Monkey See, Monkey Do

Hey: I love so many little ideas that I see on others' blogs (I really just wanted to do that plural possessive thing) and so, I'm going to steal them all and post them all in one place.

5 Good Things

• Everyone in my world is alive and well, most even happy this morning. Do you remember putting your hands on the back of sleeping babies to make sure they were still breathing? I no longer do that (well, it's different when it's a grown man!) but I do sort of take inventory each morning and breath a sigh and smile when each are accounted for.
• There's that special hazey light green color of the tree line dons in late spring. Is it not just the most magical color? In a few days, perhaps a week or so, that color will mature into a dark and grown up green. I love the full-blown summer green, but I so treasure that first bit of hazey green.
• I saw the mountain today. I see the mountain nearly every day...but today I really SAW the mountain - so I am grateful for both the mountain and my seeing - sometimes I am blind.
• Delightful polka dotted fabric, cut and ready to be sewn into quick and fun coin purse gifts. With that bright, yellow lining - I keep just looking behind me to spy.
• The certainty and clarity in my daughter's artwork. I'll post some when she gives me permission.
  

Today's To-Do List

• FAFSA!, (well, sort of, my part's done, the kidlet must do her part She did it! A miracle!
• Pick up bird food!
• Work on Dotee dolls I did this too! all sewn up, now the fun part of embellishing
• Sew up purses
• Transfer pattern to apron front Okay, I didn't do this until today, but it's done and now I can embroider, which I love doing!

Not too much of a to do list. All fun stuff - course, I didn't include work to-do....but both to-do lists might just as well be included in 5 good things....

A really good day here. I wish the same for you.

Another New Thing

Well! Do I need to say anything more? Definitely, getting a photo of these two ladies was the more difficult portion of the project! These are my first attempts - it seems so very much that I do these days is a first attempt. Not quite what I thought life would be at this age - but so much fun! The faces aren't quite right, I know - I will get better and I sure hope that my swap partner is understanding and more interested in the fun that I had than in perfection. I thought the piercings onthe eyebrows were way oversized but Mr Darling said, "Nope, when you see folks with eyebrow piercing, that's ALL you can look at when you face them!" So, I suppose oversized is fitting, eh?

Now...here's the real substance of the post. I recall sometime, in the I'm sure not too distant past, when I believed that needle threaders were for yoyos. Well wind me up and walk the dog because now I believe that the needle threader is your friend! And should I mention that getting the needle threader through the eye of the needle was not all that much less difficult than getting the thread through the needle? I suppose this answers my internal query about joining up for the Midlife Bloggers group - I have this feeling that I am really a bit past midlife, yes?

Still, making these little dollies was great fun and I felt so childish and I can't wait to make up a few more and get lots better at it. Despite all their imperfections, they look lovely hanging above my desk and I'm not sure I'll really want to swap them! One I shall give to Kael's mother, who sometimes seems to be past her Goth stage. When I told her the plan to create these dolls she only laughed. Somehow it made us closer and turned a difficult past time into a lovely memory; and it mysteriously brought in a little bit of tenderness and affection. I wonder if my mother would have liked to make a little hippie girl doll and if that might have helped her appreciate and understand me a little bit more? I like to think so.