out like a lamb

Veda wearing a shirt made for me by my grandmother when I was a baby and a pair of cotton pants I made for her.

I took a pair of jeans that Birch had outgrown and used some scraps from some old cordouroy pants to make...voila!...new pants for the hip, discerning child.

This has been a hard year so far. Financial woes like I never really imagined possible, including ridiculous issues with banks, insurance companies and the state government that ended up costing us many hundreds of dollars in "idiot fees." Illness...bizarre, mutated illnesses that seemed to go on forever. Gloomy weather...rain, unseasonable cold, even snow this late in the year...but always the gloom.

Yuck. Well, I'm glad it's over. Here's to April!

And with April comes my Month of Poems. For the entire month of April I will write a poem each and every day. And YES haiku counts.


One thing I did do a lot of in March, besides using my neti pot and taking care of sick people, was sewing. Made lots of pants for the family. Repurposed some old jeans for Birch and Scott and sewed Veda a couple of new pairs of pants using some pretty cotton and cordouroy I was given. Also, March brought me my spiffy new "sewing closet." Scott converted the junk closet in our computer/dining/play room into an area for my sewing machine and stuff. Very cool!

Happy Birthday to Birch!

My St. Paddy's Day birthday boy being himself.

Just had to put in a birthday wish for my big 10-year-old boy! He's so excited to be double digits today.



He woke up early this morning and we had hung Christmas lights all over the house. I had put his gift on the table for him last night before bed so he would find it first thing (I knew he would get up super-early). It was a huge Lego set he had been wanting. I let him open it early because I knew he would want to start working on it right away. Then I made him a cheese and olive omelet.



Tonight's plans: Asiana for dinner (FREE on your birthday...wooHOO!) then the legendary Hamburger and French Fries sugar bomb cake from Bi-Lo that he has been wanting for years now.



Now...if only I could go watch G-Love at the Orange Peel tonight to celebrate my own not-so-insignificant role in his birth. Ah, well. Maybe next year...

office hours...

Really needed to get some work done today so I'd have less to do over the weekend toward deadline, so I'm sitting in my Satellite Office....an amazing place on Tunnel Road in Asheville called Growing Young Cafe. Check it out...www.growingyoungcafe.com.

It's a huge coffee shop full of toys and games for kiddies, so I can work while Veda runs around entertaining herself. What would I ever do without it?

(By the way, my Satellite Office is actually way more posh than my Main Office, which is a corner of our living room with a TV tray set up to be my desk. Here I have a table and chair, plus people to make me a nice cup of green tea when I need it!) Oh, so looking forward to the day when we have the money to remodel and I get a 'real' space to do my work!!)

Chuckie T's

Mad Crafting Update:

The latest addition to my etsy site: www.etsy.dreamsoftreesart.com -- Little Pumpkins Tie Dyed Halloween Onesies

Made this jacket for veda out of old felted wool sweater, love and insanity. It's a bit wonky because I screwed up the jacket pattern a little (copied it from a book) plus on a whim I decided to add a lining, and I have no idea how to do that...so it has some, um..character.

Now I'm working on a pair of felt and leather slippers for Veda. Poor kid...her mother dresses her funny and there's nothing she can do about it...mwa ha ha ha!!!

Chuckie T's......

I'm so proud! Yesterday my 9-year-old got his first pair of Converse All-Stars. I never thought I'd see the day. For so long he thought my all-time favorite shoes were "lame" and just for old folks like me (I have 3 pairs that I wear very often). But when we went shoe shopping yesterday he spotted a pair of black high tops with flames on the side and decided they were beyond awesome. I agreed...but made sure not to make a big deal about my approval lest he be spooked by my positive reaction.

So, I am keeping my giddiness to myself, but secretly rejoicing in my son's punk rock fashion choice. Rock on, little man! Next I'll have to somehow get you into the Ramones. =:-)

Papa Passes

Zeus dancing with Scott in his younger days. With him is his son Apollo who died of a blood disease shortly before Scott and I met.

Papa Dog, that is. Our old papa Great Dane Zeus passed away Sunday around noon at the ripe old age of 10 (quite elderly for a Dane). Zeus was such a grand old fellow. So sweet-natured and friendly. He was always charming the ladies -- whenever we took him out for hikes, he would look for other hikers (particularly women) and make friends. He loved to be petted and hugged. He left behind his son Hercules, an Irish Wolfhound cross that is a little strange in the head, but loveable all the same.

After his passing, we buried him in the corner of the backyard where I plan to plant a shade garden. Birch was very distraught and tearful about his death -- he had gone down the hill to visit with him where he lay in the sunshine shortly before he died and was the last one to see him alive. He helped Scott dig the grave and we held a funeral to celebrate his life and mark his passing. Birch and I picked herbs and flowers from the yard, Scott and Birch threw in locks of their hair and I placed a handmade wool pillow under his head (he loved to lay on pillows, even though he was so big he needed a full-sized bed!).

Zeus, you will be missed, old friend!

Facebook | My Photos - our beautiful wedding

Facebook My Photos - our beautiful wedding

More crafty photos

A cute handbag with moon and star applique. Made out of a pair of old blue jeans and lined with leftover fabric from my wedding dress.

A plain onesie I decorated with a painted bird applique. I just paint the images onto the appliques with fabric paint.

A really bad photo of a really cute pin cushion.