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No Pictures, Just Talk

In an effort to continue with my blog, I am back. Since last post I did decide to switch to the 7-4 shift and I love it. Some days I stay and work 7-7. Last week I did that all 3 days. I figure my day is already pretty well shot so might as well go for 3, 12 hour days. I really want to go to AFIC in Columbus this year at the end of April and to take Natalie H's class on Doll Street. That is my plan and I am sticking to it!!

My DS significant other decided she didn't want to wait while he got a job and got settled so she moved here with their 2 children. There are 10 people living in my house, 6 adults and 4 children (3,2,6mo,5mo). Yippee skippee is about all I can say to that. 5 days at work is starting to look pretty good to me and I figure with winter coming and we are all cooped up together should be an even bigger adventure. The good news is that I have not given up my sewing room (said in a whisper so no one can hear), the bad news is.....who has any time to use it with all these people and kids here? Do you reckon those 4 kids could ever take a nap at the same time, want to eat.....at the same time, need diapers changed, baths at the same time. NOT Then add in adults who can't get along except maybe in hours, never days....week, whatever. And, do you all remember how wonderfully a 3 year old and a 2 year old play together with their toys? I feel like a referee most of the time. But, there is hope, I think, that my sewing machine will get used again soon. Oh, the other good news is they are all working except the oldest DD so just maybe there is a light at the end of this very long tunnel.

I have my newest traveling visitor, Varsha from Shashi in England. She is lovely and I hope to have a few pictures to share on the next post. I think I have her for 2 weeks and I hope to take her Amish Country to an awesome fabric store and I will post pics so you all can drool. There are some events going on this month that I hope to get to take her to. Next week I hope to take her to see some Clydesdale horses get shoed with a farrier (sp) friend that I met through my new job. I am taking DH too and he is really looking forward to seeing those horses up close and personal. They are at a place called Malabar Farm which Louis Bromfield owned and Bogie and Bacall were married there. One thing about this traveling doll group has made me realize how much we have here in this small town that I don't think about much because I live here.

As you can tell, I have been creatively stifled just because of lack of time. If I do run into some peace and quiet I just sit on the couch or the patio and revel in it. I have a wizard doll started that was for a challenge on one of my yahoo doll groups, but alas, he has a body and a head in this world, the rest of the poor fellow is still in my head. I have some things I made for my traveling dolls Sage and Ella Mae that I finished but cannot show till their mom's get them, and I have 2 more to finish for my next 2 visitors. I have a quilt cut out ready to sew up for a dear friend that moved to Atlanta, GA last year and I miss her dearly. We are still in touch but it is just not the same as going over to her house and visit. And, she was a great cook who often fed me since DH worked 2nd shift and I do not cook when he is working. Miss those home cooked meals too.

In the midst of all this my computer got a virus and Best Buy wanted $130 to fix it, mind you I was still under extended warranty..... what a waste. DD #1 managed to get me working again. Whew.

Well, guess I am done talking to myself today...all out there take care and God bless.

Pitiful Blogger

Ughhhhh. I am such a pitiful blogger. No posts since May!!! Lets play catch up. My DD moved home from Missouri and just got a job that she starts on Monday. DD #2 also just got a job and is living at home with the two babies. She also starts Monday. DS is moving home on Sunday and going to look for a job on Monday. Yikes. At least his significant other and their 2 kids are staying at home while DS finds a job and gets settled. Still a houseful and that makes for a zoo around here.

I got a job at the hospital in June, just office work, but it is a good place to work. This job started out M-F 3:30-8:30. Not the greatest schedule, but doable. Since then it has changed to M-T-W 11:30-8:30. Now that is a sweet schedule. 4 days a week off and I make as much as I did at my old job working 40 hours a week. Now, that is what I call a blessing. Things have a possiblity of changing again. I can work 7-4 M-T-W if I want, which, in my world is the best schedule. I like to get up in the morning, go to work and get my work day done. But, if I do that it will cost me about $120 a month in shift differential. Now I am torn and don't know what to do. I can live without the extra money, but to lose it just because of the different time of day I am working.....I don't know how smart that is. But, for me personally the hours are better at 7-4. Isn't it funny how when you get a job the money is all great and it is ENOUGH. Then maybe you work a little overtime, like I did last week. Those 16 extra hours were pretty nice on the paycheck and I still had my weekend off. I have visions of doll classes and doll conventions and, oh yeah, there is the scooter I want to buy and gee, if I just work a bit over I could have all those things. Next thing you know, you are back to just working for mo money. I am at a time in my life when I want to slow down, enjoy my family (even if it is really screwed up...I mean 3 kids from 26-32 back at home...that is screwed up), enjoy my grandchildren etc, etc. But, it is sooooooo easy to get sucked into that "if I work a bit over then .......... I have a couple of weeks to decide what I am going to do and it is all because I opened my big mouth and pointed out that they have 4.5 hours dead computer time by having me on the shift I am now. They could get more productivity for the same amount of hours by changing my schedule. THEN I realized what it was going to cost me. DUHHHHHHHH. So, I have been trying to adjust to some kind of schedule which is no easy feat when you have all these people moving home and you are trying to make room for them without giving up your sewing area and adjusting to working again. So there are my big excuses for being the "pitiful blogger".

I joined a group from doll street dreamers that made traveling dolls. Each person in the group made a doll complete with passport and journal to travel. The idea came from the cost of travel being so high that the dolls are traveling in our place. There are 48 in the group, I think. They broke us down into groups of 4 or 5 and we send the dolls RR style to each other. While we have a doll, we take her sight seeing and souvenier collecting for a week or two then send her to the next person on the list. This has been such great fun and everyone has given their dolls such personalities, you would think they are little people instead of just a doll. I am kind of hoping that after the 1st of the year they might mix up the trading partners and send them out again. My doll went to Shashi in England and Shashi has taken her to India. Wow. I live in Ohio and would be happy to go to Niagera Falls, let alone India. Since Shashi went to India, I have to girls visiting me right now. Well, I was trying to add pictures here, but it added them at the beginning of the post. Boo Hiss. The redheaded trollish looking lady is Izzie Sue and her moose Willie. She is in the garden waving goodbye to her fairy friends just before she left for England. The other is her close up. She keeps Willie with her at all times and if anyone gets "fresh" with her, and that is based on her definition of fresh, she is inclined to whack them with Willie. I have spoken to her about this behavior, but she just tells me to mind my own business. Same thing with her skirt. I told her she was too old to wear her skirt that short and she let me know that she was old enough to wear what she d___ well pleased. She can be quite a handful. She left out of here with no underwear but Shashi was kind enough to make her a pair of knickers that match her outfit so Izzie was happy with them, but then she was showing them off for pictures!! Shashi sent me pictures on the yahoo site of this latest behavior and I can't share them with you because I don't know how to get them from there to here. Oh, and Izzie is made from an Ute Vasina pattern. Thank you Ute.

Ok, the first picture is Sage (on the right) by Becki Proctor and Ella Mae (on the left) by Sue McFadden. This is a picture of them at our Ohio State Reformatory, which used to be a prison, but is now a historical site. Here the girls are posing behind bars...that will probably have their moms worried until I explain. The next picture is Sage, Ella Mae and Bear sitting with GD Kyleigh. The next picture is Sage and Ella Mae sitting with Gertie who sits on my mom's porch and keeps mom company when she sits there and watches the deer across the street. The last picture is of Sage and Ella Mae on the carousel horse at our carousel which was built in our downtown.

Well, guess that is all for today and hopefully, I will improve on my pitiful blogging in the future.

More Spring

I do not know why the first posts left all that space between things, and I don't know how to fix it either. Would also like to know how you put a link under a word, life folks will write.....go "here", and the word here is a link. How do you do that?

Spring

Here is one of the fairies I have made from Paula Johnson's baby fairy class that was offered on Dollstreet. I have 2 others done except for their wings so figured I would wait and post their picture when I get the wings on. Taking a small doll break and making some summer clothes for my GD. Pictures of those on next post. This little fae does not have a name yet, so if one hits you, leave me a note. The class was great and they are really sweet little fairies. I think the class is being offered again right now.





























Meet my newest and only grandson Kamden Edward McNeil. I think he is such a handsome fellow. Born April 8. I also have 4 granddaughters, poor little guy is going to be so outnumbered on the estrogen around him. DH is glad for the company tho. He has been dealing with it 4 ever.

This is my dogs. Ernie with my granddaughter Amiah, then (l-r) Pudge, Abby (mom), and Maybe, who all need a haircut. There was a time that I thought I was going through empty nest syndrome (cause I thought the kids were moved out and gone-ha ha) and I think I replaced kids with dogs. The dogs are much more enjoyable than the kids were/are. This excludes the grandbabies who are enjoyable. Can you relate?

Mother's Day. Yippee. Spring is here, although pretty wet and chilly. But, we have had a few days of sunshine. I thought I would share a few pictures of my patio and lilacs. I so enjoy sitting on my patio, listening to my fountains and the birds and smelling fresh air. Just some things I am thankful for. We are putting in an above ground pool just on the other side of the fence this year. Grandkids ya know. Plus, I can not take the heat in the summer anymore and living in a 100 + yr old house with 3 stories makes air conditioning almost impossible. I put room air in certain rooms but that is it. I am thinking I'll just lay on top of the water in that pool in the heat this summer and maybe try to do some walking in it for exercize. I try to walk every day, but in the summer I have to wait till it cools down after dark and then I don't feel comfortable walking by myself. I am just so looking forward to summer this year.

Guess that is enough for today, hopefully, I will be a little more prompt about updating. I kind of felt like only posting when I had something to show, but have found in following other blogs that I am interested in just daily things they might be thinking about, pics of their work areas, or gardens, or a special flower, anything really. Makes you feel so connected. That being said, I plan to muse a bit more and if you are interested great and if not, that is great too.

Happy Mothers Day to all.

Blizzard

Well it is Tuesday and we had a blizzard over the weekend. It started on Friday, all day Saturday and most of Sunday. I have no idea how many inches we got but I thought we had teleported to Alaska. My perfect timing, I got sick starting Friday afternoon and was really miserable by Saturday. Could not get out of the drive to go get any medicine, therefore, could not sleep. Saturday was a really long day. We have a 4WD p-up, which my DH took to work at 1:00 on Saturday and then got stuck working a double and didn't get home until 6A.M. Sunday morning. By 9 I was out finding someplace open to get Nyquil. Finally I could breathe a bit and could sleep a bit. I am still not completely over it, but can tell I am on the mend. Lord that nyquil tastes so bad!! My good friend Veronica sent me an email with a picture of some mouth watering cinnamon buns that you could almost taste right through the screen. I was sure I could smell them even thru all the congestion. Thanks Veronica.

Monday, took my DD to the doctor and they did an ultrasound. I have never been good at seeing much in those pictures. The baby has already turned and the best we got was a profile of his face, which is still a big old guess in my opinion. Looks like he will be here around April 5. Got to get busy on the spring cleaning and get the crib set up. Would like to be ready when he gets here. Plus, I will be going back to work soon (YUCK) and never feel like spring cleaning then.

I have no pics to share today. Still working on UFO's. Should finish up one of the 3 fairy babies from Paula Johnson's class on Dollstreet today. The quilt that is ready to be quilted is still sitting by my sewing machine and I just keep looking at it. I might feel up to working on that today. Geez, if I would just apply myself it could be finished.

Do you ever feel that you have so many things to do that you don't know where to begin? That is where I am right now. Big old list of have to do, bigger old list of want to do. Seems like I just been pickin at a little of each and not finishing anything. This morning I took down the curtains in the bath to be washed, worked on my doll, played on the computer and game my honey his to do list. Guess that is accomplishment.

More Harpy Info

Anyway, I got carried away posting the pics. Her feathers are from the wing of some kind of pheasant I think and they are amazing the way they change colors in the sun light. Her bolero jacket is from a fox head pelt and where the ears were form her cap sleeves. The halter top is just fabric but it looks like snake skin. She is quite dressed for and with her envirement.

Now on to my Paula Johnson Fairy Babies class. I have 3 about 1/2 done. 2 large and 1 small. I couldn't decide on fabrics so ended up doing 3 so I could use all my fabric choices. More later.