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WHAT'S NEW
september 1, 2010 labor day weekend coming up...allergies running totally amuck in this valley...the harvest "dust" has started as fields are stripped of their abundance and are then plowed under...the delightful smell of rotting peaches on the ground that are left over from the "picks" and the tractors and trailers riding up and down the roads spewing more "dust" which in my opinion equates to nasty dirt...and so winds down the dog days of summer. it's actually been quite kind to us this year...we have had very few days over 100 and even got a little bit of spit on saturday as a system blew in over the top of us...the spit didn't do anything except make it super necessary to get the car washed on monday's round of errands...see above paragraph re dust and then imagine spit on top of it - nasty. the geese appear to have gone - i think that was just the pre-cursor scouting party doing due diligence and checking everything out...so we will see if the rest of them think about spending the winter in modesto at naraghi lakes again...only time will tell. it's september 1st...holy you-know-what...when did that happen? we are on market countdown right now - we leave in 23 days and i will continue to fly around here for the next 22 in preparation - we have many other jobs besides just going and shopping...so markets always keep us on our toes...to the point that i think i might get the "coach" down here to help us before the week is out and that would be much appreciated. so...because of time crunches...and the ever continuing piles of "stuff" that are accumulating every where i look and because it's the beginning of the month and there are files to make and shreds to be taken care of and garbage to go outside and a pile of silks on the cutting table that have to be kitted up...and if i actually made a list on paper (which is necessary at this point) i think i would just terrify myself...here we go: little house needleworks homespun elegance cricket collection country cottage kids bent creek with they needle and thread - just love these and so...the broom is revvvvvvvved up and awaiting the treat of flipping thru the gears and getting 50 miles per gallon and i'm hopping on it and heading out to the front of the store and that aforementioned pile of cut silk... have been here since 6:45 this morning...and actually have quite a bit to show for it...and hope to make some serious dents in the chaos by the time i hit the road tonight. enjoy the rest of the week and if we don't chat until next week - a great weekend to you...and thanks for visiting!!! lgm and all august 26, 2010 okay - i truly give up - where did two weeks go? this
is just insanity and i fear it will get worse before it gets any better but i'm
willing to hang on for the wild ride for a little bit longer...hair is on fire
(what there is left of it) but i haven't lost my sense of humor - i don't think
i have - and i just keep plugging away. it was 106 here yesterday and we're supposed to be in the 80's by tomorrow and thru the weekend. we have a football game on saturday night that (much to my husband's anguish) is blacked out because we are playing oakland raiders and they couldn't sell out...he is not a happy man. kelly started with her munchkins yesterday (wednesday) and is now a full-fledged teacher in san jose - sixth graders...we told her not to smile until christmas but i think she had a good opening day and she sounded positive and upbeat...and so begins a new chapter in her life...with her very own apartment and her very own bills and laundry and and and... and, in the middle of this weird weather that has left the tomatoes one month behind schedule, grapes that will be hanging on the vines until the middle of october because the sugar bricks won't come up to harvest levels, and peaches that are also a month late...as i was driving home last night - you guessed it - the geese beat the starlings here!!! there they were - the first scouting party - swimming around in the lake on oakdale just like they owned the place...and more were there this morning... heaven's only knows where the starlings are but i can tell you - the geese are taking over - our house is right in their flight path and they are quite vocal as they fly...so any windows open at all and you get a delightful chorus of honking on their way to a good swim in the lake. we're been working on some fun stuff...and getting ready for market in a month in st. charles, missouri and working on our bright needle kit for breast cancer and some other fun stuff...but...in the meantime...here's some scoop and news... due to rising costs in base silk product, crescent colours has made the announcement that their belle soie will be increasing to $7.50 per skein. this puts them right in line with threadgatherers and gloriana silks - and even though it pinches...the increase had to be done - nobody looks forward to price increases...and i know that it's a decision not made easily by anybody and most vendors absorb the increases in product for a very long time before they ever pass it on to us....it's just the cost of doing business. there will also be a price increase in weeks dye works wool for the exact same reason...we got a note from john the other day - they have absorbed the increase in costs for as long as they could...but, as with any good product - it's worth it because it's wonderful wool and wonderful fibers and we just do what we do to enjoy some of the best...and then we move forward to other things... so...now we get on to some fun stuff lizzie kate - and we love all of these... just nan - i rode my broom to georgia and don't worry - we will have some little hat stands too (no, not the pumpkin ones that are shown holding up the hats - those were purchased at an art faire six year ago) - nan is making something wonderful that will be a surprise and some other pins too and although i don't have any details quite yet, i am just going to believe in the rightness of things and in my cupcake friends and know that it will all be good so i ask for your patience and you will know as soon as i know - i promise you...witch's honor so just keep an eye on this website!!! finally...just because they were fun...we have two new priss goodies. both are limited in quantities...one is just because it's too spooky and the other is just very pink...
and so...off i got into the sunset...fabric everywhere, mia kitty asleep on the floor in my office and about 10 more hours worth of work today but i was not leaving here until this was finished this afternoon...and so, it's done and i'm "putting the paper to bed"... enjoy the weekend...can we even begin to wrap our brains around the fact that next weekend is labor day...where oh where did it all go??? lgm and annie and ashley, mia and didnot
august 11, 2010 school started here today...thank heavens the weather has been reasonable...they never would have gone otherwise. annie's tad has been out on the football field from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. in marching band practice for the last week - and today he starts with the homework on top of everything else. ashley, our newest addition to the team also started her senior year today...she'll be back with us tomorrow after school is out...she too will have a full plate and has needed the last two days to get ready for the big day today. our kelly, graduated and working for teach america starts her class room of 6th graders in san jose at the end of the month and has been awhirl in training sessions, credentials, finding and renting an apartment and making lists of everything that she will have to move over to said apartment in the next two weeks. she posted on facebook that she was bored - i have sent out the message that i have plenty of things to do here if she is interested...let's see if she takes me up on it. annie is delivering the message tonight - they are having movie night. in the interim, mr. bear has headed over to santa clara this afternoon to 49'er training camp [he's supervising the coach ;)] and of course he is getting ready for our first pre-season game this weekend against indy - it's tough being a sofa coach!!! in my interim - the alligators are chomping at my behind - the piles are getting deeper by the minute - and the boxes keep coming in the door and i keep shoveling them out and finding places to put things. sometimes i really wonder if i'm going to survive all of this - but what the heck - it's only living - i can do this standing on my head - can't i???
but of course we are going to have these - coming next week -
and certainly in VERY limited quantities... just nan - and how spooky is spooky...and how well nan does
spooky...too darn well if you ask me!!! she and i had a laugh this
afternoon about her spooky tendencies...both of us ride a pretty mean broom and
have bragging rights to that...and make anything out of that comment that you
want to ;)
little house needleworks blackbird designs so...mia is waiting patiently at my feet hoping for some sort of snack before i head out towards home - didnot doesn't even bother - she's asleep on the counter in her basket...since my husband is otherwise detained over in the bay area - i think dinner might be a stop at the frozen yogurt place up on oakdale enroute home because the doggers will be late with their dinner and insane...and they all love a little taste of georgia peach yogurt...it calms the savage beasties. next week ms. daisy is treating her brothers to hamburgers as part of her two year birthday celebration and then gatsby treats in september when he turns three!! back here again in the morning at 6:30...these 14 hour days are starting to get a little draggy - because although i close it down here - there are never ending piles at home too...and i just trade one place for another - but at home i get to work in my jammies which makes it a little bit more comfy...and i can always toss another load of laundry in...and add to the ever growing pile of ironing which will be completed this weekend come hell or high water (or both) enjoy the rest of the week...i still can't believe the kids are in school already - even though there were THREE yellow bus things trying to make a left turn onto mchenry this morning in front of me - i kept straight down kiernan and came in the back way...there was absolutely no way three bus things and i were going to make the light - it just wasn't going to happen. it's always insane the first week until everybody gets back into the saddle and life calms down to the steady roar that we are so familiar with and can manage (sometimes).... lgm and all july 28, 2010 cooler this week - we are grateful - it actually goes down to the high 50's at night - as long as the delta breeze keeps blowing - we're good. i continue to chip away at the web site - finally got the "load" time down to a reasonable level...it's a never ending struggle to make it fit and work right...you try and fix one thing and something else springs a leak...but i think that's the way of all things these days...it just keeps slipping away and we run very hard to catch "it" and bring IT back to the fold and safety. we've had a mixture of bittersweet in the last couple of weeks - dear friends who are gone in the blink of an eye and others who are making massive strides towards regaining their health - it can be so horribly confusing and sometimes i really have to force myself not to question some of the decisions that get made by the powers far greater than myself - it's all so confounding and unfair and yet the strides are so monumental in the right direction that i just shake my head... bittersweet, incredible and haunting - all at the same time. we added another picture to the retreat information (the link is on the front page, right under the date) so that is a great thing and we continue to plow thru the massive piles of all kinds of wonderful that we are planning for this retreat - coupled with the massive piles of things that are coming up at the st. charles market the end of september and we are very excited about all those comings too!!! we continue to take orders on our liberty hill salem house
and we are very closed to being sold out...so if you are "on the
fence" and would like to order - please do so fairly quickly... see
the update of 07/14 for all the details. also in the 07/14 update was these gorgeous little pin
disks...well, they arrived from belgium yesterday - and this picture doesn't
even begin to do it justice...they are absolutely spectacular in person!!! now - off we got for this week...and there are some pretty swell things too. threadgathers has some new colors of silk: ethiopian rocks, snc #293 and pumpkins and black cats, snc #294 - really very nice. from blackbird designs little house needleworks ornament raise the roof and finally from la d da so...that being said - i have a pile of french lace on the table that i have totally antiqued...have to go cut the edging off of 16 yards of that and then give it a press with the steam iron to the antiquing... there are piles of beads and bags and silver and crepe paper flowers and wool and wooden things and little stitched models all over the back room and we won't even discuss the state of my family room at home - it seems that one of my little featherweights has taken up permanent residence on my oak kitchen table - should be upstairs in the sewing room - that is a totally "non-discussable" subject - personally i'm getting to the dynamite stick stage with that endeavor...but i do have the new hardwood flooring out in the garage ready to go - all i need to do is find the floor in that room - point made i think. so...i'm off to cut and paste with some paper patterns so i can run an errand in the morning and see if i can get a shape that i'm working on to be the right shape and size...love cutting and pasting and taping and scanning - frustrating...but if it works - i'll try anything to get it to come out right for the final ending ;) enjoy your coming weekend...annie, kay and ashley will be in the shop friday and saturday - i have a teaching thing that i'm going to up in sacramento and will be home sometime sunday afternoon...bear is watching the doggers and the girls will take care of the meows here... poof - that was me jetting off to the next task!!! revvvvvvving up my broom for the next fly over (phoebe - keep your comments to yourself and remember - it's all about the donuts in lebec!!) thanks for the visit this week - i really am trying to keep up with this...i really am!!!
july 22, 2010 as the world turns (or doesn't as the case may be) - it's been a rough one and nothing works well or works with over 100 degrees for the last week...it actually cooled down last night...what a welcome relief on a great many fronts. it's just insane here at the shop - piles and piles and piles and bins and buckets and tables full of stuff - it's all in "mid-process" and i am just SO WAITING to get at least 3 piles completed so we can cross them off my list and fill the list up with something else. i also think i've figured out why this website is blocking people...and hopefully between the server and myself we have cleaned up some of the hassle - and for that i apologize. it seems that i get here every morning at 7:00 or before and i turn around and it's 7 in the evening and i head home and there are more piles at home... so...because i am behind...and because i've cleaned up some of the previous stuff and put it in archieves...here we go. prairie schooler and so with that - i'm running...as quickly as i can...not sure where i'm running to at this point - maybe just running away from home...but i can't do that either... enjoy the weekend...stay cool and safe and i'll be back...and hopefully the website will behave - if only for a little bit. lgm july 14, 2010 going to be hot here this weekend...over 100 and so we are running briskly in the morning before the heat sets in and trying to shovel thru the piles and piles before it gets too ugly for man or beast. there are a couple of very neat things this week that would not wait for the regular update...so off we go. liberty hill:
the tombstone angel on the roof beckons you to enter by removing the roof of the house to find your secret stash of soulful stitching smalls hidden away in the drawstring bag. inside the bag you will find a tiny decorated box for pins and needles, a combination project ring/first stitch finder and a miniature black house scissor fob/necklace. the scissors ae not included but a pair of little gems from kelmscott would be just perfect. salem house is 6"x4"x8" at the peak and the chimney makes it just a little bit taller than 8". These will be shipped to us in late august. We have put in our order for them and we are taking reservations. WE JUST LOVE THIS TO PIECES. the second very neat thing: love love love it!! so, those are the two fun things...who knows what else will waltz in the door before the week is over. only time will tell!!! ta ta for now!!!
july 9, 2010 hope you had a wonderful 4th weekend. annie celebrated her b'day on monday - it was just a weird weekend - everything was in the wrong place somehow...and i just couldn't get my brain wrapped around it - everything seemed on the wrong day... nicky did okay with the booms this year...but we were home early before much of the booming started...we did leave them watching the "deadliest catch" marathon with the ac on and all doors and windows closed...and roped off from the front of the house - it seemed to work well so we shall do this again on the next july 4th. fireworks are sold here in our county and it doesn't matter how many "legal" ones are available - we always have the idiots with the rocket ones (those really terrify dogger boy) and of course we had some roof fires in town to go along with the festivities... i have to wiggle quickly today - have to run three errands and i have piles all over the front and back of this shop - and i do mean piles... so, without any further...here we go... little house needleworks country cottage needleworks shepherd's bush country stitches little by little and...off i go into the wilds of the back room. we are supposed to be gearing up for over 100 this weekend...it has been cooling off at night...and as long as the breeze from the delta keeps going - we should be okay...it's the dead still that just ruins us. peaches are ripening fast on the trees - the big orchard on oakdale has actual peach colored peaches that you can see on the trees. we grow over 27 varieties around town...so while some trees have really truly peaches on them - there are hard green lumps on other trees... harvest is going to be quite weird this year...but the peaches are really good and the corn is terrific this year. another weekend, another crazy running schedule - trying to accomplish in 2 days what it would normally take me 2 weeks...and the things are getting added to the lists faster than they are taken off it seems. first thing on this agenda is shoveling off this desk...and then making a pickup and then painting and then sewing and then some spraying and then some button sewing and then some gluing and, and, and, and... enjoy your days...they seem to rush by so quickly and the
older i get, the faster those days fly by!!! |
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