Early Riser

I have a confession to make.  

I am not and never have been a morning person.

In fact most if not all the women in my family like to sleep late.

But last year this 'habit' got to be later and later and later 

until I was going to bed after the sun came up.

Not good.

I simply could not get enough done.

So while the rest of the world was planning diets for their New Years Resolution,

I was plotting ways to turn my sleep pattern around.

So far, so good.  

I am going to sleep between 8:00 and 10:00 p.m.  (earlier than I was thinking but OK).

And getting up at 3:30.  

That's 3:30 A.M.!

NEVER SAW THAT COMING!

But it gets better.

This is what I found when I got up this morning...

Nothing leaking/dripping...

And it defies gravity!

Can the world not handle the fact that I am getting up early?

Did I somehow change a timeline or something?

Or is this normal in the land of early risers?

Maybe it is and that is why they are all coffee drinkers.  

They see weird stuff and just blame it on needing coffee.

Maybe I will become a coffee drinker too.

Somehow I think 2013 is going to be a new and exciting year!

And next year...

I will just resolve to lose weight like the rest of the world.

Apron At Last

I have been needing some new aprons for some time now - you know a couple of years probably.

I have half a dozen different patterns so it was difficult to decide which to make first.

But I had this lovely fabric of which there was just enough to make this style so that was the deciding factor as I don't have 3 yard pieces of fabric in overabundance in my stash that are not earmarked for quilts.

I like that this wraps completely around because I can definitely get messy.  The two pockets don't show well in the photo but they are the right height which being short I often find apron pockets to be situated too low.

So this pattern is a keeper.  Now on to my next project.  I would love to make another apron but in the box with this fabric and patterns I found some fabric I bought last year for napkins so that will be next.  Probably.

Hoping for magic

I got a really late start on a garden this year but figured, what the heck.

So here it is mid December and the fruits of my labor are still pretty dinky.

But gosh darn it, a mosquito just followed me back in the house!  And it was in the mid 70's today so maybe, just maybe some of that holiday magic will reach my garden.  

More Magnets

Yes, more magnets made.  These were EASY!  The snowflakes were from a sheet of stickers, so just peel and stick.  Then turn them over to hot glue on the magnets as seen here.

I can see many more of these to come.  Stay tuned.  

Sorry the photo is not too close as I was having trouble with the focus/shaking.  But I am sure you can get the idea.

Making Fall Cards

I am often asked where I get ideas for things I make.  I thought I would share the process as I made some fall cards.

First I get out everything I can think of off the top of my head that might be used:

In the stack of card-stock in the foreground you can see a sheet of scrapbook paper I just purchased and wanted to use.  

That was the beginning.  From there I just started cutting it all apart and finding coordinating papers.   Normally I use a lot of stamps and more bling.  In fact I got out quite a bit of bling thinking I would use it.  

But this paper was very nostalgic themed and just spoke to me of simpler times so I kept it simple.

I got ten cards from one $.99 sheet of paper with a few pieces left over.  It was such a relaxing way to spend the afternoon.  Something I have really been in need of lately.  And I am sure my mom and friends will enjoy the cards too.

Magnets

 I have been wanting to make some magnets for a bulletin board I sent my mom as it only came with a few and as we send her photos she will need more magnets.

But it wasn't until this week that I finally hit on what I wanted to put in them.

I began by hot glueing some round magnets to the back of some root beer bottle caps.

Then I used some Mod Podge to adhere some tiny shells to the inside of the caps.  I happened to have some sand dollars.  

I then sprinkled some micro beads on top to fill in the gaps and cover the glue on the edges which resembled sand.

 They looked pretty good at this point but all the bottle cap charms I had seen had been filled in with a clear glaze, usually this Dimensional Mod Podge.  So I tried a couple but as you can see they did not come out clear.   

Well, maybe you can see.  My camera did not want to focus when I got close so this is the best photos I could get.

I tried another brand of glaze with the same results.  Perhaps I got it too thick but I only put on enough to cover.  In fact with the second one I did not even cover it completely.

All I can figure out is that it was too humid.  The directions say not to use in high humidity.  I think it is pretty dry right now but then I like it humid and I do live on the Gulf Coast...

So Mom will be getting magnets without the glaze.  That's OK.  I think they are OK and I love that they are made completely of things I had on hand.

Is it an addiction if...

I really enjoy many things,

baking

family

animals

sewing

crocheting

quilting

many other fiber arts

crafts of all kinds

gardening.

OK, so I enjoy lots and lots of things.

But I just discovered that I LOVE

homemade butter pecan ice cream!

I can't seem to make it fast enough.  

I want it every time I go into the kitchen.

I found myself making it for breakfast!

So do you think I need help?

Should I join a group?

While you think about that I think I will go into the kitchen...

Anticipating Ghosts

I sometimes wonder if we have lost the art of anticipation with our fast paced, quick result, on demand lives.

I am happy that it lives on in my family.

One of our family traditions is when I make ghost cookies this time of year.

Only this time of year.

My family looks forward to their arrival.

It seems that each year they look forward to it even more eagerly.

So last month I announced that the one who helped me put up my Halloween decorations this year would get the first call when the cookies were done.

I should not have been surprised then when my grandson helped me

 THE END OF SEPTEMBER.

Beginning in October my granddaughter started calling every day to see if I had baked them yet.

She worried her brother would get too many as he is a growing boy!

And just to be on the safe side her brother took to stopping by every few days.

My daughter is staying with me for a few weeks so she was not worried.

Her brother on the other hand began asking me to babysit his little girl more and more frequently and would use that as an excuse to call just to be sure I was available.

Yeah, I wasn't fooled.

As Halloween nears the visits and calls get more frequent.

To the point that I found someone camped out on my couch last night.

OK, I can take the hint. 

Soooooo I stayed up till 2:00 a.m. baking ghost cookies like the ones I posted about here.

It was definitely worth it.

All the anticipation.

Makes them better than they really are.

Don't tell my family though, because they enjoyed every crumb.

Including the new little granddaughter who got her first ghost cookie.

And of course she had to have her own little ghost costume to wear for the occasion.

As this family grows one batch of cookies this popular is simply not going to be enough.

So I imagine I will be baking more in the next week or two!

I suspect this may well be what I am remembered for.

I am OK with that.

Moroccan Hassock Finished

With the seam repaired, it was time to work on stuffing.

My grandson arrived just in time to take over cutting out the foam.

Even though we both expected it to be the perfect filling we agreed it just did not work.

So I ended up filling it with and old pillow and fiberfill.

Worked well, don't you think?

Here is a close-up so you can see the lovely tooling and colored details even though it is well worn.  I just realized that the star around the central camel looks very much like a popular star quilt block.  Now that is interesting.  I wonder if there is a connection or it is just a coincidence.

New Halloween Treat

I just could not resist trying this Halloween treat that I saw somewhere online. 

Did you notice the 'ghost' in the platter?  

That is of course a reflection of the ghost on the spout of the tea pot.

I made a set of them last year as napkin rings but this one just seemed right on my tea pot.

Oh wait I just remembered.  Thank goodness.  My memory is slowing down but still seems to be working!  Hmmm much like the rest of me.   The recipe can be found here.

My grandson taste tested them and assured me they are great.  I think just a bit sweet but love the sweet/salty/touch of chocolate mixture!