ouch

Yesterday I cut my finger. Right on the very end. I tried to wash it off, but it was bleeding too much, so I told Dave it needed stitches.
He said
"Let's wait and see if it stops bleeding."
I said
"It needs stitches."
He said
"Lets wait and see if it stops bleeding."
I said
"It needs stitches."
He didn't want to drive to the emergency room. I didn't want to put it off. He was going to put it off as long as possible. I knew we'd have to go.
He said
"It might stop bleeding by itself."
I said,
"Even if it does, it still needs stitches."
I have three stitches in my left nose picking finger.
I call it that because it will bother my Mom. I want everyone to know, especially my Mom, that even at 47 years old, it's still OK to bother your mom on purpose. If you didn't care about her, you wouldn't make the effort.

Happy Day Diane

Guinea Brocade

I just received several yards of this fabric from Nigeria. I'm trying to find out about it. Most of the web sites I have found are not informative. They assume I already know. This is exciting!

If anyone has experience with it, please tell me about it!

This site is the most informative one I have found:
African Fabric Lady

Wood By DeRaud

Every once in a while, you find something really exciting! This week I found THIS!

Look at these bowls. Wow. They are beautiful.

Just looking at the pictures make me want to pick them up. I can imagine how solid and warm they would be.



The man who makes these is Lee DeRaud in southern California, which is almost the same state as me, except southern California is always another state altogether. Not like here in Silicon Valley.

They are for sale, as are others. Lee has a store on ETSY, and a web site that should be up soon. Go and look at these bowls!

Today may not be a good day to buy a bowl, but bookmark his ETSY store in your favorites file.
For the future.

Just in case.


These 4 bowls range in price from $100 to $165. Very good prices for high quality collectable art!


Click here for: Wood By DeRaud

Boxing Day

We did it! The big day we had been working toward for months! Now we can relax.

We got good stuff. My best gift was that Dave cooked everything! And cleaned up. He did and excellent job.

I had a great time at the barn with Janow, knowing I did not have to rush home and cook. The sun was out, the wind was not. I was expecting loads of non-horsey extneded families of boarders there, but there were not many. That was nice. Too many non-horse people are unpredictable. With horses, unpredicatable can be dangerous.

Chenille socks
Fleece slippers
A remote that is hard to lose, or blame it's loss on someone who didn't touch it!
A prediction for the warmest boyscout on the camp out.

Merry Christmas

Today is the day! Christmas spirit wears me out, so I wait until the last minute. Right now, at 4:45 am, I feel it!

I took these pictures of Janow yesterday. Wearing a stupid hat and having his picture taken was not on his wish list, especially with bits of hay laying around.

From the look on his face, spreading Christmas cheer was not a priority. Actually, when I though about it, Christmas cheer was NOT what he was spreading, it was something else.

On third thought, he wasn't even spreading it, he was leaving it in piles.

When it comes right down to it, finding food is most important for horses, (some more than others, but not much more)and the search for food is a majorly satisfying task, so much so that often they simply eat what they find, even if it's icky. You can always jettison that bite if you find something better.

So that's Janow's Christmas wish for everyone, that you have enough to eat(and all the other things you need)so that you have the time to pursue pleasurable activities.


Like reading, for my friend, and eating, for his horse.

ad libidum

We three played Scrabble. Joseph wanted to play Monopoly but neither of us other two wanted to start something that was long and open ended. Scrabble ends when you run out of tiles and board.

We won on the game pick, so when Joseph wanted to not keep score and just go for using all the tiles, we agreed right away. In the end, we had to pool all the remianing tiles and just go for it. The last tile was the V in IV, which probably wouldn't be allowed, but it was the last tile!!!


Teck Deck is the lastest rage in the 6th grade at Pomeroy school. Joseph is teaching Dave how to do it. He thought the beanie might help.

And Mary Shelley, who usually can't remain in anybody's good graces long enough to get the camera out. She can't help it, she just gets so jealous!

Tomorrow is the big day that we have all been anticipating. We will compound our exaustion and high expectations with eating whatever we want, whenever we want, no rules. If there are any problems, we will blame it on each other, not suspecting the combination of fatigue and poor food choices. And we will look forward to next Christmas. Easy when Dec 25th '08 is so far away that it will never get here.

It's mine!

I finished this sweatshirt. Here it is after the final wash and "haircut." Click on the picture to see the details.

All the primitive edges fray and fringe, then I trim off the really long threads. The stitches I use to sew everything on are so small that it won't fray beyond them.

I really liked it, so I decided to take it to my little impromtue sale at Indian Hill Ranch. If I sold it, good! If I didn't sell it, it was MINE to wear.

It's mine! I would have been happy either way. I love it when you can only have a happy ending, even if it's only a sweatshirt.

Further

Here we are, deocrating the tree. We did this the day after we got it out of it's storage box. We only put unbreakables on it, though MaryShelley seems happy just to be near the tree, not actually in the tree. Dog birth control can do that, I guess.

No family occasion is complete without a posed "candid shot."
!
I'm working on this sweatshirt more. Bob told me it was OK to set up a little sale table near the indoor ring on Saturday. I was making this for me to wear, but if it is done by then, I will take it to sell. If I still have it by the end of the day, I will wear it

Finally feels started!

I had already dyed the sweatshirt, three times as I remember, before I felt the color was right! I had made the text, which takes a long time, rather tedious, but handwork can be soothing. You must wait not only to need soothing but to have time to be soothed before you can get it done. Now I have started the collage/applique process on a new primitive sweatshirt and it is finally exciting.

So here is the first part sewn to the shirt. I used some 20 wt sulky cotton in variegated reds. If you click on the photo, it will enlarge and you might be able to see it.

Whiskers had to sit on it, of course.

I opened silver's cage this morning and took her out. She explored but stayed near the cage. She ate a romaine leaf in no time flat, while I cut a piece of plastic tubing to fit over the cord to my computer to make it chew proof. She has returned to her cage by herself. I will let her stay there until she feels more comfortable coming out.

I have done more work on my website, thanks to Ruben who gave me another idea to make it easier to use. He was at Peete's, complaining to Bob about having to use stores' web sites and scrolling forever to find what you want. Each page of my website has a thumbnail photo that is a link if you click it. You can go directly to the description of that thing with more photos. Now I have added links to go 'back to top' for each item. I think this is a big improvement. Thanks Ruben.

Welcome Silver

Well, we miss the rabbit that was with us over Thanksgiving, and we learned so much about rabbits at that time. We decided to get a rabbit of our own. So we did more learning and visited Oakland Animal Shelter, where we met Ladybug.

Ladybug was the right rabbit for us, so I hurred up and got all of what we would need to make her comfortable. Hoping all the time that she would remain available for adoption. It all worked out and we went up and got her today after school.

Ladybug movie

Joseph decided her name should be Silver. I didn't think Ladybug really fit. That was her shelter name anyway.

Now I'll have to make rabbit stuff to put on Doublecatbatik.com, the website.

WIP Again

Here is my WIP, Work In Progress. I have been doing other stuff too, so it is progressing slowly. I plan on putting it on a sweathsirt that I have hand-dyed.


Yesterday we went to Oakland Animal Shelter to visit rabbits. We met one we all like. It was heartbreaking to have to leave without her, but we are not ready for a rabbit in our house. We have more learning and equipment to aquire.

Go take a Pill

I found these on ETSY yesterday. I laughed so hard! The scrooge in me is not hiding very deeply. Often not hiding at all. Here's a link to go and see more pictues and a descripton, and perhaps buy one if they are not all sold already.
link to pills

Key Search

I have added new photos of the quilt Key Search to my website. I realize that the dimensions aren't given, so I have to look it up on the label, or unfold it and measure it! It's huge, so I hope I find the label!

Packages are coming in and going out for both Christmas and many birthdays. It gets hard to keep track of what is ordered and coming, and what has been ordered for someone here, or perhaps shipped in a box they got from ordering something else. I can't really complain, but it IS confusing!

Joseph and Dave got out the tree and set it up last night. Decorations are still to come. Mary Shelley, of course, was overwhelmed. She LOVES Christmas and is a veteran Christmas tree climber. Dave tries to foil her, which, of course, makes it even more attractive. I remember the year he put it on the coffee table thinking it would be harder to climb! She not only tipped it over, but it fell off the table! We don't use breakable ornaments, but I don't even have to say that!



click on this sign to see the new pictures of Key Search in action, and to see the new Blazing Star saddlepad on the Horses page.

No Picture Available

Janow and I saw a bald eagle near Ed Levin Park. That's all I have to say.

Floss Your Drains Out

I told you there was a Dave story to go with my bathroom picture. There is. We had a little water damage that Dave repaired. That means we had to get new flooring. That means Dave had to take the toilet out. So he made a cardboard sled and slid it out into the bedroom.

When it was ready to go back in, he told me he hadn't looked on the underside, he was afraid. Afraid of what? Afraid of the unknown. Yup, the underside of a toilet is definitely pioneer territory.

He looked. Up in the very edge of the drain, at the toilet-floor interface, he found wads and wads of dental floss.

"Who's been putting floss in the toilet?!" he asked.

I said "You."

"I have not!"

"Well, I use a hummingbird flosser(that has little plastic dispo attachments with teeny pieces of floss) and you won't let Joseph do his teeth in your bathroom. That leaves you."

"I don't put my floss in here!"

I didn't even have to think how to respond to that one!
"You've been putting your floss in the toilet ever since Bab(previous cat) ate a piece of floss from the waste basket and only passed one end in the litter box. The passed end had a poop stuck to it and it followed him on the end of the floss that was still stuck up inside. Remember how he raced around the apartment with the poop on the end of the piece of floss chasing him?"

I told you there was a story.

If it works for you.....

Today was almost fun. I was going to use it to re-group after a week that went smoothly only because our run-away sled did not hit a tree...a big one anyway. It tured out to be a re-goop instead.

The washer doesn't make a smell when it washes, which is good, but not. If it totally was NG, I would have to get a new one.


Then, again, United States Postal Service website works well for them. All the cancelled transactions I got when trying to mail the birthday present on Thursday? The post office didn't know they were cancelled and my credit card paid for them all. Even the one that worked. Of course, they report the website is fine, I should delete my cookies. Reminding you, one more time, that they are Government. Some things are constant, like Whisker's hunger.


This is my bathroom. There is another Dave story in here....tomorrow.

Hot Glue

I have one thing I finished day-before-yesterday, plus two done yesterday, that I need to photograph today. So, no pics yet.

Yesterday morning is when the glue came loose.

I have been going like crazy since Monday, in fact, I thought Wednesday was Tuesday and missed getting Joe to hip hop class.

Going like crazy since Monday........not the most recent Monday, but the one prior to that one. That was the Monday before Thanksgiving, in which two of the five days were half-days at school, I, as the non-working mom, did waiting and driving for kids. The week of Thanksgiving actually had three school days, all half-days, in which our parent/teacher conference was on the middle one of the three.

I had a Doctors appointment Tuesday that I forgot about until Wednesday, which I thought was Tuesday, and when I checked my calendar, I THOUGHT I saw it Next Tuesday, which is December. I was wrong.

Yesterday, I got a call about rescheduling an appointment I missed on November 19th, which I didn't even know I missed because I had written it down for Dismember 19th.

Wednesday, which I thought was Tuesday, I went to Borders Books with my BSA script that I ordered three weeks in advance, to buy a birthday present for my sister. Her birthday was Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving....last week. When I got to Borders, they didn't have what I wanted, but a copy was in shipment to the store from the 'supplier.' I couldn't order one because the 'supplier' didn't have any more. No, I couldn't reserve the one in shipment because they needed to put the entire order on shelf so it would be available to customers. Evidently, I don't rate the Customer title. I had to come in every day and check for it. When would it arrive? Good question, three days to three weeks. But.....the Fleamont store had one, they would hold it for me. It is against policy to ship items from store to store. So I drove to Fremont.

I have ordered a new cell because I am never home and need to get messages at least. We do not have a reliable message system at home. The operators do not think I could have a call of any importance and I often do not get my undated messages for days or weeks, if at all. The new cell was arriving on an unspecified date, signature required. Perfect for the person who needs the phone because she is never home.

So Thursday, which I now knew was Thursday, I wrapped and packed the gift for last weeks birthday and I was going to USPS click n' ship so I would not have to drive to the post office and maybe miss my cell phone delivery. If I did, that would mean I would have to drive to FedEx that night, in the dark, in commuter traffic, to get it in person.

After 30 minutes and 7 failures to process my order on two different credit cards, I was faced with a trip to the post office, followed by a 6pm trip to San Jose FedEx.

That's when the glue came loose. It was hot glue and it burned.

It was after that when the terrible smell like an electrical fire started to come out of my washing machine. I just unplugged it and made another cup of coffee.

Monday, I counted my pennies. One hundred. I get a scone. Maybe I can get it today!?

The "Done" Pile and the "Done In" Pile

I moved three things to the Done pile. I also did a lot of other things, and now I'm tired. Funny how that works.

The blue horse is a medium. The red one is an XXL.


Sorry the pad is upside down. I have to fix it later. I'm really wiped out.
How do you get out of the inside of an elephant? You run around and around and around until you're all pooped out.

RabBUNzel back in the Tower

The rabbit has been reunited with her 11 yr old owner. That didn't go well over here and I can understand the sadness because she is a very nice bunny. Sometimes you have to learn to deal.
I was sad to see her go too, but happy that she is reunited with her girl.

She's Still Hare.

She is. Still here, I mean. We posted the signs, and on Craig's List. Yesterday I contacted animal shelters and rescue groups, and posted a sign at An Jan. One thing I have learned is that many unwanted rabbits get dumped. More than I eve imagined. It's a real possibility that this happened to her. She is such a nice rabbit, I can't imagine that. I cried many times yesterday.

I emailed Chris, because he has a rabbit, and got her some Orchard grass hay, which she really likes. Joanne, of Save-A-Bunny Rescue provided a lot of information and is mailing a rabbit care info packet with instructions on litter box training.

This Thanksgiving weekend has proven what I already knew: holidays are not good times to introduce pets to the family.

So here is what's going on right now(sort of, like on Friday....
These are sewn on now, and the blocks have been treated with Granger's, which has to dry and be heat set.
It's dressage size.

This will be on a primitive sweatshirt.


And then there are more horse Ts. I have ten in different stages of not-done-yet.

Bun

I was about to upload the pictures I just took of the projects I am working on today when Joseph and Dave came home from shooting baskets at the school yard. They found a rabbit. A very tame rabbit that was easily caught. The rabbit is now in a Postal Service crate on the kitchen counter eating lettuce and drinking out of Harley's old water bottle. He/she WAS eating the hamster food until presented with lettuce.

While Joseph and Dave were setting up the food and water and temp hutch, I made signs. They are out posting the signs and I am going on Craig's list to post.

This bun is very tame, I'm sure we will find his home.

a. Mountain b.Mole hill c.Ant Hill d. Not Of The Above

This has been my week so far and it's only Tuesday. I think. It is Tuesday today, right?

Today, riding Janow, he dove down and grabbed a buckeye and chewed it up. I thought they were poison. I jumped off and tried to look in his mouth and he spit a big piece out. So I dragged him to the wash rack and put the hose in way past his bars and turned it on hard. He must have thought I'd lost it. The person who is always too slow is hurrying him up and then attempting to drown him. Lots of bits came out.

I went around asking it buckeyes were poisonous. Three people more experienced than I am said they didn't know. Only one of them even knew what a buckeye was.

OK.

There is a buckeye tree on the ranch and nobody is concerned enough to know what it is. Probably not very toxic.



I'm not sure if Janow actually ingested any. Horses aren't very good at spitting. Janow is probably better than average. This is because he is not very discerning about what he eats if he thinks I will pull him away. He will make a dive for nearly anything. Sometimes he will pretend he is about to spook and then, when I least expect it, his head shoots down to grab a bite.

Janow is always shopping. He is at CostCo on Saturday when they have food samples at the end of every aisle.

One time he grabbed a big mouthful of stinging nettle. It stung him, or course, and the sensation was so overwhelming that all he could do was suck on it. He couldn't open his mouth enough to let it fall out. It continued to sting him while he sucked on it. I couldn't figure out what was wrong, but he was acting like a zombie. Then I noticed his mouth and I pulled his lips apart, but his teeth were clenched. I reached my fingers in between the incisors and the molars and fished out a big piece. Then I took him to the wash rack and hosed out his mouth. After that I made him a bran mash with anti-histamine.

Everyone said "Call the vet! Call the vet!" So I did. He told me that since I found the stinging nettle inside his mouth, the problem was clearly defined. He would tell me to do exactly what I had done if I hadn't done it already so he didn't need to come out unless I wanted him to.

Janow has a history of eating what he shouldn't. Horses really are people.

That quartersheet is for sale, Jnaow just had to model it. Janow doesnt have to wear warm gear now that I let him spend the winter in hair. He grows enough hair for an Austrian winter, but we live in Milpitas.

The back of the head

This fabric packet was my gift from my sister December '06, That's right, December '06! Packets like this are available in quilt shops and they make great gifts. You don't have to worry about choosing coordinating fabrics and there is usually enough for a project.

So I got this a year ago, nearly, and this is what it looks like today. It's really good quilt shop fabric and I like it. But I didn't know what to do with it, so I put it away. I've remembered I had it, and I figured that when the time was right, I would know what to do.

Well, yesterday, I was at the coffee shop and it hit me, right on the back of the head! Suddenly I knew what this should become! Now, where did I put it? It actually only took me about 90 seconds to find it. Anyone who has seen my sewing room would be shocked. It looks like it would take days to find anything in there, and half again as many to find your way back out!

After I left the coffee shop, I stopped at the library and started to find so many great books! Some days you just find more stuff you like. I was standing in line to check them out, my heart pounding in excitement. I thought. I thought some more and remembered back to ordering my decaf latte. I forgot to say "Decaf." My heart was pounding, but not with excitement.

But now it's the next day and I'm fine, and my idea for the fabric packet is still perfect.

Moe needs love

This is the tank I made for Erica using what I learned in Joy Lily's workshop last month. I haven't seen Erica since I finished it, so I don't know if she likes it. I think she will. I like it, anyway.





These are the shirts that are currently in progress now that I can use my craft table for fabric again. The weather is much cooler now so each step takes forever to dry. More than 24 hours for the first part. Sheees!



And this is Moe. I don't use him enough, so he made his appearance on Craig's list tonight. I hope I can place him in a home where he will be useful. He is an industrial 4 thread overlock. A really solid machine. It's always hard to see my sewing machines move on.