I am the color russet

Over at Create a Connection (see link), the question today was color are you? My first thought was I am the color red, and in many ways that does discribe my personality. I think of myself as having a warm personality, I am energetic, volitile, and full of mischief. Buy I am also earthy, and mother nature-ry. Earth mother type I guess. At one time russet was the name of a plain homemade cloth worn by country people and that discribes me too. I am not overly frou-frou in my dress and love anything homemade and I am definitly a country girl. So, yes, russet is the color of me.

I got a new serger.....

 

This picture shows the minimumamount of tools needed to figure out how to thread the thing. I decided not to photograph the bald spots on my scalp that I am now sporting. I should have gotten a little concerned when the book said you would need the included tweezers. Yep, I should'a but I didn't; I just waded in, ever the optimist when it comes to a machine and a book of instructions.

I've loved books of instructions since I was a little girl of 10 or so. My father had purchased a new swing set for my younger sister and me. Occupying the backyard was the contents of a very large box, a large tool chest, two excited children and a frazzled father. Things were going along as well as could be expected when you have this combination until the thing was almost complete and there were pieces left on the ground. Several pieces. Daddy was looking mystfied and ready to get out his hot glue gun and just glue the stuff somewhereThat man loved his hot glue gun. I still hang Christmas ornaments on my tree that he repaired with huge globs of yellowish hot glue gun guts.

All this time, I had been regarding the instruction book with curiousity. Why was it in the box if it wasn't useful? Daddy hadn't even looked at it. As my father went looking for the glue gun and long extention cord, I began reading the instructions and looking at the pictures. When he returned armed and dangerous, I pointed out something I had just read and the accompanying diagram. Daddy looked at it, looked at me, ruffled my hair, and said I was one sharp cookie. I, of course, just about busted my buttons. I had figured something out that had helped my father!

Just about everytime I pick up a book of instructions, I remember this scene. It's so reassuring. It wasn't so helpful when it came to threading this dang serger tho. Two hours into the job and I finally had it. Ever the glutton for punishment, I unthreaded the thing and did it again. A couple of accidental unthreadings and now I think I can do it in under an hour. In addtion to the tweezers, I added my magnifying glass , a headlamp for extra light and the diet coke for energy and stamina.

My memory board

 

I got my issue of the Oct. Romantic Homes yesterday. The cover is beautiful. In the magazine there is an article titled "Desk Set". Above the desk is a gorgeous vintagey looking bulletin board with all kinds of interesting things on it. I have one of these too but mine is not so fancy schmancy. It is slowly being filled with all kinds of litte memories. A bouquet of wild daisies from a granddaughter, lots of pictures of course, and a reminder to LAUGH all dressed up in glitter. I got the LAUGH garland off the $1.00 aisle at Target. The glitter is Martha Stewart. I love that stuff and it really goes a long way. The letters are about 4" high and I still have lots of glitter left. My husband got the frame for the memory board at a yard sale for a $1.00 and I painted it white. It is about 4 feet high. I made the padded backing. It is so big, I have it leaning against the wall rather trying to hang it somewhere.

work in progress

 

See all this prettiness? Amy over at Inspireco and I are cooking up something everyone is sure to love and want to own for themselves. Let's just say the frou-frou factor is very high.

I am in my studio working away. Finally it is raining so it is overcast, I have my Broadway showtunes blaring, and Jasper the excited dog for once is napping. Yep, life's good.

I can't wait to be able to show this little project!

Grandparents day

 

Did anyone know that Sunday was Grandparents Day? I didn't either until my daughter B told me. This is the gift she made for my husband and me. Isn't it precious? There is a picture of each of our grandprincesses. I am trying to decide where to display it. Right now it is in a prominent spot in our living room, that way we can see it everyday.

Guess Where I've Been and Guess What I Had?

 

Last night we took granddaughter Hilary to the county fair. It's a small town fair but to Hilary it was all lights, music, and thrilling rides. The rest of us looked at it with a jaded eye. To the grown-ups it all looked rather, tired,old and sad. And unsafe. I have to admit, I was able to overlook these things when it was time to eat. I had lemonade, cottoncandy, a corndog, a funnelcake, and a stomachache.

We chose a few kiddy rides that looked o.k. and let Hilary ride these over and over. This was fine until she spotted a rusty, rickety old ferris wheel and could not be consoled when she was told she couldn't ride it even if granddaddy rode with her. My daughter and I had turned our attention to the cottoncandy and did not notice the two of them disappear. When we did, we began to scan the skyline hoping we wouldn't see them dangling from the sky on this deathtrap. We didn't. Suddenly Hilary's pop says, "Look!" It seems Granddaddy had distracted her from her disappointment with a potato sack and a very rickety old giant slide instead. Just as we turned, we saw my husband's silvery hair streaking groundward accompanied by the Hilary's shreaks of pure joy.

County Fair and the Picture That Says it All

 

Let me just add, this girl has the thrill ride shreak down pat. You could hear her half way across the fair grounds when she and her grandfather flew down that slide.

Atumnal Decor

 

O.K. I just tried to post several pictures for this one post, but it didn't work. Nothing like learning something new right out there in front of everyone!

It's still as hot as blueblazes here, so I thought I would keep hope alive in my heart for Autumn days by putting out some fall decorations. I keep telling myself that one day my world will be colored orange, red, and yellow, the air will have that earthy fall scent and I will need a sweater when I venture out. I haven't put out a lot of stuff. I am tired of a lot of my decorations and want new things. I bought some feather boas at Hobby Lobby in fall colors and I am going to make candles rings with those. I will put the canles in hurricane globes.

Every year I look forward to the persimmon tree that grows in the barnlot of the farm down the road. Those orange fruits look like little pumpkins hanging from a tree. I just realized today that they have cut it down. I was so disappointed. Someday I want a persimmon tree of my very own. One postive sign of fall I have seen is the ducks flying over in their "V" pattern making all kinds of honky noises exciting the already excited Jasper the dog.

And I don't care what the temperture outside is, I am going to start cooking some of my favorite fall recipes. Butternut Squash Risotto anyone?

 

Men and Women; Age 5

Saturday my granddaughter Hilary had her 5th birthday party. She and her cousin Sam, also 5 get along most of the time. On this day, they had a few bad moments. At one point Sam came into the dining room where the adults were talking and announced, "Hilary is being mean to me, she pushed me." After repeating this a few times and not getting the reponse he wanted I piped up and said. "Get used to it Sam, that's the way women are." Fast forward a few minutes and Hilary comes into the room all pouty and says, "Sam won't talk to me!" Always the wise one (ha!) I say to HIlary, "Get used to it Hil, that's the way men are!" Chuckle, chuckle...

Out my Backdoor

 

Isn't this a pretty site? This is what I see when I step out my backdoor. This was taken about 2 weeks ago after some much-needed rain. Now, for the most part, the hills are brown because we really need more rain. I am anxious for the day I can look out and see the colors of fall coloring the trees on the hillsides.

 

Cute!

Isn't this cute? I made it for my granddaughter Hilary. I bought a paper mache cone at Hobby Lobby and covered it with a piece of Anna Griffin scrapbook paper. I used Mod Podge to adhere it and applied a coat to the paper-covered cone once it was dry. Oh, and I painted the inside of the cone. I filled it with all kinds of little trinkets some wrapped and some just peaking out. See the little ballerina? I got that from Inspireco. I don't know if you can see it, but there is also a little bird whistle from Inspireco. I also added a pink ribbon hanger. I figure Hilary can hang it from her door and fill it with flowers or something. It was the first thing she wanted to open at her birthday party.