using the word crafty loosely

So, I needed to make some pom-poms. I purchased a ginormous, round pillow on clearance that I had my eye on, but of course it needs COLOR. I wanted to keep whatever I decided on soft, as opposed to buttons or whatnot. Pom-poms seemed like a good idea, but the ones I found at craft or sewing stores looked awful. I found a GREAT pom-pom tutorial online at *Craftaholics Anonymous* So using my beloved nightshirt that badly needed to be reincarnated into something else... I made my first pom-pom.

 These were all my materials, and I used the tutorial for reference. Now, people think because I take photos and paint and do projects and such, that I am crafty. Well, I'm not really so crafty :/ Creative, yesss. Crafty, not so much :/ I followed all the directions, mainly cutting my shirt in 1/2 inch horizontal strips up to the armpits, and discarding any seams. Then I took the template I made and started stretching and winding. 

 Making this pom-pom was more labor intensive and time consuming than I thought it would be - but of course the first time you do something it always takes longer. I finally finished my 3 layers of wrapping. I cut around the edges and tried to tie off the pom-pom when the material started flying everywhere and went ballistic on me! I did have a few moments of panic. But I just put it all back together as best I could, tied it off, and gave it a pretty good haircut.  

So here is my outcome! The tie dye effect actually looks pretty cool! As you can see, the pillow really IS huge, and I have a lot of pom-poms to go :/ But I'm determined to do it and to perfect my pom-pom making, as I'd like to make some larger ones to hang or whatevskies. I'll let you know how it all turns out! In the meantime, if you're interested, go to *Craftaholics Anonymous*  and check out the tutorial. Be sure to let me know if you make a pom-pom!

caught unawares

Happy Monday friends! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend :) I sure did! Busy - filled with friends, projects, movies, chores, errands, pizza, the beautiful young women I teach at church, more friends, my gnome gname decision(!!!), and of course game night Sunday night :) More about all of that as I roll the blog posts out this week! And there is much to roll out! But for now I wanted to mention a little moment in time I experienced Saturday night. 

Many of you know I love, love, love the song "Here Comes the Sun". I even sang it for many years when John and I were performing. (come to think of it, I sang it at my high school graduation) My boys associate that song with me from all the hundreds of times they've heard me sing it. That makes me happy :) And George. George Harrison was always my favorite Beatle. I love his songs. I still can't believe he's gone. 

Saturday night we were watching the 25th Anniversary of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at Madison Square Garden. It was truly awesome, especially for people who think they're still young but are actually old, like me :) It does my heart good to hear old favorites like Paul Simon, Crosby Stills & Nash... and every time I hear James Taylor's resonant voice... forget about it. Nothing like that voice on earth. 

Anyway, Paul Simon did a special number with Graham Nash and David Crosby in memory of George Harrison. It was BEAUTIFUL. SO BEAUTIFUL. All those lovely harmonies. All that feeling. I don't know what came over me, but my eyes welled up with tears almost immediately. It caught me so unawares. I sat there spellbound, while tears just streamed down my face as I listened. It just touched something deep inside of me so much.

So naturally, I had to draw a picture and share the video with you :)

ENJOY!!!  

they just. keep. coming.

~ One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest & Ruprect the Monkey Boy ~

Thanks so much to everyone for their really lovely comments about Daniel's poem. It has been SO much fun going through my blog from the beginning! And oh... my goodness! The more I keep reading, the more treasures I find! GEMS!

~ Davy performing at Kulak's Woodshed ~

First comes Davy's Mother's Day poem 2009. Most of you know the only thing I ask for for Mother's Day is a poem from my three boys. Their poems to me are one of the highlights of my year. This one from Davy literally stopped me in my tracks and took my breath away:

If time was a stone that I cast from my hand,

And the ripples were love from the water it hit,

I'd jump in the pond and fish the stone out,

And hold to it's nurture,

In case

Of a drought.

My mother's the energy that dwells within ponds,

And had she not held me I would've drowned,

And if she'd not been so transparently clean,

My stone,

That I cast...

I wouldn't have seen.

Sooo beautiful - it touched me to my core. Such a treasure :)

~ Daniel on his way to Ethiopia ~

Daniel was in Ethiopia being an intern for an NPO, so he sent his poem a bit late. I didn't mind - the words and meaning make up for it tenfold! 

so strange the way our heartstrings play
at times they brave so pure a faith
at times they break and fear to pray
but break or brave, the subtle tune
feels like one you always knew
and teaches in the way it soothes

her heartstrings whisper gentle tones
when love collides with fear and stone
when ice winds blow into her home
but ice or stone, the storm will spend
and she will hear the tune again
her heartstrings blessed and made to mend

So meaningful. Thank you for your love and talent, my son. 

*

Well, friends, my heart is filled to overflowing, and I hope yours is too! And just a reminder to *visit this post* and submit a gname for my gnome! I'm going to try to pick the winner this weekend! xoxo

mama moment

Source: a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net via Megan on Pinterest

Yesterday, I came across the poignant little thought you see above, and it completely knocked me in the head. WHOA. I mean, seriously... WHOA. I truly do take the time to count my blessings every single day - it's just something that's really important to me - but do I fall short when it comes to expressing my gratitude? How very, very thankful I am? And everything I'm thankful for? 

We humans are funny. We think we're in control of it all and so amazing and powerful when everything is going great... It's often not until a crisis or particular need comes along, that we ask, plead, beg, bargain, demand, promise, and cry for HEEELP!!! When the help comes - because eventually it always does - do we take the time to give thanks? Or are we already skipping down our merry road, congratulating ourselves for pulling through? It makes you wonder, doesn't it.

Recently, I've been spending spare moments reading my blog from the beginning back in 2008. It's been really interesting to revisit favorite posts, remember things I had forgotten, see how my blog has evolved, and be reminded of what a doofus I really am at heart. In the process, I came across *THIS POST*. I had completely forgotten about it! I want Daniel, my fun and clever firstborn to know that I am especially thankful for him today :) 

A Poem For My Mother's Blog

to be most clear

the purpose of this poem is thus:

to play on witty rhymes while I discuss

my mother's blog

blog rhymes with dog

and  many a picture of dog

there are on the blog

luna and angel, both eskimo breed

of whom we can read

stories of poop

and their antics and deeds

i know these fine two

and their wittle wet nosies

their popcorn scented toesies

and their infamous poo

and i must say their antics

(especially when angel goes frantic)

is a sight to be seen

and a sign of their love

for 'der mommy'

on this blog there are paints

and, with a canvas and brush

and my mother's touch

these paints are arranged

in a tender beauty

blog rhymes with Europe

if i say it does

because

'tis worth noting that we went

and dined with the Queen

Florence and the Machine

and David Beckham

digress you say?

a pang of jealousy perhaps?

very well: moving on

on this blog there are stories

of memories and lessons learned

like our trip to Lucern

like a Sandpoint reverie

and it's incredible photography

and also there are smiles and peeves

and glasses half full

and chicken guts

on this blog there are boys

of which i am one

and though years may keep falling

like autumn leaves

landmarks of life still help me to see

how our imperfect family

fits perfectly for me

I love you mom!

horse of a different color part 3: THE FINALE

~ loooook at my horsey!!! I looooove how she turned out!!! ~

The reveal is finally - FINALLY - here peeps! After more than a year, SURPRISE! Here she is - my colorful little pony! Look how precious she is, standing so proud in her little pasture! :)

So of course you remember *THIS POST* when I introduced you to my paper mache horse that I had found in the basement of an antiques store, took home and painted black, and then ignored for too long...

... and in that same post, how I decided I needed to give my horse the attention and the fresh start it needed so it could reach the potential any paper mache creation is deserving of. High hopes for my friend, I had. Such high hopes! 

The Swedish dala horse was my main inspiration. I adore my Swedish friend Maria, and I have always loved these dala horses. I couldn't wait to get started! I drew out my design and began painting. Only... it looked just awful :( I had to be honest. It was truly horrid. Try as I might, I just couldn't get it right. I became completely bewildered. So the poor thing sat in a corner and whimpered at me for over a year. I felt so guilty I actually gave it a window to glance out of.

A few months ago the guilt + some new inspiration = snatching it up from it's window view before I hardly knew what I was doing, and painting over all my failed dala designs. WHEW! That felt sooo much better! In the back of my mind, I had an idea to make it into a cool *Piet Mondrian* tribute. But as I painted, I decided all the curves of the horse would have made all those straight lines nearly impossible. So... I just improvised. It was GREAT! I could hardly paint fast enough!  

Taken on Mother's Day... *LOVE*

I have very few photos of me actually working on a project!

Here is my tiny work space in my bedroom. All my paints and things - including my iTunes playing Imelda May on shuffle and repeat - and my patient horsey. At first it reminded me of the Coat of Many Colors spoken of in the Bible - you know, the story of Joseph. Then I loved how it started resembling a crazy quilt, made from all shapes and sizes of patchwork scraps pieced together willy-nilly. But in the end, the old cliche' won out - however you see it in your mind's eye, it's definitely A HORSE OF A DIFFERENT COLOR :) Oh! And by the way? She's a GIRL!   

Now, she has waited a long, long time to prance around her pasture and show you how BEAUTIFUL she is! So please watch as she does all her turns for you, and shows off all her pretty colors!

She's ready for her close-ups!

NOW you know why I bought all that black automobile pin-striping!

I just can't help it you guys. I think she's so sweet :) I'm doing cartwheels - CARTWHEELS! - because I'm so happy she's finally finished after all this time. I feel like she is who she was supposed to be from the beginning. A horse of a different color - standing on the grass that she once looked out on from behind a window.  

weekend round-up/mayhem

~ Happy 40th Birthday to my dear friend Kerrie! ~

My friend Kerrie celebrated the Big 4-OHHH Friday. She is the president of the young women's organization at church, and she is one fabulous person! She can do anything and everything, and I have never - EVER - seen her without a smile on her face! I admire and appreciate her so much - and I know all the girls love and adore her - so this is what I made her for her birthday. I put it in a turquoise frame :)

~ Congratulations Kacy! Class of 2011 ~

Kacy just happens to be Kerrie's niece! I made one of these for each of the 7 graduates in our young women's program, cuz as you know, I love those girls ever so much... but Kacy is the only one that has hers so far... mua-ha-haaa :D 

Okay - I'm not even going to try to explain this... it's just Matthew being Matthew and generally driving me nutsy fagan :/

~ Mouse Recovery ~

So Matthew goes dirt biking with a friend. He is a wild man. Very skilled, but scary wild. He clears a 90 foot triple jump. He's just not expecting a berm (a walled turn) to be right there as he lands. He hits the berm, flies 30 feet, lands in a heap, dislocates his shoulder, hurts his hip, knocks himself out and gets a concussion..... and the first thing he says when he comes to is "DID YOU SEE THAT?!?! I CLEARED THE TRIPLE JUMP!!!" :/

~ FINALLY! My mid-century modern chair! ~

Okay, you don't even KNOW how excited I am to have this! I have looked for a chair for my bedroom forever! Found on Craigslist after losing several others... original condition and PERFECT! We picked it up Saturday and, as you can see, we ALL love it!

~ that's right: I WIN ~

Remember *THIS POST* and how my boys wreck everything?!?! Well I was not going to let them get away with it. I adore my colorful paper lanterns and so I got these patterned ones on sale at Pier 1 and made them replace the ones they ruined. SCORE ONE FOR ME! HAH!

~ GNOME GNAME GAME: UPDATE ~

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your gnome gname ideas! They've been pouring in from every which way! Wow, I have some very fun and creative friends! Below are all the names that have been suggested so far..... Keep them coming peeps - I LOVE IT!

* Corky Mugwiggen

* Wimbiddle

* Periwinkle http://www.gnomefrenzy.com/gnome-names.html

* Conehead O'Brian

* Comfortably Gnome

* true to form, my friend Traci went above and beyond:

SCOTTISH NAMES-

Alastair

Angus Podgorney: 

(Monty Python skit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySl_Nk_G-cw) Her personal favorite. :)

Jock

MacDuff

IRISH NAMES-

Alphonsus

Aillén (prnounces All-ayn which means Elf)

Declan

Fergal

Gallagher

Connolly 

O'Rourke

Gnome Names-

Wimfoodle

Elwinkle

Folwicket

Wimwinkle

Boddywocket

Yorkshire NAMES-

Mardybum  :)))

* Lord Bunbury

* Gnomeo

* Mr. Baggins

P.S. I've decided I'm never going to plan on 

relaxing over the weekend again, hehe!

ER games and gnome gnames

~ Hospital jewelry... NOT A FAN ~

So yesterday my rheumatologist sent me to a blood specialist, because my iron is still severely low. I found out my hemoglobin is *half* of the bare minimum and they don't know how I even function. Well, I didn't function so well at their office because right before they were going to take another panel of blood work I passed out, hehehe :D Oh... the fun just never ends! LOL! I ended up hooked up to an IV in their infusion room, receiving iron into my blood. But wait! There's more! Then I had to go to the Emergency Room for a blood transfusion! :-0 Hehe, the whole day was like one long dream sequence! With needles. But it all worked out. Everyone was so nice, I just chillaxed and did what they told me to do. I didn't stress out or worry about how long everything was taking, I met some really nice people, and laughed at America's Funniest Home Videos on the TV. When Davy picked me up late last night, I was really happy to go home with my tank topped off! They'll have to figure out the cause of such low iron/hemoglobin - the low iron can be lupus related - so I'm sure there will be more fun tests in the future! Can you say "upper GI"? Or "colonoscopy"? (la la la - I'm not listening!) PLUS! I get to go back to the iron infusion center 9 more times! NINE! I'm thinking I'm gonna be feeling quite a bit better when I've got some energy and not passing out all the time! So that was quite an experience. But I'm grateful for how it all worked out. And yes, I'm still Mrs. Puff, and yes, I still hate lupus, and yes, this road is MUCH longer than I had anticipated... but it's all good.

P.S. I just gotta say how thankful I am for my son Davy and my friend Diana, who are always there for me. Davy had to walk home from the college, bike to my truck, and then drive me and pick me up... all during a day of finals. Diana came to the infusion center to be with me when she was trying to pack to leave for Africa today. I love them both so much :)

Awww... my gnomedge! Just look at him there, pondering life's most mystical questions. So pensive! Remember how sad he used to be before he had some *COLOR* added to his life? And remember how I said he is desperately *SEARCHING* for something and will need your help? 

HE NEEDS A NAME! 

A gnome gname! A proper Scottish or Irish name. Like Gilhooley. Or O'Brian. Or Bob. Okay, not Bob. But I want all of YOU to help find him a name! 

BILLY GIBBONS IS NOT A PROPER GNOME GNAME!!!

 Just look at how cute he is! A jolly little gnome to be sure! He looks like a combination of one of the Seven Dwarfs and Santa Clause :) So get your creative juices flowing, and your fingers ready to submit a name idea here in the comments! Or on Facebook! Or email me! Or tweet me! Or text me! Okay, you get the idea. 


Think of books, movies, family names, songs, stories... anything that inspires you! Oooh, Gandalf (from the Hobbit/Lord of the Rings) is a very cool name! Hey, what about Mr. Baggins himself!? Start thinking peeps! 

And yes, OF COURSE there will be a PRIZE for the winner!

Gname the Gnomedge :)