Tag! Your it!

Hi friends! I feel so chipper today! The sun finally came out--yup, it was a small miracle.

I've been working on my order for the Loopy Ewe and I also worked on some cute little tags that I've added to my shop--here are a couple of them. The cute little birds (of course! are you getting tired of all the bird stuff I make yet? I can't seem to stop myself, lol!) and scotty dogs. They can be found in my Etsy shop.


I went out for a while and hit my favorite thrift shops and then I ran across a new antique shop! I was so excited, but got a rather nasty surprise when I went inside--it was such a filthy and junky mess. Wow, I've never seen such a sight!! There was a main room where things were set out for shopping--not too bad but really in need of some dusting and organizing--I can deal with that. In fact, some of the best antique shops are the ones where they are kind of a mish mash of stuff and you have to poke around to find the

treasures. The bad part was that all around the main room were side rooms that were just teetering stacks of stuff, just thrown in heaps and piles right on the floor! I was afraid to go into them. I did see one where I spotted a box underneath a table with what looked like vintage linens in it--well, I braved it and went in! And happily there were some really nice but grubby hankies in there. I grabbed a few (with the owner breathing down my neck) and got the heck out of there! LOL--Adventures in antiquing!

Whing!

There, did you hear that? That's the sound of another week whinging by! lol I am always stunned by how fast time goes by.

Did you all have a good long Memorial Day weekend? Ours was a little strange. We received some scary news that our 26 year old niece, who lives in a different state, had a brain aneurism (sp?), but she seems to be ok. That was a terrible rush and made for some tense hours spent sitting by the phone and trying to distract and comfort her Dad (hub's brother). We postponed the trip to the cabin because of it, but the weather was iffy anyways, so that's alright. Then, we found out that another family member had gotten thrown in jail! That certainly doesn't happen every day!! LOL We did the usual going to the cemetary to visit loved ones. Each year we get to the cemetary to catch the Honor Guard ceremonies for the veterans. My hub's Dad was in the Navy for 20 years, he served aboard the USS Houston (during the Korean war) which was bombed and sunk by the enemy, he was captured and was a POW for 3 years--he was forced to work on building the bridge over the river Kwai. Hub also lost his older brother, Joe, in Viet Nam in 1968. They do a very touching ceremony at the veteran's cemetary each year, including the gun salutes and trumpeting taps. Our son Joe is in the junior naval ROTC and marched in the parade--so that was fun to go to yesterday afternoon. All in all, a pretty full weekend.

I've been busy with a new order of bags and needle packs for the Loopy Ewe--takes a long time to make up so many at one time--but I am grateful for the business!! Sheri (the owner) is such a lovely gal and a real pleasure to do business with! If you are a knitter, you really should check her out--she has a LOT of satisfied customers.

I also finished up my potholder and instructions and got that off in the mail! Yeah! I made a few extras too, so they could be listed in my Etsy shop. I just listed this one today--it's a combo hotpad/mini quilt! lol A handy hotpad, in an extra large size, you can use to protect your tabletop from hot bowls during your meal--just flip it over and use the back side. When your meal is done, hang it on a wall nearby as a cute and decorative mini wall quilt!

Hot, Hot, Hot

You all have heard the expression "a little birdy told me"---well, that is the theme I've been working on the last couple weeks.

I was contacted by a book publisher who wanted me to submit a couple of designs for a book on potholders and I was brainstorming to come up with some ideas and that phrase came into my head---yeah, a little bird told me! Here are a couple of the finished results.

I made up three different potholders, all different from the next, and submitted them and, of course, they wanted one design but done up in the colors of the other one with some adjustments made! LOL So, back to the drawing board! I did finish up the revised one yesterday

and now today I have to write up the instructions. Let me tell you, writing instructions is not as easy as you might think. I

have a tendency to be a little too explanatory, and end up writing a novel instead of some simple instructions, lol.

I used to submit designs to magazines and books quite a bit in the past--and have been published quite a few times (I guess around 20), so it's not like I don't know how--it's just that it is a process for me. I write one and then whittle it down. Then I re-read it and do some more whittling, etc, etc, etc! It is so nice now that you can do it on the computer. When I was doing it in the past, it was done on my handy portable typewriter! Man, was that an all-day process! So, wish me luck that I can get them done in a comprehensive manner and that the publisher will like both my revised potholder and the instructions enough to put me in their book!

Oh, and now I have a couple new items to put in my Etsy shop--so far I've listed the little skywriter one in blue and purple.

Have a great day-- and Smile!

Girl's Weekend AKA A Minnesota Hurricane!

OK--another Girl's Weekend has come and gone! This one was a little different than most, to be sure. We are a hardy bunch of gals--no sissies here. We've been doing the weekend for many years now and have run into a LOT of different weather situations: hot, cold, rainy, windy, etc. and we take it in stride, dress for the weather, and play outside anyways. This year we ended up spending almost the entire time inside the cabin! lol I went up on Friday afternoon because it was a beautiful day and I wanted to sit in the sun and read a book! And I did! For about 3 hours and then the wind started to blow. My sis-in-law showed up and we went and sat on the other dock which was out of the wind a bit more and had a nice time up until right about dusk when the wind really picked up and it started to drizzle. The next thing you know we are in the middle of a big thunderstorm and the wind is raging and whistling through the trees. It never stopped! lol The temps dropped down into the 30's and 40's--the winds were constant at about 40-50mph and we were even blessed with some snow! At one point I thought for sure the cabin was going to be picked up --ala Wizzard of Oz--and tossed to a new location! Anyways, so we just had to stay inside and play the whole time. It was fun, but I had really been looking forward to doing some outdoorsy stuff. Oh well. Oh, AND I neglected to put fresh batteries in my camera and it pooped out on me the first time I used it. I did manage to get a pic of my friend in her annual "bra" picture, but that was it. We've decided that we got gyped and are going to re-schedule a little later in the year. Soooo, how was your weekend?? :-D

Girl's Weekend---Look out!!

Yeah!! It's that time of year again! As far back as I can remember, the guys have always taken off for the fishing opener--usually for 4 or 5 days or more--leaving us poor women back home with all the babies all by ourselves. Waaah. Finally, one year, my sis-in-law and I were whining about it and we decided that we would get our own "fishing weekend"--and the guys get to stay home all by themselves with the kids! And girl's weekend was born. It started off with about 4 of us and the numbers have grown as the years go by--who knew so many women needed a break!!! LOL Luckily, we have a family cabin on a lake about 40 miles from town . It's a pretty rustic cabin and no running water (that's right--OUTHOUSE!) but it is perfect really. I think the first year we went was 1994--and it's been every year since, the weekend after opener. We only have a few rules, no bras, no men, no kids, and all food that is brought has to be pre-made--there is no
cooking except for crock pot stuff and things that you can heat up over the fire or in the microwave. We lounge around and laugh and talk and fish and drink and whine and throw horseshoes and just have a silly funny good time!
Here are a few pictures from last year--I'll share some of the new ones when I get home Monday (or Tuesday if I am too tired!). You all have a great weekend--and if you are ever in northern MN on the weekend after opener--you're all welcome to drop by.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day ! I hope that you all had a wonderful day and let your kids and hubs spoil you rotten! I got my usual Mother's day breakfast made by the kids--and now that they have gotten a little older, it was actually more on the edible side than it has been in the past! lol AND Mark actually came home early from the cabin so he could make me dinner, yeah--no cooking for me today! I had a great day and got spoiled quite nicely, thank you very much.



Here's a pic of me and my Mom--we're a couple of peas in a pod! I am bummed that the pic is so dark but I think you can still see us pretty good. This is only the second Mother's Day since my Mom died and I just miss her so much. I spent a bit of the day looking through old pictures and thinking back on our lives. I had a rather unusual life with my Mom--I actually had no contact with her when I was between the ages of 11 and 18 (it's a long story, and I'm feeling a little too weepy to tell it today) but when we were re-united we found out that we were practically the same person, lol. We had so many of the same interests and hobbies and likes and dislikes--and our voices and laugh were so alike that people couldn't tell us apart, and we even looked a lot alike. She was such a fun and loving woman and had such a spirit of encouragement towards others-- she just had a way of making people feel like they were worthwhile and could do anything if they put their mind to it. I love you Mom and I miss you.

I also ran across this pic of my parents on their wedding day--they are so young and pretty! This was back in 1959.
I have to laugh at the wedding pics--my Mom was quite a fashion plate and made most of her (and our) clothes--She made her wedding dress and on her wedding day she completed her outfit with bright red shoes and purse! Yeah!

So, all of you reading this, if your dear Mother is still with you--go give her a big smooch and cherish the moments you have together.

Smiles!

Queenie

Here's Queenie--pretty and practical, as any good queen should be! I took one of my little felt birds, and perched her in a beaded wire "nest" for her throne, and perched that on top of a paper mache box that I gussied all up with papers and glitter--wah lah! She's pretty sweet! and can be found in my Etsy shop.

Speaking of Etsy--I was just reading through a great thread in the forums and thought I would pass it along. It's all helpful crafting tips--basically from the experts, you know, all the wonderful Etsy artists and craftspeople. It's a fun read and I picked up quite a few new tips . Check it out HERE.

Is anyone else out there a fishing widow?? LOL, well, not a widow actually--but in the 15 years that Mark and I have been married--there has only been 1 Mother's Day that we have spent together! Yup! Opening fishing season weekend and Mother's Day happen at the same time here--and guess who loses that battle?? Sniff. I'm just kidding really, I always get very thoughtful cards and gifts for Mother's Day, just not on the actual day. It's kind of a standing joke here, and I get to pout and pretend that my feelings are hurt and everybody hugs me and spoils me. Sigh, I love Mother's Day. *grin*

Well, I need to go get back to work--this house is a sty! lol I can't wait until I make so much money with my Etsy shop that I can hire a maid (wake me up when this pretty daydream is over........).

Random Facts about Me.

Here's my latest Inspiration Kit--Roses and Romance. It can be found in my Etsy shop! I am really having fun putting these together. Thanks for all the kind words and encouragement you have all given me about these kits, you are all so sweet! BTW--that pretty little pink rosebud that you can see in the middle was made by the talented Betty at Shessewpretty--she sells them in her shop! I had just gotten the ones I ordered from her in the mail--and I had to add one to this kit.

OK--I've been tagged by Beadiful Things and Saffron at Poppy Cat News . Double tag, double listing...hmmm..

The Rules:--List seven random facts/habits about yourself--Choose another seven bloggers to tag and list their names in your blog--Leave your seven tagged bloggers comments to notify them of their tagging and to direct them to your blog for tag instructions.

So, here goes:

1) I come from very large families--my Grandparents (my Dad's parents) had 17 kids, my other Grandparents (Mom's parents) had 8 kids, and then I married into another large family--my hub is the youngest of 10 kids! We had a pretty small family with only me and my 3 brother--but then I ended up with 4 step-siblings, so there were 8 of us! lol

2) I think I was born to sew. When I was just a little tiny girl, my favorite toys were those cardboard cards with the grommets in them, and you would lace the shoelaces through the holes like you were sewing. When I was about 5 I got my first little toy sewing machine and I LOVED it! I would make all kinds of things for my dollies and for my Mom. When I was 11, ALL I wanted for Christmas was a REAL sewing machine--that is it--nothing else! I got a Kenmore sewing machine that I had for about 20 years.

3) My parent got divorced when I was about 7 years old, and my 3 brothers and I stayed with my Dad (which was pretty rare in those days!). I learned to cook and clean and take care of babies at that time, and by the time I was 8 years old, I was pretty good in the kitchen and could change and bathe a baby like a pro!

4) I'm famous (with the people who know me!) for my soups. People save me their bones and scraps and bring them to me with the stipulation that I must share my soup with them! lol My brother Will, has a physic connection with my soup pot! Somehow, he always shows up at my doorstep when I make soup!

5) My hub and I decided that I would be a stay-at-home-Mom once our kids came along--so we have always been on a real tight budget. Due to this fact, I can brag about this--I once saved $68.79 in coupons at the grocery store!! Once the coupons were rung in, my bill was under $20. Oh, and it was NOT double coupons either. Long live the Queen.

6) I didn't learn to drive until I was 31. Yup, 31! (before I got my license, I used to walk-- 5 miles a day--to and from work).

7) My hub and I are going to be married--again-- very soon! We're just waiting for the paperwork to get finished. (We are catholics, and in order to get married in the church I had to have my first marriage annulled--and it finally came through, which has taken a little over 2 years). So we will have 2 wedding anniversaries each year--15 years apart!

8) I love to watch movies. We have over 200 movies here in tapes and dvd's. After the kids were born, we decided we didn't want to have cable tv (too much junk!), so we just would buy movies to watch when there was nothing on tv--and the collection has grown to rather large proportions!

9) I call my daughter "neeneenanooo" and she calls me "meemeemamooo".

10) I need to have knee replacement surgery and I keep putting it off, which is ruining my so-called "good" knee.

11) I'm a pretty boring person, and I am having a hard time thinking of 14 things that may be interesting about myself! lol

12) We moved around constantly when I was a kid. My Dad worked as a tiler for a long time and then he got into sales and we would move where there was work. I never completed a whole year at one school until I was in the 9th grade. Always the "new kid". I think that is why I am such a homebody. I am so very happy to have been in our home for 14 years--and I love it here! Having roots ROCKS!!

13) I love to do crossword puzzles---HARD crossword puzzles.

14) My favorite snack is popcorn and a cup of cocoa. Sweet and salty--oh yeah!

There! lol Now who will I torture, I mean PICK, to do this next? How about:

Teresa at Cedar Junction

Jenn Maruska

Betty at Shes Sew Pretty

Angela at Norththreads

Jenn at Persephone's Awakening

Joni at My Piece of Heaven

Amy at AmyEliseDesign

Have Fun!!

Inspration Kit #2--Birds in Spring

Inspration Kit #2--Birds in Spring
Originally uploaded by misseskwittys.

Spring has sprung--the grass is finally starting to turn green around here. The sun is shining and the birds are singing and chasing each other around--but unfortunately, as is pretty common here, the wind is coming right off of the lake and it is COLD! I might have to head up over the hill to get any spring-like warmth today! It is nice to live so close to the lake, so I'm not complaining, but you know how it is in the spring when you have been waiting and waiting for the warmth! Sigh.

I have been getting that urge to spring clean--air things out--get rid of the dust! I always feel so sorry for my houseplants by the end of the winter. They just look kinda gray and dusty! As soon as it looks like it isn't gonna freeze anymore, I like to get the hose hooked up outside and take all the houseplants out and line them up on the porch railings and spray the bejeebers out of them! Add some new dirt to thier pots and let them sit in the sun for a while. I'm gonna do that as soon as the wind shifts, lol.

I finished up my big order for the Loopy Ewe, and another custom order I was working on, so now I get to play a little! Speaking of spring cleaning, I was thinking about doing some destashing and listing the items in my Etsy shop, and I started to get a little stack going when I decided that instead of just listing individual items for sale, I would make little packs of things that match! Yeah! So I get to have fun putting the packs together--and maybe they will be an inspiration for a project or two for someone else! Win/Win! I listed my first kit yesterday and it sold right away. Sooo, this morning I put together another one--the one pictured above. I call this one Birds in Spring. It is listed in my Etsy shop if anyone is interested.

Well, I should go back to work. I've been working on designing a potholder---but it's not really turning out too well! LOL What I have is more like a mini quilt instead of a potholder (yeah, I got a little carried away! lol) So, I need to get back to the drawing board. Maybe I'll try and finish up the hand stitching on that mini quilt this evening while I'm watching Ugly Betty and see if I can get it listed tomorrow.

Have a great day everyone--and so soak up some sun for me--OK?!!