Happy Thanksgiving

Entering a new decade.......

I have just entered a new decade - 60 - how can I possibly be 60??? How can I be the age where the cute young guys at the coffee drive-ups could be my grandsons rather than my sons??? I think there's been a mistake - I'm not really 60!  I got a couple discounts at stores when I turned 55, maybe there are more to come now that I'm 60, JoAnn Fabrics has a discount day each month for those 60 and older........need to find out which day that is.

My mother was going through photos a couple weeks ago and found this one from my 8th birthday. We all look so innocent - 8 year olds these days look much more sophisticated than we did. I know everyone in this picture except a couple backs of heads, I'm sure I'd remember them if I could see their faces. Take a look at that special cake my grandmother made me - for several years she made me doll cakes, after the party she'd take the doll and make an outfit for the doll with a huge skirt as in a Gone with the Wind Scarlet O'Hara outfit. I wish I had a photo of the outfits she made, they were made with round circles, folded and tied with yarn.......those circles almost felt like a strong coffee filter and came in white, pink, lavender and blue.  Does anyone remember these?  I ended up having a bride and 3 bridesmaids from those birthdays where I got a doll cake. And check out that fancy hair-do I've got - bangs must have just been cut and spoolies were worn overnight to get that funky bob.

Circles in the Sand

We spent 4 days on the coast for a long weekend. The highlight for me was watching Denny of Circles in the Sand draw a labyrinth Sunday afternoon. I'm currently working on gifts so no photos to show from the studio so I hope you enjoy the labyrinth journey.

Here is the start of the labyrinth. We were up on the cliff watching the entire time, chilly, windy time. Seeing Denny drawing I think you can see just how massive it's going to be.

Now to link all the parts together. The sun is getting low in the sky.

Almost done with the basic labyrinth

Now the volunteer groomers/rakers come in to help

Groomers hard at work - we're going to check into volunteering at some point

It's really taking shape

 

Finished

 

Now everyone can walk the finished labyrinth

 

Walkers moving along the labyrinth

 

It took just over an hour for this huge labyrinth to be drawn in the sand - it probably took around an hour for it to be washed away as dusk fell.  I heard one of the groomers say how many steps it was although I don't remember the exact number but it was over 2000 steps - just a bit over a half mile. I'm not sure if you can spot it or not but there's a drone up in the sky - it went up all around and from different heights capturing this temporary piece of art.

Too much to do, too little time....

.....that is the story of my life this fall with all the medical appointments that have been on the calendar. Family from out of town also visited this past week which kept me busy - always a fun time. I'm not quite sure how I'll pull off holiday gifts other than to say they won't all get done. Holiday cards are in the works, will get back to those next week or the week after. Yearly inkling ornaments also in the works - this will be the last year for them, I've finally hit a wall on ideas, this year is #24 in the series.

This morning I worked on embroidering some after shower towel wraps - the hot pink one above......

....the purple one here........they are both hanging to dry after washing out the solvable stabilizer that's a must when embroidering on waffle weave cloth.

Worked on cutting out these fabrics for some gift items, got one finished today, hope to find time to get back to them tomorrow but there are other things to catch up on too.........where is that giant clock with the big hands that go around slowly, I could really use it during the next month........

It's that time of year........

It's the time of year for fresh cranberries. We spent the weekend on the coast where there are tons of cranberry bogs. At the Bandon grower's market there were no 'dry picked' cranberries, only 'wet picked' ones so that's what I came home with. They won't stay as long in the fridge as dry picked so I made cranberry sauce this morning.

Look at these beautiful berries - they're the size of grapes.

Here they are all cooked down with water and sugar. I got 3 containers of cranberry sauce for the freezer.

I made sure to keep out a couple cups to make some cranberry muffins since Sam requested muffins or bread. Gotta love this time of year - cranberries and pumpkin everywhere.

Been working on gifts here and there so nothing I can post to the blog. Also finished up everything for the surface design program I'm presenting this week. East coast brother arrives this week as well as a Seattle cousin and Oregon uncle - will be a busy fun week of catching up and visiting.

Getting organized

Yesterday I spent the day getting organized for my presentation on surface design. I have 14 topics to cover showing tools, ways to use those tools, what to use with them as in paints, paintstiks, silkscreens, stencils, foils, etc. etc. etc.  I have to be highly organized so I found as many boxes as I could and put different topics in each box along with my notes and numbered the boxes. In addition to all these boxes there's a rolling cart filled with books, magazines, bigger tools like iron, etc. and all the examples. What you don't see is the piles of boxes at my feet with all the extra surface design stuff scattered all over the floor after pulling out the examples I wanted to show. Will be glad after this presentation is over........then I get to put everything away again.

I went to spinning today and the spinning goddess must have been sitting on my shoulder on the drive home. A bad accident happened just one driveway down from us (we're 1/3 mile up off the road). It had just happened - fire truck arrived right in front of me, ambulance came as I was sitting at the end of the drive to get the mail. Head on collision, one of the trucks was going too fast around the curve and went over the line. It didn't even look like a truck anymore. If I had been 3 minutes earlier it could have been me that got hit head on and my little mustang wouldn't have been much protection. People drive way too fast on this rural curvy road - I take my life in my hands crossing it to the mailbox - I stand listening for cars before I cross and then run.

Yesterday I went to renew my driver's license, passed the eye test easily, I should have never fretted over getting the cataract surgery before renewing it. Last time they tested both eyes separately, then together - this time they didn't test my eyes separately, just together, so I could have easily passed even with limited vision in my left eye. So does anyone like their photo on their license? I swear those cameras take the most unflattering photos, they're made different than other cameras - this one is the worst picture taken of me in my life and it's on that license for 8 years! 8 years!  Good thing I rarely have to show it for anything. I am not posting that photo here on my blog..........