Aprons for Mother's Day

These are two aprons I whipped up for Mother's Day for my Grandmas. The first is for my Grandma Haack. I love the cute little pocket on this one.



The second was for my Grandma Stilling. This was the first one I made. She is always wearing little half aprons when we go over and I was currently in the middle of an apron swap on one of the board I frequent. So, when we were trying to decide what to get her I thought of an apron. Toby was laughing at me as I made it, but he later admitted that it was perfect for her, even the print.

One of the great things about this apron is that when my Grandma H moved she packed a box of sewing stuff for me. One of the things in that box was the trim on this apron. The trim smells like my Grandma. It was nice to think of her as I was sewing!

Esmeralda's Prophecy

Yesterday I went to House on the Rock with Andy and Kary (my Brother and his girlfriend). There are many little machines to put your money into and one was the fortune teller Esmeralda (like the movie Big). I asked her if I would find a job soon and she said:

"There is very little I can tell you, because you are so good. You have a great gentleness, and pure moral principles, a merciful affectionate and constant heart, slightly melancholy. Inventive genius of mechanical arts, are independent and have little patience with conventional ways of living. Lover of music, very changeable in opinion. After middle age you will inherit a fortune, which you will have to defend in court.

I predict that you will have great success in life, in general, very small changes in your daily routine are necessary to bring you to the top of the ladder."


Hmm, I hope I find that ladder soon...

Music Therapy

I was having a bad day and since listening to music is on my list of things to do to take care of myself I decided to again look through Youtube for the songs I was thinking of. Worked like a charm.

The first song is Pocketful of Sunshine and it is one that a client was drawn to. After listening to it I see why.


The next few are by Enya and have always been my power music. They fill me with the energy to go forward.










It also helps to think that perhaps there is something bigger and better out there waiting for me. Patience is getting hard.

I AM

I was looking for "The Lord is My Light."


But, also found this which was powerful to me.



Added: I just wanted to add a little update onto why I was looking for these songs. It is now the end of May and everything has been resolved so it feels good to finally share a little of what was going on.

In December my Uncle Ernie passed away from a heart attack. It was very unexpected and we were all in shock. This cemented in my Grandma's heart that it was time to move home (to IL). A month after listing their house my Grandma found a lump in her breast and further testing showed that it was in fact breast cancer. I found this out the same week that the final draft of my thesis was due. My Mom and Aunt flew out to AZ to be with her. We found out that she was to have the surgery the next week to have the lump removed. On a positive note, the day after they found out that the lump was cancerous my Grandparents got an offer on their house and they immediately accepted.

While my mom was down there I expressed concern to her over how similar this situation was to the one a few years earlier where we lost two aunts and my Grandma and Grandpa on my Dad's side in such a short time. It included my Aunt passing away from an unexpected heart attack and my Grandparents moving in with my parents. My Mom acknowledged that she had also seen the similarities and that she had been afraid to mention it. We were all scared we were losing Grandma.

That Sunday I had my Grandma on my mind and as I was getting ready for church was singing "The Lord is My Light." When I got into church I decided to talk the priest and I asked for a special prayer to be said. When I sat down to service I realized that the same song I was singing was the song that we were singing in church. It was also part of the word for the day. It just helped to remind me to trust in the Lord as he will provide.

My Grandma had the surgery the next Thursday. I kept myself busy with a party on Friday night at the place where I volunteer and then a get together with friends the next night (Fondue, yum!). On Monday we got word that the cancer was all out and she would not need radiation or chemo. My Mom and Aunt found a way to have my grandparents sign their closing papers early and they flew out two weeks after the surgery.

They are currently living with my parents, but have found a condo to buy. My Grandma is doing better in most ways, but still is in a lot of pain. I defended my thesis the day before my Grandparents moved to IL and I left on a short vacation the day after they moved. I've now submitted my final corrected version (three copies on fancy resume paper) and am just waiting for my diploma to be mailed.

There have been many happy weeks with everyone together. This last Mothers Day was the first one in about 10 years that we have been able to all be together. There were a lot of tears shed. Grandpa is feeling guilty for having ever moved to AZ while at the same time missing many things about it. When I had my blog open to show my grandma some of my sewing creations my Mom wanted me to show her the videos I found as well. My Grandpa heard it and came running. It was funny.

It's been great reconnection with my grandparents and really feeling their love again. We are all grateful to have this time together and realize that we must cherish each an every opportunity to share in each others company.

Puppy Love

Saint Paddy's Day Twirly Dress

Posted so I can show off!

FOs from about October to December

Some things I worked on for an IRL friend and an online friend. I made duplicates of both the greend/flowers and red outfits.








3 Crayon Rolls I did as part of a swap:




Part of the present for my MIL. Oddly, I did not photograph the bag I made to go with it:


And, a crochet hook roll for a swap:


I am sure there was more, but this is all I found stored in photobucket

Guinness Man

It's official, he is a Guinness Man

Guinness Hat

Guinness Tee

Guinness PJS

Guinness Tray

Guinness Glass (guess they are still in the box)

Guinness Bottle Oppener (but, um, he got cans)

and of course a Guinness to drink

(All presents from my Mom and Brother)
(and remind me to tidy up before we take pictures next time!)

Why Dogs are Better than Kids

From (http://www.wilk4.com/humor/humor.htm)

For all you who do or don't have kids...
Kibble and water are cheaper than formula and diapers.
They have more hair when they are born.
Dogs never forget to "go" before they leave.
Dogs can go on long trips without yelling "MOM HE'S TOUCHING ME!!!!"
Dogs never grow out of being kissed in front of their friends.
Dogs don't wear holes in the knees of their trousers.
It doesn't matter how much dog hair a Dog gets in its mouth.
You can cage a dog without going to jail.
Dogs don't "backwash" crackers when sharing your soda.
Dogs will watch classic Star Trek with you and won't laugh at the special effects.
Dogs hide their "blankies" in their crates rather than dragging them around in public.
It's OK and even encouraged to tattoo your Dog
The older a Dog gets, the more they like you.
Dogs don't ask why. Dogs don't ask why. Dogs don't ask why.
Dogs don't roll their eyes when you insist Dogs today have it easier.
Dogs stick their tongue deep inside your ear canal; children use a pencil.
Dogs don't jump on the bed; they just quietly shed in them and lay on you,considerately adding to your warmth.
Dog poop is easier to get off the wall than crayon.
When Dogs don't listen to you, it is because they cannot understand the complex human language.
Dogs have tails, making it easier to grab them as they run away.
No one passes you a Dog with a loaded diaper.
Dogs dig for buried treasure in the litterbox. Kids won't even dump the litterbox.
When Dogs interrupt you making love, you don't have to explain that the two of you are "wrestling to see who does the dishes."
Dogs don't grow out of their shoes every 2 1/2 months.
Dogs, when entering those teen years, are neutered.

Last Months Projects

I don't usually sew things for myself and so this month I set out to do just that.

The fabric for the first skirt was fabric I got off of freecycle. It has a waistband that can be folded down or scrunched down. In the pic it is folded down. The second skirt is from a yellow fabric I have had around way too long.
At the beginning of October I went to watch the Bears Packers game with my family. I was told I had to root for the Packers so I made this sweater to wear. Unfortunately it was unseasonably warm and I couldn't wear it.

I also made matching bandannas for the dogs. Kona wasn't into posing that day.