I've gone insane...and my husband drove me there.

That's right. I have gone insane. Totally off my rocker. Why? you may ask. I am going to finish ALL of my Christmas shopping this weekend. Finish ALL the Christmas shopping the weekend before Thanksgiving?? No Black Friday shopping? No Christmas Eve shopping?

No. I am going to do it all this weekend. First off, I dont do Black Friday. Never have. Never will. I did think about it once when my daughter worked in retail and had to be at work at 3:45AM. Figured since I was up and had to drive her to work, I might as well stay in line and get something. Anything. Well, the line was around the store with a couple hundred of people already in it, and it was 30degrees. I dont do 30 degrees. I live in CA. So, we stopped at Starbucks and got her and us some coffee and tea. We drove past a few other stores on our way home and the lines were all the same. So, we saw there was no line at Denny's and stopped and had an early breakfast. That's the extent of my Black Friday shopping. Tea and a Mexican omelete.

Christmas Eve shopping is a different story. Heck, I have even stopped at stores on the way to the family Christmas. I cant tell you how many times I have been wrapping presents in the back seat of the car while someone else drove 80mph down the freeway to get to Grandma's. That's my normal M.O.

So, what's different this year? I already finished my stitched ornaments. I am about 80% done with my nieces girl on the swing and the other one just needs to be framed now. I finished another stitched present already. So, since I have been in Christmas mode, I have been thinking about what to give everyone. We dont really exchange gifts with the adults. Just the usual cookies, candy, homemade goodies stuff. The kids under 18 are the only ones that get anything.

Anyway, I found a recipe for soup in a jar. I had most of the stuff to make it on hand, so I tried it out to make sure it was ok. It was delicious! So, I am done looking for Christmas presents for the adults. A quick trip to the grocery store for the ingredients this weekend and done for the adults! It'll probably take a day to put the jars together and decorate them, but I have a whole month before Christmas!

I do want to see if I can find some red lentils and make it a bit more colorful, but it's not really a requirement, so I'll go with what I find. :)

Then all I have to do is shop for the kids. There are 7 of them. 6 of them are ages 6 and under. So, down the strip mall from the grocery store is Learning Express. It's literally walking distance from the grocery store. Voila! 5 of the 6 under 6 are done. And what parent doesnt love educational toys?? The other 2 kids are 13 and not quite one. I'll head to Target for them. The teen gets the Glee soundtrack (What? You're not watching Glee??? Maybe you are the insane one!) and the baby gets something babyish. Baby stuff is easy to find! And he wont care what it is. I love shopping for babies!

There you have it. All my shopping done this weekend. It'll only take a couple of hours too. You're jealous, arent you??

This was longer than I intended. I'll have to save the story about my navagationally impaired husband for another day. LOL

TUSAL and what I did (not) finish this weekend.

First the TUSAL jar. Everywhere in the house is a mess, so I put it amoung some of our favorite books. This last month, I added a bunch of ribbon from finishing all my ornaments and a lot of sewing thread from the same project. For whatever reason, I cant get my jar to have nice little bundles of color that neatly stand out. Probably because I never work on the same thing all the time.

I did so well last week finishing up a lot of stuff. This weekend was a complete bust though. I didnt hardly finish a thing.
I didnt finish this little beaded boat for my husband's sponser. It should have only taken a couple of hours. It's one of those tiny little Mill Hill kits from the 90's.

I didnt finish painting the frames for my nieces Girl on a Swings. I didnt finish either of those either...but no picture of my unfinishedness on them.

I didnt finish the beaded ornament for my daughters ornament exchange at work. I didnt even start it other than to pick out colors.

So, what did you finish, Brandy??

It's my Dont Panic box and towel. It's from the book, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It's for my cousin's boyfriend. He's a huge fan. I think he'll like it. My husband already wants me to make one for him.

Hopefully next weekend will be more productive. :)

Craftastrophe...in my livingroom.

Craftastrophe is my new favorite crafting blog. Before you click on the link....BEWARE! It's not always safe for kids to see or the squimish. The name is what it implies....it's the site where bad crafts collide. It's like Cake Wrecks for crafting.

Craftastrophe has a different meaning around my house this week though. Remember those pictures of how organized I was with all my crafting stuff for Christmas. It's gone wrong...horribly wrong!

It starts on the couch...which no longer is able to seat anyone. It's full of 1 of the frames I am painting, 4 boxes of DMC, the bead ornament pattern book, and some quilt batting. Not to mention a cat toy and the cord to my vaccuum.

Then we move on to the folding table. Behind and under it are the other frame that needs to be painted, foam core board, dust cover paper, a t-square, a picture that needs to be rewired so it can be hung up again, the box with my new sander in it, a bag of misc. crafting supplies and the breakfast tray with my current cross stitch project on it. On top of the table is my sewing machine with it's cover just tossed on it, my TUSAL jar, beads, linen, silks, cutting instruments of all kinds, needles of all kinds, glues, ribbons, Altoid tins, charts, etc. Who knows what's all there. I lost track a few days ago.

Behind that on the tv stand (notice the tv sitting next to it on the floor) has my iron and ironing board, fiberfill, and a bunch of misc. sewing stuff stuffed in the bottom of my sewing machine case.

For all of this mess, I havent finished a darned thing all week!! Not a thing. I wont panic yet, but things arent looking good if I dont get control of this mess. LOL

Well, Brad is starting his homework. I wrote down a list of things I need to do today, so I guess it's time to start on that list. Wish me luck!

Veteran's Day and a mash up.

First off, I'd like to thank all the Veterans for their service to our country. It's a job I do not envy and one I would not consider for myself. I may not always agree with the mission our government sends them out on, but I will always support them and always be thankful they are there. /salute

Second, I'd like to thank all of you for your kind words. It means a lot to me. I am always excited so see that other people read my blog and then for you all to be so kind about my loss is just amazing.

Third, the strawberry finishing instructions are from Focus on Finishing. They have some really great tutorials on finishing. Another good finishing blog is by one of the contributors to the first, The Twisted Stitcher's Tutorial.

Dont be afraid to do your own finishing. It may be intimidating at first, but it's really fun once you do it. And dont be afraid to stray from the techniques in other blogs. Like the strawberry instructions. I didnt put the interfacing on the back. I saw no real reason to do it. I am sure some sewy person will tell me why it is needed, but too late now! They are all done. And the framing I got most of it from TTS tutorial, but changed a few things. I went ahead and laced the back as well as pinning because I dont like tapes. I also glued the dust cover to the back, wetted it and then blowed it dry on high to get a nice taught backing for my work. I found that trick on a framing site, and it works great.

Just jump in and do it. :)

I am out of Grandpa's.

My grandmother called and said Grandpa had passed away this morning. My other grandfather passed away 2005. I have none left now. I am 42, almost 43, and have always had grandpas. It definately feels like something is missing now.

It's like you have these layers between yourself and your mortality. It started when I was young. I was protected from my own death by my great grandma, my grandparents, and my parents. Then I lost my greatgrandma and a layer was removed. Now the grandparent layer is getting thinner and thinner. It's getting closer and closer. I know...weird and morbid to be thinking about. It's a weird and morbid day though.

So far today, I've felt guilty for not being as good of a granddaughter as I could be. I have felt angry because he couldnt wait until this weekend when we were going to visit. I have felt loss and sadness. I've felt numb. So I decided it was time for some good memories.

My first memories are of us by the pool. For whatever reason, Grandpa couldnt float. He was a great swimmer and I was always so impressed how he would dive in the deep end and swim underwater all the way to the other end. It reminded me of the old Chanel no5 commercials with the lady by the pool and the guy swimming to her and disappearing. He's the one that taught me how to swim. And I remember trying and trying to teach him how to float. LOL

My grandparents used to take me and my brother to all sorts of museums, plays, art exhibits. We used to tease that Grandpa has slept through better cultural activities than most people ever get to see at all. He slept through the Nutcracker every year. As soon as the lights went down you could hear him start to snore lightly. Same thing would happen in the planetarium at the CA Academy of Science. He'd snore through the whole universe. LOL

My Grandma got tickets to see Rudolf Nureyev, the great ballet dancer. Grandpa let her take me since he said "he'd just sleep through it anyway". It was because of him that I got to see my favorite painters works at the DeYoung Museum. He spent hours in line to get tickets so I could see the Monet collection....that was back in the old days before you just sat at your computer hitting refresh to get tickets. LOL

Thank you, Grandpa, for showing me the finer things in life and giving me an appreciation for good art, music, dancing, culture and food. May heaven have a big Lazy Boy with your name on it.

Christmas Countdown

I had a good weekend of crafting again. I REALLY love that my husband is in school again! I get so much done while he does homework. My husband has also been quite the sport about this whole crafting thing. He totally supports my hobbies and goes out with me to get supplies I need all the time. He's honestly one of the best husbands a woman can ask for. I probably shouldnt say that here though since I know he sometimes comes and peaks at my blog. LOL We dont want him to get a big head!

During a homework break, Brad went with me to Michael's to see if we could find any frames for the Girl on a Swing. Luckily we found a frame that fits perfectly! It even has a built in spacer in the frame so the beads wont get smashed under the glass! I had to grab 2...and they only had 2! I think I am going to paint them both an ivory/buttery color. Right now they are a very light baby blue, which looks fine with this girl, but the other girl is on a light mint green fabric and it looks off....like I tried to get it dressed in the dark. You know...when colors just dont match, but look like they might have in the dark. LOL I still have to sign this one, but once that's done and the frame is painted, she's ready to go! Well, she needs another bath too. But that wont take long. :)

I also made great progress on her twin. I am starting to think she may really be done in time for Christmas! I am just whipping through it this time around.

I also kitted a couple and started one of my altoid tins. By kitted, I mean that I did the pattern, cut the fabric, found the floss I needed and cut the backing board for the top. It all tucks neatly into the tin! I am not going to do the fabric on the inside because these are just supposed to be quick gifts. So I am just doing the top and that's it. This topper is "Don't Panic" from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. My cousin's boyfriend loves that book, so I thought it'd be perfect for him. For those who've read it, I am also putting in a small towel in the box. LOL He'll be all set next time he hitchhikes through the galaxy!

I totally forgot how I love to do the beaded ornament covers! They are so quick and easy. This one only took me a few hours...and that included a quick trip to the bead store with Brad in tow again....poor guy. LOL Now my daughter has asked me to make one for her company Christmas exchange...so I get to cross that one off my list of things to do, but have to add another one on the list. LOL She's lucky they are quick!

It's not even mid November and I have finished all of my ornaments for the family! I think this is the quickest I have ever finished all of them. It feels good to have them done and out of the way. And even the ones I thought I didnt like, came out looking great once they were completed! All 12 done....12? 1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.11.12.......13?? Whoa! How'd that happen?? I miscounted somewhere along the way and did an extra ornament. LOL Oh well. I guess that means I get one this year. LOL

I also managed to put my name and state on my quilt square for Stab and Stash. I dont know why I always forget to do that. It's now crossed off my list too.

So, now I have 4.5 tins left to do, the Blue Girl on a Swing, and frame both of them, finish the 2nd love quilt square and I am done! Woohoo! Then I can start thinking of next years Christmas ornaments! I am thinking of doing an Ink Circles Cirque theme. We'll see though. I have also thought about doing bicornu's, humbugs and a number of other things.

How are your Christmas preps going??

Ok, it's all gathered together.

I have pulled together all of my crafting supplies I need between now and Christmas, which looks like it'll be on the weekend of Dec. 19-20 for my family. I have 2 other things in there that need to be shipped out before Christmas too. Might as well put them all together!

Starting at the front left:
Green Girl on a Swing. Needs a frame and to be framed. I also need to sign it and possibly put my nieces name on it.
Blue Girl on a Swing. Needs to be finished, plus all of the above.
Quilt square #2. Needs to be finishe, signed and sent.
Middle Row:
Quilt Square #1. Needs to be signed and sent.
Altoid Tins: Need to make 5 for Facebook "Feelin' Crafty" (see below). Need to figure out designs.
Back Row:
8 Strawberry ornaments. Need hangers and ribbon decorations. (counted up the family already and do not need to make more unless someone travels from out of state to visit...*sigh of relief*)
Beaded ornament. Need to be started now that I have all the supplies...oh, not just started but finished too! LOL

It doesnt look like too much. Also on there is my box of silks and handdyed flosses, some linens, and quilt batting. All of it will be used on those projects. Let's see how much I can get done this weekend and get cleared off the table.

As for the Altoid tins and the Facebook Feelin' Crafty thing, it was a note my cousins boyfriend put up the other day. It's a chain letter thing, but looked fun! Basically the first 5 to respond to his post get something handmade by him by the end of the year. The catch? You have to repost the note and hand make something for the first 5 that respond to your note, and so on and so on. How could I resist??

Well, I couldnt. So now I need to make 5 things to send out. LOL I figured I could stitch something quick and put it on an altoid tin. I think I am going to go with words or phrase and a quick design or two. One for my old best friend's daughter will say, "Reach for the stars". It'll have a couple of metallic stars on it. She wants to be an actress and thought that was a cute phrase for her. My cousin's bf is a huge Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy fan, so I thought his would say, "Dont Panic" and maybe I'll put a small baby washcloth (re: towel) in it. I think I can whip out something like that pretty quickly. We'll see how it goes. LOL

Ready? Set? Go.....

Warning: Whining ahead!

I have no idea where this picture came from. But it explains how I feel today so perfectly. Nothing is going on that I cant handle. I just wish I didnt have to. I feel like my personal space and time are being encroached upon.

I was laid off in 2004 and while out of work, my grandfather's cancer came back and my grandparents decided they needed to move closer to the family. Somehow it was decided that since I wasnt working, I'd stay not working and take care of them full time. It wasnt really me that decided, it was my family. I agreed though because I loved my grandparents, and I really would do anything for them. They agreed to pay me a little since I wasnt working and had 2 kids and a husband with a modest job. Which was nice. It brought us up above the poverty line.

5 years later, Grandpa is gone, and one of my kids is moved out. I am still on call 24 hours a day for Grandma though. Her health is decent for a woman of her age and health. She gives me a lot of free time though. Well, her and I have things worked out. Errands once a week plus any doc or other appts. I am on call any time she needs anything, which she usually doesnt. I could, and probably should, go get a part time job. Except, now my neighbor knows I am home all day. Somehow I have become her personal chauffeur. She's the same age as my mother, but in worse health than my grandmother. It's becoming 2-3 doc appointments a week plus other errands. She's always so grateful, so I feel bad if I say no or if I am busy. I have actually thought about parking my car down the street during the day so she cant see it. I feel trapped. How crazy is that?? Last week I stayed in the ER with her all day while her husband was at work. She didnt call any of her kids or friends.

My husband is a dear and he puts up with our lack of money and being on call 24 hours, etc. Life would be so much easier if I was just working full time and making money. He knows it's important for me to take care of my family though. It just ends up that it's not only my family I am taking care of. It's seems to be everyone else too. Since I stay home, everyone asks me to do things for them. Because I dont have small kids, they think I have nothing to do that could be more fun than doing their errands! Some days, like today, it takes it's mental toll on me. I just need to shake it off and do what I need to do. No use being negative, holding resentments or any of that. I need to be thankful I am able to do these things and know that tomorrow, I will have my personal space and time back.

Ok, enough whining for today. It's time to shower and get ready to go. I already had one of my favorite breakfasts. I made oatmeal with dried cranberries and almonds. I use the old fashioned oats so the cranberries cook and get nice and soft. It's really easy to make. Add water, cranberries, and sliced almonds to pan, bring to boil. Add oats and cook as directed. Once it's cooked I add about 1/8 teaspoon of almond extract and a couple of sprinkles of nutmeg. Delicious! I have also used dried apricots and that's even better!

Dont be fooled by the healthy nature of my fruit, nut and whole grain breakfast, because when you werent looking I doused it in butter and brown sugar to complete my pity party! MMMmmmmMMMM good! Good for the body, good for the mind! hehe