A warm day at last

We finally have had a couple of warmer days here. The bulbs and trees are really confused, but it is great to be able to let the kids go outside and run wild. Get out that pent up energy kids have natually. Following is from an older post of mine, but it is still relevant. Just need the wheel to be big enough for a teenager now. (Of course, my genious Dad told me how to do this with an exersice bike quite easily. Then said I should take a turn on it. He's right, again.)

From Dec. 2005:

Here's a thought from the "in" side of sane: You know those little wheels in hamster cages? They go round and round.... I need one or two. But I need someone to build it to specifications. It needs to be big enough for a two year old and/or a four year old. Any takers? Anyone out there like to build things? Here's a project for you! I think it would be great. Give the girls some way to get that last bit of energy out before bed. Maybe then they won't get out of bed (six times tonight) every night. And on those rainy days, great way to let them get their exercise. Hey moms, how 'bout those days when you just don't have the energy to take them out to the park? Sick mom, alergy season again? Flu got you down for the count? Pull out the wheel, they can run all they want. Oooo!!!!! Wait, I got one better!!!! You want to cut down their TV time? Electric bill just getting too high? HOOK THAT WHEEL UP!!! Plug the TV into the wheel. Those kids want to watch that video again for the upteenth time? Then run, children, run. They beg to watch a cartoon on Saturday morning? They pick the show, they run. Dont' want to run? No electricity, no tv, no video. That would be the end of the 'couch potato' generation.

Here's some new pictures

Okay, it's been a while. I have lots of pics to post. Hope they all turn out well. I am having so much fun. I have been working on the 3D flowers from Linda. Don't have pictures of those yet, haven't even put any together, just tatting the pieces. I am very excited to see how those will turn out, but am going to tat alot of the pieces first before trying to put any together. This first picture is a choker and earrings (close up of the earrings to the right) I made for my niece. Just need to add the hardware. I'm thinking of hanging a charm or two to it to give it, especially the earrings, a little bit of weight. I can't remember where I saw this pattern on the web last year. If it is yours, let me know and I will post credit to you.



I tatted the Hearts Entwined pattern by Jon. You can find it on her website at the right.











I had so much fun, I did it twice. I am going to keep one for myself and put the other on a card, probably to my mom. On the right is a scan of my first try with two different shades of pink. I didn't like the way it made the lighter one look dirty, which took away from the darker pink's nice color. So I did it all in the darker pink and it turned out nice.


Here is the lighter pink thread. The picture doesn't do it justice. It is such a sweet light pink. Both threads are DMC, size 30. This heart is from Tatting with Visual Patterns by Mary Konier. (I think I spelled her name right.) I really liked this one. Again, I made two, couldn't help myself. I wanted to keep one just for me. I promptly lost the pattern after making the first one and had to tat the second one by looking at the first. It still turned out well. This pattern tats up very quickly. I finished the first one in one evening watching movies.



With the size 30 thread, the Queen of hearts tatted to 2" x 2.25" and the Hearts Entwined to 2.5" x 2." (That's width by height.)



Now my creative brain cells have been going a mile a minute lately. I have been trying my hand at making some jewelry, mostly earrings. And I am having a blast!!! (Not tatted ones, mind you, but I am wanting to put the two together soon.) I've gotten a little website (that I'll post the address of later) to show these off at and maybe sell some of them. I have been trying to take pictures and they are just not turning out nicely. I either get too much light or the colors don't show up as normal or as sparkly as in real life. Since my scanned tatted pieces turn out well, I thought I might try scanning the jewelry, too. As you can guess, 3D items don't scan well. Ha Ha <-- said sarcastically. This is the scan of a silver bell shaped flower with hanging silver chains that have treble clefs attached. The scan doesn't show how nicely the charms hang and dangle. This is all silver plated, so photos with flash or sunlight are too bright and artificial light has made the particulars not show up well in the picture. Any of you pros with posting photos and scans on your blog have any suggestions for me?

And here is the picture of the last bookmark I did for the round robin. I actually had this done before I received the flowered one (previous post) from Bonnie. I guess we were all on the same page with wanting spring to begin. You might notice that the center is like the black choker at the start of this post. Then around the outside I just free handed it. The thread was a DMC 80 in a verigated yellow. Since I didn't have any green thread that size, I dug into my sewing box and came up with a green cotton sewing thread. As I was just going to be tatting chains and not pulling any rings closed with the green, I wasn't too worried about the thread breaking on me. It turned out tiny and light weight.

See my pretties?

* With the bookmark round robin finished, the holiday craze over, kids back in school, swearing off of stairs and ovens, I am looking forward to trying some of the new patterns I have seen on fellow tatter blogs. Here's the third bookmark I received from Connie. My little girls love the small one I call a shooting star. I'm going to have to beg for the pattern to make them each one.

* I happen to love green (how did she know?), but I think this would be good in a red/white stripe like a candy cane. Mmmmm.

* Below is the bookmark from Bonnie. Again, love the green and it makes me think of spring. Can't wait until all my bulbs in the garden come up this year. Must be the unbelievable cold spell going on everywhere that makes me long for Spring. (Of course it could be that this Florida girl still hasn't gotten use to the cold here in NC. LOL)

* Okay, by my count there are 8 different colored flowers in this bookmark, but the chains are not fat enough to have been hiding 8 thread strands. It's so cool. She is a whiz. And I love the little seed beads at the end of the tail. I must try that next time. It gives just the perfect weight to the tail ends.

* I am so thankful to have been a part of this round robin. It gives me such inspiration to see first hand (as opposed to just pictures) the works of art others have made. It makes me want to work that much harder to improve. I have a picture of the last bookmark I made, but want to wait 'til the recipient gets it.

* Ooohhh! I just got in the mail the cd from Linda S. Davies with all of her 3D flowers in it. I am so excited to get started, but first wanted to try Jon's Hearts Intwined pattern found here :

http://tatsaway-patterns.blogspot.com/

Times Flies when ....?

When you're having fun? You've got to be kidding. I can't believe it is the middle of January already. Not much fun happening here. Let's see, to sum up the last four weeks....hmm.....burned hand, 3-wk headache caused by knots in back/neck/shoulder, fell down flight of stairs at church last Sunday.....throw in five kids (3 are teenagers) and a couple of holidays with at least 3 family get togethers......okay, so we ARE having some fun here. Seems like it was just yesterday that we were getting geared up for Christmas. Is it really mid-January?!?! Youngest is turning 6. Wow. Only 12 more years..... (-:

No, really, the holidays were great. Loved getting together with family. We all get along so well and really enjoy spending time together. It is wonderful. Didn't get as much tatting done as I would have liked due to hand burn and consuming activities. Now I can only tat for a few minutes before the knots (in back/shoulder/neck) tighten up and cause pain. But will post pictures hopefully tomorrow. Now to put the munchkins to bed and then follow suit....

Fun times were had by all, and to all a good night.

Teenagers - Love to Hate them or Hate to Love them?

I know that there is some sort of disconnect in a teenagers mind. Most all of us went through that same stage. But I just don't remember being a complete IDIOT!!!! Granted, being the oldest probably had something to do with maturing early, as did being a female. And my sons' up-bringing in a country of idiots (no, I am NOT exaggerating!) has a lot to do with their current state of mind, along with being boys in general (no offense intended to the men out there.)

So my question is this: How do I continue to keep sane? I am at the point of throwing up my hands and being done with them. On the other hand, as a mom I can't quit on my kids. I know myself enough to know that if I did quit, I would guilt-trip myself forever. So how do I continue and still keep my mind?

I will always love them (I tell this to them all the time) even if they do something horrible. I will love THEM, just hate what they DO. Like right now, I love them so much I can't quit trying. But it is making me not want to be around them, talk to them, do anything for them, etc. Yet, I keep pushing them to do better, be better, want better. Because of where they come from, they are satisfied with the statusquo. Whatever life hands them is fine. We have tried to explain to them that here in America you can have and be whatever you dream of if you work hard enough for it. They just don't care.

How do I keep caring to help someone who doesn't care if they are helped? And worse yet, scoffs at any help they are given? I so want to get off this ride.....parenting, that is.