on the porch

2012-02-08T20:43:00.000-07:00

I spend a lot of time on my front, and back porch, waiting for this little guy to "potty outside".

This is Ben

He's 3/4 lab, and 1/4 Border Collie

We got him on New Year's Eve

He has sharp teeth

But he's really snuggly when he's tired :)

Sometimes it's tiring to have a puppy

But he makes us laugh, even the ones afraid of his teeth

(but he's learning to have a softer mouth- I can attest to that!)

I'd say overall- we love him.

(These bottom two of course are switched to Then and Now.)

Even Buster, our 10 year old White German Shepherd, Border Collie, and Blue Healer mix doesn't mind him so much now. He actually plays with him a lot!

The way Ben follows him around, it's like Buster is giving him Dog Lessons

Or Buster is the popular older kid and Ben is his lackey.

Buster sounds kind of mean when he plays- like Chewbacca and a bear, but he's soft with the puppy

for the most part.

Just noisy!

Here's some Aww factor for you... just look at him!

This was him the first few days we had him, on his first walk, although he didn't

actually walk much- I believe my daughter carried him.

He wanted to come home before the little girls did.

He's much more accustomed to the leash/walk thing now.

Sooo CUTE!

2012-01-30T22:41:00.003-07:00

Sometimes I feel like dreams are for people with money. All I got is hope. I guess hope is for people with not money. Actually, I think my hope might have an expiration date, and it's nearing it's shelf life. Hopefully it's like sour cream and will keep a bit longer.

It Was Nice While It Lasted...

2011-11-22T18:32:00.002-07:00

I think the primary song should be On a Golden Autumn, instead of Sprigtime. Maybe I'll have to talk to my friend Jana and have her make up a fall version? :)

...............

My son and two youngest girls and I went for a drive one afternoon and discovered that one dirt road, lead to another dirt road, that lead to a paved road that I knew how to find my way home by! Hooray! I love to go for drives but am sometimes afraid to deviate from my path because, even after 6 years of living in Idaho I don't know where I am at. But it's fun to go exploring, and especially when we find we are not lost afterall! (Because I don't own a cell phone, or a GPS) This is some of the stuff we saw on our drive:

That little patch of trees up there in the right hand corner we (my son and I) thought would be the perfect place to set up a nice picnic or camp...but it's private property :( We don't love fences so much... I wish there weren't so many out in the middle of nowhere.

................

Gifts of The Season Around the Neighborhood

...........

What we had of fall was just beautiful for a little bit before some really cold weather came and shriveled up the pretty leaves. Even the leaves on my trees were more yellow than they normally are. I am glad I got a picture the day I did, because that night it got down to like 20 degrees or something and they didn't fare so well!

Now they are all bagged up and in our neighbor's compost or insulating our flower bed in front to see if the starts of Virginia Creeper make it to next spring and start covering our courtyard wall....

I get kind of sad when fall turns to winter prematurely, although in Utah and Idaho, two states I've lived the most in my life, that isn't uncommon. However, I like to hang onto fall as long as I can. I'll listen to Christmas music in the fall, I just don't want freezing temperatures and snow before Thanksgiving. It looks like this week won't be horrible though, so I forgive the weather for pretending to be January here and there. :)

Hope everyone has a lovely Thanksgiving! What a great time of year- it ranks right up there as one of my favorite holidays, if not the first.... that is, if someone else cooks the turkey. Poultry is not my favorite raw food. This year we are in luck because my brother in law is cooking the turkey, and he's brining it; it was so yummy last time he did that. I think pretty much everyone cooks better than I do for Thanksgiving. I'll just stick with the chocolate pudding pie with oreo crust and some wipped cream- that's my specialty. I also get to bring the cranberries- which will be can shaped- MY FAVORITE! :)

Thinking...

2011-11-07T23:09:00.000-07:00

I am thinking of combing my blogs; the family blog and the craft blog. I want to know more about the tabs in blogger to see if I can do it that way? I think I might update more if I combined them. I haven't been very motivated to update anything. Mostly just because it takes time and decision making skills to update and choose pictures I want to upload. I really have missed many updates I wanted to do this summer. There is so much face-booking these days that I feel repetitive if post pictures on FB then my blog. I don't even post a lot of pictures on FB anyway.

Doing a blog used to be very satisfying for me, but then I realized only a handful of family members think to look. I don't have a fantastic craft blog anyway, so I have thought about re-doing this blog several times. Sometimes I've felt that it needs to be more like other people's, in that I am typing to public. But if I type to public, then I can't be more personal. If I type to family it has a different feel as well. Right now I am just rambling my thoughts.

I was thinking about how my craft interests have switched. I don't craft a whole lot anymore, but sometimes I have the urge. Mostly I just take pictures. I have learned a lot in a year since I got my used D-SLR last year from my neighbor Megan. She's a real photographer and has helped me learn more about what I should be doing. I also pick my friend Kim's brain and sometimes I just figure stuff out myself. I still have a lot to learn. I wish I could just sit and play with pictures all day sometimes, but it doesn't work so well with the rest of my family. So I just don't start ... which goes for a lot of things. I do still take a lot of pictures though.

I tend to keep crazy late hours because I have a tendency to get caught up in playing with pictures after most of the house is in bed. If I felt more confident I would try and do something with my photography. Times are kind of crappy right now, but everyone is a photographer so I feel like I need to know more, and perhaps have a little update in my technology. That tends to make things take longer too some days. Especially if the computer decides it's bedtime before I do. Then it is really lethargic.

Well, maybe I can figure out the tabs thing if I spend some time reading about it.... but right now I am going to try and get to bed earlier.

:)

2011-09-21T01:15:00.001-06:00

Once Upon a Time

2011-09-07T23:05:00.002-06:00

I started this blog, now I really don't want to do anything with it. I have too many blogs. But before I delete it, or start again, I think I will have to print off or save what I've written already, because that's just the way I am. So it can just sit idle in the meantime.

I have a thing for clouds

2011-08-10T16:55:00.001-06:00

My Most Recent Crafting

2011-07-14T17:07:00.000-06:00

I told you I was working on a project with my kids... it started out kind of light dabbling- the gold one on top is one of the first ones... and the other long green one (if you can tell it's green) got finished the same day, but after I figured out what I was doing more I went back and added some beads to it. It originally had one and wasn't burned except for at the first bead and the handle.

Yes, we are Harry Potter Nerds. My kids (the older three) are camped out in front of the local theatre- one of them, with her friend, whom she coerced, was over there about 5:30 AM- first in line, but don't worry she's not the only crazy one, there was the beginnings of a large group after her. My son and his tent got there just before 6 AM and got the 3rd group spot in line. His younger sister went over later. I will be joining the group later in the evening after my husband gets home. We still have 2 more that are too young for Harry Potter on the big screen. (Everything seems so much scarier up there, all blown up in size)

So yeah... that is what I've been doing. And I am pretty happy about it. I didn't think, after my first attempts, that I could pull it off. I only have an orbital sander, and drill (wich mostly helped turn it, but left marks in the handles - at the end I didn't use it really) and the wood burning tool, and the package of files from our garage . I had no idea I would end up using them so much. I got quite nit picky and was annoyed at my continual shape adjusting, especially on the second to the bottom one, which is patterened after Professor Umbridge's wand, but My dowel wasn't thick enough. It was looking not as great as I had hoped at first, but I really learned about what I needed to do to get the shape right. But now my hands are killing me if I am not taking Ibuprofin. The worst hand is my left, which didn't do any shaping, but it was the one I was gripping the wands very tightly while I did everything else with my right hand.

I think there might be tools that would make it easier on my hands... I might have to look into that.

Boy Do I Have Some Pictures To Share...

2011-07-13T00:59:00.000-06:00

I just haven't uploaded them yet...

Finally Put My Finger On It

2011-06-27T00:16:00.001-06:00

So the past few days I have just felt lost. It might have even been longer than that, but I have just had this lost feeling and I have been very emotional. I spent some time journaling here and there, even late into the night last night, then this evening my husband asked to get on the computer while I was reading the last post I'd written on here. It seems like to go with my lost feeling, every time I have tried to accomplish something on the computer lately I need to get off for one reason or the other. So I kind of answered with a sarcastic "Of course you can, because I've been on here 10 minutes". I logged off and walked away, but as I did I kind of had this flood of thoughts and understanding about what I have been feeling.

It really has a lot to do with my post about art and things I used to be good at. And I will explain it relating to coloring book pages. I loved to color in my coloring books- it kind of drives me nuts that my kids say they are bored when we have crayons and books and paper, because I really liked to pass time that way. But I remember one day when I started a picture and then was called to dinner before I could finish it. Usually I never went back and finished those pictures. I liked to complete a picture when I sat down to color. I was actually surprised that I went back and colored the rest of it later, like a week later or more. I usually didn't do that. But that is how I kind of am in life too, when I want to do something I want to do it all right then, even if it takes hours and hours. It's hard for me to pull away.

So as you might imagine, I have a lot of unfinished projects in my house and many things I want to do, but I don't want to start them because I know I won't be able to pull it off in one day. If I could find a sensible break down of things it might be helpful, and sometimes I can, but right now so much is just undone with no hope to be completed. I feel like I have a whole coloring book with partially finished pictures. That hasn't been so good for my self esteem as a mom. I feel like I am not good at anything, that I just get by the best I can, but I will never really get better at any one thing, because I can't devote the time I want to it enough to feel I have acomplished something.

Don't get me wrong, I feel that raising 5 kids is an accomplishment- each day we make it through is something to be grateful for. But since I am not good at a lot of the stuff a lot of moms are, like consistently, I feel like some of the stuff I do accomplish isn't really noteworthy or important. Which is why I have guilt when I want to do something creative, because I know that it isn't going to feed my kids dinner. And the battle of balance begins and I wonder what I should be spending my time doing.

That's all I have for now, but it was very good for me to figure out, because I don't feel so lost. I had some personal thoughts too about what I need to do right now creatively, and why, but I am just keeping that to myself for now. I did write it in my journal after I walked away from the computer, in fact, while I was writing it kind of kept unraveling, and I realized reading part of my previous post kind of helped me figure it out. I love when that happens. I love when I can write and things I have been trying to put my finger on finally come into focus.

Living Vicariously/ (or) The Internet, Good For What Ales You, Or Too Much of a Good Thing? (I haven't decided)... and a bunch of stuff I didn't expect when I sat down to write

2011-06-14T21:55:00.001-06:00

My favorite's bar is jam packed- Jam Packed I tell you! I have sewing blogs and craft blogs and cute stuff I want to remember. Not to mention all of the regular favorites I have in my favorites drop down menus, that I hardly even use anymore since I figured out the favorite's bar. I have etsy shops and health tips and mommy blogs... just stuff and stuff and stuff (oh yeah, recipes too)!

But guess what? I have hardly shopped or tried to make or sew are cook anything on those blogs and websites. I just look at them from time to time and see if I see anything else cool that I want to remember (like this magnetic silly putty I saw today- isn't that rad? I know my son will love that).

So what is my problem? Why don't I just jump in and start doing this stuff? Part of it, I will admit, is because $$$$- not that a lot of it is expensive- heck, that's why I love this stuff; so much of it is NOT expensive. These people are crafty, thrifty people!!! But I really don't feel like I can add anything to our expenditures list (shhhh! We really don't even have one, it just sounds nice, like I am a more organized homemaker than I really am).

The other problem is, I am C-H-I-C-K-E-N- that am the way you spell chicken! On one hand, I know I am a crafty, kind of artistic kind of gal. I can pull things off okay, despite my lack of formal education in the arts. I know if I have something that needs to be put together, I would pick myself to do it over my husband, I don't mind reading directions, but I have a logical grasp of how things should work as well... for the most part.

Then on the other hand, I know everything always takes more time than it appears in a step by step tutorial. The simplest things can take a lot of time, especially when you have other people in your house who kind of need to be fed (why won't I try that crazy easy recipe?) and wiped and have laundry done and go places. If it were possible, I think I could loose a lot of weight if I could allow myself to be as creative as I save clippings and links, and pictures, and write down ideas in my journal when I can't fall asleep, or that come to me as a medley of images all sorted together into amazing stuff when I close my eyes after blog browsing late at night when the little girls actually fall asleep early. It isn't even stuff I saw, it's just bits and pieces in such cute ways! I love that my mind does that, but I wish, oh how I wish, that I could just start whipping up whatever it is I just saw. I sometimes get them written down, but most don't make their way out of my mind. There is something about writing them down that makes me kind of loose my spark, because then it becomes work. And I don't always have the time, or means, or tools or fabric and yes, even skills, to pull it off. It is actually kind of disheartening.

I wish I could just be a do-er sometimes and have the confidence other people have, some of them my own children and husband. I think I am a dreamer. And I like that really, it's nice to see all of that stuff in my head. It makes me happy. But the do-ing, well, I have to work on that. I think I can relate it to back to my elementary school days, when I was pretty good at kick ball, and I was a pretty fast runner- one year the fastest in my class, unless Leo Salazar was really telling the truth that he wasn't really trying that day. (He was pretty fast, so maybe he was telling the truth) But I never liked to compete, in fact I usually choked when we had real competitions between classes. My best friend Kim could tell you how great we were practicing baseball in my back yard but when it came to playing with our class- we pretty much stunk at that sport. Just call us Ron Weasley. As soon as something became work, or competition, it wasn't fun anymore, and I was actually afraid I'd find out I wasn't as good as I thought. Pretty good winging it, but please don't put me on a team, because if I messed up... well, I didn't want to mess up. I just wanted to amaze people with my natural sporadic talent. I was afraid to push myself to get better.

So I never tried out for track, I never tried out for dance club (see because they had to wear leotards in front of the school, and I didn't want to have people seeing my thighs accentuated by stage lighting) I did get into a singing group for a couple of years in elementary school, but I never took choir until I was a senior in high school, and that was after I didn't make madrigals. My teacher that year kept asking me why I didn't make madrigals (because the choir teacher from the previous year held auditions) and I kept telling her that it wasn't a good audition. I couldn't repeat 5 notes back- I got lost after 4. I was used to just being able to kind of follow along-because I don't read music, but have an okay ear; but she threw me a loop and I messed up- more than once. She knew I didn't really know what I was doing, not enough for the big choir anyway.
But I did love women's choir that year, so it was okay. And my good friend Doyle asked if I could sing with concert choir and madrigals for our graduation song so that was very special. Ms. Mutter let me. I wasn't going to ask- so thank you Doyle. Ms. Mutter told the kids that it's because women's choir was the only choir I could fit in my schedule, otherwise I would have done concert choir- which wasn't true, I was just too chicken to try out.
I took art a few years, off and on, but I really hated art because you have to draw circles and shapes first, like you see in those "How To Draw Animals" books. I really didn't want to learn the way they were teaching. I figured I could draw pretty dang good on my own, for a 7th grader, thank you very much. I didn't need to draw no stinking lines that would just make me have to erase all the details I was rushing to get to. In 11th grade I had a really great art teacher though and he showed me why, after letting me do it my way, those lines can be a good thing. Because even though I got all the details in my oil pastel of the person in my picture, fairly accurate, her posture was off and kind of skewed. I got it, but I still didn't like to have to do it. And he never made me. Thank you Mr. Olsen- you were my favorite art teacher ever. (The rest all made me loose my confidence)

Mr. Tatton, my photography teacher my senior year, helped me get it back, after my former pottery (10th grade) and independent study art teacher from earlier in the year, Bob Ostberg, came in the room one day and asked me why I wasn't taking art. I got kind of emotional, so Mr. Tatton asked my why later. I told him that I didn't like to draw anymore because I hated all the rules (and all of the artsy fartsy art that didn't have anything to do with what I wanted to draw- I am sorry, I just didn't get why a guy was so great because he put a bunch of umbrella's up on an island- "because no one else had"- that was dumb to me Miss. Burgess- so impractical). Mr. Tatton had me not do photography that class, but just draw- whatever I wanted, whatever came to mind, which wasn't much that day, but about a year later I let myself and turned out some really good water colors, which really made me realize kind of the direction I really wanted to go with art- more nature related. It's the stuff that I felt needed to be painted. And later, after kid 2 and 3, I couldn't even draw much anymore because of carpal tunnel, but the painting, I'd learned, wasn't so bad on my wrists, and my fingers didn't go numb so much. That's always a good thing. :)

Kids sure play a role in what I do and don't do artistically. They certainly give me a lot of time and space challenges, but they also have presented me with moments that I can really impress them (or just me :) with my impromptu cleverness for homework assignments and little this and that's that tend to come up when you live with kids. It also makes me prioritize more, and that is good. I am actually learning to be less detail oriented, because that takes too long, but I am kind of learning how to be looser with what I do, which sometimes I really like, and have at times been frustrated with my ability to back off the details and just get to the main idea.

My son, who says he has no art skills, is actually really good at getting to the main idea, and preserving the important details. I almost wonder if that is because he is male and his brain works differently than mine, but I am always in awe, and we (all of my kids and I) have discussed a great deal about art and creating, and how everyone has their own style- which at our house, that is totally true! I guess it took being a mother to recognize that everyone has something creative to give. In fact, I don't think I'd be so hard on the guy with the umbrellas anymore. I bet it made him really happy to do that. I bet he woke up one night and jotted the idea down in his journal so he could fall back asleep.

(holy moley- would you look what I found? http://www.christojeanneclaude.net/major_umbrellas.shtml It's two people, not one. I read during my research that Christo said it took a lot of courage to do the envirionmental art they did and I kind of agree now, because are takes courage- I feel so like the Cowardly Lion sometimes, but when Miss Burgess told me about that courage quote- and she did- I kind of rolled my eyes. I still don't know if I feel the same way she did about these people, but I respect that they have their own style and go for it :)

My, these art lessons I am learning, just keep coming. And I haven't taken a class since high school. Well... one, a couple of years after I was married. I took a photography class in Italy from Marvin- an American, married to an Italian. He owned a photography studio in Aviano, we went on a couple of field trips that were kind of fun, but essentially he just taught me the same stuff I learned in both 9th and 11th grade, which was how a camera worked, etc. etc. and I still didn't really get it all. Marv wasn't willing to let us in on any of his "secrets" it seemed- which for me was because I wanted practical application of how to take pictures in low light, not because I wanted to go find the church and take a duplicate picture one evening- sigh - but now that I am relearning all that stuff on a digital SLR, it is making way more sense, because I can see it right then- that is the hands on I've needed.

Well... this has been a bit emotional for me. I didn't know I'd write all of this. I just wanted to ponder my fears about trying things. I am very glad that there is so much info out there now to learn from. It makes it easier for me to kind of pick at it on my terms and my time table, so I really should be grateful. But sometimes I sit back and realize, I am living vicariously through you people. Maybe I should get off it when I feel like I need some inspiration and just start doing something? Also, when I start comparing myself and what I have accomplished to the Internet persona's on the mommy blogs, I tend to get a bit down... not as much as I used to though. Now I just marvel at all the amazing ideas out there that women are coming up with and I get to view it! Hooray for me! Some day it really does spark a fire under me that I am capable of more than I think I am. It's like I am that 18 year old again, trying to figure out what to draw in photography class, and I know that I will eventually figure it out. I have a lot of good teachers around me... if I am willing to listen, and be true to me at the same time.

While I was writing this I decided this would go right along with it. It's good for me to watch. It helps me to know that the Lord gave me my gifts for a reason, and it's okay to use them. I have felt a lot of guilt when I have put time into developing my talents as an adult. It feels like a competition for time with my kids, so it doesn't feel fun. But sometimes, like when I need to make a wedding gift, it all works out. And they usually end up painting something too, or photographing something when we have cameras. I like that they like to be creative. They inspire me :)

this does too:

I'm liking spring

2011-05-26T16:37:00.000-06:00

We've had a few nice days here and there that haven't had rain, and I have been able to get some pictures of some of the blossoms in and around my yard. Most of these pics are from my neighbor's yard- they have a lot of flowers.
We might be visiting a few cemeteries this weekend. I'll have to find some nice blooms to take, or something special. I don't really want to do formal flowers. It's nice though to get the rare occasion that we can visit relatives graves and I really look forward to it and to take my kids.
Happy Memorial Day weekend and for us, the end of the school year!!!

A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood

2011-05-11T18:01:00.000-06:00

We had a typical freak spring storm one day, not long ago. I actually didn't mind it because that morning was so beautiful. Then it rained a lot and now we have some warm temps again in the forcast. Looking forward to that, although it will feel so hot compaired to the averages we've had lately.

I haven't put pictures, or anything, on here for awhile, but I thought I would get some on here because I've had a lot of nice drives. Don't know if I can keep up driving though to go look for pictures with gas prices being what they are.

I actually went driving today with my 3 year old after we ran an errand. It's always interesting to listen to her in her car seat behind me. She has interesting conversations with imaginary beings. Sometimes we talk too though. :) We have fun looking at the birds and horses and cows in our area. We like going for drives. I think I need to get my bike out of the garage and get it riding ready so I can get some in before it gets too hot. I might be able to stop and get some better pictures that way.

This came from that cool house with the great porches I posted a picture of awhile ago. I got it from the new owners. sigh... I kind of wish it were still for sale because then I could pretend it could still be ours.

This is from another cool house for sale. I want to get a peak inside it some day. I tried to call them once just to look, but no one ever called me back.

She tried to bring it in the house, but I wouldn't let her. But she had fun batting it's lifeless body around the yard afterward.

Comorants near ISU

These are some heavy duty old trucks:

I really want a lens that can get even closer so that some day I'll get the bird pictures I desire.

But these are better than I could get in the past.

I don't know if anything seems more green than the first full greens of spring. This was a kind of cloudy day, but this morning there was actually sun shining and everything was looking so green.

Until today we had some constant rain for about 2 1/2 days. During one of those rainy days I opened my back door to let the cat and dog out and this is what I found!

It was a small flock of them, all enjoying the last of our crabapples and the rain apparently, then they moved onto our neighbor's junipers. They were making kind of soft chirrup-y cricket noises- so pretty, but the sound is almost unnoticable. Later, when I went to my front yard, they'd moved to my maples right over my head, and I didn't even realize they were there. I heard them, but didn't distinguish them for a minute or two... I think I'll be more alert to the noise though from now on.

I think Cedar Waxwings are some of the most beautiful birds! So dramatic and soft. And this time they actually had the red on their wings, unlike my other pictures from a couple of bird counts ago. I've been seeing them around my neighborhood for a couple of weeks, but hadn't caught them in my yard until this day. Needless to say I was soo excited! :) And they stayed there when we walked out on the porch, even after I'd run downstairs to get my camera. They didn't seem very bothered by us (my dog, my cat, my 3 year old and myself). They only moved higher into the tree. I wonder what makes some birds more skittish than others?

Saw this guy on a drive- but I don't try to identify hawks much because of all the morphs. So I'll just call him:

He might be a red tailed hawk or a swainson's?

I saw these lovely thing in my neighbor's yard Easter Sunday- they aren't blooming anymore. I didn't edit these pictures except for putting them into a collage. They turned out really nice.

Just a couple more from my drives:

My husband is a University of Utah graduate :)

And I can identify a red winged hawk if the sun hits them right.

I also can identify kestrels. I love those little guys- I really want some good pictures of them too some day.

Now for something kind of out of theme here:

Someday I want a traveling porch view :)

See how I can tie it in with my blog though?

Sure Signs of Spring

2011-04-25T12:42:00.001-06:00

Although it hasn't been particularly warm for very long and we've had a lot of rain and some snow, I am starting to see some very definate signs of spring coming to South Eastern Idaho! Right from my front porch!

Guess What I Saw This Morning?

2011-03-07T09:49:00.003-07:00

I know robins are a sign of spring, but the sight of a Red Winged Blackbird on a wire, over an empty ditch, near my son's school this morning made me a little bit giddy. My son said, "Mom, calm down. It's a bird!" But to me it's a sign that winter is winding down! Not to mention I think they are beautiful.

We have a lot of canals in our town with vegitation growing on the banks that they like to nest in, and although the canals are still are empty, and the snow is still on the ground, the males are here to start staking their claim before the women folk arrive!

I thought I'd share a link for a website I like to go to for bird identification.
http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/144/_/Red-winged_Blackbird.aspx

I'd just like to point out something; it mentions the sound of their call sounds like "O-ka-leeeee", but at our house we say it says, "Libertyyyy" because it does... especially if that is one of the names of your children :) We noticed that down by the falls one day. We have them close to our house too, so it's fun to walk down the road and hear them calling her name.

*The picture was found on this website http://www.minniesland.com/print_room_folio_birds.html

Bunny Theme

2011-02-26T20:57:00.001-07:00

I had to make a birthday present for my daughter's friend Samantha. She has a black bunny that Libby always talks about so I cut out some black card stock and green cardstock, found some clover flowers on Picnik and printed them out, then Libby helped me paint the canvas background with a fluffy brush so it would be soft. She wrote the name in paint marker and I cleaned up the edges.

My first idea was to make a denim rabbit and use the paint markers to draw on it (which I haven't done yet, but I might- that's just a graphic from Picnik), but I thought if I messed up I might not have time to make something else so after Libby went off to the Princess Party I tried to make the bunny since I already found a pair of jeans to cut up. I just left the side leg seam for the bottom. I need to figure out what I want to do for a tail still.
It isn't the best pattern cut out, but it turned out cute still, kind of folk art-y. I really like denim. Libby likes this bunny too, she wants to keep it. I don't know who it's for yet, which is why I haven't drawn on it. I think once we decide who it belongs to it will be easier to decide what to doodle on it.

A little music

2011-02-26T19:03:00.001-07:00

Spring is in the Air ... Sort Of.

2011-02-18T13:37:00.001-07:00

First I need to say I have slacked on my bird watching. I only have taken notes on birds from the first day of the bird count and it was just a bunch of pigeons. I think I might have to make a more devoted effort- and there have been no cool birds in my crabapple trees either. Maybe I need to get up earlier to catch them?

The temperatures have been climbing a bit. I have to say, when it hits near 40 we all feel like it's summer practically! Summer is usually pretty far away from February here in this part of Idaho, but I am hopeful that the rockchucks behind the old Fred Meyer didn't see their shadow either and we might get an early Spring!
Once we get a few nice days I just want to pull out the capris and forget the socks and head to Home Depot and Lowes and think of all the home improvements I want to make. Most of them just get talked about but every once in a while something gets checked off the list. I did change my bathroom light fixture this morning with my son's help, that was so fullfilling! We hung a cool metal outdoor looking light fixture that we bought last summer and it's been sitting in the box because a couple of things were missing, but I figured they'd be behind the previous light fixture too and I was right. I used the old wire covers and just left the metal from the old fixture in to save time . It was a bit tricky to get the ground wire to stay where it should be, but we got it. Now if I could just change the color of my shower frame from brass to silver it would look a lot better. I really don't like brass.

I want to find a cool paint color for the walls (actually all of my walls). I am getting less afraid to paint, especially since my helpers are getting much more able! My husband isn't a fan of painting (or being directed by me I think) so I have been accepting my kids' requests to help. They like to paint- but I used to never want them to help. I got worried something would be spilled, but we've painted a couple of times together now and it's gone well. I usually end up doing the second coat myself though. It makes it a lot more fun to have them working with me.

GBBC

2011-02-10T09:50:00.000-07:00

The Great Backyard Bird Count is coming up soon! Read all about it here:
http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/press/news-stories/gbbc-posters-web-buttons

As much as I would love it to be spring, I am kind of looking forward to February and am hopeful that I might see some birds this year. The squirrells haven't cleaned my crabapple tree so maybe I'll get lucky again and get some waxwings? Just because I have never seen them around my yard any other time than my first bird count doesn't mean they won't show up this time right? One can hope!

I Actually Used Suzy's Berries!

2011-02-03T16:28:00.002-07:00

We finally got a blender about 2 weeks ago and have been making Orange Julius like crazy! It's a recipe my sister got in a foods class in Jr. High.

You use half a can of frozen orange juice
1 cup milk
1 cup water (a friend of mine used regular o.j. and no water and said it worked fine)
1/2- 3/4 cup sugar
12- 14 ice cubes- or one tray.
1/2 - 1 tsp. vanilla.

Blend in your blender and serve. Take small sips so you don't get a brain freeze!

In another post I mentioned some fresh Raspberries and Blueberries my neighbor gave us that have been sitting in my freezer. My son finally got them out to make a berry smoothie/julius. I used to use a bag of frozen fruit from the store with stawberries in it too. I'd make them for my friend and I and they were yummy. I used almost a cup of each last night of the berries, and closer to a cup of sugar. I also thought I would see if just using more milk instead of water would make any difference, but I did add more water. It isn't something you can mess up really so I just adjust ingredients as needed according to taste.

As you can see I also made up some parfaits too. I have been wanting to try it because I really like McDonalds' parfaits, which are now smaller and cost more. It's been my plan since I got the berries but I always use the yogurt too quickly. The 3 plastic cups (about 9 oz.) have the contents of one large container of vanilla yougurt.

A Spoonful of Sugar

2011-01-26T14:42:00.005-07:00

Seeing the frost on the trees with the blue sky the other morning reminded me of spring blossoms. It's so nice that winter is beautiful because it makes it easier to go down... like a spooful of sugar.

I Was "Recognized"

2010-12-21T18:59:00.012-07:00

My Prize!

Some cool details

So I am a bit of a bird liker; a slighly amature bird watcher, and I came across this bird count thing a couple of years ago. I have actually talked about it on here before with some not super, but still very exciting for me, pictures of some Cedar Waxwngs that were in my back yard the first day of the Backyard Count my first year, and I've entered some pictures in some picture categories on occaision. One time it was "A Murder of Crows" around Halloween, and I had a picture of two ravens on a dead looking branch in Yellowstone that I edited to look kind of spooky on iphoto. I got recognized in a category then, but never won anything. It was still nice to be "recognized" though I must say because I rarely win anything. I didn't even get a message saying my entry was in a top five or anything, I just stumbled across it on another visit to the website. That was a happy day I must say.

Well, this year I entered another picture from Yellowstone. I didn't even know what the bird was called, it was just some bird walking through the water and dipping it's beak down occaisionally, either eating or drinking, I am not sure. It's just a brown bird against a brown background, not super in focus or anything, but I thought I'd just send it in to get it identified at least. I found out it was an American Pipit. I could have found out myself I am sure, I mean, I do have books and websites I frequent to identify birds. I just didn't feel like browsing and I knew someone there would know. Which they did, and emailed me back.

So... about a month, maybe two, later I get another email asking for my mailing address because they'd like to recognize me for my great photo I submitted. I couldn't even remember what picture I sent in until I saw in the thread my other email with the submission. "Oh, cool!" I thought. I thought maybe they'd just send me the poster for this year for urban birds (which I was right about, and they also sent everything they sent to me before when I said I'd like to participate in the bird count that first time. I even still have the sunflower seeds they sent me, which I think I am alergic to actually so I don't know that I will be planting them, as much as I love sunflowers. They make my eyes itch like crazy in the fall.) which isn't exactly recognition if I can request it anyway. But in the package was something else included. That lovely red planner for 2011!

Now it does have a flaw. Some of the pages are not bound, just like 3 or so, which is more like 6 total because of the page fold ... anyway... so maybey they had some rejects and they needed to get rid of them and they thought "hey we can give them to the recognized entries people, because they love birds anyway and they'll be happy to get it even if some pages are falling out!" or maybe they didn't realize they were falling out because it was new and hadn't been opened, but either way, I was super happy to get it and I can just scotch tape those pages right where they belong and I have me a planner, with cool stuff in it! (the pages that are falling out aren't even calandar pages, just maps and European clothes and shoes size vs. the American equivilent, so no big deal. See... if it was actually choice 1 they weren't wrong :)

Okay, here's the timely humorous page
Enjoy!
(make sure you read the title)

Okay, the cute version is not working, let me load another one :

Well, I promise it's funny, well... educational and funny, at least to me, but I can't really get anything to click to a bigger version... have to work on that somehow.

My Name is Not Suzy (First Draft)

2010-12-20T14:37:00.004-07:00

As some of you may know, it's Jeanne, which sounds like Genie, but I don't live in a lamp, or grant wishes (you really have no idea how many times I've had to answer those questions... along with verifying that my dad's name isn't *Archie, nor is my mother's name *Edith, since my maiden name is Bunker). However I do own an old antique oil lamp that we bought at an Italian market when my husband was in the Air Force. I like it very much. But when I say my name's Jeanne, not Suzy, I mean that I am no Suzy Homemaker. That would be my neighbor... for real, except Homemaker isn't her last name. She knows how to do lots of stuff that a mom should know. (and she is smart as well, like book smart, and she's a grandma now).

One time, a couple of summers ago she tried to show me how to make jam. It didn't look hard, but I still haven't made any, not even with the berries she brought over to me from her garden. They are still in my freezer. I have every intention of doing something with them, but I am not certain they will ever make it out of the there, at least in the form of jam. I might try to make a yogurt parfait with them or put them in a smoothie if I ever get a new blender. Perhaps there is still hope for them.

Anyway, back to me...I don't do a lot of homemaker type things. I mean, I like to bake cookies, but I don't cook a lot of meals. I want to but everyone is too picky so I just don't. I think now that I have 2 teens and a tween though, and an almost 7 year old that loves Food Network I might get them to start cooking what they want, then they can see how annoying it is to have people complain, and they will appreciate what they eat more, because they made it. Until then they can eat cereal for dinner if they don't like what I cook.

As for other household tasks, well, I could stand some improvement. I have grand plans for many things, especially when I see paint colors or look through magazines or blogs for things to build or make, or learn how to do (like canning and quilting, and making charts with schedules on them to keep the house running smooth)But it seems like sewing, and not only just sewing, sewing without patterns, or just home made patterns is something that I realized I actually end up doing a lot of. I just read this post: http://stuffontheporch.blogspot.com/2009/12/christmas-presents-for-besties.html from last Christmas and thought about the things I've done recently, like making pieces and improvements to my kids' Halloween costumes, some vests and sheep-ish looking hats for a recent Nativity production, and the stuff that I am trying to make this Christmas, which may or may not turn out exactly how I'd like, but I'm going to give it a shot anyway. I just realized I sure am doing a lot of sewing for someone who isn't exactly a "sewer", or should we say, "seamstress"... I believe that would be the more correct term, however, since I am not one, I really can't confirm that. Maybe that just means you make clothes well?

This year there might be several hand made items under the tree. Money's tight and I want it to feel like there's more stuff. I have several things in mind, but I've sent the stuff with patterns over to my mom's to give her something to do (not your dress yet Lu, in case you are reading this- we still have to do some measurements, hopefully it will be done by Sunday), and also, because I don't really have a lot of experience with store bought patterns. But I have whipped up a lot of things using some thought and maybe sketching something on tissue paper to follow, sometimes I use another item to lay the tissue paper on to make the pattern.(Like Libby's hat, which actually fits better now after tweaking it a bit after these pictures).

(oh, I made that pillow case behind her one year too)

So far it's actually worked, in the general sense, even if it's not precise. I haven't been making these as official gifts though, most of the time. I hope that I can make things work this year. If it does I will count it as a miracle because I certainly do not have the skill to pull off everything. But it usually always kind of works out, like my curtains in my bedroom... not super cute to look at but they make the room nice and dark so my husband, who used to work crazy hours, could get some sleep. Sometimes "kind of" isn't a good thing, like when your daughter needs some sort of colonial costume... can't even remember, it was 2 years ago at least. It didn't turn out the best. She wasn't super thrilled, however, it worked enough for a grade, and the skirt, has come in handy as a cape a couple of times, once even in school play! (It was never a full skirt, just an over layer to go over a real dress)

Maybe if I keep practicing I will actually get good! If things turn out cute, I will have to post some pictures, if not, then lets just say you got a peak into my journal because I needed to write today. But I am sure at least some of them will because my mom is going to be using a pattern for them!

*If you have no clue who I am talking about then you must be a lot younger than I am. That was a very popular question back in 1979 when I started Kindergarten.

Not That Anyone Really Reads This, But...

2010-11-05T11:03:00.005-06:00

Remember how I said someday I'd like to learn to build things. Well somehow I came across this blog called Knock Off Wood, which is now http://ana-white.com/ and it is so inspiring and I just want some tools and scrap pieces of wood so I can start making stuff!!!

I love that she is a She because that is even more inspiration to me, like the lady builders on Home Makeover (Ivy loves the pink tools that one lady has:) and those remodeling shows. I would say she's more like a real person though, but I think she's getting quite recognizable these days (and she's really pretty so she might as well be on TV).

I have really wanted to learn how to build things for quite some time. I think since shortly after I was married 16 years ago. I was never really able to get my brothers to give me any lessons while I lived close. All I've really done, besides paint signs, and a couple of furniture pieces is help Tennyson with his first Pine Wood Derby car. Not exactly a farm house bench but it was challenging and we bought our first hack saw. (Now Tennyson has his very own. He really likes when he gets to use it so I am hoping he likes the woodworking merit badge he's working on right now so he can get the bug and we can become wood working partners... with Ivy... don't want to leave her out!)

Well, since I have some egg-nog and Pomegranate 7-UP upstairs I will drink a toast to crafty people everywhere. You keep my creative wheels turning with ideas. Thank you for blogging, otherwise I wouldn't know of you and your cute stuff!

Look at that porch

2010-10-25T16:01:00.000-06:00

Now that's a place I might like to call home.

The Beginnings of Something...

2010-10-15T10:12:00.003-06:00

We have been wanting to finish up our courtyard for a couple of years now. It had a great start once upon a time, but we ran out of extra funds and yard work season, so it has been a bit ignored. One of the big projects we had to do was to get a sizable stump of something out of the ground. My husband and many others said it wouldn't be possible, but the stuff was so corky that I thought we could get it to a manageable spot without taking out all the roots. We did the biggest chunk in the middle. It took us all summer, almost into fall, of here and there when we were up to it and it was cool enough in the early evening, but we did it. And my husband even came out to give some of the final blows with the ax-it was momentous occasion for the kids and I.

Well, since then it had been filled with weeds that must have had their seeds sitting dormant under the soil we tilled and all of the rocks we were moving. It was a mess. So this year we decided we'd be like the rest of the Idahoans and burn the weeds -after we secured a burning permit. It started off pretty smoky and bad because some stuff was still wet from some rain we'd had earlier in the week, but it improved after we moved some of the damp stuff. We even decided to add some fire wood towards the end to roast hot dogs and marshmallows.

We are coming to the end of the good weather again and I really want to get this courtyard to the next level. We have plans to put some wood chips down, and we can use some brick and or stones to make a good fire pit for real I think. We'd been back and forth on the idea, thinking maybe it was too trendy, but I really had a lot of fun sitting out there with my kids and a friend of my son's, and they had a blast. We felt kind of like we had a little half camp out! My son even wanted to put up the tent in the backyard, but I'd watered the lawn earlier. (My husband was down at a University of Utah game this day so it was our impromptu fun night. He came back to smells of campfire late that night)

So hopefully we will be able to make enough progress to get it done and then I can add some pictures... maybe next spring- just being realistic. Our kids are getting to the age where we are kind of everywhere, and that's without extra curricular lessons even- and things get a little busy around here. For instance, it would be a great weekend to get some big stuff done, but there are other things going on. So I hope we can get it done before the snow flies. I told my husband if the wood chips are here waiting it will be a good reminder and extra motivation to get the area ready. We differ on the order of things, but I think he might be on board with the idea this time. Besides, it might be less work for him that way! :)

Wish us luck!

Time for Weed N'Feed

2010-10-13T16:43:00.000-06:00

I didn't delete it afterall

2010-08-17T15:38:00.002-06:00

This was for a friend of my son back in April.

updating just to update

2010-06-14T10:26:00.003-06:00

I have a rock to post if I don't forget, and perhaps I'll have a picture or two later. (Update: It's lost, possibly deleted)

I am doing a lot of thinking about crafting and being a mom, balance and developing talents... I am amazed at the talent and mom/homemaking skills of some of the blogger moms. I am pretty certain they have the same ammount of time I do in a day, but they sure seem to fit more in. I am not saying that in a negative or positive way, just in awe. At times it is inspirational, but I know me best and I know I am not one of those ladies who multi-tasks well. Perhaps at some point, but for now it is what it is. I will keep looking at things that inspire me, and wonder about the alternate universe that is their life. :)
I was looking at a blog I follow pretty regularly and they mentioned their kids hair not being donw in the summer, which I think is a pretty normal thing. In fact their summer hair looked similar to my kids during the school year, just strait, it all seemed combed and clean, just not super cute like they always do it. I don't have anything against cute hair, my 6 year old loves it, but we usually just fix the part and make sure it's laying right before we go anywhere. A clip or a braid off to the side of her hair and her two year old sister are pretty good, and if I am on time, then the 6 year old gets it curled for special occaisions, but overall, it isn't the hugest priority. My kids grow weary when I say, "Let's go do your hair" anyway, so it doesn't feel worth the fight all the time.
I am learning though and trying new things sometimes, but I'm not super efficient, but maybe with more practice and ideas it will just become as easy as a pony tail. Now if I could just figure out my own hair do besides a pony tail...

Well, I'm kind of tired from going to bed at 1:30 when I realised the last child fell back asleep and then getting up at 5 when the other crawled into bed with us before my husband left for work and I went to help with flags an hour later. I think I am going to take advantage of summer and my kids being home to go take a nap! :) JM

Happy Easter

2010-03-31T14:40:00.002-06:00

greeneggs
Originally uploaded by JM On The Porch

Just got a flickr account. Here is one of my first pictures in the spirit of the upcoming weekend. Although it was taken last year. Looking forward to dying some eggs and seeing what we come up with this year. We all like to dye a lot of eggs, but we don't hardly eat as many as we dye because some of us are not huge eggs fans. My husband likes egg salad, my son and daughter can share one egg, he'll eat the yolk and she'll eat the whites. I will probably make a potato salad too. But you know, there are only so many you can eat and so many times you can open the fridge after the first couple of days and handle the smell.

Happy Easter!

Finish Line

2010-03-08T22:55:00.004-07:00

Slow and steady wins the race right? I finished that sign I am always talking about. I need to get a picture of it and then deliver it, but I just thought I would let you all know that I do finish things... even if sometimes it takes awhile. (Other times I can finish in an hour or two... or three)

Things I like about it: The overall look, and the lettering. I think it goes well with the weathered wood. I also love that it is a 3 Miller sign- Made by a Miller, For the Millers and made with wood from a fence from another Miller.

Things that could be improved: The roses. There are certain things I have trouble with, one of them is pine cones, and the other is roses (and drawing horses, but that is another issue because I don't paint horses usually). It's because of the shadows and highlights. They have a lot of depth and that is hard for me to pull off. I think this would be worth taking a class for. Especially since I love pinecones so much! Roses are nice too, but I like lots of flowers better. I could have taken more time on these, but I felt that they kind of had a balanced look overall... if I stepped back, so I let it be.

I painted a picture in my highschool painting class (about 19 years ago - I was a Junior then if I did my math right.) It was a windowsill and a small glipse of a market down below. In the window were some roses in a square vase. I just couldn't ever finish it because ... well because I am kind of OCD about some things, and especially back then. I wanted it to be exact, like the picture I was painting from (I repainted the stucco wall in the background a few times- sigh). Well, I don't have time for that anymore, so I have recently purchased some old painting books from the DI in hopes to learn to loosen up a bit in my need to be exact. I need to learn to step back and not look too closely. It wouldn't be so bad if I could be as exact as I'd like to be and really be able to catch all of the details I love. But I think I can save details for close ups, and work on stepping back for anything else. Or else, I can work on all of those details... but that would take a lot longer to finish some things.

Overall, I am pleased, and I am glad that I got to finish.

-I even multi-tasked that day! *gasp*

Title Picture

2010-03-04T13:37:00.002-07:00

I made up a bunch of versions of my blog title picture. I can't seem to align it right, but I thought I would get in the spirit of the season by adding a bit o' green... but I am wondering if shamrocks actually bloom this time of year. I don't know the weather over in Ireland, but with as much snow is still outside at my house (which is significantly less than yesterday I might add) I wonder.

I've been thinkin'... And the GBBC.

2010-02-27T18:04:00.011-07:00

I know, I should be working on my sign, but I had to buy new brushes and haven't had the opportunity to finish it up. I hope that happens, but I do have a big project that I need to be working on. It involves pictures. I take pictures for my younger kids' school. They are going to make DVD Yearbooks to sell at the end of the year. I really have to get working on it, but I have had some computer memory issues... in other words, I have a ton 0' pictures on my computer, and the older one my kids use. I really like having them. I can't seem to get rid of even some of the bad ones because I think some facial expression that is blurred will be something I want to remember in a few years. And then there are the ones my kids take of feet and eyeballs and chair cushions that might be a fun memory too. I do erase a lot of them though!

So back to the thinkin' thing- I may have already mentioned this but I think I might start putting some of my favorite "other" pictures on this blog, since I don't craft all that often, and taking pictures is something I really enjoy doing. But here's the thing- I like my pictures... until I see other people's pictures. Then mine seem so grainy and dark, and I just get camera envy, as well as camera setting knowledge envy. I have taken a few classes over my lifetime (okay, like 3) but I just can't get the technical stuff to stick in my head. I like to learn as I go kind of, but I am starting to think I need to take a class if I ever get a camera upgrade. I try not to need though. I really want to be grateful for the camera I have, which takes pretty good pictures, and I am sure it would take better pictures for someone who knew how to use the settings. I luck out every once in a while playing with the buttons, but I usually just keep it on the more automatic settings.

So posting pictures kind of makes me feel insecure, maybe because I want them to look like other people's. But I still enjoy looking at them, and I think for the same reason I put my once upon a time crafts on here, I need to put some of my pictures, because it helps me see what I have done and inspires me to do more. I will probably just stick with things that go along with On the Porch... now whether that is my own porch, or pictures I take while I am driving down the more rural areas around Idaho, that I wish I had a big ol' wrap around porch to sit on, and some open space between our house and the neighbors, it will stay within the realm of what I think of when I think "On The Porch".

Winter Can Be Pretty, Even If It Is Cold:

Did you know waxwings are called waxwings because the red color of the food they eat builds up and leaves red tips at the ends of their wings, like sealing wax?

Last year I participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count (I did this year too, but I did better last year) and on opening day I went to open up my curtains and I saw about a dozen or more Cedar Waxwings in my crab apple tree! I couldn't believe it- I ran and grabbed my camera and then carefully peaked out of the curtains I never finished opening, and I tried to get some pictures through the glass. These are a couple of the better ones. The glass was foggy, but the tree was frosty and beautiful, and it had amazing birds in it! That was an exciting morning I tell ya!

This year they didn't come, probably because the squirrels ate ALL of the crab apples this year! I was pretty certain I wasn't going to have as good of a count this year, and I was right. I only reported some robins (that's a good sign at least- yay :) starlings, crows and pigeons... not as exciting as waxwings, but still birds, and I still like them. :) I also like typing smiley faces, I think it really gets across my intent. :) Okay, I usually don't use that many in a paragraph, sorry.

Oh, speaking of bird sightings, I believe I saw some red-winged blackbirds setting up their territory by the canal near our local Wal-Mart. Those are the first ones I always see. I think there were about 4-5... that gives me some hope that Spring is on it's way!

Gettin' the Creative Juices Goin' Again

2010-01-03T20:16:00.007-07:00

My husband and his co-workers needed a housewarming gift for someone at work and he asked if I could make them a rock. I haven't done anything for so long, but I must say, it was really nice painting something - now I want to paint something else. I actually have a sign I need to make, but I kind of want to do another rock- less prep work.

(sorry about the glare. I did the best I could to diffuse it)

I am pleased with the way this turned out. I usually paint on them horizontally, but it wouldn't have sat right, and I wasn't going back out to the snow to find another rock! I think I prefer this direction. With rocks though, you have to work with what is there. I actually like that part of it though. I kind of have to get a feel for what the rock wants, as well as what the recipient might want. :)

Christmas Presents for Besties

2009-12-26T00:21:00.015-07:00

Hoo-hoo!

My daughter loves owls, which is totally okay with me since I love birds and owls really are so fascinating to me. I came across Lolly Chops blog- you know, the way we do poking around blog lists- and she made some very simple owls out of fabric and buttons and stuffing and I thought, "Hey, I could make those... Lu would probably love it!" She had a downloadable pattern, which is what I did. I don't know if it turned out as cute as I'd hoped, but my daughter still was pleased with it, enough that she said we should make some more for her friends so they would think of her when they saw it :) And like LollyChops' owl Abraham, Lu's have names as well. The denim one is Eeylop (as in Eeylop's Owl Emporium for you HP fans) and the tiole one is Fat Owl-bert. However after making the one from a ribbed tank top I thought we might need to change names, but Owl-bert found his owner first and was already named. Oh well, I am sure it will be properly named. Perhaps Tank would be a good name!

We gathered up some leftover fabric from other projects (I say that like I am some big sewer but I am not, however I did make some cute birds for my mom-in-law with the toile a Christmas in the past ; I made up the pattern based on other patterns in some books I have) as well as some fabric that has been saved for just such a crafty occasion. I really didn't have to buy anything, so that was convenient with Christmas and all. We only have pictures of the first two we made for 2 of her friends, one of the other 4 have already met up with it's new owner and the other 3 are anticipating meeting their owners, I'm sure. Such nice homes they'll go to.

Two bits of info about my project- I didn't make mine exactly the same, that would be because I just free handed her pattern myself because I couldn't, at the time, be patient enough to print it out. I'm like that a lot. The directions were downstairs and I was sewing upstairs and I wanted to just get it done. The next bit of helpful information... don't use stretchy tank top material. I could have made the roundest owl around! The fabric was so cute though and the tank top hardly ever got worn so it was nice to "re-purpose" it, to use a green word.

I guess if I had to say one more thing I would also add that my hand stitching skills are lacking, and I am grateful my mom was around to show me how to sew the open part of the seam that allows for turning the fabric and stuffing. I kind of winged (no pun intended) the stitching under the beak and eyes too. If I'd followed the directions I am sure that the facial features would have went more smoothly- that's what I get. I also made mine wingless because, as I mentioned, I am no experienced seamstress! ...okay, and my attempt at a wing wasn't very cute, so ours our tucked in.

Here's the link so you can see how it's really done : http://www.lollychops.com/lollychops/2008/11/abraham-owl.html (My first link to another blog- wow, how official! Although I wish I could take credit for these cute things myself).

Hope you all had a very lovely Holiday!

Something New to Chirp About

2009-07-21T11:22:00.002-06:00

I haven't posted anything for awhile and I scrolled through my pictures to see if I had any pictures to post of any crafty things I have made at any time - nothing recent I knew, but I did find this picture of a project my daughter Ivy and I came up with for her Idaho History project this past spring. Since Mountain Bluebirds are Id. state bird we went to the craft store and bought a little glass picture frame thing (which was more like a window because it had no back - they used it for vinyl lettering; as you might guess I have mixed feelings about that stuff) and some glass paint.

I thought it would be a lot easier than it was, but if we do any other projects like this we might just have to purchase a book. It was really fun and Ivy liked squeezing the paint out and swirling it around. Since it was close to the end of the year, she told her teacher that she got to keep it. We decided we could just make another one if we wanted.

Welcome sign

2009-05-13T20:10:00.000-06:00

This sign I cheated on, I used paint pens. I didn't think I had the patience that day to try any lettering. I had to do a lemonade job on this one because it just wasn't working out, and I still dislike that paint pen color- all Kelly Green (no offense Kelly). I actually put it in a patch of Lilly of the Valley for the picture (the flower for the month of May). They didn't have any flowers on them by this time so I had to go online for pictures. I just ended doing one stem. I guess I wasn't feeling very artsy this day, what can I say. Other than the lettering color, I still like it.

Credit goes to Jim ....

2009-05-13T19:37:00.006-06:00

My father in law had the idea for this one. They used to live in Santa Clara, Ut. and the back portion of their property was red dirt and he wanted a sign that read :

(It is quite long; I don't have the dimensions though)

They have moved but the sign went with them and hangs on the deck overlooking the view from their yard, which is less dreary. This is the first sign I really made a stencil for, which wasn't a cut out. I found a font and sketched it larger onto paper and then got some some transfer paper to get it where I wanted without needing to erase pencil lines so much since I wanted the wood to show. I still ended doing a lot of it by hand though. I wonder if a Cricket machine might make things a lot easier, but then I feel I would be limited to their fonts. Not to mention, it seems a little pricy. I think it might be a better investment to take some art classes and brush up on my math so I can can measure and figure out the placing without erasing.
I used Patio Paint as well as a sealer. If I would have known how to stain it it might have been better, but I don't know anything about stains (unless they are chocolate- in which case Zout is great for that). That is something I hope to learn more about some day. You know, when I start building simple furniture like tables and farm stools... someday... maybe I better take a woodworking class too.

By the way, if someone knows what it is called when you have a letter inside a box with flowery stuff (thistle and thorny vines in this case) inside it, like in old bibles and fairy tales, could you let me know. I want to find some alphabet fonts like that but have no idea what to call it. I don't know if doing a google search on flowery boxed alphabets would work. In fact, I think I already tried it. :)

Cartoons are not my specialty

2009-05-13T19:27:00.000-06:00

I made this for another uncle of my husband's. Cartoons are not something I do well, I really had to look at a picture for this.

Baby Shower Gift

2009-05-13T19:22:00.002-06:00

I made this sign for a baby shower. Ihad a great picture in my head of what it would look like, which wasn't this. The lettering really stinks, but I guess the rest went okay. I need to practice this one. I made another with fireflies in a jar that said "Sweet Dreams" but I don't remember what it looked like. It might be better, but I forgot to take a picture of it.

2009-05-13T19:05:00.000-06:00

Five minute sign, it flips over and says "Be right back" for when we are out. Not a lot of effort put into the sign, but it is functional on an old piece of wood with some twine stapled to it.

2 minute sign

2009-05-13T17:35:00.000-06:00

I made this for my mother in law a long time ago. She had a peice of broken fence and asked if I could do something with it. I don't remember if she wanted it to say this, or if I just made it up?

Snap Dragon!

2009-05-13T17:24:00.000-06:00

I had to look up pictures of real snapdragons for this, as well as art online from other people. Eventually I was able to come up with a version I liked, the way I see the flowers.

2009-05-13T17:20:00.000-06:00

This rock was too girly for it's intended recipient, so I saved the majority of it and recycled it for an 8 year old.

Rocks for Teacher Gifts

2009-05-13T17:15:00.001-06:00

Okay, so the wording was really cheesy on the Meadowlark rock, but it was late when I was finishing and I had trouble with the background paint and tried to get clever for the choir teacher. I really have poor handwriting, which is why I usually try and sketch out what I am writing with a font I previewed on my computer.

Idaho has the best rocks for painting!

2009-05-13T17:12:00.000-06:00

Rocks Make Great Gifts!

2009-05-13T17:06:00.000-06:00

The final product in place

2009-03-01T21:05:00.005-07:00

My mother in law sent me some pictures of the fireplace attached onto a board and then put in place behind the mantle. Here is the thing; I really like it but as soon as I put them on for other people to see the flaws that I noticed before, but didn't think they were a big enough deal to change at the time (say the size of the paintbrush I used), all of a sudden make me really nervous. However, I am glad she was so excited for it, and isn't her front room so cool? Her whole house is.

I Finished It~

2009-02-03T17:14:00.008-07:00

Updated update. 2-21-09. I decided to add a little detail inside.

Photo cropped a little off but that is the best centered we could get it at the time. My daughter was holding it up for me while another much smaller one was trying to play peek -a- boo around it.

This is where it will go. Julie will send me pictures when it is installed. I hope it looks good when it is in there! Cross your fingers!

After a break and several bouts of sickness sweeping through the house, I decided to pull out the fireplace I posted about around Christmas and finish up today. I was worried I had lost my momentum, but after a few minutes I started to remember what I was planning. I think it turned out okay. I opted to not do lines on the inside because I still need to relearn some things about perspective and I was worried I would mess up what was already well enough. Since it belongs to my mother in law, I will more than likely be able to go back in and put some detail on the inside at a later date. I did add a cricket (inspired by Cricket on the Hearth, an old movie my daughter Libby was watching around Christmas) which is in line with my enjoyment of painting bugs. That is something I also want to practice, but you can tell it is a cricket I believe.
Well, I better get my son to scouts! Pictures later.

On The Wall

2009-01-23T17:49:00.002-07:00

This was my first official time, well besides some foam stamping in my niece's room, that I tried my hand at fooling the eye (I don't know how to spell it in French and I don't want to look it up) on a wall at my mom's house. It took a long time to finish on account of fear, but in the end I was very pleased with it. It is a tad crooked and perspective on a fixed subject that would change in real life depending on where one would be viewing it, confuses me. I think I might need to take a refresher course of 7th grade art, or a class on faux painting. I think I have a book around here somewhere too...

Anyway, I came across these pictures on the "Kermit the Frog" "Oops Paint" wall and thought I should post them for my benefit more than any one else's. It is good for me to see what I have done so I remember how much of the task of finishing it was in my own head. I realize if this becomes a business site then this might not be good to admit, but it is the truth and this blog is a process of uncovering what I have done. I have a whole draft of a post that I had intended to put on that talks about some of my not great stuff as well, but since most of my pictures are on another computer that I don't use day to day, I forgot I had written it. But once I find the pictures I will get it on here too.

Happy Winter!

Happy Holidays.

2008-12-24T11:50:00.003-07:00

In honor of Christmas I thought I would post my work in progress for my mother in law, who owns a very cool mantle but lacks a fireplace behind it. I am so close to being done, but haven't been able to finish. Only 8 bricks to detail and some finishing touches and fixes and it is in the mail! But not for Christmas unfortunately. Good thing she has two other real fireplaces.

A Little Bit Country

2008-10-29T23:18:00.005-06:00

This one is more Steel Magnolias, but the lady I made it for is far from country.

These two were for my nephews - they have actual small horse shoes on them.

Similar in style to the boys.

Billiards

2008-10-29T22:54:00.003-06:00

My husband asked me to make a sign for his uncle a few years ago, similar to one in a Sienfield episode. It was very last minute; I used an old shelf I had for some reason, but I think it ended up being a good look for a billiards room. That's uncle Mike behind the sign.

Samples of My Work:

2008-09-30T22:05:00.004-06:00

Cabins sign

2008-09-12T20:15:00.006-06:00

This woodpecker started as a chickadee but it was huge, so it got a makeover. Now the size is much better. I could not get my camera to focus this day.
If you have any questions about this sign please leave it in the form of a comment.

Lemons Into Lemonade

2008-09-11T14:14:00.004-06:00

I like to craft, but I don't have a lot of knowledge about the crafting community. I don't know how to put things on ebay or etsy (just learned about that place) or make a website, but I do have a little experience with blogging, so I thought I could make a blog with things I have painted. I previously had a website made for me by my husband's Aunt, and it was very cool, but I couldn't ever get up the guts to move forward and actually get it out there in a google search. So instead of wasting her time again I thought I would give this a whirl and see where it leads.

I have no formal training in art, except for an art class here and there and whatever I have learned over the years, which has held me back in the confidence department, but I do enjoy what I do when I get a chance. As my Grandma, who painted a lot (and many other things) told me, you learn the most while doing. My mother also gave me some advice when I was younger and hated a water color I had attempted. I am sure you have heard this one "Make lemons into lemonade".

Sometimes I don't always know what I am doing and I have to fake my way through. One time I was at a craft fair and a young man who made some amazing wall hangings that he painted to look like wood burnings on raw pieces of wood, asked me how I got the texture on a wolf head I painted on a sign for my brother. I told him I just played around until it looked they way I wanted. Now I am sure there are classes, and books (in fact I have checked out those books from the library) that have techniques in them that can teach me how, and it would probably take less time to get things looking the way I want, or better, but I have limited patience and lousy recall at times (including f-stops and shutter speeds in photography - thank goodness for auto functions and digital cameras with editing) so I just make lemons into lemonade the best I can. Most of the time I am pleased, but sometimes I just have to let it be and move on.

This blog is a big leap for me. I know there are a lot of very talented people in the world, and I can't think about that too much really or I will chicken out. But there is another saying my mother told me and it is "if you don't use it, you loose it"! - I have five kids and I can attest to the fact that brain cells escape in child birth (through the placenta I think) so I can't really afford to loose much more! By the way mom, sorry for making fun of you all of the time for never calling anyone by their correct name, or being upset that you didn't remember much about when I was a baby. It is much harder than it looked!

I hope you enjoy your time here. Thanks for seeing what's On The Porch.