The hot days of Summer.....

I used to love the heat of summer...Really, I did. Now I stay inside until dusk and then I take the dogs for a walk. I am already too hot without adding more heat to my poor hot flashed self. One nice thing is the condo where I live has a great pool. Olivia and I have really enjoyed it, especially in the evening.
We have been working on her panda swap. I get such a kick out of her...She loves everything so much that she wants one for herself and her friend Erin too..I gave her the mermaid painting and she declared it "about the cutest thing she has ever seen!" (complete with little girl squeal.) I made a journal out of a composition book and she decided she wanted to make one too and she used one of my mermaid paintings. She loves to write and draw and always carries pencils and paper with her. Here is the journal...














She had a lot of fun digging thru a bag of little doo dads that I save for things to decorate it. Journals are super fun and easy to decorate.

I also am working on a mermaid swap, a birthday quilt and I have been working on this doggie portrait quilt for Jane. It is almost done, just have to put it all together and then it will fly off to Canada. It is for Jane's Daughters birthday. Her room is aqua so I thought this fabric would look good. These were hard little doggies to do... White animals are just the hardest. The little one with his tongue hanging out has passed away and I went off a photo that was before digital camera's. he was a challenge for that reason.











So stay cool and enjoy the outdoors for me...Maybe someday all this menopause nonsense will be over...One can hope.

Mermaid paintings....

I have been painting mermaids....The Enchanted Ornament theme for this month is you guessed it, mermaids. I have had trouble sewing because everything is so scattered yet...I still cant find the box with my sewing scissors or machine needles. They are in the garage somewhere. I wanted to do something relaxing so I got a piece of printer paper and some of Olivia's paints and I started on a mermaid...Is it the best mermaid I have ever seen? No, but that is ok because it felt really good to paint her even if at times she looked like a drag queen. I softened up her chin a lot...At one point she looked like an adam's apple would be appropriate.













I made a huge mess out of my sad little sewing and craft table...No more art and sewing room....I sure miss it!










I had so much fun painting, that the next day I went to Michael's and got some real paper and acrylic paints...That led to painting number two...

















Then today I finished number three....I have seen this style of painting in a Cloth Paper Scissors magazine and the lady that does them has an Etsy shop....I love the whimsy and color so I adapted it to my own mermaid painting...It is for my own enjoyment so I didnt feel to bad about it but I want to give the credit to the person who made up these faces....Her shop name is Art and Dreams and she uses a lot of scrapbook paper and mixed media stuff...I am a fan.










Olivia has been asking for things that she likes that I have made to take home with her...She says she likes having it around her when she misses me...I am going to mat and frame this for her bedroom at home. I think she will like it.


Olivia and I joined a Panda swap Hosted by Jill and her daughter...We are going to work on it on Friday. Liv is really excited about doing it. She has big plans as she hasnt really done one before...I am happy to be able to do it with her...











I had the day off today and managed to put away more stuff...Now I am pooped and I work tomorrow so I am going to say Good night and Sweet Dreams.....night

lady bugs and baby clothes.....

For the month of June, our Year of Enchantment ornament swaps theme was ladybugs. I waited to post because I wanted to make sure Kerry, my partner had time to get her package...Here is what Kerry sent me...












I love this little guy....The antennae are so cute! She also sent me some fun other ladybug goodies.
















I made her a painted ladybug glass ball ornament.

















I also made her a little lady bug house out of fabric that I quilted onto peltex...I had no idea what I was doing... I saw the little pattern in Cloth Paper Scissors and I thought it would be cute in fabric. This was a tough one to figure out...once done though, I just think it turned out really cute. There were several times when I was ready to throw it away.




































This months theme is mermaids so I have been giving that some thought. Who knows what I will come up with.

Olivia and I had a good time this weekend.
We went to the movies and saw Mr Poppers Penguins...She is such an animal lover that she was enthralled and now wants a penguin...or two but I expected that. It was a really cute movie.

We also got our new absolute favorite dessert! Papa Murphy's has a smore pizza....We call it chocolate pizza and it is so good...We are hooked lined and sinkered and the best news? A pizza is 4 dollars...I think it is a great buy...you have to try it.....yum!

We also sewed pajama pants. Liv made her own. I made her model them for Julie today and I snapped a picture...She has her eyes closed but you get the idea!


















I think she shut her eyes on purpose.....She also made pj bottoms for Jace and he loves to model...You can tell I am at Julie's because of all the kids stuff in the background.


























While Liv was sewing I pieced together and outfit for little Ava out of quilt scraps. I didnt use a pattern I just put this and that on it and it turned out so cute. Julie was just thrilled and says it is the cutest thing she has ever seen. After making itty bitty doll clothes, it was easy.

















The pants are reversible....they can be black and white dots with red ruffles too and the back of the top is in the same dots...














Happy Summer!

Around the house....

I know I have mentioned several times what a struggle this last move was for me....I officially unloaded the U-haul on Easter...I still am not moved in or unpacked. I have never been a procrastinator, more of a mover and shaker actually! I have moved a lot. Too much really. I am a professional at this stuff. I look around and this doesnt even look like my home yet. Olivia really gave me a wake up call. She walked in for the first time and walked around really quiet peeking in the garage and looking in the rooms. She came up and looked at me really serious and then said "What has happened to you Maga?" Words from a ten year old. Since then, I have hung up a few more things, put a few more boxes away and made more of an effort but still I struggle. I am a homebody....my home is typically a reflection of who I am. I love color and art and things that get turned into something else. A home of mine will never be in House Beautiful magazine and I am ok with that...I am too eclectic but if you came in a house of mine previous to this one, you would have known it was mine and it would have welcomed you. Olivia has gotten me thinking about what I can do to claim this space that I live in....I picked colors for the walls downstairs....















I bought some upholstery fabric and am in the process of redoing my dining table and chairs.....

















Here is one chair alongside the "before" chair. It isnt done yet but you get the idea....














I also have been taking an old antique mirror with me from move to move...It hung on my family's living room wall when I was a kid...It is so old it was falling apart...literally crumbling away and the mirrored glass had lost all its silver on the back. I tried to fix it and it wasnt working at all...I finally took the glass out....I sanded carefully and painted it and now I have the memories and the frame. It was kind of hard to get myself to do it but it is better than having it sit in an attic for another ten years.













Olivia and I have been hanging out when I am not working. We went scrapbooking at a local store. She just loves to do it and I let her pick the pictures and paper and stuff. I can tell she misses her brothers cause' the pages she did were of them.
We went to a water park with Julie for her birthday. She had some friends with her and she had a great time. I can still see her running by me with a big smile on her face in my head.
We also have done some sewing and crafting.... We made flower fairies and she put hers on her backpack and shows it to everyone. I love that she loves to sew and make things. I know what a good outlet it can be and she isnt afraid to try anything.
The other night she went to Julie's and I painted a little tiny ladybug scene on an atc size piece of paper...
















Then I changed it to a black and white print and printed it out 5x7 size....













Then I turned the prints into cards....I had fun doing these. Paper and glue seem to relax me these days.







Happy Summer!

happy Fourth of July!

When I was a kid, the 4rth was always my favorite holiday! I think growing up right on the beach made it more special and magical. I can smell the Fourth of July as I sit here typing away on my laptop. To me it is the smell of bonfires, the tangy smell of the ocean, smoke bombs, sparkler smoke and good things cooking on the bbq. I remember the feeling of trudging home with sandy feet after a long day of fireworks and fun. We had a lot of family traditions for the day...The parade ( a lot of times we were in it) a big bbq with family members and lots of cousins, fun day at the beach and then the big show with the ocean as the backdrop. Most of all though....the food! So even though I am here in Utah now, we can still keep the food thing going. Tonight Olivia and I are going to my sister Julie's and I am taking a Flag cake.....







Have you ever made one of these? You bake a white cake, poke holes in it with a wooden spoon handle...mix up some cherry or other red jello according to the box and then pour it over the cake. You let it get cold in the refrigerator, and then frost it with whipped cream....( I use the real stuff but cool whip is good too! ) The you make a flag with fresh strawberries and blueberries. Yum, yum good and so easy. Happy fourth everyone!!!!

Still here.........

My life is a rollercoaster ride...Always has been and probably always will be. I accept that. Sometimes I feel like things are either so up or so down that I must be some kind of freak of nature. Is everyone's life like this or is it just me? Is it just the way I handle things? Am I doing something to bring all the ups and downs on? I dont know really. I just hang on and when it seems appropriate or not I scream and then I hang on some more and ride the ride. Honestly, I have been having a tough time lately. I think part of it is menopause is kicking some butt here. I think if I took hormones out of the equation I might be better at riding the scary rides.












I can still laugh, like at this picture, but the laughs are fewer. I am lonely for the kids and for the sound of family around me. At the same time, I am not up for a move back to Oregon or Washington. So I try to pull my big girl underpants up and trudge along rollercoaster or no. What I am trying to say is this is what I am going through and why it has been hard to blog.
I have been working a whole lot. I worked 9 days in a row so I could go on a five day camping trip. It was really fun although the heat made it pretty rough on me. Luckily I had an air conditioned rv to escape too...I went with a group of ten other people, one baby boy and numerous dogs. We went to a park called Sand Hollow by St George in Utah. The colors are amazing and I just got sucked into them. The sand is red, the rocks are red and then the lake is this amazing azure blue. I want to find fabrics those exact colors and use them to paint what I still see in my mind.











I did a lot of floating around surrounded by dogs...The water was just so wonderful and this picture doesnt even do it justice. I also climbed some big red rocks, rode the waverunner a lot and attempted to wakeboard. I got up twice meaning my butt left the water, but I couldnt stay up. I am going to get it next time for sure! I also took advantage of the perfect light and took the cutest baby photos of my friends little guy Ryder. I love to take "kid" pictures....














On the home front, very little progress in the unpacking. Things are still kinda chaotic. I putter and unpack half a box now and then and call it good. I did plant some flowers in pots for the back yard. I miss my garden, I miss my kids that garden with me.The flowers are pretty, but I didnt feel the joy that I usually do when my hands are in the dirt.

I went to the Capitol Theatre here in Salt Lake City and saw Les Miserables.








I had never seen it..I loved it. The music was incredible and made me cry more than once. Wicked is coming in August and I am so excited about it. I have wanted to see it for the longest time!

I also took a trip to the hospital in an ambulance from work after I collapsed with chest pain and anxiety. My anxiety really went up when the guy in the ambulance told me I was having a heart attack. Then they gave me some good drugs and I didnt care anymore. Is this why people like drugs? I almost think it was worth getting a break from my life...If only for a few days.


Creative wise? Very little...I have pulled out some rows of star blocks to start putting a quilt top together and then I laid it out and pondered over it....pondered some more and said to myself " oh, never mind" and put it back. I did make some fairy ornaments though....Because I had the Enchanted ornament swap and my partner is Sherry whom I love....













I also made some tags and cards....














My sister, Julie left with the kids to Oregon and has been gone two months....I am so anxious to see Jace and Baby Ava! The best news though? She brought Olivia back with her so I get to have her for the summer...I am really looking forward to it!!!

Sand and fun......

For the first time in a long time, I actually just said " forget about what I need to do" and I went and had fun instead. I got to go camping to a place in Utah that I had never been. (I actually have been only a couple of places here...) I went with a group of friends to a place called the Sand Dunes. It was so fun. We took a sand car (think 100 mile an hour go cart), a quad and a rhino...kind of a big quad car...At the dunes there is a huge mountain of sand...I mean huge. My favorite part was going up and down it in the sand car. I wasn't the driver, but the passenger. It was a huge thrill. I screamed my head off, about peed in my pants, and then yelled "lets do it again. Here is a picture of the mountain.























And here are a couple of pictures as we came to the bottom and whipped around to do it again. Windblown and exhilarated that is for sure! The thing moves so fast it is hard to get pictures!!!!








































The downside? I am still living out of boxes in the garage. Tonight when I got home, I forced myself to unpack a few things and I guess it isn't going to kill me to plug along at this slower than slow pace.

Last week I made a few things while I could still get at my sewing machine. It is blocked in with boxes again. I made some quilted postcards for a couple of trades. The first was on Fiber art traders and the theme was Tarot cards.





















The moon is my favorite....I just used a white on white fabric, drew a picture with a pencil right on it and then colored it in with a watercolor crayon. Then I spritzed it down with a spray bottle. The last step was to sew around all the outlines with black thread. I love to make fabric postcards. They are so fast, it is kinda instant gratification.


Also for Swapbot I made a couple of postcards for a trade. The theme was use a leftover quilt block...I used two crazy quilt squares and this is what I came up with.
















Then I made a swap package for Jill who is in the Enchanted for a Year ornament swap. This months theme was birds nests.















Here is my ornament for her......I decorated up a little nest and put eggs in it, then put it all on a painted clothespin so she could clip it on her tree.... I also made some tags and a necklace. It was a little challenging because I had to dig in the garage and try to use what I could get to! I still loved doing it....


















In return, Jill sent me some of the cutest nest things I have ever seen. An ornament made out of wire and beads that just WOWED' me, a little nest charm, some cards she made using a sketch she did and the cutest ever felted bird on a nest. He is so cute he is in my living room. He makes me smile everytime I look at him....I guess she is a her but she feels like a he to me...Not sure why?????



































We just havent had much of a Spring here at all....It is nice to have my little bird on his nest to remind me that Spring really happens!

Happy Mothers Day all!

Mother's Day is always bittersweet for me...Instead of thinking about my children and how they are going to celebrate me being their mom, I think all day about my own mom and how much I miss her....Especially this year, being so far away from everyone.

















Our last Mother's day we went to Home Depot and bought pink rose bushes. Until this move, I have moved the roses every place I have lived. So today, I went and bought a new one and I thought of her and all the things she did that made her uniquely her. The way she would snort when she laughed, her love of sappy movies and how she would call me at the end crying and mostly just how she loved me..... The best feeling in the world!













Ironically, yesterday in Salt Lake City they had the Susan B Kommen walk for the cure...I wish the cure would've come in time for my mom. 56 is way too young to lose a battle with breast cancer. I am grateful for the years that I had with her, but at times I also feel so ripped off to be fighting all my battles without my mom to console me and cheer me on. She was my biggest fan and my best friend. Life is lonlier without her. The world was a better place because of her....I love you mama, I think of you every day.....Mindy

I am moving, working and exhausted....

Once again, new place to live...I am now in South Jordan, South of Salt Lake City....I am liking it aside from the fact that I have a garage stacked to the ceiling with various household items. I am working a lot and havent had time to unpack or arrange things yet!












I have made a few things, but that has been an adventure in itself. Trying to figure out where things might be in the garage that is piled to the ceiling with assorted boxes and random furniture.

Be back to my regular blogging schedule soon.....Until then?












Night everyone!