A Day In My Life

Monday Monday

I have never really been fond of Monday's...even while working for myself.  Today has been a very busy Monday.  Nate to school...I took my Mother-In-Law to the Drs.  She and I went out to eat.  Then I delivered lasagna,bread,salad,dessert and sparkling cider to my brother in law and wife for their 40th anniversary (they are recieving 40 items in 40 days...and I chose to do a dinner.  Ruth (MIL) and I ran some errands and I am finaaly home.  Ofcourse, now it is time to start supper and then take Nate into the basketball game.  So you see, even when someone doesn't "work" they sure do WORK:)

Anyway, I am not complaining, I really love my life so all is good for today.

Yesterday I started making a purse out of a thrift store sweater.  I have several made now...all of them need little things before they are finished though.  I really like this one...it is pretty much done, just needs to dry.  The sweater looked like this...too thick to felt for mittens, but great for a purse:

 
and now it looks like this:

 
 
(It's stuffed with plastic to help with shaping as it dries).

I love knitting and felting purse, but I really like this process too.  You truly never know how the purse is going to turn out!

Dancingly, Denise

Meet GERTIE

I have been searching , quietly, for a dress-form for quite some time now.  Just whenever I can look in antique stores etc, but the last one I found...I held off buying and it got a new home with someone else...so I vowed if I found another and the price was reasonable it would be MINE!  Meet GERTIE:

She is hanging out at our house, poolside, tonight.  I wasn't considering a wire form...but hey I love her and she will have a good home at OLD THINGS modeling the costumes.  Scott and I found GERTIE at GOODWILL tonight...20.00!  I am so darn excited...I have had a great day, materialistically  speaking.  I found a place that had close out wool yarn today, so I have a good stock of yarn for more felted purses!  I found some great WOOL sweaters at GOODWILL with their half off barb today, so I can start on more mittens  and then we found GERTIE...and to add to it GOODWILL also had a Guitar Hero drum set just sitting there:)  nate's broke months ago...we aren't sure this one will work...but if it does it just saved us 90.00!

Now...a question for you...this wire dress form is adjustable...but HOW????  Here are the 'clasp" that go down the front and the back of her:

I am going to search for instruction on line, but if anyone knows how to adjust her size that would be great!

After all that shopping Scott and I ate at QUIZNOS while Nate and Cody had guitar lessons.  It was nice to just sit quietly with Scott and talk about Lauren's upcoming school tuition and what we would do about a car for her to travel in.  Just minutes ago, Lauren called to say her car wouldn't start...she had stopped to get gas and it just would restart...very odd.  Scott just headed out to see if he could fix it.

The only down part of my day is my dang foot.  So here is my question...I have to stay off from it, whatever is wrong with it is getting worse rather than better and so I am suppose to lay off it for a week and see what happens...that means the sporadic 4 mile walks are not going to happen this week.  I am not a highly motivated exercise fiend...but since the Dr. said lose 15 pounds by October...I am TRYING.  So, what kinds of exercise can i do that is non-weight bearing and can be done at home (I don't have a gym membership and the weather is not always conducive to swimming...here is a start to my list:

Leg Lifts

Sit ups

arm swings

maybe toe touches standing up

Toe touches sitting down

HELP what else? 

I am going to go take care of my new yarn stash...and bring GERTIE in from the pool.  Let me know about exercise and how to shrink GERTIE.

Dancingly, Denise 

Monday Monday

yesterday was Valentines day and we had a beautiful lunch with our favorite Valentines!

Here are my two favorite Valentines:

Gotta fix that red eye:)  Geez don't they look alike now?  Amazing how looks change as they get older.

Well, it is time to fess up...I have been having some health problems and today I must spend my day with this (starting at noontime):

and tomorrow?  You guessed it...a colonoscopy.  Sending good thoughts my way is definitely a plus! 

I wanted you to meet some more of my MICE WITH A MESSAGE...meet MAX:

Max's message?  "Live Life To The MAX"  bwahahahaha.

And here are the three littlest ones...LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH:

MArty, Gertie and Stan. 

Have a great day!

Dancingly, Denise 

  

Happy belated Halloween...

Halloween was very different for us this year...and it found me reduced to tears...working on fairy Jars all by myself:)  For 17 years we have all been together for Halloween (give or take a few where Scott had to work)...and we have spent the night traveling to Grandparents and special people in our lives "trick or treating".  last year marked the end of that for us as we said Goodbye to my Dad on that day at his funeral:

We knew that that marked a huge change in our Halloween celebrations, but I had no idea how painful I would find that this year.  They say the "first" are the hardest when someone passes away...

Saturday night...halloween...found me BY MYSELF...for the first time in 17 years.  Scott had to work...Lauren had to work...and Nate went with Cody to Fright At The Fort.  I was just not prepared for the emotions...definitely mixed in with missing Dad...missing traditions...and EMPTY NEST:)  But, I had some great friends online...and my pal Lisa and Bobo who called and cheered me up.  I told Lauren how I was feeling and she texted me...we'll be together next year...I knew it was odd for her too.

Now, it wasn't like I didn't have a gazzilion things to do.  I had finished up the linens Saturday morning...this is what 3 dozen placemats, 3 dozen napkins and 1 dozen table runners look like and well over 48 hours of work:

and I had a dozen mittens that needed to be finished and tagged...and a dozen flannel Christmas stockings...and 1 dozen winter/Christmas fairies to be made... Last night I finished the Fairies and here are a sneak peak of a few:

Christmas Eve Fairy (she is sound asleep in front of the tree)

reindeer fairy:

 Ski fairy (this little guy has the most adorbale face):

Snowman fairy:

and a Winter Fairy:

 They all have old-fashioned names and are numbered and ofcourse have the Maine's Forgotten Fairy story on the back...they are headed out of the house today.

Today?  Well, this week I will spend my days down at Silkweed's.  She is closed for the week...we will open back up Friday evening for her annual Holiday Open House.  It willl be alot of hard work this week...but totally worth it when the store is all decorated.  Nights will find me at Musical rehearsals.  This is the beginning of two weeks affectionatly called "hell week".

So I am off to Silkweed's...

Dancingly, Denise

Craft Fair

So, I did the Airport Mall craft Fair yesterday...and as you cane see the above pictures are my display.  How did it go?  Well...not great...I made the price of my space/table plus 2.50...sigh.  BUT I am not going to quit:)  I have decided to do another one in two weekends...I have to call about it and I hope there is still space.  Basically I now have everything I need...I borrowed the coat rack from a friend, and I do believe I will have to purchase one cuz it worked out really well!  Now I have 100's of ideas spinning around in my head (maybe that is why I feel so dizzy today).  I am going to have to map out a plan for the next few days.

I kept forgetting to show you the rusty wire pumpkins I had made...so here they are:


and my PAWSitively PURRfect jingle balls for cats:

and ofcourse...I can't go without showing a picture or two of some of my favorite new fairies:

A lamp!  YUP...that's right folks a lamp!  I love it and can't wait to make some more:)

And these are new...loved the shape of the jars:

and I can't leave with out a picture of Nate's football game last Monday:

So you might ask..."Which one is Nate?"  Let me show you a closeup:

  
There he is...the one with the gold helmet getting ready to take down the big green guy:)

and ofcourse the two TEENS...what ARE they doing?

My day is coming to a quick close...I am so exhausted AND I have not felt well all day...I feel dizzy and icky.

Have a great rest of your weekend...I hope you enjoy all the pictures:)

Dancingly, Denise   
EDIT:  OOOO I forgot to thanks some people...MY Bobo showed up at lunchtime and then again at closing time...so I was able to get a sandwich...pee...and she helped me pack up!  Pee break and laughter goes to Connie and Judy!  Company, choc chip cookies and a pee break goes to Lauren.  A nice visit from Aunt D and Stanley.  And to Mom and Ralph...who helped me "make my table:)"  Hope your pal liked her fairy!

Mitten Mode

One dozen very warm...very heavy mittens ready for the craft fair this weekend!  I have worked on them almost non-stop for the last three days...they still need the cuffs hand tacked...but otherwise they are done.  These are made from repurposed, wool sweaters that I felted.  They are lined with fleece...and they are soooooooooooo heavy my sewing machine is no longer speaking to me:0  yesterday I borke SIX needles!

I am beat...I said I wasn't going to bed until they were done...and they are done so I am going to go rest!  Tomorrow it is Forgotten Fairy mode:)

Here's a nice picture of Nate and Cody at the game last night:

Goodnight all...

Dancingly, Denise  

Bonding with my boy...

As you can see, he loves to have his picture taken while dining at Pizza Hut;)  I was NOT procrastinating today...honest.  I had to go to bangor...find football gloves for Nate...fleece for my mittens...and we went grocery shopping.  We tried to connect with Bobo...but  she too must have been out having fun:)

I spent 225.00 in groceries and now there is no excuse for me to go out of the house for the next few days.  I need to be working on these art projects!

By the way here is the pair of mittens I made yesterday:

Have a pleasant rest of your Sunday!

Dancingly, denise