Shades of Grey

Experimenting in BW and I get very angry that it looks so grainy. WHY!
The color fotos turn out fine, but BW looks pixelated

Daffodilly's

Time for the grandkid pictures. This was yesterday afternoon.
PEEK A BOO


The Devil on Scooter Wheels

One for Ewe and One for Me

I can hear Brenda now. HA And you thought you were getting a good deal!!!

House sitting for friends while they are off in New Zealand of all places. I have one cat to feed and 6 sheep. And my pay. . .the wool from the latest slaughteredd Baa Baa.
Now this is not pretty wool. These sheep don’t get primped or shampooed.
BUT it’s wool that I can use for many inside jobs.

Step one, bring the sheep home.This is ONE sheep.
Here is the bag with 3 batches out of it already. I used the broom to give a reference of how big the bag is.



Here is one batch in it’s second wash cycle. Yes that is brown water, and it is the SECOND washing.



And here is the drying wool out on the deck. It is not CLEAN CLEAN yet. But it is on it’s way.


Next steps, washing again, then carding.

Such potential. . . .it makes me squirm with delight!

I have often said I would live in a log cabin in a split second as long as I have running water I am ok. I can do without electricity. Cleaning this wool makes me reflect on those thoughts. I still want to live in the country. And just this past week Hubby said he would have like to live on a small land patch with goats or sheep a few chickens and such. NOW HE TELLS ME! He says his job has trapped him and would not have allowed for that life. I disagree strongly. His job did not trap him. He trapped himself. He just didn’t act on his dreams.

I am glad mom mother allowed me to dream. And pursue them.

MyddleSee

Margery Muckleston did marry Peri Muckleston, though it be a hasty match and of small portion. Yet she was a very handsome gentlewoman and of masculine spirit.
She would not suffer him to intermeddle with her concerns within doores, and she endeavored to keep a good house. But this did cause them to keep an unquiet house, and many contests did happen between them which ended without blows but much pride broken.



Now Peri Muckleston did leave this world and left behind Margery to tend her business and the only child they did bring forth. Eavan Muckleston is but 9 years of age now and will be apprenticed to Orlan Shooze the Tool master in MyddleSee once he reaches the age of 12. Until that time he does as he should in his mother’s shop. Yet it has been known that Eavan can at times be knotty and of ill temper. It be best to avoid his irksome tyrades by feeding him chocolate.

Margery plys the needle quite well and none could say otherwise. Her fingers being nimble and her gift fyne indeed shee would stitch into a fae garment all protections or easements necessary. It be knownst to all in MyddleSee that the Queen did come to Margery to stitch the first gown the Fae princess Marissa did wear and every gown there after. Thus speaks of the skills Margery Muckleston of MyddleSee.

Many pictures follow of Margery's home. I made this fairy house into a sewing basket/purse. Seeing it in person will allow you into a secret world of the fairies. There are things that are not what they seem in this home.







Under a bush at the corner of the house be a wonderful hiding place for many of Eavan's friends. Be cautious when you past by the home. These bothersome youths have been known to snatch innocent fairies and jail them for thier dust and other such pranks.

This house is made of natural items, leather, wool,hemp, cotton, jute, glass, metal. There are only 3 items not natural and thost is 3 flower beads that are plastic, the moss yarn is polyester and one of the threads I embroidered with was Rayon. Even the structure inside is recycled heavy duty cardboard.


Of course the language I told the story in is old English lifted from a book written in 1709. the story is mine but the language is not, this is to explain what may seem like a lot of Typos!

Growth patterns

With tape measure in hand I tackled 3 of the grandkids last night. Interesting findings.
Kentucky - 6 years old
45" tall
23" waist
27" pant length
Korban - 4 years old
40" tall
22" waist
23" pant length
Joy - 2 years old
35" tall
20" waist
19" pant length

Now study these numbers. What do we see? Poor Korban. His pant length is only one inch different than his waist. Where as Kentucky has 4 inch difference. And Joy is one inch short on her pant length. But we should expect that not only from a girl but from a 2 year old.
Korban can wear Kentucky's pants but they have to be cuffed up REAL BIG.

It is also interesting that there is 5 inch differences in the 22 months between each kid.
I need to remember to do this again next year same time and see if the ratios stay the same. Does this sound like I am doing a case study?

Korban sporting a bubble bath beard he had to jump out of the tub and run to me to show off. obviously some of the bubbles had popped by the time he got to me but he still was proud of his beard.

Kentucky being Kentucky in front of the camera.

Messy faced but still cute Joy.

Tooth, Teeth, Dentures

Tooth Fairy Pillows. silly, right? We all just stuck our tooth under our pillow and magically the next morning there was a quarter under our pillow. Sometimes we wrapped the tooth in a hankie/kleenex but the results were the same. MONEY!

Seems in the crafty world there is a trend to make toothfairy pillows. That way the toothfairy doesn't have to slip under the pillow and possibly disturb the the sleeping toothless giant.
Some of the pillows are cute and very feminine. But there is also a trend to make more masculine ones. Monsters are the most popular. Here are a few of them.



Now I have nothing against these artists. I found them all on Etsy. And you know I really like Etsy.
I just know my grandsons and their friends (4-7 year old boys). And those pillows don't really speak to a boy's idea of a tooth fairy.
then I found this artist and I was inspired. SkellytonArt
Take this face and hide something in it.


Are you with me? This artist does many cute things with skeletons. and they are all cute not gruesome.
So here is the prototype. It is between Baseball and Softball in size.


I like the face but the fabric was not working. and the hat was way out of scale.
I wanted a kind of coin purse feeling to it. Where you could turn the face around and put the tooth/money in the back. I tried using velcro for the opening and I really didn't like the puckering.





The purpose of the "tooth fairy pillow" should be two fold. To use for the tooth and to hide things in. I always wanted a place to hide stuff from my brother. I ended up using the sleeves of the kimono to my Geisha doll. He never found stuff there.
Anyway. This character who I have dubbed Smilin' Jack. Can be used for hiding things beyond tooth time.

Here we have Smilin' Jack in his almost complete front face. His Rastafarian hat is custom for one particular grandson (Kentucky). I will be making other colors.





Now pop Jack out and turn him around and you see Grim Jack. Grim Jack has a "hidden zipper" for a mouth. Closed he looks grim. Unzip it and you see his tongue and he is not so grim. This is the pocket for the tooth/money.
I used Duck cloth and painted it with sealant then did the face with a sharpie pen. The cap was crocheted with cotton. I am going to try a different zipper on the next one.


With a hanger to loop onto a bedpost Jack will be ready for the Toothfairy delivery.
My camera tends to make the white more yellow. sorry. gotta work on that more.

I would love some feedback on what you think.

Bowling in the dark

A 6 year old's birthday party is one they will remember. And in this case it is the first one that Kentucky got to invite schoolmates as well as cousins and family friends.

Glow in the dark Bowling at the Tigard bowl. Watching Emery & Josiah & Joy handle the bowling balls was a treat. they did a fair job of hefting those 6lb balls and "rolling" them down the alley, and in some cases following after the ball and slipping. . . .too bad I did not have my camera ready for that scene as cute as it was.
2 year old bowling -






Josiah & Korban







The boys were active and silly. And just as a warning DO NOT stand in Korban's way when he is ready to throw the ball. . .THROW is the key word here. That kid can run with an 8lb ball and throw it. I fear when he gets to be 13 and hormones kick in with his strength. (Football?)
THE GANG - Owen, James, Damien, Kentucky & Korban.



Pizza!






Candids
Joy & Aunt Sarah



Birthday Boy Kentucky


Korban


Mason, Joy & Colin


Tammi & Josiah


Mason & his girlfriend (Joy)