My GrandGirls @ Christmas

A new year. 2014. Mela is the best production for 2013. I love that little baby. 2014 will bring a new member to the family when Michael and Jenn have my next grandchild this summer! Gramma Kassie. That's me! The second best title to mom. Mela and Sophia made Christmas time more wonder-full.

My granddaughters are so precious to me!

The day after Christmas, more than one of us started to come down with something. Throat, nose, chest....a general feeling a malaise. Feel better today, after much medicating, lounging and sleeping. Cold-Eez was ingested frequently. NyQuil my nighttime medicine of choice. Michael has not fared as well. He has it pretty bad.

I received very heartfelt gifts this year. Melissa had me choose a Pandora charm that meant "gramma" to me. I chose this one....Party Dress. What could be more perfect than a party dress for 2 little girls? Love it. my sister bought the Kiss Me, I'm Irish glass Pandora bead to celebrate our Irishness! My bracelet is looking good!
Michael bought me Bruce. He wanted to read it after I did. Well, since I read the library book as soon as it came out, he is able to take it back to Fort Campbell!
 Jenn knows I love old junk! She found this awesome bag at a flea market a few months ago. Love.

Tomorrow I must get back to painting my workroom. ( I have settled on calling it my workroom because that is what it will be. Studio is too formal and sewing room sounds so 1900. Workroom. It feels like me) I need to finish the closet with another coat of Ultra White, and paint all the trim with glossy Ultra White. I have an old shelf I found on Craigslist that was used in a basement in an old house that needs some white paint also. It is heavy. It is old. It will be so cool in my workroom! It's time to get this room up and running.

I have learned:

1. I use the mug rug from Martha every day! 
2. Bruce has a new CD coming out in January...High Hopes. Can't wait til 1-14-14
3. Ted, my little favorite from work, is on stand-by this week and that means another project for me! (he likes to stay busy while waiting for a call out) He is working on a base for my vintage draft table top cutting station for my workroom. I am anxious to get it in to position.
4. Greenville, SC. One of the top, affordable places to live in the U.S. Possible retirement?
5. New Year's Eve. Me & Mela!

Mela

The weekend was all about Mela! I brought her home Saturday, to give Dave and Melissa some time to go out for her birthday and be adult! They had a great time, as did I! Mela is a dream. I was so excited to have Uncle Michael & Aunt Jenn meet her on Saturday. We met up at Barnes & Noble for the debut. Michael was enamored with her. A meal shared at Tully's made the reunion complete. It is wonderful to know that Michael is in town. I do miss him. Jenn is feeling pregnant. She is tired and sick here and there. My feeling is she is having a boy. I will be surprised if it is a girl...knew Melissa was having a girl also. Just intuition.

With Mela in tow, nothing got done here in the workroom. All my energy was on her!

I have to work Monday & Tuesday. Wish I was not on Tuesday however, as Sophia opens her Santa gifts on Christmas Eve morning. I was able to be there last year, just took too many days in the summer this year with Mela's birth and Michael's visit in July. Sophia is my girl. Such a sweet, beautiful little girl.

Our ice storm was probably half of what they were predicting.There was ice on all the tree's and many a  pine tree bough broke off. It is just the beginning of the mess I will have to tend to in the spring. ugh.

I have learned:

1. White Collar...my newest binge TV viewing on Netflix. Like. Mela liked it too!
2. Kohl's is coming to Batavia! Marshall's and Below 5 are the rumored other stores to fill in the old Lowe's store. Also a Thai food joint opening soon. mmm. 
3. I am a Pinterest-holic. 

31

 Melissa turns 31years old on Friday. 31. Wow.
This is the PC I made for her using my mono printed fabric. I love it. She will too. A little piece of art, via USPS to celebrate!

Painted the closet in Michael's old room--my sewing room, this morning. The white makes such a big difference in there. I like working in it. As I was pondering storage options, using what I have and I decided to move my armoire and triple dresser in there. The 9 hole cubbies I have can sit on top of the dresser. This gives me 9 drawers and 3 shelves + cubbies. That should hold most of my fabrics and other crafty bits. A few years ago I picked up a wood sewing table for $5 at Sally Ann's. My felting machine can sit in that. A larger ironing surface would be nice. In the garage is I have a top to an old drafting table that I need a base for. It has to be high enough for a cutting table. Maybe simple 2 x 4's would work. The biggest hang up in the room is the floor. The 50's light green linoleum is in very bad shape. I have been looking at this brown paper option. Or just a mish mash of area rugs. The floor is cold!

As a thank you gift for my cousin, Tracey, for having us for Thanksgiving again this year, I made this snowman runner. The pattern was from an issue of Primitive Quilts & More. Love stitching on wool!

6" x 30".  All recycled wool.

I have jury duty tomorrow. Last time I went they kept me there past my work quit time before I was dismissed. We will see how it goes this time.

I have learned:

1. Dryer started making a banging noise today. Can't be good.
2. Found my baggie of 1/4" hexi's! They have been missing for a few weeks. My guild challenge continues.
3. It's snowing again. 

Michael's Quilt....Finally

Last weekend I decided to piece the block's that my fiber art group made for him while he was deployed. Martha, Sharon, Elaine, Chris, Mary Ellen, Lori, Bethany, Susan, Emmy & Mary Lee made 12" blocks in St John Fisher colors, maroon and gold. I made a couple improv star blocks to even up the rows. I love how it came out! I am quilting straight lines approximately 1 1/2" apart in invisible thread. Need to bind and label so I can give to him when he is home for Christmas. He is going to love the sentiment and the quilt! Such caring, good friends I have. Thank you girls!

Today was guild day. Our annual Christmas celebratory foodie meeting! Good stuff indeed! After a short business meeting and a wonderful show n' tell, we all ate and enjoyed each other's company. Chris ran a mug rug swap which I just did not have time to make, thus could not participate in the fun exchange. BUT, my dear, Martha, had made extra mug rugs and shared one of them with me!! I am using it as I write. I love it. Thank you Martha!

I wish I had gotten pics of the mug rugs revealed today.
I lifted this one pic off FB. Lori made this awesome mug rug.

...and her daughter, Beth, made this one. Love it.

Cold and snowy here in WNY. I love when it is like this....I can hibernate.

Last night I met Melissa and Mela at Tuesday Morning. Bill, my BIL manages the store and a few times a year he gets a family shopping discount day...40% off! I found some good gifts at great prices. What a great store Tuesday Morning is. High end buyout merchandise. Worth a drive. Here's Mela happily shopping with us last night!

Tis herself! Changes every time I see her. Love.

I have been hand stitching needle books using the load of wool I have collected and been gifted! I gave Tracy J this one today...a Sue Spargo inspired design...

I have more in progress. I am stitching on cat design for a good catty friend now! Love wool. It is yummy to put a needle into.

Tomorrow I must paint trim in my sewing room. AND paint the closet which still sports the lime green of the room when I first moved in to this house 10 years ago. I need to be super charged with energy to get this job finished!

I have learned:

1. My friend Stephanie's father wrote the book "Honor Bound". Stuart Rochester. A memoir of Vietnam soldiers. I am intrigued. Micheal would also like it. 
2. 7 weeks. Jenn is 7 weeks pregnant! My next grandchild is gestating now!
3. Part of my lip was actually cut off 2 weeks ago. Basal cell cancer cells all gone though. But, wow, what a slice of face I lost. Wasn't prepared for that. Healing well though.

Santa....Mela...Mela...Poppy

Last night I accompanied Melissa, Dave, Sophia and Mela to St Nick's night. Mela wasn't sure what to make of the big guy in the red suit and I have pics of her crying to prove it! If only poppy could have assured her she was in good hands....his.
Sophia was responsible for telling Santa what Mela wants for Christmas. Apparently Mela wants balls. Yep. She does. Too late.

Our wonderful little Fiberistas group trekked to Auburn today to see the Q=A=Q exhibit. 6 of us + 2 art quilt cohorts met at Schweinfurth to share our thoughts and favorites and not-so-much-for-me pieces. Fluttery excitement came over me when I saw 6 of the pieces. (the flutter is indicative of seeing an interesting piece that allows me to glimpse a thread of kinship with the artist.)

     1. "Barcelona" by Lumila Aristova of Brooklyn. Stunning. Silk, organic  paper and cotton.
         Look closely at her work to note the tiny prairie points made from organza ribbon. So cool.
     2. "Interwoven" by Patricia Kennedy-Zafred of Murrysville, PA. Loved the her silk screened images,
         the colors and the way she handled the entire composition. Her other work is equally inspired.
     3. "Pink Leaf 4" by Pat Pauly of Rochester, NY. I love Pat's work. When you look at her piece, you
         know it is hers and, if you know Pat, they represent HER in cloth.
     4. "Head Two" by Diane Siebels of Charlottsville, VA. I was thrilled when I saw this! It was very
         different from some everything hanging in the gallery. I felt like I wanted to try my hand at this one.
         Mostly all handwork, I was hooked. It looked good far away and made me scurry to get up close.
     5. "Alinea" by Kathleen Probst of Meridian, ID. Simple. Effective. I understood why. I need to try
         simple.
     6. "Secrets" by Betty Busby of Albuquerque, NM. (scroll down to her piece). I thought it was a
        manipulated image on fabric until I read that she painted this. The colors are delicious.

These were worth seeing up close.
One niggling bother about this Q=A=Q exhibit is the fact that each year many artists get 2 pieces accepted into the show. I realize artists submit multiple pieces, happy to get 1 work in, so it's not on them. The team of jurors...the gallery itself not having a policy of one piece per artist would be responsible for changing that outcome. This show receives hundreds of possibles. I am sure there were at least a dozen other pieces that could have been chosen. Share the wealth so to speak.
Lunch at Curly's with good conversation to round out a great day.

I have learned:

1. Ace, Michael & Jenn's puppy, was castrated yesterday. 
2. I joined ROCO. 
3. If I were to make an art quilt with a cause (this came up today at lunch)......what do I feel very strongly about?....mostly I have opinions and beliefs about  political/religious issues. No STRONG emotions that I feel compelled to have people hear my plea and be swayed by it.. BUT, there is one thing I consistently, with escalation,  view as the bane of our society. Reality TV. Yes, I said it. There it is, out on the table. 
4. Does anyone want to be nominated for President or VP in charge of Workshops for my Museum Quilt Guild? We have no takers. 
5. IKEA. So much coveting.      

Steampunk Bird Doll

My rendition of Petie the Steampunk Bird! Julie and I each made one last weekend, one of the projects that we diligently worked on! The body of the bird is fabric painted with acrylic paint....leather doll in the doll world, since the surface does appear to be leather. Love this look. You can't make out the metallic blue and black body work.
The wings and mask are a copper foil, hefty enough to stand up to the embossing on the wings. One of my favorite elements is the steel pins that look like nail heads on the copper. Cool.
My birds legs look fit for an eagle, not this little tweeter! I will work on that for my next Steampunk creation.

Here is a pic of Julie's bird. She used feathers instead of the metal, which looks very cool.

Next I will be finishing my Contented Woman. I am procrastinating....the eyes are next! They aren't even open eyes so how wrong can it go?

Mela was 4 months last Wednesday!! Changing daily. I didn't see her last week and do I ever miss her. Daddy took her and Sophia out in the snow...they loved it!

Sitting up, grabbing her toes and drooling all the way!

Yesterday, via MOHS surgery, I successfully had all the bad bad basal cells removed from my lip. Took two scrapes, much Novocain and 5 hours. Numerous stitches inside and outside and a big ass bandage covering what seems to be much of my face, I look forward (??) to the reveal tomorrow! I have no idea how big it is and what I'll look like for the next week. No lifting. No bending. Don't want to pop a stitch.

Attractive!

Cincinnati Thanksgiving was fun! Michael and Jenn came up from Fort Campbell with their puppy Ace. He is such a good pup. Along with them came great news.....Jenn is pregnant!!
Aunt Terry and Uncle Sam were up from Florida....Aunt Kathy and Gerry came in from Louisville. Add some of Tracey and Tom's neighbors and kids too. Jake, Tracey's 18 year old son wrote the dinner blessing. It was eloquent and heartfelt...a highlight of the day.
Of course my annual IKEA shopping trip with Jenn was eventful! Tried to get Mela's crib but there were our of stock. Bummer.

I have learned:

1. Watching CSI:  NY on Netflix. Just watched the 10 year anniversary of 9/11 episode. Truly the best memorial TV show. Worth seeking out. Bruce Springsteen and his wife Patty Scialfa sing this rendition of "If I Should Fall Behind". It is beautiful.
2. Thai Ginger chicken stock.....ewe...yuck...gross...don't.
3. The sister, niece and nephew were all over my !#$% for snoring! What? Me? Even OSA says RN sister. Hmmm. 
4. Fiona & Cliffy need to finish what they started last night Mr Mouse is winning. I know when they are hunting...hovering and sniffing. After giving up and lazing around all morning, Mr Mouse traipsed right out from behind TV cupboard! Fifi did have him in her jaws at one point but when I went to scoop up MM with a plastic bag....he was gone! Really? Cats? Get him done. 
5. Some great vintage items listed in my Etsy shop! Check it out.
6. My left side is my weak side...every ailment in the last few years has been on my left, less dominant side. Must be something to that.
7. Love Dolores Riccio's Circle of Five series. Alex is nice enough to share them with me. I truly enjoy reading about these ladies, their Wiccan ways and the cases they solve.
8. gypped
9. . It just doesn't look right.