep inside of everyone and that is our basis or the beginning of us and then we build our lives from that point. With this particular freedom we have here in America we can all celebrate our religious customs in the way and manner we choose to. This holiday, "Independence Day" transcends every religion because every American shares in this holiday!

So, party hearty today! Think of those who came before us who have and for those who are working to keep our freedoms.

It's a gorgeous day, 78 degrees at 10am and now I'm going outside to tend to my garden where I feel the closest to God! I'm making progress on my projects!! I'll have pics for you in the week.

I didn't mean to get all "Sunday School" on ya...I'm just sayin'.

Mom's 80th Birthday!

2011-07-01T23:53:00.000-07:00

Photo by Levi Brown

It was my Momma's birthday today. She is 80 years young. We are planning a party for her sometime this month. It should be fun! I didn't get to be with her today but I'll see her soon. This isn't her cake but it sure looks like it could be with all those candles.

I decided to take the 3 day weekend and get as much done as I can in the garden and at the hottest part of the day I plan to go inside and do the refinishing of the blue bathroom cabinet. I can't believe that I purchased the refinishing stuff a year ago! There isn't much left so I did buy the correct amount, thank goodness.

This stuff works great. I highly recommend it if you have some wooden items and don't want to strip 'em and sand 'em and all that. This stuff goes right over existing finishes and I'm happy with the way the cabinets look.

Hope you are gonna have a relaxing weekend! Take care...

More Plants the Merrier!

2011-06-30T17:07:00.000-07:00

Howdy,
Lookie, lookie what I got this morning. I got into town early so I dropped by the 99cent store and I got these plants for only for 99 cents each. I think that this is Spanish Lavender. They've already bloomed but that's ok. I've never grown this type of Lavender before and I've only had some in pots and they don't really like it here very much. I know that they like full sun, moist cool roots but not real dry hot air. They really like the weather in the northwest; they have prolific Lavender fields up there. SO... I have the perfect place in the new garden for them where they will get some shade at the hottest part of the day. I also got 3 hot pink mini roses to go with the other 2 red ones I got awhile back. I chose only one pot of the Inpatients a white one, to go with some others I have and they will get planted in the shade.

Oh and I got a small box of thin mints when I was there and I've eaten half the box already. What could be more fun that flowers and chocolate? Well except yarn I suppose. Yum to the tongue but not the waistline. I know, I'll burn off the calories working in the yard this weekend, yeah right. Bye for now!

Transplanting!

2011-06-27T15:09:00.000-07:00

Yay, I got the largest plant that I'm going to transplant, a Strelitzia Nicolai the common name is Large White Bird of Paradise transplanted where the tree used to be. It grew by seed right next to the fence and came from my neighbor's plant and I didn't know at first what it was but I dug it up several years ago and put it into a pot. I decided to plant it instead of take it with me when we move. There are 2 reasons for that: One- It must've been a healthy seedling because I read they are not real easy to grow from seed and since it grew in that garden originally, I'll let it stay there. Two- I don't know how much (if any) garden I will have upon moving since it will be a temporary home :(.

Here's what it will look like when it flowers someday:

This is what it looks like now:

It can grow to about 20ft high. They are usually planted in clumps, several of 'em but this one will have to make it's own babies!

Here is the beginning hole:

Here are all the roots I had to remove from just that hole and I wasn't finished digging yet! These are the roots left over from the Umbrella plant and Italian Cypress tree that was removed a few months ago.

Look at how many roots from just 4 small holes and 1 larger one:

Pulling out all those roots really tired me out yesterday. I could have gotten so much more planted if it wasn't for those darn roots. It was also very warm and a tad humid to be working outside. BUT it has to get done.

I did get the Purple Heart plants (Tradescantia pallida)

And a couple Large Angel Wing Begonias (Begonia Coccinea) transplanted, too.

In their new home:

Hopefully they will like where they are now. I used some worm castings and some chicken manure mixed with some potting soil to amend the existing soil. That should give 'em a boost so they fill in faster.

It felt really good to shower off the grime of the day and then I had corn for dinner yup, just corn.

Have a lovely week!

Victoria's Crochet for Summer

2011-06-23T20:19:00.000-07:00

Hi! I got to talking with a couple friends after work and so got going late just to find (on the traffic website I go to b4 I leave work) that there is an accident and a few miles from there a small brush fire near the fwy I take to get home sooooo decided to blog instead of sitting in traffic.

Check out these Victoria's Secret crocheted apparel from their latest catalog. Must be slave labor since the asking price is cheap for that amount of work. I would have to charge waaaaay more for these if I would've made 'em. Click on 'em and you can see the pics in more detail, the pretty stitches and the prices!

I like the tank top but I know it would be too low cut on me. The shawl is pretty but they should also show the back since I would never wear it with the bandeau top and cutoff shorts! If I'm interested in the shawl, I'd want to see it!

Well, I checked the traffic and it's cleared up so I'm heading home. See ya!

Miss Daisy

2011-06-18T15:19:00.000-07:00

Here she is, my final version of her. Since I didn't find the perfect daisy for my project, I created one.

12 petals and a 3-D center

Her petals won't curl as much after she gets blocked. Next is to put her in a square and decide on some companion squares. Don't hold your breath tho- since it takes me forever to finish crochet projects.

Hope you are having a special weekend with your dad, husband or your boys who are now fathers!

Last Weekend's Fun

2011-06-17T16:46:00.000-07:00

Whoa, what a busy week since I posted last. I have all these ideas to post stuff and then I just can't seem to make the time to do it. Waa, waa. Went to see Tamara dance at her recital last Sat. nite and she did great. She was most concerned at all her costume changes (6) that she wouldn't have time and be late to the stage but it went on without a hitch. I stayed the next day and we (my sis, Tamara, Jordan and Josiah, nephews 7 and 5 yrs.) hung out, ate, played board games, threw a big ball back and forth outside, walked to CVS and got Thrifty's ice cream cones, stopped by to get my mom's guest list for her party and picked up some really good Mexican food and then I left late for home Sun. nite. Was I tired on Monday? Yes. But it was a good tired.

Here's my talented niece, she's 12 yrs:

Yes, she held still enough to take the pic!


And another shot, yeah!

Here's the only thing I got done in time for Yarn Bombing Day. A little red flag that has traveled on my car's antenna since Saturday and has already gone 310 miles (498.89664 kilometers) and didn't come off! A little windblown but here he is:

House repair update: I think my chiseling days are over. I whacked my hand really hard with the hammer (by not paying attention, I'm sure it was my own distracting thoughts) that fateful Sunday morning (June 5th) and it got all bruised but it didn't stop me from doing my projects. It began looking worse than it felt as it was only sore when I touched it and I know I didn't break any bones only blood vessels. It swelled up and looked like I had a button under my skin (weird) but days later the bruising spread out and looked bad. I was gonna take a pic of it and show you but, well, it was ugly and I figured you know what bruises look like and I didn't like looking at it and so you probably wouldn't either! BUT just in case you were wondering it is greenish today!!! After hitting my hand it made me mad, so I began hitting the end of the concrete piece with just the hammer to make it go faster and I broke the damn concrete thing about 5 inches instead of the 2" I planned on. It worked out though and I'll show you my solution I came up with next week. I got some of that concrete patch/sealant/calking type stuff in a tube to fix it the rest of the way, tomorrow. That's it for now!

International Yarn Bombing Day!

2011-06-10T11:16:00.000-07:00

You ask, "What is yarnbombing?" It's where you take a yarn creation and apply it to something out in the world to make it prettier, softer and more colorful. You could call it street art, yarn graffiti or random acts of knitting and crocheting. Check out this website, yarnbombing.com for more info and this link explains how Int'l Yarn Bombing day began and this flickr page for more glorious pictures!

This Saturday June 11th, to celebrate and join in, take something you've made and put it outside for others to see and be a part of it! I'm going to make some flowers and hearts to go around my car's antennae. I don't have much time so I need to make a few things today and tomorrow morning and then have my car wear it while I drive down to my sis' tomorrow for her daughter's dance recital.

Here are some of my fav's that I stole from google images!

Wished I had known about this earlier so I could've found a group and contributed in a bigger way. Why? Just for the fun of it. Happy yarnbombing day to you!!!!

Dirt Pictures

2011-06-04T15:12:00.000-07:00

Hi! Betcha read it dirty pictures???? Did ya? Well I don't want to disappoint ya but it really is pics of dirt. It's my yard, in fact it's where I need to plant all the potted plants that have been waiting to be put into their new home.

It seems I didn't get as much done as I would have liked over the last 3 day weekend but I did make progress. I always think I'll get more done. Is that beating myself up??? I got one side planted with the ivy geranium that I had dug up back in...I think it was, Jan. or Feb. before we removed the trees. It took awhile to transplant them since there was a bunch of dead stems and leaves to remove. I really hope they take over quickly so it fills in nicely and covers up the ugly cement like it used to do. We still don't have a date to list the house yet. It's a beautiful day out right now and tomorrow is supposed to be perfect so I plan to chisel away at the cement piece so it can fit like a puzzle back in it's place to edge the garden and then I can overturn the dirt and add some topsoil that I got from OSH and begin transplanting!

Over the years, the massive roots from the trees we took out, moved the concrete and I couldn't get it to fit so I need to chisel off about 2" or so and then it should fit!

OK, blogger is driving me crazy, it doesn't want to upload the pics to the post agggrrrrr!

Here is the one side that is all planted now with geranium, yeah!

I've been trying to create a pattern for a crochet daisy flower and I think I have it now so I hope to be able to post what I've been working on soon. Gotta go before blogger raises my blood pressure!

Hope you are all having a relaxing day and enjoying life!

3-day Memorial Weekend

2011-05-27T17:22:00.000-07:00

Oh my, I'm so glad it's Friday. Yeah, I'm taking the 3 day wknd to get more stuff done so we can get this house ready to sell. I haven't got enough sleep all week long and today, well, I'm crabby. Stayed up real late moving all my clothes and stuff from the closet to the other room and put away all the dresser top stuff into temporary boxes and moved it all out with the help of my son. That was Tuesday and the painters started in the closet and then yesterday, prepped and painted the walls and took down those damn vertical blinds that I've wanted to remove since we first moved there. I slept in the other room since my bed and furniture was in the middle of the room and covered with paper and plastic. Hopefully they are all done and I can get things put away over the 3 days. I got some cheap mini blinds from the store last night and will put those up tomorrow, too. What would I rather be doing? Relaxing and having an umbrella drink and maybe read a good novel and sleep.

Here's a couple pics of the house the other morning.

Here's the Mandevilla Vine Flower that I transplanted from the broken pot last weekend. I tied her up to her new trellis. Looks like she's gonna live! I'll transplant the ivy geranium all around to fill in the rest of that garden space.

The mystery plant from my earlier post is:

Gladiolus! They are blooming so early this year.

Have a wonderful weekend!

The End of the World?

2011-05-21T15:04:00.000-07:00

Howdy! One of my customers reminded me this morning that some doomesdayer predicted that today would be the last day for us all and so far it's been pretty much the same as any other Saturday for me, how about you?

However, I keep seeing a bit of continued moral decline in our culture. On some days I want to take down my gift box display behind the counter and list the 10 Commandments. I don't care what religion anyone is, it's just that if we all followed those 10 (come on people, you can do anything else just not those 10 things) and we would all be able to live happily together as they are actually more like laws of "getting along" if you think about it. Here's a couple of things that have happened recently here where my shop is:

What we found when we came back after the New Year's weekend. Some gang members tagged our van that was sitting in our back parking lot. We used some special remover on it but it took some of the gray paint off, too. Someone also tried to remove the van's registration tag but I cut into it with an exacto knife when I put it on month's earlier so if someone ever tried to steal it it won't come off in one piece and then they can't use it. So ha, ha on them!

When I opened the front door of the shop this past Monday, I saw that someone (that is crazy) stole the 15 year old dirty mats from in front of the Acupuncture's doorway as well as mine. Two door mats?? Really? Of course, I called the Sheriff's Dept. on both of these incidents so they would know what is going on in the neighborhood.

On another note, I've been bra shopping and it has been horrid. Even at Nordstrom, there isn't a bra that fits right. I tried on every bra they had in my new size and came home twice with bras that I eventually returned. So until I can fit into my other bras, I'm going to continue to wear my soft ones and lose more weight. I've been doing good on my diet. It consists of eating less carbs, more protein and basically eating everything I want except eating less of it. I have tremendous will power when I put it into action. So mid section menopause chubbiness, watch out, you are going to disappear!

This afternoon and tomorrow will consist of continuing the garden planting and to de-clutter the kitchen and refinish the floor board and maybe I'll get to sewing the little curtain that will go above the sink.

Here's a couple pics of the rose tree my mom and I planted about 19 years ago. Every now and then I cut off a couple buds and they fill my backroom with a heavenly scent!

Wherever you are, I hope you have lovely weather and can get outdoors and enjoy some fresh air!

It's Planting Time!

2011-05-14T13:59:00.000-07:00

Howdy! Whatcha been up to? I didn't get any pics of Mother's Day since my batteries died before the first take. Of course my sis and I stayed up way too late yacking away and then had to get up early to make brunch for what family was coming down to celebrate the day with us. After peeling back our eyelids, we got busy and turned out a nice meal. Great seeing everyone who made it down. But no pics :( .

Just been working away at the shop and this wknd I hope to get all the soil turned over and plant most of the plants (finally) in the bare places where the trees used to be. I've hardly had a chance to crochet, boo, hoo. I stopped at OSH and got some top soil this morning before I opened the shop and so I'm ready to go! I still need to do the baseboard in the kitchen and refinish the blue bathroom upstairs, oh and also sew that little curtain above the sink that I still need to do. But I really want to get the plants in so they can start growing and looking good for curb appeal while the house is listed for sale. Also it has cooled down and it's always more pleasant to work in the yard without sweat on the brow!

A few things my nice customers surprised me with for Mother's Day!

Guess what's gonna be blooming soon? Blogger sure had it's issues this week didn't it? I wasn't able to post or go commenting but it seems to be working fine now. Have a great weekend!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

2011-05-07T13:11:00.000-07:00

To all my mommy friends, please have yourself a blessed and relaxed day to spend with your loved ones!

Martha Washington Geranium

Bromeliads I transplanted last weekend

All the Amaryllis are blooming now

I'm headed down to my sis's and mom's to spend mother's day with them and a few other family members. We're gonna serve brunch at my sister's and then hang out and relax! Have a fab wknd!

Danny's Chevron Scarf

2011-05-02T19:17:00.000-07:00

HOWWWDDDEEE!
Here's Dan's scarf that I finally finished. Ironing it handled the ridges but who knows if it'll get the ridges again after it gets washed. Ironing gave it more drape and it made it just a bit larger, too. This matches his hat that I crocheted over a few months ago.

When I got home on Saturday and was looking at the kitchen, I realized I didn't do the kitchen baseboards, darn. I didn't work on that since I hadn't planned on it and all in all I was not feeling like doing much of anything and yet there is SO much to do. I was having a tiny pity party for myself as all this mess about the house, everything and everywhere you look there is something to move, clean or fix (or maybe even throw away) and it's just overwhelming me. I worked outside, even in the heat and potted the bromeliads like I planned to do and got that finished. I was exhausted by nightfall and was listening to the radio, putting my clean laundry away when they announced that Osama Bin Laden had been killed and there was relief in hearing that. Learning the evil mastermind was stopped gives us hope there will be less terrorism in our world now!

Have a great week!

Weekend Work

2011-04-30T13:34:00.000-07:00

Hi, how ya doin?
I'll be transplanting some bromeliads in pots to sell at my shop because you can't buy them locally and they are sooooo cool when they are blooming and then I'll be continuing to work on the house. The kitchen cabinets are done, YEAH!!!!! The next cabinets are a smaller set, thank goodness and will be the blue bathroom upstairs. I'll also be moving my clothes and other paraphernalia from my closet to the other room's closet getting ready for the painters to paint my room. If there's time, I'll start on the little curtain I planned to make for the area above the kitchen sink. This post has a pic of the Rooster fabric that I'm going to use.

This one bloomed last month but usually they bloom in the fall it also had a smaller bloom than normal.

I've started my new crochet project so I'll post some pics next week. I know that as it gets closer to moving I will have less time to work on it. I finished Danny's scarf but it still wants to be wavy so I'm gonna use an iron on it and see if that helps. I'll post pics next week of that, too.

The local Children's Hospital (near where I live) is having a fundraiser 5k walk in my neighborhood later today. Great for them, MASSIVE traffic situation for me as they are going to block off intersections. I have to leave on time from the shop or else I won't be able to get home. My neighborhood has streets that are thoroughfares from one side of LA to Hollywood and it's crazy any time there is some event going on like today. This is one thing about where I live I WON'T MISS AT ALL!!

So far, it's a perfect weather day but just in case I'm gonna have plenty of this on hand

Hope you're gonna have a productive weekend wherever you are!

Renaissance Faire Pics

2011-04-26T13:50:00.000-07:00

Here's the pics! It was very warm by the time Tracy and I got there in the afternoon and the first thing we did was get a tall lemonade. I drank the whole thing, ice and all. We looked around at everything and of course there were many items I would've loved to get but hey, I'm moving soon and when I look at all the boxes of stuff I already packed up I know I don't really need anything more. They had this guy that blows glass but he was taking a break when we went to his booth otherwise I'd have taken a pic of him. He had the most gorgeous glass Hummingbird feeders; I wanted one sooooo bad. No, I didn't take any pictures of them, sorry. Maybe next year I'll get one if I have a garden to put one in! If I purchased one, it would have stayed packed up for awhile (like so much of my other stuff has been) so I decided against it. I didn't buy a thing!

Knitting!

Potter!

Blacksmith!

Fashionable!

Head Wreaths!

Woodcarver!

Singing Wenches!

Huge Swings!

Men in Kilts!

We ended up eating ice cream and then later having a huge pickle and then we laughed at ourselves as neither of us could be preggie! There was allot of food to choose from but we lacked an appetite since it was so hot. It was a fun day indeed!

Happy Easter and Happy Passover!

2011-04-24T10:02:00.000-07:00

AND HAPPY SPRING!

I was out tending my garden this morning and now it's raining, darn!

It really needs some TLC esp. the potted ones.

I hope you get some good eats, some good drinks and some good company today. I also hope whatever you were planning works out better than mine!

Edited to add that it rained for just a short time so I did some other stuff indoors and then lo and behold it stopped and I almost got everything done that I wanted to do outside, yay. All in all it was a productive weekend but my back was hoping it would rain all day. I hope I can manage to roll out of bed tomorrow!

Tracy's Crochet Gift

2011-04-21T16:18:00.000-07:00

Hi! Tracy's present was a prayer shawl I made from a Bernat pattern that I started working on last fall. I finally finished it last week. The yarn is called Dante and is made by Berroco. This yarn is thicker (nubby) and then gets thin in some places and I followed the pattern in which you work from the longest part to the end (bottom) of the triangle. When I got done with it, when it came to the end point, it was really too small. Changing the yarn is what did it, I'm sure. Me and my darn yarn changes. Since I have very little time to actually crochet and then along with the fact I had to come up with a plan to make it larger, is why it took me so long. I added 5 rows of dc down each side and some sc and pique stitch around the longest side and then added an edging on each side to match the bobbles/clusters and chains from the main pattern. I like how it turned out and so did Tracy! With each stitch I prayed she would remain cancer free!

These pictures are before I washed and blocked it. I liked how after it was washed, it had more drape, was softer and opened up the spaces and it actually became larger, yeah! I wished I'd have taken good "after" shots.

Can you tell I'm super happy I finished it?

Enough pictures yet?

THE BIRTHDAY GIRL!

I love you!

Taken just before we headed out to the Faire! More on that later.

I'll be back soon.

Happy Birthday Tracy!

2011-04-16T11:00:00.000-07:00

Hi, thanks for stopping by....

Tracy's gift! I'll reveal what's inside next week!!

The cutest chocolate lollipop, Tracy will like it!

We're headed to the local Renaissance Faire to celebrate her birthday today and have a much needed girl's day out. It's supposed to be hot and it's outdoors at a huge regional park and I'm armed with my hat and sunscreen. I'm even closing and hour early today just to have more "fun" time. Hey, a girl's gotta have a life outside of working the shop and on that darn house!

Hope you're having a fantastic weekend!

(Edited to add that Tracy and I have been friends since the 5th grade).

Laundry Room Pix and Spring Flowers

2011-04-09T15:41:00.000-07:00

Hello! Here are the after pictures of the laundry room. Scroll down the page a little bit to see the before photos in an earlier post. Amazing what paint can do. The sink still looks crappy but the walls are so much better! ******************************

Here's some pretties for you. This is the first spring rose. It opened really fast when our weather got so warm.

The Amaryllis are gonna bloom and maybe by Easter.

That's all for now, Have a great weekend!

Cell Phones

2011-04-07T20:03:00.000-07:00

Good Evening,
I hadn't slept well last night and kept waking up; dreaming weird things and then got to thinking about the recovery efforts of the Japanese and then rolled out of bed earlier than usual. Yesterday, I viewed a picture of a flood victim in TIME magazine. I think that image stayed with me all night long. Then on my commute I learned they had another earthquake/aftershock with a tsunami warning. OMG, please!! Enough already.

Yesterday, I decided that I'd had it with rude people on their cell phones coming in and taking calls in the middle of my servicing them. I've put up with it for far too long. I didn't get a thumbprint in the notary journal for a fellow because he was on his darn cell phone and paying more attention to that than to me. I will now demand that they don't take any calls or make calls in my store unless it has to do with needing a shipping address or phone number or having to do with a document that is in question that needs to be notarized. I have now posted a sign on the front door that looks like this:

I put a smaller sign at the counter, too. Hopefully this will reduce this problem and create smoother transactions with customers. I could go on with all the dangers of cell phone use but I will just say this: They give off harmful radiation and cause cell damage and that is really bad for children whose bodies are having rapid cell reproduction. There are also studies that show the use of all our electronic devices are having negative effects on our wonderful BEES that we need to pollinate our foods. HELLO PEOPLE! Ya like to eat don't cha? If ya can't live without your devices at least cut back on their use as it will be healthier for every living thing that shares our planet!

Here's my other problem with their use. Humans can do one thing at a time really well esp. if they've had practice at it and now enter talking on the phone and doing other things. Whatever they are doing is now getting divided up and so can't do either one as well. People on their devices are not in communication with their immediate surroundings and other people in their vicinity. It is rude not to acknowledge the existence of others as well as making them listen to your conversations:

Or maybe we all need one of these:

Go here to read about it.

I like this one:

Call me old fashioned, but I prefer these:

Go here to buy the table.

Remember those? We never had a phone table at our house when I was growing up but some of my friends did and I thought they were cool. There was always a pen and paper plus the yellow pages fit neatly on the shelf or in the drawer. My family had strict rules about using the phone. How about your family?

We can't stop change and who would want to? Change isn't always better but WE have to be the one's to decide that. One thing about the youth today, when they see others making out, kissing, etc. on let's say...a park bench, they yell, "GET A ROOM". Now there is truth in that!

Bye!

3/31 It was 90 Degrees, What's Up?

2011-04-01T12:58:00.000-07:00

OK, Mr. Heat you can pack your bags and head south for another 2 months please! The record heat for the day was 101 so at least it didn't get that hot!

The house is all done! April Fools! OH, don't I wish it were so. Since we decided to have the painters do ALL the rooms, our house has been a bustling place full of dreaded dust and flies coming and going as they please in and out of open doors and windows. Seems like an Extreme Makeover Home Edition! But...my oh my, it is looking so fresh and bright with all the newly painted rooms!

My job today in between customers is to find replacement window coverings to replace the massive vertical blinds in the family room / home office area. Of course that means letting my fingers do the walking not in the yellow pages but using the internet. There are two 8 foot sliding doors and one 5 foot sliding door on the south wall and a large window on the east wall. The vertical blinds were there when we moved in and they don't work very well and are really dirty besides being ugly. Anybody have any suggestions? Originally, we weren't going to paint this room and just leave the blinds and clean 'em really good but since it's getting painted, the paint is going to look so nice and will really make the blinds look especially bad. My idea was white sheers to keep it clean looking.

What's been happening as we paint or fix up this or that thingy what's right next to it just looks really bad and so it seems a never ending cycle of what to fix and when to draw the line on fixing things. Like when the living room was painted I told the DH, now the guest bathroom (which is right next to it) looks really bad. It is such a small room that I felt they could paint it in a jiffy. He agreed that it would look better and then we noticed that the landing where the stairs come up from the basement would look so much better so then they painted that and then on and on they've been painting.

The biggest mess of all was the laundry room that was in such poor shape. It has lath and plaster walls and in some places the plaster was coming off and it was all sandy and ugly (see around sink area). It is located in the basement but it's an enclosed room. There is even an old fashioned laundry chute that starts at the top floor in one of the closets and then on the main floor in the guest bathroom. I've used it for mainly for towels; way more handy than walking them down the stairs! The owners before us had a furnace or water heater catch on fire years ago and the walls were all dark at the top from the smoke. It was a smelly and scary place to do laundry but after 10 years you just get used to it. You ask, why didn't we fix if before now? Well, the biggest reason was lack of funds! AND A WHOLE LONG STORY THAT I WILL WRITE ABOUT SOMEDAY! Here are some pics of the laundry room after some sanding and you can see some 1950's turquoise paint here and there.

See the laundry chute?

Notice the newly painted door on the left

See some 1950's turquoise paint?

Original sink from 1948

See the smoke damage at the ceiling?

Plain cement floor with a floor drain in case of flooding

Now that you are ready to barf at the ugliness of it all, I promise to show you some after pics next week!

Stay tuned!

I spoke with the head painter about planting in the front garden and if it was possible for them to be careful while painting the front come Mid-April and work around the plantings and he said it should be fine. So if weather permits, I'll be preparing the flower beds on Sunday as well as continuing on the kitchen cabinets. What are you up to?

Painting and Panic

2011-03-26T15:03:00.000-07:00

Geez what a week! Hello. Thanks for stopping by. I have visions of posting everyday in a perfect life I don't have and seem to hardly be able to bang out even 2 posts a week. Lord knows I'm never lacking words and always have something to say. The latest is our contractor friend just wasn't able to get to us and do all we needed to have done in our time frame so we hired real painters and they started this past Thursday and when I got home all the main floors; living, dining and entrance way rooms had brown paper and plastic in some places taped to the entire floor. That's how they protect the hardwood floors and it looked like a different house. All the window coverings down and numbered, furniture that we didn't move outta there was in the center of the rooms all covered in plastic. AND MY FAVORITE; SANDING DUST EVERYWHERE! But it IS getting done faster so living within the perpetual mess will be of shorter duration, yippee! Here's some pics of the outside I took last week.

I went to see the movie "I Am" that I posted about here. I really liked it. It was positive and shows how finally scientists that look at the material world and spiritual people are coming together to figure out what life, other living entities and humans share which turns out to be a very deeply rooted connection. Go see it if you get the chance. I'm sure it will come out on dvd and you could rent it soon.

So I went to get a breakfast sandwich and some coffee on my way into work this morning (the house is just too much of a mess to get bkfst or make coffee) and I was shocked to find the credit card I use most often was not in it's place in my wallet. I tried not to freak out at the checkstand but I was trying to remember what could have happened to it. Hmm...did big Al take it to get me gas last night, don't jump to conclusions...think girl when did you have it last? Got in the car and continued my way to work then pulled over to call home. No answer. He must be talking with the painting guys. Start to PANIC as I'm rummaging around in the purse and looking at all pockets in my wallet, not there, s**t! Think, think. Used it last at the other grocery store on Thursday morning. OMG for 2 whole days someone could be enjoying my cc on VISA and my dime. Damn. Stopped at that store went in and asked if they have a lost and found and explained I'm missing my cc and used it last at their store. Sure enough they had it. RELIEF! I've never lost a cc ever, thank God! The clerk told me to make sure nobody used it before it was turned in and to check with the cc company. So we did that, A-OK. I went thru my memory of last Thurs. morning and remember now, laying it down on that little counter after swiping it then reached for the darn club card and I NEVER lay it down. I always put back in it's place. Must be the discombobulation of the house mess that's making me a mess! Boy, was I lucky.

Here are some blooms from the front yard. The white Watsonia are the first to bloom then will come the pink and then the lavender ones. The Nasturtium and Kalanchoe are blooming nicely.

Since the painters are there working today, my plan was to stay at the shop and complete the insurance project that seems to be taking forever and I even brought my crochet projects that hopefully will be done soon so I can start my next project. Hope you have a terrific wknd and are enjoying some flowers that are finally poking their heads out for you. Spring is here!

Who Makes Your Clothes?

2011-03-18T17:51:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered who makes the clothes you buy/wear?

While I was dismantling a wool jacket several weeks ago to someday make into a braided wool rug or other project and I began to wonder who or how many people were involved in making this garment. It was time consuming to rip out the stitching and as I went along realized how much skill went into it. Tailoring. My maternal Grandmother knew how to tailor. That was the kind of work a woman could do in her era to make a little extra money. I've done a ton of sewing but never learned the art of tailoring. I could tell the shoulder pads were hand made and the marks inside the fabric for the darts and placement of the stabilizer were done by hand. Then there was the lining, too.

A Liz Claiborne jacket made in Korea. I kept finding these little pieces of paper with the numbers 331 on them. How long did it take for them to make it? What were their working conditions? What pay did they receive?

So, Mr. or Ms. 331 you did a fantastic job on the jacket, I'm impressed. I'm sorry the moths got to it and ruined it.

I did up a gift basket for a customer yesterday that she's donating to the "City of Hope" cancer center fundraiser. It's one of those Keurig coffee makers, 3 packs of coffee singles and some bottles of different jam. She brought in the goodies & basket, then I did the rest. Nice for a change. Haven't done a gift basket for awhile.

Oh man, it's time to go and a customer just brought in pictures, some china pieces, cups and saucers to ship to 3 different places and I thought I might get outta here on time tonite! UUggg!

Pluggin' Away!

2011-03-12T12:27:00.000-08:00

Hi!
I got to cleaning more last weekend than I planned and didn't do much on the cabinet refinishing. I did spray the knobs with the clear coat and let 'em dry all week so I'll put 'em on the finished cabinets later today after work.

We've been working away doing paint prep work but the contractors haven't been here for a couple weeks. So my son went from working in the house to outside paint prep and he fell from the ladder onto the cement but he's ok, thank GOD. The contractors have some other jobs so hopefully they will be back next week. I really need to get the plants in the ground soon!

I used my 50% off coupon on guess what? YARN. What else is there?? Adding it to my stash. May use it on my next project. Only read a little bit as I have been exhausted this week and have enjoyed just thinking about being able to crawl into bed and just SLEEP.

The DH has got me working on a new project (in between customers) of writing down all the furniture that we have room by room and research what it would cost to buy new today and if we sold it, what the fair market value of it would be. DANG, it's reminding me of how expensive new furniture is, so take care of the stuff you own. To replace it would be crazy $. The purpose of this project is to see if we are over or under insured. I think this will help us to figure out what to keep and what to get rid of before and after we move. This is not a very FUN project :(

I found this picture while searching images and I loved her artwork; you can find more of her at: Maria Molinari.

This picture shows how I feel right now. Hand in hand we can make this a better, safer world. Have a fantastic weekend despite everything.

The Beauty of Japan

2011-03-11T12:38:00.000-08:00

To celebrate the people and culture of Japan: They give us Cute Food, Hello Kitty and Cherry Trees.

Cute amigurumi and

Cute Babies!

Little Weekend Plans

2011-03-05T14:17:00.000-08:00

Howdy! Looookie, I got mail. From Michaels craft store a coupon, so that's where I'm headed now after work and the mailman brought my book. Sign up at Michaels.com and every now and then they send you a coupon. I don't get their mailer for some reason and I don't get the Sunday paper where they advertise.

I also got this book on ebay and it came today. Yeah, I saw the movie but I have a hunch...the book will be better. Haven't read a chick book for awhile so this should be nice.

Still gonna work on the kitchen cupboards and do a little gardening, read some of my new book, crochet a bit and of course CLEAN blah.

I got going early this morn and already did the grocery shopping before I opened the shop.

Many of my customers were telling me that the Geraniums were so pretty so I took a pic to share them with you, too.

Hope you getta do something relaxing this weekend!
See ya ;)

Almost Spring!

2011-03-03T13:59:00.000-08:00

After the rain I took some pix of the garden. Those are the two garden places that I need to fill in after they are finished with the house painting. I love how some rose bush leaves are red at first and then turn green.

Hope it's looking more like spring wherever you are!

Refinishing, Wool and Flowers

2011-02-28T16:00:00.000-08:00

Howdy!
What I've been up to since it's been 10 days from my last post:
I had the shop open only 4 days last week as there was President's Day on Monday and then last Saturday was the yearly Camellia Festival and parade where they close the street off and nobody including the postal carrier can get to me so I have learned to just close up for the day as there isn't any business anyhow.

I worked quite a bit on the kitchen and figure 2 more wknds and the refinish part should be done, yippee! The final reveal still won't be for awhile as there will be more sanding and painting nearby the kitchen and I don't want to decorate just to have to wash sanding dust from all of it, if ya know what I mean???

I washed allot of old wool suits and pants that the moths had got to (I plan to use them to make rugs and or felt type projects in the future) and then bagged them in plastic with a few mothballs just in case the soap and water didn't kill 'em all. I will box them all up this week. I'm talking here, quite a few woolen items: coats, jackets and pants that we inherited from different people and when they were hanging in my room to dry it smelled allot like wet DOG! Sorta sad to cut them up as there sure is an amazing amount of handiwork that goes into all that sewing.

I came across some clothing items that I'm selling on ebay soon that all needed to be photographed. That took a chunk out of yesterday afternoon. I'm downloading the pics right now, 182 pics in all. Out of all the pix, I'll only use a few of the best ones for each of the auction pages.

We've had a few days of rain so I didn't have to spend any time watering the potted or garden plants. The contractors weren't able to come most of last week and that is putting me behind on planting in the bare spaces since the trees are gone now. The last rain was a cold one and put snow on our local mountains down real low and it was so pretty on my drive in this morning and I wanted to take photos for you but the camera was of course, in the backseat in the tote bag.

I've hardly crocheted at all the last couple weeks. I did find a Ravelry member with some green yarn I needed so when I get that I can start on my next project.

The worst cabinets, in front of the sink.

Without flash

With flash. I can't wait to show you the transformation!

My violets are blooming so pretty right now. Here's a few pics for ya.

Have a fabulous week!

It's Raining Now

2011-02-18T16:29:00.000-08:00

We're supposed to get quite a bit of rain this weekend. NOT looking forward to the drive home tonight. My long time friend, Wayne came by the shop today and surprised me with pizza for lunch. It's been a quiet week for the most part which sometimes is a good thing esp. in the case of the missing ipod package.

Here are the 2 books I got recently. I love Scandinavian design and this book has some simple patterns to do in it. I esp. like the bird motif on the chair pads and the pom poms are cute.

This book has pretty sweaters and I wouldn't mind making them all but I have to start out with the easiest one first.

This one looks nice on the model but I have a feeling that it would make me look like I had Popeye arms, hee, hee!

I want to make this one in ivory color. It has 3/4 length, slight bell sleeves and according to the book it's an easy pattern and to be safe, I'll use the yarn it calls for in the pattern.

This is the yarn that I got from Big Lots. I went and got 3 more skeins of the yellow the other night so now I have 6 and it will be mostly a yellow project. I want to get green so I have to see where I can get it from. Maybe Ravelry has someone who wants to get rid of one. I have a plan for these but it's a surprise to be revealed later! According to the Lion Brand website I saved about $13.00 by getting it at Big Lots :)

Here is part of my small collection of Hedgehogs. Most of my stuff is packed except these 2 until we move and I couldn't resist getting these garden gloves the other day, they have Hedgies on 'em!

I'm getting close to finishing the Chevron scarf and then I plan to start on the next project using my new springtime colored yarn!

I've decided to close on Monday, President's Day and continue to work on the kitchen. I don't really feel like it but it has to get done and maybe I can get allot accomplished having Sat. afternoon, Sun. and Monday to whip it out.

That's all for now, thanks for stopping by and have a nice weekend!

Stylish Blogger Award

2011-02-15T13:01:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Terrie Smiling for bestowing me this award! Terrie likes to make felted and handmade items so go see her pretty blog.

With this award, the following applies:

Post linking back to the person that gave you the award.
Share 7 random things about yourself.
Award 15 recently discovered bloggers.
Drop them a note, and tell them about it!

7 Random things about me:

1) I am 4'11" (1.4986 meters) tall. The runt of the litter of 6 siblings; 5 brothers and the baby, (best) sister (ever).

2) When I was 20 I was the model for a fairly famous (now) American artist. The painting I was told, is hanging in a bank in Chicago. It is approx. 9 feet long by 6 feet high. I never saw it finished only a small print reproduction of it.

3) I used to be really shy when I was a young child. Now I can talk to anyone about anything.

4) I am left handed. Although living in a right-handed world I do allot with my right hand. According to my mom, I would use whatever utensil that was nearest to that hand to eat, draw or color using crayons in a coloring book and until I got to school she didn't know which hand I would choose to write with. I crochet left and knit right handed.

5) What pains me most in life is when people treat others badly.

6) Even though I was a single mom for about 7 years and it was tough and we struggled financially, it was the most favorite time of my life being a mom to my daughter and son. Before they were 18, we moved from home to home 10x.

7) I want to live on a mini farm growing food, flowers and having a menagerie of animals by my side while staying busy making artistic creations and never having to move my home again.

Here are 15 bloggers to give this award to. There are so many wonderful creative blogs to choose from! Whew!

They are in no particular order:

1.  Tejiendo mi vida in Spanish to English it means "Weaving My Life" Pam likes to crochet and weave yarn.

2. The Jilted Ballerina Tracey is a talented artist and a yarnie. She has 140 you- tube tutorials for you!

3. Oklahoma Peach Fuzz Linda is a professional caterer; go see what she's cooking for some delish recipes!

4. Rain and Shine Amy is an artist and designs textile prints.

5. Lallee's Cottage Lallee takes pretty nature photos and does crochet, too.

6. Simple Knits Vicki is a yarnie and she sells her yarnie patterns.

7. Lally Lou Lou Louise is a yarnie and makes delightful designs and has patterns for you, too.

8. Resweater Kris makes items out of old sweaters and she also sells some sweaters so you can make whatcha want out of them.

9. The Fairies Nest Cynthia makes the prettiest felt dolls and toys. Very magical!

10. Out of My Book My friend Michelle makes pretty scrapbooking and paper creations go check her out!

11. Positively Crochet Mary Jane is a crochet designer and has written 2 books and sells her patterns. I plan to get one of her books soon!

12.  ElenaRegina Handmade Elena Regina is a handbag designer and she does crochet also.

13. Posh Pooch Designs Sara designs and makes the cutest crocheted doggie hats and sweaters. She has patterns for you, too.

14. PB Designs Reading and Stitching Blog Debb aka DaCraftyLady, has a fun blog and she sells her creations and crochet patterns.

15. Erdbeerdiamant in German to English it means "strawberry diamond". Tracey Ann makes the cutest long legged cloth and crochet dolls and other crocheted items.

Enjoy visiting these blogs while munching on some of your Valentine chocolate! Have a beautiful day!

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T10:37:00.000-08:00

If you were here I'd share my candy hearts that I put out for my customers today!

Hope you have a special day and if ya didn't get any flowers, jewelry or candy and you wanted something, go buy it for yourself. You deserve it!

Ha Ha on Me!

2011-02-10T16:31:00.000-08:00

Hi there, I just have to laugh at myself, I'm just a toolin' along on the Chevron Scarf and then I noticed that if I continued the pattern the way I was headed that the ends of the scarf wouldn't be the same! Hmmm. That's what I get for not following any pattern except of course the basic pattern of chevron stitch.

This edge is the beginning.

This edge would be the other end (except it would be blue).

Here I have it folded on top of itself. See how they don't match?

Now, if I were making it to butt up together (like making a circle or let's say a sleeve) then it would work out perfectly and seamless. But since it's a scarf, I want the ends to match. So I had to think of what to do. I have now BECOME a crochet pattern maker, hee, hee.

My solution is to make two identical pieces and seam them together in the middle which would be at the back of the neck.

I started the other piece last night and now the ends WILL match!

It's become a tad on the wavy side and I hope after blocking it will flatten out some.

I poked around Big Lots (store) last night just to see what good deals they had. I haven't been there since last spring I think it was. I was curious if they had any closeout yarn and sure enough they did. I'll show ya my find, soon. I also got a couple books last week from Joann's and I'll share those, too.

I hope wherever you are it warms up for you this weekend and you getta chance to go out and enjoy yourself!

Treeless + Flowers

2011-02-04T14:54:00.000-08:00

Howdy, a quick update. Here is the front now after the trees are gone. I wanted to take the pics when the front was less cluttered but the contractors haven't come this week so there ya go, I took pics anyway this morning before I left for work.

I got these flowers when I stopped at the dollar store yesterday. 6 plants, 6 bucks! They'll be planted where the trees used to be. Mini red roses and Campanula (Bellflower, Blue Bells). Hope they survive without too much sun.

Have a lovely Friday and thanks for visiting!

A Must See, the Documentary, "I Am"

2011-02-02T14:33:00.000-08:00

I heard about this while driving to work this morning. He's the director of the comedy, "Ace Ventura Pet Detective" Remember that movie? So funny and that cute adorable dog?? Well, this guy, Tom Shadyac had a bicycle accident and almost died. After his recovery he decided to make this film and went around the world asking famous and some not so famous people these 2 questions: "What's wrong with our world" and "What can we do about it?". Look's interesting. I'ts coming out in selected places this month and in March at more theaters.

Welcome February! The "Lovers" month although, I like to extend it to "Love Everyone" month or least one day, Feb.14th. That way nobody can complain that they are being left out and nobody has to be depressed about it. Want chocolate or flowers? Heck buy it for yourself, that's what I say!!! Also February has Presidents Day so I get to take a monday off and work on my seemingly never ending kitchen project and then there is the local Camellia Festival. They have a parade down the main street here on the last Saturday of the month and all proceeds go to children's organizations. Since they close off the street, nobody can get to my shop and so I get another day off.

I ordered some online fabric to make a small ruffle (like a curtain) to put above the sink in the kitchen where it's always been bare and kinda ugly. I think that's where they had their paper towels. Pics of it as soon as it's done for ya. I still need to refinish those cabinet doors so MAYBE I will get to it by the end of this month.

This is to match all the super cheap Rooster decor I got at Joann's a couple months ago. I'll have pics of that

when I am finally finished with the whole kitchen project.

The weather in the midwest and eastern US as well as Australia is wild. I hope you are warm, safe and dry where you are.

Sending WARMTH your way, Annie

Helium Pups, Chevron Scarf

2011-02-01T13:18:00.000-08:00

Look what I found at the grocery store this morning. Wo(man's) best friend! Sorta freaked me out at first. When I went around the corner they moved a little and that's when I noticed them. CUTE. I want one, I WANT both. Actually, I wanta REAL doggie or two or three.

Adorable helium Doxies!

Here is the scarf I'm working on for Danny. It's to match his hat I crocheted over. It will mostly be the charcoal color. I love the blue yarn, it has many different colors in it when you look close. Far away it looks just blue. I thought Danny would like these two colors together. Now in the early mornings when he is out at the racetrack working with the horsies he won't be cold.

This yarn is Lion Brand Wool-Ease in 115 Blue Mist. The charcoal is Naturally Caron Country they are both wool acrylic blend.

I've only done a few rows by last night but it's going faster now that I memorized the pattern. Just an ordinary Chevron stitch in single crochet.

I worked 4 hours on Sunday removing the plants (to save them) that surrounded the trees that were removed yesterday. My son was helping and we got soaking wet. Of course it had to rain when that was the ONLY day I had to remove them. I was gonna take photos this morning of what it looks like without the trees but there were cars in the way and other stuff so maybe the contractors will come tomorrow and I'll take pics then. The big house even looks BIGGER now without the trees.

Happy day to ya!

TIMmmBbbERrrr!

2011-01-29T13:33:00.000-08:00

Yup, it's "Timber" come Monday morning!
Hi there, after much debate and a tree trim, we have decided to remove the Cypress trees because they are:
Too close to the columns/pillars.
They were planted a long time ago (not by us) and should have been removed at least 20 years ago.
It makes it hard to paint the house right now.
They are so big they hide the house.
They are all dry inside and they are actually a fire hazard and these trees shouldn't be planted close to anyone's home.
The Umbrella plant invasive as it is is practically killing one of the trees and is lifting the cement.

But still, I don't want to KILL plants.

My job this afternoon and tomorrow is to dig up the surrounding plants and pot them and then save them to plant again after the trees are removed. I need to get more potting soil and enlist the help of my son to make sure it gets done!

I rented the movie "The Social Network" last night and watched it and returned it this morning at a RedBox location. I thought it was good and informative. It left you with YOU being able to make up your own mind what happened. That aspect makes it a good movie. It lets you be a part of the movie similar to movies made years ago ya know, the ones without the sex blatantly in your face. They'd kiss and the bedroom door would close and left the rest up to your own imagination. Now it's all about seeing 'em naked and well, I'm not a prude but I never think that, THAT makes or breaks a movie. I'm not on Facebook yet. Maybe one of these days. People say I should have my little shop on there and maybe I should. Hmm. Decisions, decisions.

I'm pleased with myself as I finally made the Chevron stitch work. I just needed to be full awake to do it. I kept messing up the counts. Will have some pics to share next week.

When I went in the market this morning to return the movie I planned on getting a few things for the weekend and being in a kinda rush since I had to go to the bank before I opened the store, I rushed around picked out some food (mostly bread darn-it, good deals always win me over) and since I was rushing, I didn't make coffee so I picked up a cup and then they had some free donut holes so I ate a couple of those and a small hunk went down my sleeve of my sweatshirt and as I was leaving the store maneuvering the basket and coffee splashed onto my arm and inside onto the other sleeve. Geez, I could snack on my sweatshirt messes. Isn't it weird that, that kind of stupid stuff sometimes makes ya mad and sometimes ya just laugh at those things in life. This morning, I laughed.

Why I'm not thin!

I hope you have plenty to laugh at this weekend.

Renovation Update

2011-01-26T19:20:00.000-08:00

Here are a some pics of the trees that are now cut back and of the house being painted in the front right now. The trees look better but I thought they'd be cut even lower so you could see the columns more. The Umbrella plant is really invasive, see what it's done to the Cypress tree? It's all bald, no green and all brown on the inside. Can you tell how close to the columns they are? They should have been cut down 20 years ago. They were planted too close to the columns to begin with. We're thinking that we'll remove those trees after all.

The new garden is filling in & the pink ice plant is in bloom

A pretty ivy geranium is blooming.

My customer K, was all smiles to get his package yesterday. Glad that is OVER!

I'm trying to do the chevron crochet stitch (zig-zag) and it's being a bugger and taking me awhile to get it. I've watched u-tube videos and followed the pattern from one of my crochet books. I'm not giving up, I'll figure it out.

Hope you're having a pleasant evening!

The Found Package

2011-01-24T22:30:00.000-08:00

Howdy, first I just wanta say that I hated the feeling of looking at my different customers as suspects in the, "Case of the missing package".

Here's what happened:
On that Saturday after the pkg. got delivered and I had called K, while I was busy helping a customer, one of my other mailbox customers came in with a whole armful of lightly used bubble wrap and asked me if I wanted it and I said sure, "Go put it in the back room, thanks". Well, he put it right on top of the box we thought was later lost or stolen. Now, I hadn't put that box on the pile of other boxes like I thought I had...no, I kept it out thinking that K would come and get it that day since he was anxious to get it. That is why it was still on the counter and then got covered up with the pile of bubble wrap.

That was the same Sat. the landlord and his crazy buddies gerry-rigged the ladder to go on the roof, BTW, they got off the roof without injury! But they made me nervous all day.

Since Monday was a holiday my DH decided to come to work with me on that following Tuesday. When we got in the shop that morning, we got busy packing a large shipment. I needed the counter space so I asked him to put all that bubble wrap that was on the counter to the storeroom and so he scooped it up took it to the back and put it on a pile of other packing materials. Since the box was lightweight (of course it only had a small ipod touch in it) and only about 10" x 6" x 3" all that darn bubble wrap covered up the box totally and he never felt the box under all the wrap. So there it sat....hidden....until this morning when my wonderful son found it. He and DH came in with me to do some errands and also to help organize the storeroom since it's been messy from the Christmas rush. I had looked back there briefly for the missing pkg but we only put really large pkgs back there and I knew I didn't put it back there. This was such a relief, I tell ya. I thought I had lost my mind and gave it mistakenly to another mailbox customer, that I wasn't doing my job, that I 'd let someone down who was counting on me.

I have to make changes so this doesn't ever happen again. Also I'm doing up a letter making a new policy that people need to let me know if they are having stuff delivered that is of high value and enforcing our current contract with them which says to pick up their pkgs within 24 hrs of delivery. I know sometimes people can't make it in but every effort should be made when it is of high value. In other words, I LIKE TO SLEEP AT NIGHT and this past week has been nuts. K didn't come get his package today after we left him the msg. this morn. In fact he didn't even call. Maybe he's been working all day which is why he can afford a $300.00 ipod! I swear I feel like sleeping with the damn pkg under my pillow tonite! But, it is safe so now I will sign off and jump into bed and sleep soundly and I hope you do the same.

Take care and have a prosperous week!

FOUND!!

2011-01-24T11:31:00.000-08:00

Hi! YIPPEE, WE FOUND THE PACKAGE. DETAILS LATER. I gotta get sorting the mail right now and I hope to post what happened later today. Have a great day!

Where is K's Package?, Trees and Dan's Cap

2011-01-22T15:12:00.000-08:00

Worst week in a long time.

One of my mailbox renter's packages from the backroom is missing. This hasn't ever happened...not in 18+ years we've been in business. No pkg has gone missing, EVER. I've not slept well for the past 2 nights. I can't believe it. I'm sad, then mad, then sad, then mad. Uuugghh.

Scenario:

My customer, I'll call him K, a longtime customer, very shy, mild mannered man, ordered something from Amazon and he told me that the first one they sent got lost in the mail and Amazon was gonna send another one to him and they did. It was sent overnight and arrived last Sat. by Federal Express. I called K right away and left him a msg. that it was delivered and he could come get it. He didn't come for it until this past Thurs. morning. When he arrived, I was helping another customer but I got his pkgs for him but I couldn't locate that one. I told him I'd find it and I'd call later. Then very softly he says, "It's worth $300.00" and I say, reassuringly, we'll find it. He looked so concerned.. I got searching for the pkg. NOWHERE!! damn, slowly the pit of my stomach got a wrenching feeling. I tried to remember all that had happened from Sat. to present time running it thru my mind. Did I give someone his pkg by mistake? If I did, my customers would surely bring it back...but...hmm, they hadn't brought it back or called me to tell me they had it. I got worried. I called everyone that had picked up pkgs that week and asked them, "No" they had only got their pkgs. I didn't even know what was in the pkg. just that is was worth $300.00. At the end of the day, I was realizing that it was GONE. What happened?? I got the sick feeling again. Then at the end of the work day I left K a msg. saying that I was still looking into it, terribly sorry, but that he should come in ASAP and bring the invoice from his purchase from Amazon and assured him that I would pay him for the item. He came first thing Fri. morning and I found out that it was an iPod Touch, a 32 gig one. If one of my customers got it by mistake and opened it, there would be a temptation to keep it. Damn, why couldn't it have been a stupid book, or something not worth so much...something only K would want so the person would bring it back.

I'm having a hard time thinking that a customer esp. if it was a mailbox customer, would keep it. Where is it??? Sure, I have insurance but if I put in a claim my insurance would go up next year. SO, I am now looking into scanning software and getting a (frickin') bar code scanner to log the pkgs in and out for people and now I'm wearing this as part of my wardrobe everyday:

That's my elbow and dang my arm sure looks fat!

This is the key to the backroom where the pkgs are kept. This is the same room my computer is in. I'm in there when I'm not at the front counter. It will be locked every time I leave it and I'm making my mailbox customers wait until I'm finished with a customer before I get their pkgs for them.

Now on to other things. We decided to trim the trees about halfway instead of taking them out completely. The gardeners are there today trimming away at the trees as I write. I don't want to go home until the chainsaw noise is over. Here's a few pics that I had fun editing to see how the house might look with trees trimmed or removed. The trees rose above the house by about 16 feet and you can't tell that in the pic. I didn't do a perfect job on the editing but I learned more techniques with the software that I've had for years!

Orig. pic showing the tall tree

We chose to cut them about this low

This is what it would look like removed

Here is what I have been working on. It went pretty fast. My friend Danny had asked me to wash his fav hat and then it got funky-discolored and I thought about dyeing it or using dye markers in a pattern on it and then I got the bright idea to crochet over it!! He likes it! It will keep his head warmer now, too.

I just made the pattern up as I went. I started out with a chain long enough to go around the insignia on the front and then did single crochet around that. Pinned it in place around, cut the yarn and then began at the top making a circle large enough to fit around the button and continued to dc in the round until I came to the circle that was pinned down. Then I went back and forth each time hooking into the sc of the circle until I got to the bottom. Then on the brim, I started at the center back and then dc back and forth adding and decreasing stitches to make it fit. Then I sewed it onto the hat with a needle and regular thread along the bottom and a few stitches around the button at the top and ta-da, finished. I got more yarn and plan to make him a scarf to match. The yarn is soft and is called Naturally Caron Country a washable wool (wool and acrylic) in charcoal.

I'm off to continue to work on the kitchen cabinets. I made some progress last weekend and I just have to keep at it. DH just called me and the gardeners are done with the trees. Safe to go home now. It's a nice wknd again and I just wanta be outside.

This post is a long one. All week in one post. Thanks for reading to the end.

Geez, I get to buy an iPod for K. Think how much yarn $300.00 would buy!

Hope you're enjoying yourself and doing whatever blows your hair back!!!!

Edited to say: The trees do look better now.

Gorgeous Day!

2011-01-15T11:46:00.000-08:00

Just took this pic looking north outside of my shop right now

Wow, it is so nice out right now. Just how I like it, very little moisture in the air, blue sky and warm. Days like this are the reason I have stayed in my birth state of California. Now, if I could just feel as good as the day is pretty. I awoke with a small headache hurting behind my eyes. So I am taking this stuff. I like it for those minor aches and pains and I love the name "END PAIN" isn't that what we are trying to do? I don't like taking drugs of any kind but if I have to take something stronger to get thru the day then so be it.

I'm gonna take the M.L. King holiday off on Monday and get more of the kitchen refinished. That is why I can't be gettin' sick or anything darn it. When I get home today I will start to wash down the cupboards since they have to thoroughly dry before using the finish stuff on 'em. I haven't worked on them since early November. Perfect weekend since it will dry fast. No cooking this wknd!

This is the snow capped mountains east of us that you can see out my shop's back door this morning.

Landlord and his buddies have gone up on the roof to go about fixing some of the leaks. He asked to borrow the ladder I keep at the shop and LOOK what they have concocted. I just snuck these pics of them while I had the camera taking pics of the mountains. Geez, guys for heaven's sake get a real ladder made for going up that high. It's this activity that keeps hospitals in business. Totally scary and stupid. I can't wait for 2pm today so I can get the he** outta here.

Does that look dangerous or what?

On a lighter note...some of you don't know I have Cinderella feet, hee, hee. I buy kids shoes when I find something I like. I got these while Christmas shopping. They are comfortable and perfect for no rain days.

That's all I got for today. Hope you have a fantastic weekend and make something beautiful!

In Respect of Trees!

2011-01-14T10:14:00.000-08:00

I found this last night and it made me feel better about the tree killing insanity of our government last Wednesday. What an amazing planet we have. Let's take care of it. Look at what the trees do for us...clean the air, etc. and look at the energy output all year long. LIFE does go on. Watch it, you'll feel better, too.

Eirikso's You Tube Channel

Time sure seems to move this fast don'tcha think? Have a great day and enjoy every minute!

Dumbfounded: Arcadia Oaks Have Fallen

2011-01-13T17:40:00.000-08:00

As I sit here today at the computer, I cannot believe that this has happened right next door to the city that my business is in. The idiots/evil people at the Los Angeles Dept. of Public Works and the LA County Board of Supervisors have leveled 11 acres of Oak Trees, Sycamores and all other vegetation and removed the homes of countless critters and bugs. I don't want to think of how many plants and animals died yesterday and they didn't have to. Damn them all for not choosing a better solution. Some of these trees have been living here for over 100 years.

Courtesy of Camron Stone who took photos of the area before he was asked to leave the site. You can see his pics HERE

This morning after logging out of my email it always goes to the msn homepage and there at the bottom in small type, I read, "Four Tree Sitters Were Arrested in Arcadia". I'm like, "HUH"? clicked on it and couldn't believe what I read. I never heard anything about it. Amazing more people from Arcadia, other Los Angelenos and more tree lovers weren't there to protest. It surely didn't get much press or I'd have heard about it and so would many other people. That was no doubt part of their plan. In fact, according to what I've read the LADPW didn't notify the residents correctly or have the correct studies that were required by law. BUT the damage is already done. You can't bring back the life from yesterday's stupid massacre.

Yes, we need to clean out the area above the dam so it doesn't burst open and flood but other solutions could have been figured out. The government is getting too big and they don't listen to "We The People" and just bully their way through. I'm just disgusted at the whole thing. When I calm down I'm gonna write letters to 'em all. That will get it outta my system.

They held a candlelight vigil last night and even the actress, Darryl Hannah showed up. Where was I last night? Shopping at Target. Wished I'd have known about this before today. BTW, it is really pretty up in the canyon and in the foothills. You don't feel that you are close to any city when you are there. At least they didn't demolish that. The neighboring community of Monrovia was smart and has purchased some land just below the foothills to keep the area in it's rural, natural state.

The ironic thing here is that we have 2 extremely large Cypress trees in our front yard that are right up against the pillars of the house and have to be removed and I've been stressing over taking them out and the $ it will cost to do so. We will plant 2 trees in their place but still I don't like killing plants!

Well, it's the end of work day and I need to do something creative and make myself feel better. An evening of crochet is in order! Truly hope your day was better than mine.

PS. I want to thank those from the bottom of my heart that tried their best to save the woodlands, thank you, thank you so much!

A quote from John Muir: God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanche and a thousand tempests and floods. But he cannot save them from fools.

Crocheted Pilates Mat Bag Finished

2011-01-08T16:23:00.000-08:00

Hello! I finished this cover last weekend but I've been so busy that I haven't been able to post about it until now. I sorta followed 2 different patterns as an outline for this project. I did it all in sc and then made the opening a bit longer and did a dc for the loops to put the drawstring through. I added the green edging to help form a kinda pom-pom flower look at the top to match the strap. I used all but about 2 feet of the 2 skeins and had the plain green in my stash and I like how it turned out. In the pic it's hard to see the green that runs throughout the yarn; it's a green strand and another color and is self striping. I got compliments on it this week at class. It sure makes it easier to hold onto from car to class.

Here's a few pix of my Hawaiian dance and Pilates classes. Feels good to be exercising again.

Pilates class hadn't started; the room is usually mat to mat! Can anyone guess which mat is mine?

That's all for now, hope you have a wonderful weekend and find some hookie time! I'm off, bound for Joann's to get some gray yarn...

Holidays Revisited

2011-01-07T15:38:00.000-08:00

I snapped some photos of our neighbor's house last night; quick before she starts to dismantle it this weekend. She always does it up big and her front yard sparkles every year. I will miss her displays; if all goes well, this will be our last holiday season at this home.

We've been real busy this week at the shop. Hope this is a sign of the economy recovering. We had to do some last minute changes to our phone book ads. They are throwing in a webpage for us this year. Hmm, I don't know about that but we'll see. I'm always leery about things being "free". I know nothing in this world is actually free, soooo time will tell on this.

I felt kinda crappy last weekend. I had 3 days and didn't accomplish much. I slept more than usual and it was cold by our SoCal standards and I sat and crocheted, read, browsed the web for crochet patterns and made food. Our oven is officially broken. Maybe all the cookies finally did the damn thing in. Crock pot and stove top food until it gets fixed (if ever).

Here is a picture of my chauffeur for the last couple months. Now I'm back to working solo again.

My wonderful son driving us to work in the morning.

Our commute along the foothills in the early morning just days before Christmas. Well, here's to a lovely first week into the new year! Thanks for stopping by...

It's a New Year, Twenty-Eleven!!

2011-01-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

2010 Gone, let it go... WELCOME 2011! Such possibilities a new year holds for us earthlings. As far as resolutions go, I think I'll just keep the one I made last year. I was to compliment others on something about them, their clothes what they were doing, etc. when I noticed it. See, we all think things and rarely say it for whatever reason but I just decided that I was going to make an effort to SAY IT not just think it. I know in a small way it brightened several people's day when I complimented them. I also think that visiting other bloggers and when we leave comments, we are doing just that!

How has blogging changed your life? For me it has been wonderful new friendships, like a journey across the rainbow to find not a pot of gold, but something much better, the sharing of incredible talent, creativity, inspiration and ingenuity that is truly abundant in our world. I've been awestruck at the beauty, laughed till I cried at the humor, been enlightened and changed my mind about things, all this I've found on blogs. Maybe that is the gold we search for! Thank you for that, thanks for contributing to my life and making it richer!

This reminds me of the song "Unwritten" by Natahsa Bedingfield:

Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips

Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten

It's a new year, and it's YOUR life, go write it!

HAVE A HEALTHY, JOYFUL, PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!

Cookies

2010-12-30T23:40:00.000-08:00

Here's all the baking I did! I made allot of cookies and gave out 12 goody bags as gifts this year. Then I saved out some to keep and took the rest to my sister's where I spent a couple nights; Christmas Eve thru Sunday morning the 26th. I also made a batch of Rice Krispie treats but didn't get a picture.

We might get some frost tonight and since my plants are all out on the driveway and not close to the house, the more fragile ones may not make it but when I got home tonight, I wrapped my Plumeria (Hawaiian) plant in bubble wrap hoping it won't suffer too much.

I didn't get the tutorial finished like I hoped I would. Seems I have some super woman complex and think I can do more than I can!! We were busy at the shop right up to the last days before Christmas with gift-wrapping and shipping. I did get the pics done so I may get around to posting it this weekend. Better late than never. I'm taking the 3 day weekend and it'll be nice to have time to crochet and relax.

We had rain again yesterday and it seems it's always a bit slower at the shop when it rains so we decided to put away all the holiday decor and inventory. This is the earliest we've ever done that. Feels great having it done. When I stopped by the grocery store this morning before work, there wasn't a single holiday item to be seen anywhere! But guess what I saw? VALENTINE CANDY.

Spritz butter cookies using a press

Bar cookies, sorta tasted like choc chip cookies. Guess who took a bite?

Two kinds of fudge and candied pecans up on the left

Peppermint meltaway cookies

Swedish cardamom spice refrigerator cookies

Swedish Glogg a concentrated spice drink to mix with juice or spirits


Wrapped up ready to give to my UPS, Fedex, and DHL drivers

Thanks for stopping by...I'll write again soon...

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T00:24:00.000-08:00

Hello...I wish you a very joyful day and hope that you're able to spend it with your loved ones or enjoy doing something you like to do!


Our Christmas cactus in bloom

PEACE

And The Rain Comes Down

2010-12-21T12:46:00.000-08:00

Where is the sun? It has been raining on and off for 5 days, gray, gray, gray. It's become an unwanted visitor. Sneaking into the crevices where it doesn't belong. It has gone into places that I didn't want it to. At the shop's back door, the carpet gets wet, and the ceiling where we thought we fixed it last spring it has gone there again. Now I'm glad we didn't replace the ceiling tiles yet. Drat, drat, drat it has come into my back room, a new ceiling leak!

The new leak :(

A new storm is supposed to be here tomorrow. All I can say is now they can stop saying "DROUGHT". I foresee more painting in my future.

I've been wrapping up the last of my gifts. I'm putting together gift bags right now for my delivery men (Fedex, UPS and DHL), the real "SANTAS"! I'll post pics soon.

Hope you are warm and DRY wherever you are, enjoying the season, being festive and eating chocolate or whatever floats your boat! Have fun! oxoxox

Lights

2010-12-19T13:53:00.000-08:00

Howdy!
Hope your festivities are under way and you've been able to get all the gifts that you had planned on getting for those you love. I've been trying to take some pictures of the busy corner near where I live that has a lighted holiday display. We don't seem to get to stop at the light and be first in line where we would have a clear view of it so I keep taking pics as we pass by and even though you can't make out what is actually there the pics are kinda interesting to look at, IMHO!!

There's only one tree, it's fake and really big!

I like this last one. The lights look kinda like seagulls.

I'm taking a break from my marathon baking right now. I'm making cookies and some candy to give out to friends and customers and some to take to the family on Christmas day. As I was sliding cookies off the sheet to cool, I was thinkin' of my blogging friends and then of all the women and men, too who are probably busily making treats for others just like I'm doing and that's cool! Then I thought of blogging and so here I am.

It's been raining steadily since yesterday, late morning and that is ALLOT of rain for us. It's a tropical storm so it's not very cold just allot of wet. There is always a possibility of flooding when we get so much rain all at once so hopefully everyone will be ok. It's nice to be sheltered and indoors baking...comfy and cozy.

I haven't finished my other crochet projects but I've been having fun making snowflakes and creating different patterns as I go along. Blocking them has made a big difference in how they look. I got some spray starch and they look so much better. I want to make a bunting of snowflakes so I just keep making them. Wonderful mindless activity for sure!!!!

Hope you're cozy and warm and doing whatcha like best. Hugs to you, Annie

Snowflakes That Won't Melt

2010-12-12T20:09:00.000-08:00

It was very warm yesterday, about 84 degrees so I worked in the yard for awhile. Sure doesn't seem like Christmas in a couple weeks! It was too warm to make holiday cookies and fudge and I wasn't in the mood to sweat while making candy so I just have to do it in the evenings this week and next weekend. I made some more snowflakes last night but it felt like I should've been working on a summer tote instead. These are the ONLY snowflakes that we'll ever have where I live...

Click on the pics to see them larger.

Here's the crocheted snowflakes that I made using this pattern here. I got the idea to make them from Clara and you can see hers here. I didn't put the googly eyes or the face on them although they are cute like that, mine are plain. The first pic, I used fuzzy yarn with a size I hook and then for the photo, laid it on the piece of paper I was testing my new punch tool on. The corners are tricky but I love the scalloped edge, it looks like eyelet lace.

In the second photo for the larger one (about 5" wide), I used a strand of worsted yarn and Vanna's tinsel yarn (the name is Glamour a #2 fine yarn, color: Diamond) together with a K hook . I used a G hook for the smallest one (about 2.5" wide), using a single strand of Glamour yarn and played around with the pattern a bit and did a back post single crochet stitch in the center stitches just to see the result and the stitch looks raised and more defined. I like it either way. I added a chain of about 18 sts. to make the loop so it could hang on the tree.

Here is the first true flower of the peach rose since it got transplanted into the new garden. It had a few weird ones and I think what caused it was transplant shock. This bloom took forever to open up. It seems to have a petal missing but it was just stuck upwards and I hope that rose bush does better in the spring. I don't prune my roses until mid January, that way I have a few blooms through the end of the year.

The 2 smaller ones in front are my new minis and they're blooming now.

The mini flowers are about the size of a dime.

I'd better get back to work. Hope you all have a very merry week and thanks for stopping by.

Shopping and Shop

2010-12-10T18:24:00.000-08:00

Howdy! I finished my holiday shopping last Sunday; 7 hours from leaving the driveway to arriving home. Tired? Yes. Glad I was DONE? Yes-siree! Now I can concentrate on helping bring the holidays under control for others with gift wrapping, packing and shipping. We haven't been super busy at least not yet, which is a sign of this economy right now.

While out shopping on Sunday about midday I grabbed a cup of coffee and I sat down on a bench outside next to a lady that was not social at all. As I was sipping my coffee it went down the wrong way and I started to cough and choke...eyes bulging out and tearing up and so glad that I didn't ya know, upchuck...luckily it was just a small amount but I kept having to cough and then she got up and left, like in a huff. She didn't even ask me if I was ok. After I got my composure back I was walking past a lady that had left the store and had 3 boxes stacked above the cart and she was headed down the small ramp so I asked if I could help her and while doing so I just did by reaching out to keep the boxes steady. She acted like I might, heck I don't know, mug her or something? Then when I didn't seem too threatening, she thanked me. I was trying to be friendly and in the holiday spirit and most people were not, a few were. I did have a nice/happy sales cashier lady at Michaels. Los Angeles used to be more friendly, what happened???

Here is a pic of our shop tree with the couple of new items I got from Target that I wrote about a couple of posts ago. The star on top is actually a hanging ornament with glitter and rhinestones held on with a twist tie and then I purchased a string of iridescent light bulbs instead of using the mini-lights. I should have bought two strands but I was thinking it would be enough, either that or I'm cheap! The stockings you see on the tree can hold a gift card.

Here's a couple shots of the shop all ready for Christmas.

I got a couple of gifts for the shop from Michaels since I had a couple of coupons that were burning a hole in my pocket. Really these are for me but I got them to make fancy edges on the signs that I make for the shop but I'll also use them for card making. While I was at Michaels I also picked up some of Vanna's tinsel yarn to make the crochet snowflakes that Clara was showing us on her blog. They are easy and fun to make and I'll post some pix soon.

Hope your holiday shopping and baking is going well for you and you are getting in the spirit of the season! Take care and I hope to post soon!

Holiday Time

2010-12-04T19:23:00.000-08:00

Hi There, it's been awhile since I last posted. My poor shop was seriously and I mean it, really in need of CLEANING. Yes, I put out all the holiday inventory and decorated this week but first I needed to clean up. I've spent so much time browsing the net and visiting all the lovely blogs and have neglected my daily chores. Before (fast) internet, my shop was OH so much more clean and organized. I worked hard this week doing my best to make the shop very inviting. I'll post a few pics soon and I still really want to post a couple tutorials, too. Here's hoping I make more sales this year!

Here are some pix of Thanksgiving at my brother's in Alta Loma which is part of Rancho Cucamonga, CA. He has a mini farm and it was a bit like being out in the country for a day. It was very relaxing and great seeing everyone.


Looking North to Mt. Baldy, he has snow!

Hello!

I tried to get a pic of the chickens but as soon as the new dog arrived they went into hiding!

They have the new fangled Iris, the kind that bloom more than once a year.

Well, that's it for now. I'm going to go and crochet awhile. Have a lovely weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-24T13:39:00.000-08:00

I'm hoping you have a special holiday and you get to enjoy being with family and friends or whatever is it you want to do and there is no STRESS! I'll be in Rancho Cucamonga at my bro's and be with whatever family shows up. My contribution this year is: making my candied yams with walnuts that the family requests every year, regular whole berry cranberry sauce and using a recipe for pecan bars from Pammy Sue's blog instead of pecan pie.

Yes, my shop is open today and I might close a bit early since I don't have any food for sale, hee-hee. Then it's back to work on Friday to be a retail ANGEL and then I'm going to get out all the holiday decorations and inventory for sale. I picked up a couple of holiday deco's from Target last night that I'll show you soon.

These are all pictures from our day trip to Carlsbad Flower Fields last Mother's Day.


My sis' kids and me

HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY!

BETTER!

2010-11-23T13:43:00.000-08:00

Hi and thanks for your get well/better wishes! I'm much better today. I plan to go to my dance and Pilates class tonight but I'll take it easy. Over our rainy weekend I did clean, yeah I said I wasn't but I can't sit still and look at everything "in it's less than optimum condition". BUT, I only cleaned my sewing machine, kinda detailed it and put some oil in the bobbin runway. Then did a little mending with it, some laundry and polished my boots that I haven't worn in years that I plan to wear on Thanksgiving.

Last night when I closed the shop, boy it was really chilly outside. Finally feels like it could be Thanksgiving on Thursday. Where in the world did this year go???

Things I'm loving right now:


Yesterday's breakfast

I got these individually wrapped biscotti at Ralphs and they are sooo good and so are the lemon kind. I'm gonna go get some more tonight for gifts. They aren't as hard as some kinds tend to be, ya know like they're gonna break your teeth, so you have to dip 'em.

Today's breakfast

I love these cookies, they taste allot like home-made and I got some Pumpkin Butter to put on them. I love that stuff and get a jar every fall. Usually I put it on toast. I ate the cookies and they are really rich with the pumpkin on it. Too rich really, better on toast.


I've had her for years and she is so pretty right now.


So many blooms on her.

My new garden gloves! My others started having cracks in 'em. These are bamboo fabric and rubber.

Kris my new blogging friend who lives close to one of my brothers, here in SoCal, gave me the inspiration to do a post on some stuff I know how to do just in time so you can use the info for the holidays. See her pretty tissue paper party pouf balls tutorial here. I'll be posting my tutorials as soon as I can get to it.

Hope you're having a terrific day and thanks for stopping by!

Heat's On and a Crazy Week

2010-11-20T16:58:00.000-08:00

Whoa, whata week...but I turned on the temperamental heater this morn for the first time since last spring when I got in the shop and it actually worked! HEAT, yay! It's been a blustery day and a sorta cold rain. That's ok since I'm warm and dry.

This week has been like this:
After I moved the fridge back against the wall, I forgot to turn it back on until I found my uh-oh the next morn.

I was getting a new cold and then I got an ugly cold sore on my lip. 1) I'm thinking all my customers are looking at my fat lip and grossing out. 2) It hurt like the dickens.

I get up on Wed. morn and my upper back seizes up on my left side while I go to brush my teeth and then like an idiot, I think I'll just twist and make it better, MISTAKE. It starts hurting so bad and pinching on my nerve that I go into tears spontaneously and carefully go downstairs to tell Big Al that he needs to drive me to work but take me to the Chiropractor first. I take my magnesium drink to control the spasms it helps and then down 2 Tylenol. I have to be hurting to take any meds!

Their morning is filled with patients (what? I have to wait? ahem, I'm hurting here) so they make me an appt. for 3:30. I fill the time with half work, take 2 more Tylenol and half space out while leaning my back on a heating pad attached to my chair. This is when having your own business really IS the pits. Big Al and my son came in to help but can't take over completely. Customers are understanding, I really do have great customers.

Ahhh! time to go...sat in the reception room and slowly crocheted a bit and then thankfully it was my turn. Yup, the disc had slipped a tad to my left and he adjusted it and ta-da it went back in and immediately felt relief. But since I spent several hours with the nerve being pinched, it is now Sat. and it is still sore but better than yesterday. I've been babying it and as I write I'm leaning against my trusty heating pad.

NOTE: If you ever hurt your back don't wait. Get to the Chiro quick. The longer you wait the more damage it does to the nerve and takes longer to heal as well as more pain.

That same night, my daughter called me with the news that her dad's mom, (my kid's paternal Grandmother) passed on early that morning. What a crappy day. Dear Eunice we will miss you. She was 93 or 94 and bless her heart, was nearly blind, was hard of hearing and just recently been admitted to Hospice as the doctors said there was nothing they could do for her any longer. She had pains in her body that started every afternoon. Her heart wasn't able to pump the blood to the extremities something like that.

We said our goodbyes a few months ago because she was certain her time to leave was near (she's been living in Las Vegas, NV). She knew that I wasn't going to attend her funeral and after that conversation, I kinda knew it would be our last one on this earth. I'll see her again someday. Years ago, after she found out I was divorcing her son, she called me and asked if she could still see the children and my reply was, "I'm divorcing your son, not YOU!" and then told her she would always be welcome in my home and she could see the kids whenever she wanted to. We remained close after all those years. She's no longer in pain and that helps me deal with her passing.

Yesterday, I stopped for coffee and lunch on my way in and filled my large cup with decaf by mistake, I've never done that. Probably best though, since caffeine stimulates the nerves when mine should be kept relaxed!

When I got home on Thurs., my son had been sanding in my walk in closet (hallway) and all the work I did cleaning my bathroom and bedroom, laundering, mopping, swiffer-ing and vacuuming all for naught. There was a film of white dust on everything. Originally, he was only going to do a bit of patching and paint. Any sanding was gonna be minimal by hand. Then on his own decided to use the electric sander and what a mess. It has gone through the sliding mirrored doors and onto all my clothes and needless to say, I was so upset especially because I think all my "AMBITIOUSNESS" with cleaning stressed out my back which caused it to spaz-out and now it's all a mess again. I just broke down, cried and sobbed away on my bed like a little kid feeling so sorry for myself, angry at the stupid house, my son's mistake, my back injury and Eunice's death.

My son apologized and spent much of yesterday cleaning up.

I NEED A VACATION! **smiles**

The good news of the week is that my lovely cousin Jeff in Minnesota, wants my mom and me to come out next spring or summer to visit. He had been here in CA for a short visit and was telling us about the addition he was putting in the attic and mentioned we should visit sometime. Now, I just have to figure out a plan. My mom will be 80 in 2011 and I'd love for her to visit with her family.

I'M NOT CLEANING THIS WEEKEND, except for some laundry. Enough so I don't have to be naked next week.

The Lantana in the new garden is lookin' good

If it's nice out maybe I'll go to Descanso Gardens, my happy place.

I know, this is a long post. I'll quit now.

Take your vitamins and get your rest. The holidays are upon us.

Hugs!

New Cold

2010-11-16T18:33:00.000-08:00

Hello! I should be dancing/exercising at my class but I started not feeling so great last night and then a bit worse today. Then I left this morning and forgot to take my mat, just as well since I don't feel any better right now. I'm gonna let the traffic die down a bit and then go home and go to bed.

Over the weekend I got the bathroom together and finished cleaning my room and never made it down to the kitchen cabinets. It was such a gorgeous Sunday that I just had to be outside. Besides, I forgot I still had all those Iris rhizomes to plant in pots so I can take them with me when we sell the house. Last year we had so many rainy Sundays that I couldn't get outside to garden and then last night on the news they said it might rain this coming weekend.

These pots made it back onto the porch, hee hee!

Close up of a Bromeliad flower

The Bromeliad plants are blooming right now and since they can't be seen by passerbys, I plucked most of them and brought them inside to enjoy.

All my vases are packed so I used an old plastic glass.

I was really busy yesterday at the shop, it's like the beginning of the holiday season has arrived. I need to get out all the Christmas decorations and inventory to sell since everywhere I go all the holiday stuff is out already. I just don't feel in "the spirit of the season" right now. I also need to order supplies and more bubble wrap & boxes just in case there is a rush on shipping.

They say you can tell allot about someone by their trash. Here's mine. Right by the chair that I read and crochet in. Candy wrappers and box, ice cream container and popsicle wrapper. Hmmm, too much sugar last week? Maybe that's why I got a new cold. Gotta get the vitamin c and hit the sack early tonight. I wanted to say "Thanks" for your compliments; to those of you who stopped by and commented on my shawl. Hope you're all having a nice week!