Weekly Posting...

Painting A Picture Frame
It seems we cannot pass my studio without some complaining about wanting to "Color".

Baby Cove
A small area ready for baby boy "Not Jake." I was feeling a bit sad that we really have done little to nothing for the baby coming soon. Then I realized that it really isn't much different that what we did for Lulu. Looking at the blog link Old Closet - New Closet in May 2009. So "Not Jake's" little nook is pretty good! LOL. As soon as Lulu saw the set up she wanted into the crib (which I didn't allow, so she doesn't get confused about her space)... but she found it a good place for ALL of her baby dolls and her pull along puppy.

A Family Nap

After a LONG, LONG night of Lulu's vomiting... Lulu had her first nap not in her crib, the 3 of us were curled up in bed watching The Muppet Show and she passed out in 10 minutes.

and 15 days later a new post...

She's happy, smiles and coos all the time. This picture was from 24 July she was 6 wks and 13 lbs of wonderful joy, and I am amazingly tired.

My best friend from HS, Geena, came to visit... and held Lulu a lot so I could manage to paint this platter. She left Monday when it was in the kiln, so I took her to the airport in Fargo. It took me from 10 am - 2 pm to prepare this platter for shippment having to hold Lulu crying nearly all day the 28 July. Thanks Gee, I don't think I could have done it without you! And thank you to my neighbor Tiffany who came over JUST as I was putting Lulu in a car seat to ship the pottery... she watched her and I saved about 20 extra minutes it would have taken to bring Lulu along... oh how sweet, Tiffany is her first babysitter!

This is over a week ago getting the RV ready to come home from the wedding in Wisconsin. Gromit loved the Boppy, and I found it was nice to use when knitting (a place to rest my elbows).

We camped at a State Park 15 miles from the wedding site (Camp Manitou) which is a great YMCA camp if you're looking for a fabulous place to send your children.
Lulu and I slept here (the kitchen table/bed) in the RV. She was a trooper.

The Dinosaur (RV) ran great, drove great, and I am SO glad we didn't get a motel room, or stay with family. This was a nice break from being cooped up in a house for the previous 5 weeks!

This is Claire & Matt Tiller! It was a wonderful wedding, although I missed the ceremony because Lulu decided the 30 min of nursing before it was not enough food... so we went to the RV and nursed more. I was a bit bummed, but that little girl is so darn sweet a mom just can't be disappointed!

This is the fired Hand Painted Wedding Guest Book Platter we gave them as a gift (string around finger to pay for it, especially since I ordered glazes today).

Miss Lulu Button Napped!

I had almost 50 uninterrupted minutes where I dug out a tunnel in my studio today! I can now get to the back wall now, and if I so chose I could actually get onto a wheel... but no place to dry bisque yet, which maybe is better since that would require at least 5 lbs of clay to get back into my grove since it's been at least 11 months! What you can't see in this picture is that except that 2 ft path to the shelves the entire floor has something on every square inch and I needed to glaze today.

I've also started a new pottery blog to motivate myself... much like this gardening blog! Ha, such big plans and then I got pregnant. DO NOT mistake that comment for a complaint I love Lulu and can't imagine life without her or Gerry but I really do wish that I had more time in the garden... soon, when she's a month or so older maybe.

BTW if anyone reads this and knows where I can get decorative fence for a flower garden that doesn't cost an arm and leg, is made out of something other than plastic or bendy wire... please comment!

I have taken a layer off the Lulu's mobile, now it's a little higher. She absolutely LOVES it! Always smiles as she watches Saturn, Wendell and Mazie circles around on the mobile (Wendell is the book worm, and Mazie is the monarch butterfly). I am so glad I made the mobile, I almost scrapped the idea when it didn't turn out like I was imagining.

BTW, another one of my favorite shirts... this is one of the couple things I wish I could tell someone who asks me 'What I do' Astronaut, Astronomer and Rocket Scientist are my top 3 answers. I wonder what she will want to be when she's older?

2 days ago Miss Lulu Button started losing her velvet hair... I am so sad about it and I think she was pretty upset too ( hence the crying hysterically). Ok well maybe she was crying because the frog outfit isn't going to fit again after today. Alright, alright, it was because she didn't want to be put in the bouncy chair for longer than 2 minutes! You got me, I have her attached to me... making my new Mommy job much more difficult. She likes to sleep anywhere as long as some part of me is touching her. Oh boy am I in trouble!

A New WGB Platter

The Guest Book Wedding Platter is my contribution to the wedding we're attending this weekend. I hate to pay for my own work, but I do give myself a good price. All my other gift ideas required that Lulu sleep at least 3 hours solid a day, an preferably NOT at night when I am sleeping too. Since that hasn't happened I haven't had time to complete the other gifts I was going to make for the couple, i.e., felted trivets with stacking serving bowls.



The Violinist* is playing "And I Love Her' for the wedding, here's a snippet I caught while no one was paying attention (don't rat me out or I won't sneak any other videos and he has a couple flaws in here so he'd probably not be so happy to have this out there).

Fun Friday

Nana's Last Day

We had a good visit with my mom. We are thankful she came, as we'd probably have had less hot meals. I wanted to do something special for her last day so we made a special trip to Blue Sky Beads where I bought both mom and myself a little bird house necklace. I had admired them at the last Art Leap, but since my Grandmother passed I have been particularly fond of birds and bird houses (not enough to buy the kind for outside). My Grandmother loved birds, and could do any bird call. Although I did not know her well, I do remember hearing her bird calls they were lovely. Baby Lulu is going to miss her Nana who is really good at soothing her when I cannot... guess I will figure it out quick!

Thanks a million Mom!

I am pretty certain we daughters never show our mom's our gratitude for all the help and work they've done until they have themselves become mothers. Maybe it's just me? Anyhow my mom has been a great help, including putting up a new mom and a new dad who are both fairly stubborn.

Yesterday we went to Spirit Lake to find my friend Zanna, her daughter and grand babies... but my following Lulu's scheduled pretty much means I don't get anywhere on time so we ended up going to Sebeka to Zanna's house. In any case on our way back to the house I was telling mom that I was pondering the best idea for a pottery studio so I can have public shows and sales from our property. I was telling her I was considering building on our corner acres, but wondered if I would get there as often as if I built closer to the house... and as we turned the corner from the highway I noticed my sign was missing. Lulu was crying so I didn't stop, but we took the golf cart out to see if it knocked down by the recent high winds or if the county had a problem again and took the sign down and put it on the ground...

My Store Sign

Nice View from the Golf Cart

Where the Sign WAS


Trespassing, Vandalism & Robbery!
and a hack job on my 4x4's!

I can't believe in this community that someone would not only trespass on our property (maybe less shocking), but to hack the 4x4's with an axe of some sort so that not only do I have to replace a stolen sign but 2 tall posts! And then to steal a sign that was on a great piece of very thick plywood, for which I paid Piper to paint my logo.

What would someone want to do with a freakin' pottery sign! Grrr.

Saturday Rain

My cousin had a Sweet 15th Birthday with my niece (above) as a "Princess." She sure does look like a princess! Anyway, just showing her off because she's so special!

Spent some time looking at family pictures of family I recently connected with online. My family never lived close to their siblings and so we never got to know each other. It's great we can all keep in touch now. It's sad how we've really gotten away from formal letters.

Painted these this morning for Jill. They are not fired yet. The colors will be vibrant.

Saturday night baby crafts

Doesn't it seem like everyone is having babies but me? Oh well, I just love making baby gifts so it makes it all a little more fun (vs. sad and depressing).

I came across this 'Baby Bunch' on Martha Stewart when I was searching for alliums, and they had a how to video. I watched that sucker about 5 times and attempted to make my own, it's a little harder than it appears! This Baby Bunch a onesie, socks, bib, t-shirt, hand mitts, and a hat, with dark blue, yellow and red fake flowers... now the flowers are really cheesy because they were cheap, but I am thinking they'd get tossed so it doesn't really matter right?

Anyhow, changed it up a little and dropped this is very bright bunch it into the green bowl I posted last weekend, and stuck the Gerber spoon, fork, knife (green and blue handles pictured below) poking out the edges. It a little obnoxious, but I usually give pottery, fork/spoon and bib, and knitted cap... so it's a little more special.

Rattle, tat-tat... after that oh so cute felted flower rattle I had to make another. So here is the mushroom I finished tonight.

Friday I finished the switch plate. I have sketched out several designs to paint, I wanted to see how my ideas translate onto pottery. This one didn't turn out as I pictured it, but now I know what to do different. I do love the colors... Looking for a little input, anyone?

I had coffee with Jill, one of my favorite peeps in Park Rapids. We met prince charming there too... well Jill knew him, I only recognized him from the opera. I told My Peanut* "I met Prince Charming today" at dinner and he didn't seem impressed or threatened, maybe it was the big grin on my face (because I thought I was being cute). I did admit to the gentleman that I can't stop singing the Agony song... so darn catchy. If you haven't a clue what I am talking about check YouTube for Into the Woods.

another sunny day

A hodge-podge picture so you can see the entire scene I had from the house stoop. We have not lost a chicken this week, and so I am very happy. I am currently working on the deck... it's just too nice not to! Thank God for wireless!


Monday we had a couple guests arrive, Piper, Michael & Polkah-Dot. They are working the We Fest and Polkah is staying on the farm for her own little vacation.


They could not have come at a better time! I was getting prepared for a Paint Your Own Pottery gig with Family Campers at Northern Pines Resort and had 39 painters scheduled. Oh man, the fun, frantic, festivities ensued without a hitch thanks to my super-artist-friend helpers.


So after such a busy day I used my $10 off Coupon at Beagle Books and picked up Skinny Bitch. Read 1/2 of it, nothing new there that I haven't read anywhere else. It's all just stated with such extreemely rude language that it's hard to get into it. Once I got past that, they are funny ladies.

I spent a little time teaching myself a silly song on the guitar so I can play it for My Man* while camping.

And for the next 3 days we'll be glaze firing 44 pieces of pottery.

Anyhow, it's another sunny and warm day in Minnesota... the kind that makes you wish you didn't have a job, just a good pair of sunglasses, a camera, a big floppy hat and a blanket spread on the grass... with a good book.

a random August weekend

I went to the NLO Into the Woods production on Thursday night. It was great! I hadn't heard of the Broadway theater production, but they used fairy tails from Brothers Grimm. I was so caught up in the catchy, witty lyrics that I forgot to listen to The Violinist* playing too. Oh my I just have to say that the princes singing the 2 duets about 'Agony' is hilarious.

A complete set; I finished my knitting hat Friday night while I watched the news. It’s still a little big but I will add felt liners to the mittens and brim of the hat… and now I have something for myself for winter. Excuse bad picture of me... it was late at night waiting for My Peanut* to get back from NLO.

Saturday breakfast provided by our wonderful little Gold Stars. Then I was off to mowing the yard with the hand me down, time saving, riding Husky that my father gave me last summer. Oh, what a relief! The yard still takes 3 hours to mow, and of course that doesn't include what Farm Boy* mows with his MF tractor, but the old JD riding mower use to cause me lots of problems (steering wheel breaking off, screws falling out while I was mowing, engine parts coming lose, etc...) and this Husky mows well.

I felted coasters too this weekend too, I like that each is a little different. I did them all with roving wool and a needle.

I was cleaning the kitchen Saturday after making dinner for the family, and decided a hammer is the best solution for these 2 blue pottery blue pieces that have been setting around reminding me of my last glaze firing failure. I really should check into mosaics!

As I was typing the above, there was an incident in the yard... I got there packin' in time to see this pile of feathers and the chicken running back out of the woods. One dog was on the trail of the pesky fox, the other decided rolling in the scent of chicken feathers was more fun I guess, stinker (but the poor guy needs some surgery)!

So my coffee and me sat out in the yard watching, admiring the lovely Day Lilies by The Mechanic's* shop. These flowers take no maintenance... nor did I plant them, they came with the farm.

The shortest row in front is what I started stacking last night and finished this morning after coffee. The Logger* will be cutting more tomorrow I am sure. We are about 1/2 way ready for winter with the amount of wood split/stacked.

Well, I best get into the garden, since I discovered it doesn't weed itself.

Note: *101 names for husband