IS A PUZZLEMENT ... WELL, ACTUALLY, IT IS A PUZZLE

Remember that song from THE KING & I, "Is a Puzzlement?" Well, to ME, doing jigsaw puzzles qualifies as a 'puzzlement!' You go through HOURS of digging through tiny pieces of picture-coated, various shaped little wads of cardboard, carefully fitting them together to form a scene that, when you FINISH, you DESTROY! HUH???? But people LOVE doing them, and they ARE pretty! My housemate loves them. He's done literally hundreds over the years, and at the old house, I covered each one in Mod Podge & hung them for him. But still ...! By the same token, HE cannot understand MY passion for crossword puzzles, nor does he 'get' why I abuse my one sighted eye with counted cross stitch. LOL! I suppose it's all a matter of taste. Below is his latest and I'm NOT Mod Podging it. It will go back in the box. Is a puzzlement!

OOOOOOOH! BABY, BABY!

In honor of my upcoming first great-grandson, I am posting this ONE entry in blue. JUST this one entry! LOL! The lil' guy is due on or around October 5th, so I HAD to make these items a priority! These are only a few of my gifts for him, of course, but they are the ones I made. My daughter & my granddaughter do not necessarily agree on style. Leah, my daughter, is in favor of all the traditional little boy things. So I did a lot of THAT. My granddaughter, however, is a Goth girl. So to please HER, I bought three lil' onesies & ironed Goth stuff on them. I also bought some more onsies with typical baby designs, some necessities, some socks & receiving blankets, and a Target gift card for $200. That should cover a couple more things she may need. But here are the things I made:


She wanted a bib ir SOMETHING with JRC, the baby's initials. I complied! I admit, I sort of like this!
The Goth onesies. I LOOOOOOVE these!

A collection of the counted cross stitched bib, a second bib, a Baby's First Ornament I saw in - where else - Hobby Lobby, and a lil' baseball cap.

And then there is THIS. Yes, I guess it IS 'okay' now that I've FINISHED the darn thing. But I confess I HATED every SECOND of making it. First of all, though the pattern is EXTREMELY easy, it's equally monotonous & it has increases in EVERY round, meaning I had to pay close attention. So I couldn't watch tv or anything else as I crocheted. Second, it's a BASEBALL and I LOATHE baseball ALMOST as much as I loathe FOOTBALL. Ugh, ugh, ugh!!! Finally, the 'stitching' had to be in chenille which was a fuzzy aggravation. At any rate, it's FINISHED & I can wrap everything & pack it up to mail! Whew!

And NOW I can do some SWAP things I've been DYING to do! Wooooohoooooo! NO MORE BASEBALLS!

MY EYE IS ON THESE GOODIES!

OMG! I was just doing a bit of blog-hopping, and looky, looky! Over at
http://thecartbeforethehorse.blogspot.com/ in celebration of her 200th post, Jo has two - count 'em - TWO, TWO, TWO giveaway items! One is this AMAZING dolly which I WANT so none of YOU can HAVE! (Ooooops. Don't think I was s'posed to SAY that. But it's TRUE!!!!) The second is a set of her incredible quilt-y patterns. Can you BELIEVE that? Anyway, being the sharing kinda gal I am, I thought I'd encourage you all to go make a comment on her post for YOUR chance to win.



OH, okay. So I'm NOT doing this STRICTLY (or at all) out of sharing. In order to get an extra chance at winning, I'm doing as requested and mentioning her giveaway on MY blog. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! So, I say, go forth & comment, one and all! (But don't you DARE have the unmitigated gall to win my dolly! Okay?)

SWAPS AND CHALLENGES AND HALLOWEEN - OH, MY!

ORANGE TYPE? Ooooooh! That can mean only ONE THING: Halloween is hiding right around the corner, waiting to jump out at us!
I am in a swap called THE THIRTEEN DAYS OF HALLOWEEN. (Yep, I KNOW I already mentioned it, but swaps are FUN, so ...) Anyway, my partner, Ria (short for Maria) whose blog you will find at http://craftyria.com/ is my partner. Wow! She's SO MUCH FUN! And other than her love for and my intense dislike for one thing - peanut butter - we have SO MUCH in common! Anyway, I thought I would show you all how excited I truly AM about this swap. Let me take you into one area of my craft room. See those three Target bags on the floor next to the Whole Foods bag? You do? Good! That means ytou haven't lost your vision! BWAHAHAHAHAHA ... sorry. Couldn't resist that. Well, first of all, the Whole Foods bag is ALWAYS there. It's full of paper crafting doodads I have no other place for at the moment. HOWEVER, the three plastic bags are NOT usually there. And, in fact, nothing IN them came from Target. I just had to divide stuff for a reason I'm not telling 'cause it could give away some of my swap gift plans, & I happened to have three sturdy & empty Target bags on hand. Each bag holds items I bought as gifts, items I bought or already had that will go into making swap things, and so forth. SEE? I really AM thrilled about this swap! I'll show everything once the swap has been completed, sent, and opened. That won't be till October 31st!


On a different note, I would like to issue a challenge. Last year Michelle, one of my dear friends from the Borders I used to practically live in, saved these boxes for me. They originally had some sort of shortbread cookies in them according to the box labels. I think they were going to toss them after a certain date but Michelle tossed just the contents and saved ME the boxes. It was well after Halloween when I received them so I didn't use them what with all the house hunting and moving. I just pulled them out yesterday - there are a half dozen of them - and realized the labels are NOT so easy to remove. But the 'bones' of these boxes are AWESOME. They open up and have see-through faces. Cute, huh? Now! Here's my challenge. I wonder what YOU would do with the boxes. As I said, I have 6, so only 6 people can 'play' - but if you would like to do it, here's how it works:
Email me (my email is listed near the top right-hand side of this blog) and let me know. Include your home mailing address! On Sept. 4th when I go to the post office, I'll mail you one box. You will make something incredibly amazing and clever (well, you WILL, right?) and send me a photo no later than October 25th. THEN I will post ALL SIX photos without the artists' names (So, shhhhhh! Don't post it to your blog or show ANYONE, okay?) and there will be a vote. The winner will get a really cooooool prize! How's that?

Funny that I've never been much of a Halloween kinda gal before. I mean, I didn't HATE it or anything. In fact I DID like it because it represents the beginning of cold weather and HOLIDAYS! But this year, I have fallen head over heels for all things Halloween. How about you?

WOOOHOOOO! MY HAT IS OFF TO ME, ME, ME!

Mercy Maude! Don't TELL me the old girl finally has something besides an arm full of needle pricks to show! But, YES! She DOES! This is a crocheted project - my first for the season - and it's a Newsboy Cap. Technically I should have finished it in no MORE than a day, but the BPV sort of delayed things. Hard to crochet when the project is spinning in your hands, ya' know? Moving along, I realized I really need to buy myself a head form so when I make hats, I will automatically have a PROPER way to display them. As it is, all I had was a recycled ice cream container of my housemate's (I keep seasoning packets in it now) and some brown felt to drape over it so the hat would show up better. Not a terrific solution but the best I could come up with for now. This cap is part of an upcoming gift for someone and she DOESN'T read my blog so - heehee - she won't see it. The prim cat I made was for the same person and will go in the goody box. Anyway, here is the newsboy cap.

FROM THE SIDE VIEW ...

THE FRONT OF THE CAP

AND THE BACK

On a different note, this is my 82nd post on THIS blog, and soon I will be posting my 93rd - 95th posts on my book review blog, http://wonderfulwithwords.blogspot.com/ so it seems as tho' I need to start considering some give-away goodies, don't you think so? Keep your eyeballs peeled for those! And THANK YOU to all who bother reading my nonsense! You are Blogger Darlin's!

HOME AGAIN

Good grief. What a week this has been. But at least it was tempered by the lovely mini-vacation I enjoyed at Hotel Hosepeetahl the past couple of days. Ha! Turns out I have BPV - Benign Positional Vertigo. It's NOT FUN but it's not life-threatening (unless I fall off something really HIGH or in the middle of a busy street - neither of which is my immediate intention.)
UPDATE: As I was writing the above few lines, I felt a series of quick pop-pop-pops in my left ear. All of a sudden the room just CLEARED. I mean, the cloudiness and whirling sensation seemed to abate. I VERY carefully walked away from the computer into the living room and sat (upright) for a little while in my recliner. Then I got back up. VIOLA! I am still slightly woozy, but NOTHING like I've been the last week! I am so relieved. I'm ALSO relieved because I was tested for everything - diabetes, Swine Flu, heart problems. blood pressure problems, brain irregularities (Hush! I HEARD that! And I mean MEDICAL irregularities! LOL!) and a bevy of other things. All are NORMAL. I do have to tell you all a funny thing, tho'. It's testimony to the fact that doctors can be as dense as all the REST of us about certain things. One doctor, upon giving me eye-hand coordination tests for the BPV looked at me sooooo seriously and asked, "Are you aware that you can't see from your right eye?" Well, DUH! If I'd FELT better I'd have played along and acted as tho' that were a revelation. But I just said, "Well, yes. I've been blind in that eye for some time now. AND I'm deaf in my right ear, too before you become surprised." Jeez Louise! And to THINK I paid these folks over $11,000! VEEEEEEEDY FRIGHTENING!
Anyway, I thought I'd let you all know I'm home, feeling quite a bit better, and - oh yeah! I actually weigh 46 pounds LESS than I THOUGHT I did! Now THAT'S worth $11,000-plus!

THE IV SITE WHICH TOOK ONLY ONE TRY BY A GREAT TECH


THIS IS WHERE THEY TRIED TO GET BLOOD FIRST AND ENDED UP TAKING 5 MORE TRIES ALL OVER MY PUNCTURED OLD BODY!

SO MANY HOLES IN ME I CAN'T DRINK FOR FEAR OF OOZING WATER!

ALLERGIES? OH, YEAH!

CRUD!

I just wanted to post this rather than try to explain individually because, the truth is, I don't have the stamina to do that. I've been feeling pretty awful lately but TRYING not to. Well, yesterday afternoon I found out there's a good reason I'm feeling this way. I won't be blogging or emailing much for awhile and I've already had to pull out of the swaps I'd signed up for. I HATE THAT! I had my swap ideas all mapped out. CRUD! Anyway, don't think I've croaked if you don't hear from me for awhile. It's very possible I may have to check into 'Hotel Hosepeetahl' for a lovely stay. UGH. Take care everyone and blog lots of great stuff for me to read when I am able!

LOOKY, LOOKY! DID I GET AWESOME SWAPPERS OR WHAT???

Sometimes I am so amazed by my friends' creativity I can't adequately EXPRESS it! Here are the final 2 mailings from my Summertime Swap. Both were created by very special & dear friends of mine, Cherie Day aka Chirp because her happy lil' demeanor is like lovely birdsong, and Anita Edmonds who teaches me so very much, inspires me to be a better citizen of the world, and reads and love cats as much as I do! And while all the blog partners were paired strictly by random drawing, I think they were DESTINED to be partnered! Below, please note the wonderful fairytale book made for Anita by Cherie. It's based on Jo's The Storybook Girls from her blog http://thecartbeforethehorse.blogspot.com/ and Cherie just did an INCREDIBLE job, don't you think? Not only THAT, she made this book into one in which Anita can write her very OWN fairy story! Then, there's Anita's gorgeous piece for Cherie! {NOTE: TOMORROW, THE 13TH OF AUGUST, HAPPENS TO BE ANITA'S BIRTHDAY SO DOOOOO DROP OVER AND WISH HER A HAPPY ONE. YOU'LL LOVE HER BLOG! It's: http://kirbanita.typepad.com/take_joy/ } I have read PRODIGAL SUMMER, the book Anita chose for Cherie, and I KNOW what a beautiful representation this is OF that book! I just LOVED hosting this swap, and I love my swappers! To each one of you who participated, THANK YOU SO MUCH for being great swappers and absolutely mahhhhhhhvelous friends!

ISN'T THIS GREAT?


CHECK OUT THE INSIDE! BRILLIANT!

AND JUST FEEEEEL THE SUMMER IN THIS ONE!

WHAT??? TWO POSTS IN ONE DAY????

This will be a little post but I wanted to do it separately from my kitty post. I just signed up to be in another swap (in addition to Viv's marvelous two swaps) and I want to direct your attention to the link to your right. I haven't yet been ACCEPTED into the swap 'cause I JUST sent my info to Harley, the hostess. But I HOPE I will be. And even if she DOESN'T include me, YOU should go check it out 'cause it looks FUN! I mean, who WOULDN'T want a box with THIRTEEN individually-wrapped HALLOWEEN goodies in it? I know I do! So check it out! And sign up! C'mon! It's going to be a goooooooood one! I WANNA see YOU there!

YAHTZEE!!!!! or: CHRISTMAS CAME EARLY TO MY HOUSE!

I have a new kitty-person! But ... shhhhhhh! ... she's not exactly s'posed to BE here. And TECHNICALLY she's NOT. See, we had to give up the kitty we'd JUST gotten before we moved here because our landlady emphatically stated, "NO ANIMALS, INCLUDING DOMESTICS, BIRDS, REPTILES, EXOTICS, INSECTS, ETC. EITHER IN THE HOUSE, OR ON OR AROUND THE PROPERTY!" That's actually a direct quote from the lease! Something tells me she must have had a very bad experience with some former tenants. At any rate, I can't TELL you how much I miss cats. I LOVE cats! But I also love this house & I respect my landlady's rules. By the same token, I cannot control squirrels, birds, frogs, or even cats who come into the yard. And do mosquitoes count? Ants? We saw this little sweetheart about a month after we moved here. It was teetering along the back fence and - okay - I did my best to get its attention, but it ran away. However, recently she came right into the yard and drank out of the bird bath (ooops - I guess the birdbath is a no-no, too) and we enticed her into the patio with a can of tuna. She was sooooo skinny and has such a sweet little dainty, "Meow" I couldn't NOT feed her. She gobbled that food and some water, then loved on me for a good 20 minutes. I HAD to put her outside the screened patio but I didn't WANT to. I just hoped she'd return. Well, for days she didn't. I'd even bought some bribes - er - catfood in hopes of winning her over. Besides, she is REALLY undersized. This morning, there she was, looking in at me through the patio screen. WOOOOHOOOO! I fed her and she scarfed the FIRST lil' can and meowed for more. I decided just this ONCE to accommodate her & gave her a second can. I sat at the patio table and took pictures of her. Then she came to me. Rub, rub, meow, rub, & jumped in the chair with me. OMG! I am besotted! Yep! I named her Yahtzee because Ray & I always play Yahtzee and that's what we were about to do when I first saw her. I hated putting her back outside into the yard, but I HAD to. Still, I BELIEVE she'll come back again, don't you? I realize I'm breaking the rules & that's SO not a Virgo (or a KAI) thing. But if my landlady only KNEW how much joy and comfort that lil' skinny cat gives me, MAYBE she'd reconsider. Just don't tell on me, okay? Pretty please? I don't SUPPOSE I can bribe YOU with Fancy Feast, can I?


Hey! Can't a girl eat in privacy? (I had to put the food on this big plate because she could hold it down with her paw & not have it scoot all over the place!)


Taking a wash-off by the cactus!

See how pitifully THIN she is? I intend to REMEDY that!

WHOA!!!! I wasn't READY for my close-up! Couldn't you give me time to spruce up & pose?

SUMMERTIME SWAP SURPRISES

WOOOOOHOOOOO! I had SUCH lovely swappers for my Summertime Swap! THANK YOU, LADIES! It turned out to be a very small swap - only 6 people - but I couldn't have BEEN more pleased about who DID sign up & participate! I still have 2 swappers whose goodies I'll show soon - they are partners, so that should be perfect - I can show THEIRS together! In the meantime, let me remind you all that my swap was all about good summer reads! Each person was to choose a book that made great summertime (or ANYTIME) reading & send either a synopsis of it OR an actual COPY, one handmade goody representing the story, plus a small, inexpensive BOUGHT goody representing something recurrent in her book. Here are Em and Viv's swaps for each other AND Susan's and Courtney's! WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL goodies & terrific book choices, too! Can't wait to see the last two because I know those 2 swappers well & they are sure to be as great! In order below we have:


Emily Franz's EAT, PRAY, LOVE!
Viv Neroni's THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES!

Susan Cleveland's WATERSHIP DOWN!

And Courtney Prudhomme's MY SWEET AUDRINA!

Check back on THIS post periodically because I will ADD Anita Edmond's & Cherie Day's here!

MEET MISS MEOW

It seems as though I'm officially HOOKED on making Prims right now! This one is a little critter I couldn't resist. She IS part of a birthday gift for someone, but it's not someone who reads my blog so it's safe to show her. I haven't officially named her - just calling her Miss Meow - and she really IS a silly lil' thing, isn't she? But SO much fun to put together. This is the back of her dress which is typical of my lacking skill in sewing. LOL! Happily, Prims do not NEED to be perfect. Whew! No WONDER I like them!



And here is a closeup of Miss Meow's face. It's simplicity to the max - kind of like MY face. Heehee!

Last but not least, here she is, front & center. I am going to TRY to do something BESIDES a Prim next but it won't be easy to tear myself away from these critters! Not easy at ALL!

IT TAKES ME FOREVER!

I have to be the world's SLOOOOOOOWEST crafter! Well, in all fairness, it's only partially that. Editing takes a BUNCH of my time, of course, and then there's household stuff and ... well, you know all know how it is. Life gets in the way. But lately I've been extremely slow - even for ME! I've worked on one little Prim FOREVER. Maybe if I'd get over my fear of sewing machines (okay, okay - it's not FEAR - it's a mental block about threading the darned thing) I could move a lot faster. I have to admit, tho', there's something kind of Little Women or Little House on the Prairie soothing about hand sewing. (Anyway, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it. Heehee!) Now. Let me stop stalling and show you what I've been doing. For the record, I've actually made a NUMBER of other things but I can't show any of them because they are for August, September, and October birthday gifts and MOST of THOSE are for various people who read this blog & shall, for the time being, remain nameless! Anyway, let me introduce you to Priscilla and Franklin. I just named them that - that's NOT the pattern name. The pattern is a take on the question, "How many frogs do I have to kiss before I get a prince?" Princess Priscilla is holding Franklin Frog who just MAY be HER prince. I loved making this, and tho' I - of course - put my own spin on it as far as some of the details, I stuck pretty much to the pattern. (No BLOOD, Judi, if you are reading this! Bwahahahaha!) And now that I've completed it, I'm sooooo ready to start on the two swaps I've just signed up for. Both are being hosted simultaneously by the vivacious & adorable Vivian Neroni. Check it out via the Halloween swap button at the upper right hand side of my blog. Still time to sign up for one or both! And TRUST ME, Viv's swaps are a BLAST! I've got both my swap ideas all drawn out, & later today one of THOSE will be what I start working on! I MAY even get them finished by NEXT Halloween! (Just kidding, Viv! I'll be on time! I promise!) Okay. I'm ready for your critique of my silly lil' doll. (Deeeeeep breath, Kai!)