Post #50 - life happenings

The stray kitty was M.I.A. all day. When she showed up at the door later this evening she was hungry. And skinny. Some time in the last 24 hours she had her kittens. Somewhere.  Before we could trap her.  So now we wait and hope she brings them around.

Today I worked on a project I've been putting off.  We had found a framed glass panel with pictures attached to the back side of it when we clean out Mom & Dad's house. The pictures were all of my sister, the first born, when she was a baby/toddler.  

I brought it home because it was cool and I wanted to refinish the frame and use it for some wall art. The pictures are in pretty bad shape, but we don't have duplicates of them. So today I set out to photograph them and do a little amateur restoration magic on them. I don't have the skills or tools to work any real magic, though.

Here are my parents when they were young. I believe Mom was 20 years old in this picture.

The photos are faded and discolored. They all have some sort of damage or deterioration.  Most likely they will be totally ruined when they are peeled off the glass. But, what do you expect after 60 years?

There are so many more pictures I need to sort and distribute...but not just yet. It's still too hard emotionally to do some things.

Post #49 - Kitty update

The friendly tomcat has been located!

The lady down the street who is taking strays to be spayed/neutered has him. I am so relieved that he is alive and doing well now. She said that he had been shot. He is living in her house now. I know he's happy to be inside again.

While we were talking, she asked about a cat that she has been trying to trap. I have seen it; it sometimes comes to my porch looking for food while our stray kitty is eating.  It also is pregnant.  She asked about our stray kitty. Then she asked if I wanted her to take it in so the kittens wouldn't turn feral. Apparently she is set up to do that. Then she would take her to be spayed.  So she brought two live traps to my house to try to capture my kitty and the other pregnant kitty. So far it looks like they are not falling for it. 

I'm torn. I want the kittens to have a chance to be adoptable. I want the kitty to get spayed. I just don't want her to be traumatized for weeks. 

And honestly, I will miss her adorable little face.

***********************************************************
In other news, I had someone ask how to navigate around this blog. 
Here are a couple of ways to get around:
See the side bar over there?  --->
Near the top it has the recent blog posts. You can click on any of them or any of the months or even the year and you will see that post or grouping of posts.
Or...
To get to the "HOME" page, just click on the blog name (The McAdventures of a Mother and Daughter) inside the tan bar at the top of the page up there ^^^ and it will take you to the home page where you can read the posts in backwards order (newest at the top).
Thanks for stopping by. 
Thanks for telling me you stopped by.

Post #48 - random thoughts

• I'm doing laundry today.
• I want to hang it out on the line, but winter took a toll on it, so I have to wait for it to be repaired.
• I'm sleepy.
• My boy is mowing...so it's a good thing I don't have laundry out on the line.
• It's nearly lunch time and *somebody* needs to get her sleepy self into motion fixing something to eat.
• Supper is easy--ribs in the crockpot.
• I have no idea what to fix for sides.  Ugh
• I planted another celery root today. 
• I had to throw out one of the first ones I had planted because it caught a fungus or something.
• The three celery roots that I put in water a couple weeks ago are growing at different rates. Weird.
• I still have to fix lunch.

TTFN

Post #47 - Happy Easter!

Christ the Lord has risen today, Hallelujah!

Have a Blessed Easter, my friends.

Post #47 - sorry to leave you hanging; Part 2

The good news is I finished these projects before Easter eve.

The bad news is that I never did get the Easter candy made.  

Store bought candy in the baskets this year (again).

So...I found a pattern on a blog last year for stuffed chicks that look like the marshmallow Peeps and that's what the kids received in their baskets last Easter.  The same woman also created a pattern for the bunnies, and that is what I made this year.

It's very simple. It only has two pattern pieces. 

After you cut out the pieces you have to embroider the eyes and nose on the front piece. You could also paint them, but you'd have to wait for that to dry and I'm not that patient.

Sew the side piece into a loop, then pin it to the front and sew all around.

Then pin the back piece on--it takes a LOT of pins because there are so many curves and fleece tends to shift while you're sewing it.

Sew it, leaving a part open so you can turn it right-side-out.

Then stuff it and put it in the baskets you made earlier.  

I created a lining for the baskets and they turned out super cute.

I also made some of the chicks (after I reduced the pattern to be closer to actual size of the real Peeps) to give to friends.

She did a great job creating these patterns and I'm very grateful she shared them.

I'm off to start preparing the meal for tomorrow. 

TTFN  

(Ta Ta For Now)

Post #46 - sorry to leave you hanging; Part 1

In my last post I told you that I was busy...then I disappeared for nearly a week.

Sorry 'bout that.

I've been sewing all week. 
Making what?

Making Easter baskets and stuffies.

  I found this blog post that described how to make felt baskets and was intrigued.  Then I thought, "I have felt. I can make those for the kids."  So I made one and it turned out well, so I made another three....one for each of my kids and a spare, so to speak. 

I started out by cutting out all the felt pieces.  Since I was using felt off the bolt instead of craft sheets like the blogger had, I changed up a few of the measurements so I wasn't piecing things together.  Also, I decided not to do the basket handle since I had my own embellishment in mind.

 I started out by cutting out all my pieces. You need 8 strips to weave the base of the basket. While making the first basket I found that it was easier to cut the felt two strips wide, sew them and then cut them apart.

 Like so:

You need two hoops of fabric for the sides of the basket. Just sew a longer strip together with a zig-zag stitch:

And here is all pieces for one basket. Now the fun begins.

Weave the 8 strips together. Don't be fooled; it takes some fiddling to get them to look this neat. Stick with it because it will make a difference in the end.

Set the first ring on top of the base and weave it into the basket.

Then weave in the second strip.

 Yup, it looks pretty messy at this point. 

Almost done!

Once you have things tightened up, pin the top edge around the perimeter.

Here they are pinned and lined up for the final sewing.

And here they are done!

They are cute little baskets and I'm grateful for the woman who figured out (and shared) all the measurements and instructions. Bravo!

They measure 5" by 5" square and are 4" tall.

That's enough pictures in one post. 

Tomorrow I'll show you the "stuffies" I made and how I personalized the baskets.

Post #45 - I'm busy

I've been working on a few projects. 

All at once. 

Cuz that's how we roll in the shire.

Mostly sewing projects

 I'm working with felt and fleece.

 I'll share more about them another day.

...when the lighting is better and I can get good pictures.

Every Easter/Christmas/Birthday I don't get ideas or inspiration until just before the holiday.  I've stayed up MANY times until early in the morning the day of the event finishing up projects.
I'm really thankful that I no longer make matching Mother/Daughter dresses.
Jus' sayin'.

 I haven't even started making the candy yet. 

It may be purchased this year.

In other news..

The nameless kitty is getting more uncomfortable as her due date draws near.  She had disappeared for most of the day and wouldn't come when I called her.

And since it was such a nice day here I was on the porch several times. Calling her.

 I thought maybe she'd had the kittens...but no, she finally showed up. 

Just for the food.

She's all about the "don't touch me" now days. 

Poor thing.

Post #44- I AM still alive...... bring on the neon!!

Hey, it's been a while. but nothing very exciting has happened. Mostly I work, go to church (I will have to post pictures of one of the services one day), and visit my two adorable "neices" (my best friend has twin girls about two months old that can do no wrong.....OK, they can, but it's still cute).
Since about a week before the girls were born I've had the cutest fleece that Mom and I have been planning to make blankets for the girls with, but we haven't gotten to that yet. I knew how I wanted to do the edges on them but I had never done that particular style before so I wasn't to sure on how it would turn out.
So, while Mom and I were shopping yesterday I got a couple yards of fleece for myself and tried it out.....

And I felt neon was the way to go. 

Neon is always the right answer.

Sooo......since this is a no-sew blanket I started by cutting the edges like this.

But it's not your typical no-sew blanket, 

this one is different because I didn't want ties the girls could chew on. 

Sew I fold over the strips in half and cut a slit in the middle of each strip.

Voila, a slit in a strip........I'm so funny, I crack myself up.

To finish the edge I take a slitted strip........

......and pull the next slitted strip through the slit

The result?

An edge that looks crocheted. 

And it's free of loose strips of fleece that the girls could have chewed on,

which would have ended in a mouth full of fuzz from the fleece. 

This one, however, is mine. I love the neon colors in it!!!!

Post #43 - another day in the life...

I haven't had any exciting news to share, so I haven't blogged lately.

I sprained my ankle this week. Not fun.

The mother of our son's girlfriend passed away. Not fun.

So let's see....what fun stuff happened this week?

My crockpot prize from the contest arrived yesterday. 

It's shiny and pretty and I can't wait to use it.

 What to make, what to make? Maybe cheesecake!

I potted the celery. Then forgot to water it.

 The one on the right is a little yellow-ish.  Oops. 

And I put another root end into water about 10 days ago. It's almost as tall as the potted ones. No roots on it yet.

I re-made the Valentine's wreath and put it on the back door.

 I bought the felt bunny at JoAnn's, then made the carrots out of felt.

I finished this week's felt egg. A yellow chick in a field of flowers!

And I finished the second side of week one's egg then sewed the two sides together and stuffed. 

Tomorrow I will receive the final pattern. I wonder what it will be? I have a bunny, a decorated egg and a chick.  I hope the next one has a cross on it.

Our feral little kitty is taming down nicely. She still is jumpy and jitterish.

But she really wants to be with us.

This is our view out the front door.

Her skinny little belly is growing.  

We might have some kittens for Easter.

I hope she lets us see them!

I haven't seen the tomcat again since I last wrote about him. Out of all the things I ramble about on this blog, he is what I get questioned about the most. There was a letter in the local paper from a woman who lives down the street from me saying that she has been trapping the stray cats then taking them to be spayed or neutered using her own money. I will look her up and ask if she's seen him.

TTFN