It is at the edge of a petal that love waits. - William Carlos Williams

The final verdict is that my camera is getting sent off to Nikon to be fixed BOO!!!! I tried everything to get the flash working again; so off it goes tomorrow and hopefully it isn't gone forever. I hate not having my camera! Right now I'm using my dinky Kodak z740: BAH! It's not a camera! It's a toy!

Here's the last few pictures that I took with my nikon before it was broked'ed :-(

I'll miss you my nikon :'(

On Wednesday I got an awesome packaged from Katie at The Happy Hours. She knit that hat herself: Isn't it absolutely adorable! The book is a "Mother's Journal" with lots of awesome bible verses and places to fill in your own thoughts about the topic pertaining to those verses...It was all beautiful and I was beyond touched to receive such special gifts: Thank you Katie!

Today's mail was very exciting as it contained several exciting things, or rather 1 package which contained several exciting things.

I ordered the fabric for the kid's quilt, as well as the pattern, a book (50% off), and a couple other patterns. I have to say: I haven't opened the fat quarters all the way, but I am absolutely IN LOVE with the colors (of course this crappy "camera" doesn't do them justice) (please ignore all of the other junk on my kitchen counter).

I have one more exciting package coming in the mail (I really do prefer to get money from family, since no one will actually "gift" me these things): I had found a tutorial a long time ago on Little Birdie Secrets for making cupcake bath bombs. After another friend gave me one for a birthday gift I decided that it was high time to try and make my own.

We carry some of the ingredients in our store, but the rest I ordered from Brambleberry.com....hopefully it arrives soon and I have lots of sweet smelling success with them. If I do, my sister has decided that we're going to give them as favors at my shower :-)

All day today I was thinking about all the crafty and fun things I wanted to post about, now the only things I can remember are the two I posted about (I think I'm in a bit of a mood...I don't know why).

Oh, I did "finish" the closet! We, obviously, still have to do the floor in there and reinstall the door (it needs to be trimmed down), but I think it's kind-of-maybe-sorta-done. I plan on getting one of those hanging closet organizers to put on the upper rod, so I have a place for diapers, burp clothes and such.

Tomorrow I'm heading to O-town in the morning to pick out some carpet (reminds me: Matt and I need to measure the room tonight). I'm seriously hoping they have something I like. I'm very much a remnant carpet person...I can't believe how much they get for carpet at the home improvement stores. Hopefully I'll be able to get everything for less than $150; then Matt and I will install it on Sunday (*fingers crossed*).

Once the carpet's done, I have to touch up some paint, move in the furniture, and then all that remains is the sewing and decorating of the room. Hopefully it will keep me busy while Matt is working at the fair...I'm already missing him :-(

I honestly can't remember anything else I wanted to say....there's so much to do around here and I'm just completely overwhelmed I think. Between projects and cleaning and cooking food to eat...I just don't want to do anything!

Decisions! Decisions!

I managed to scratch a couple of things off of my to do list...I tried to blind hem stitch my two dresses (they're a knit) and quickly gave up. I'm going to ask my MIL just to serge and finish the edge for me.

~*~ One ~*~
M, one of the friends I went to dinner with on my birthday, is a HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE influence on me...she always was! We were talking about baby stuff and she mentioned wanting a Vera Bra.dley diaper bag. OH MY GOODNESS! I hadn't even thought of this! I know VB isn't everyone's style, but, obviously, I love quilt-y things!

I knew the diaper bag I wanted could be made on etsy.com, but it was $135 and I had to provide the fabric (so really $160...more than I want to spend). I was checking things out last night and found a "Super Tote" on VB's website that is a bit bigger than the diaper bag, but about $10 less (and if you get it in retiring patterns it's only $50!): WOOHOO!

I asked for a quilt-y diaper bag on my "registry email" to my mom...I'm going to hold off until after my shower, but I think I'm going to get the VB Super Tote (just have to make sure a 9" drop is enough to get on my shoulder).

I did ask Matt about his opinion of a diaper bag and whether he wanted a more "manly" diaper bag for himself: He does. So I'm thinking that I'm going to get him a messenger daddy bag filled with goodies for him, to give him at my shower. Any suggestions on where to find it or what to fill it with?

~*~ Two ~*~
I think we've decided on a fabric for the nursery: Somerset Cottage. It's more in line with my original "Victorian Garden" theme and the only reason why it wasn't a contender in my list of fabrics, was because I didn't think it was available until the end of September. Tonight I have to sit down and look through my patterns for a baby quilt and decide how much I need for the quilt, so I can order the fabric before it's GONE!

The only other thing we need to discuss for the nursery is wall decor: I think I want to get this tree, in white, to put in the corner by the crib. The other thing I've thought about is doing the wood letters and mod-podging fabric from the room onto the letters to spell out her name. We're very limited in how much and how big things can be that are on the wall, simply because we have lathe and plaster in our house and it's VERY hard to find a stud to install book shelves.

One thing I did do, when I was thinking Beatrix Potter, was a double chair rail in the room...now I have to decide what to do with it. Originally I was going to put BP wallies there...now I have no idea....maybe some vinyl wall word quotes about little girls or dreams or something, with a few of the Peter Rabbit wallies. Any ideas?

I'm hoping we can get SOMETHING done in the room this weekend, even if it's just moving things out so we have a blank space to work in. Which reminds me: I need to ask MIL about reupholstering our rocking chair...I'm not even sure it can be done...it might just be able to be slip covered.

~*~ Three ~ *~
I've always wanted to do maternity photos (I have a confession: I secretly love getting my picture taken...especially in a photo shoot...I think it's my throw back to having wanted to be an actress or model); not knowing whether we'll be pregnant again...I want to take full advantage this time. I've always been persnicketty about photography...the money is a factor, but I'm willing to budget what we need to be able to do what I want and get the pictures I want.

I emailed our wedding photography and about 4 others in our area about pricing and whether they've done maternity shoots, and if we could see some of their portfolio. My biggest thing is I don't want pictures printed...I want them edited and all on a disc with the copyright release to print them myself.

So far I've heard back from our wedding guy and another photographer: Our wedding guy get's $299 for the whole thing (session, CD and rights - but he's 2 hours away), and the other person has quoted me around $450 for the same thing (and she's 20 minutes away).

I really liked our wedding photographer: He was great to work with, he's done maternity shoots, but it's TWO HOURS AWAY! The other person hasn't done any maternity shoots, but I'm really liking the pictures I see on her site, but she's also $150 more. I really love her newborn shoots and that's definitely something I want to do.

I think I know who I want to go with, but I'm not sure. I know our wedding guy was really easy to deal with, very prompt, and more than willing to create whatever "package" we wanted. This other person doesn't normally do the copyright release for anyone that isn't a bridal package, she's more expensive, and I don't know how prompt she is. I know that I would really like to do maternity, newborn and 6 month and 1 year shoots. That we still have to make a decision on.

I think that's an update on the things going on here in the White House.

Turning tricks :-)

I've been teaching myself some new things in photoshop (CS3). I got it last summer at a great price, and then bought a book (472 pages worth) which tells you how to do anything you could imagine in photoshop. I've only just started playing around with anything more than an action (meaning a preset effect that you do by clicking a button).

One thing I've always liked is a black and white picture with just a hint of color to something in it. I've figured out how to do that!!!! WOOHOO!!!

These are just a few I've practiced with, and aren't very good...you have to be very precise when adding the color back in.


After (can't find the before)


Before After


Before After

I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day. ~Vincent Van Gogh

After 20 attempts and 1/2 hour out in the cold I finally got the shot I wanted. It would be a lot more depth to it if there were a few clouds in the sky...like last night.

(yes, that is the moon and the dots of light are the stars)

Under the Harvest Moon

It was one of those perfect English autumnal days which occur more frequently in memory than in life. ~P.D. James

What a beautiful weekend we had here! The sun was shining and it was in the high 60s/low 70s. Good work weather.

Saturday morning Matt went back in the woods with my dad. They had to do something with a harness to one of the tree stands. They were all excited when they got back: There had been a 9 pointer (deer) standing below my dad's tree stand.

I spent a good portion of the morning working on the wall hanging. You guys are probably as sick of seeing it as I am, so I won't post a picture until it's done now. I had done a lot of the "surface" cleaning on Friday evening before my friend had come over to dinner, so I didn't do much of that.

In the evening we went with my parents, Matt's parents, and some friends of ours to Scott's for dancing. It's a small family resort that has a live band every Saturday night and dancing. We had fun.

Click for Album

Matt and I haven't danced in over a year: All of 2007 Matt was in pain and could barely walk because of his back and the beginning of this year he had back surgery, so this was the first time out dancing. We were rather comedic. He remembered a step differently than I did or I wouldn't follow his lead, we laughed a lot.

On Sunday we got up and went to church. When we got home I worked on making my orange marmalade (yum!) and Matt bottled his Bordeaux wine and his Pumpkin Spiced Ale. In the afternoon a friend of Matt's, R, came over and helped us stack some wood: We got three full rows done. The huge pile doesn't even have a dent in it!

Last Wednesday (10/8) I had finally stripped and roto-tilled the garden. We did make it bigger. We realized that the majority of what we want to grow takes up a lot of space….so we gave it a lot of space (big garden post coming up soon). On Sunday I planted all of our Spanish-Roja garlic: We have a pretty decent sized patch…about 4'x 5'. Hopefully it all comes up beautifully.

I did have a crazy infertility dream last night, a bit TMI. I had just given birth to a girl, but I wasn't in the hospital but on the floor of my old bedroom at home. I have no idea where Matt was or any of my family. I immediately started brea.stfeeding, the right side didn't work, but the left seemed to be fine. The nurses were rubbing her down, and they left the room.

I was just running my hand along her back and there was this stuff like dry cottage cheese coming off of her, it was like she was shedding. The next part in the dream the baby was walking around the room and having full conversations, and she was still a new born!

I have no idea what to make of this dream! Any ideas?

“Don't you stay at home of evenings? Don't you love a cushioned seat in a corner, by the fireside, with your slippers on your feet?” Oliver W.Holmes

Fall has come: Friday night we started our wood furnace. Thursday night Matt had started installing the new blowers on our furnace. Friday it was all set to light up. Now we are quite cozy! Last night we actually had to open the back door to let some cool air in. The house was up to 77*: I guess the new blowers work REALLY well!

Saturday was a beautiful day! I spent most of the morning barely able to walk. I think my cyst has been pushing on my bladder and poop-shoot: I constantly felt the need to go #1 and #2, but it wasn't going too well. By the end of the day (several glasses of cranberry concentrate and prune juice later) I felt better. Still ehh today, but definitely better: Just bloated today.

In spite of it I got a lot of things done. I'm not one to let pain keep me down!















Matt spent most of the day traipsing the woods with my dad, setting up their tree stands for hunting season. I had the whole day, home, alone. I took the dogs for a walk in the field: The sky was so blue and the clouds so perfect that I just had to get out there. (the picture on the left is from the morning, on the right as the sun was setting). The dogs were happy to be out and cold air felt so good!

When I got home from our little expedition I jumped right in to making my applesauce. I have a HUGE box of Cortland apples that will be made into sauce and pies before the end of the season. The sauce is so easy to make: Core your apples, cut them into big chunks, throw in a large pot with a 1/2" of water in the bottom, toss in some cinnamon sticks, and let it cook for a couple of hours on a low temp. Delicious! No sugar added!

The other thing I spent most of the weekend doing was working on a autumn wall hanging for my brother in law and sister in law, who just bought their first house. This is a completely "original" design. With the help of my Electric Quilt 6 program I was able to design the leaf blocks and get my instructions and yardage from it. The pumpkins I free handed onto the back of freezer paper. Then I stitched it all together and appliquéd the pumpkins, stems, and leaves on. VOILA! (click on the pictures to view them bigger). This is my first appliquéd project, so it isn't perfect, but I'm pretty proud of how it came out.

Above the pumpkins I plan on appliquéing "Welcome".

If I can ever get blogger to work I have two videos to upload: How to's for applesauce and the wall hanging.

“The sunflower is a favorite emblem of constancy” Thomas Bulfinch

Once a year at lunch-time I head onto one of the dirt roads, near where I work, to revel in the splendor of the sun. There is a field planted with sunflowers. Anyone can stop and cut what they like for 25c per stem. Here are my pictures...

(click for the album)

It's also getting to be that time of year: The leaves are starting to change and the fields are getting the final haying.

"A day's work is a day's work, neither more nor less, and the man who does it needs a day's sustenance, a night's repose and due leisure, ...

...whether he be painter or ploughman." George Bernard Shaw

What a whirlwind! I honestly don't remember much from this weekend. I know that Matt got home around 8pm on Friday, then Saturday he went up to my parents' in the morning to help finish their chicken coop. I putzed around Friday night, got up Saturday and went to the quilt shop in town.

Matt and I then got into a "huge debate" about my fabric addiction and his brewing fascination: Which of us spends more money on our hobby. Rather humorous. Matt even went on to point out that he paid for his supplies out of his cash, while I pay for mine out of the credit card account. I kindly reminded him that I have no cash, since my whole paycheck pays the bills: He conceded to that. We live on one income by choice, since mine is the more secure that one pays the bills.

Then we headed to the performing arts center for my sister's production of "Sleepy Hollow": Let's just say I was glad it was only 53 minutes. It was completely different from any other show I have ever seen; very artsy (heavy metal and Ichabod Crane?).

Saturday evening we cleaned! We started when we got home at 6:00pm and didn't step until 10:15pm: It was wonderful! I took the slipcovers off the couch and washed them, mopped the floors, dusted, organized, laundry, the kitchen counters were empty and clean! I love when the house looks like this. We'll see how long it lasts.

Sunday we went to church.

We did name the chickens though: The two barred rocks are Thelma and Louise (the darker one is Thelma) and the three reds are Charlie's Angels.

We went up to Matt's parents for lunch on Sunday for Father's Day. Then in the evening we had my parents and grandfather over for dinner. It was good. My grandfather was getting a kick out of the chickens.

After they left Matt mowed the backyard and I worked in the garden: Weeding! It looks a lot better now. I do notice that I have quite a bit more room for some things. Oh well. There's always next year. My watermelon isn't looking too good. Not that I expected much of it. My sunflowers are shooting up though.

They finally mowed the field behind our house: Yay! So now I can take the dogs for a walk without drowning in the hay (it was quite seriously up to my shoulders).

I took them down last night to run for a bit. They were loving it. Sage was kicking up birds and animals and chasing them: Nothing serious. Then I see her kick up a bird (not sure what kind-but the body was the size of my fist)...I'm about 20' away, I figure it'll fly up...it does, but Sage jumped in the air, grabbed it with her front paws and GULP! down it went. I ran to her and tried to make her spit it out, but nope, down it went...wings, bones, feet and beak. YUCK! She's on probation now: No kisses for her!

For counting I don't remember much of what happened this weekend, this turned out to be an awfully long post. If you made this far, thanks! I certainly appreciate it. All in all it was a good weekend: Productive, relaxing, with a bit of fun thrown in.

Bear with me...

I found a great deal on Photoshop CS3 on Amazon.com ($180). Hopefully there is nothing wrong and I don't regret buying this used.
But here...I've been playing around with some of PW's Actions and some tutorials online.

Here's what I did so far:
Original...straight from the camera. Not a bad picture, the landscape is pretty dark, but the clouds look ok.

Here's the photoshopped version:

Like I said, I'm very, very beginner. I don't think it looks half bad for the program being out of the box for only 2 hours!

Wildflowers - John Spillane

'Twas the wild flowers I preferred
Who owed nothing to nobody
Who blossomed in the ditches
And made their own way in the world

'Twas the wild flowers I admired

Who never done nothing to you

But driven from the garden

They sang their own songs in the spring

You can have your lily

You can have your rose

That were taken and broken

And bred by people

They were grafted and lamed

Twisted and tamed

But the wild flowers I enjoyed

They had nothing to do with you

They flowered by the roadside

And they wore their own colours in the sun

That were there before you

Will be there after you

That will out, that will out

Like your own true nature

You can try, you can try

That you never will defeat

The wild flowers I admired

They had nothing to do with you

But banished from the garden

They made their own way in the world

They wore their own colours in the sun

And they sang their own songs in the spring

Another weekend has come and gone...

Blah! I wish we didn't have to leave home to work. This weekend has been miserable; continually 90+ with extreme humidity. Put it this way...even doing nothing you feel like you've been in a steam room. Yea. First thing I did on Friday, when I got home from, was put the AC in our bedroom window. I cannot deal with heat/humidity when trying to sleep.

I feel like we didn't accomplish much this weekend, but I guess we did. We brought home the girls on Friday night. They seem to be content. They're walking in and out of the house and pecking at the ground. Thyme doesn't think very much of them, but Sage is in near-hysterics about them. The chickie-poos are VERY upsetting to Sage. She stands there and whines and barks and wimpers. It's ridiculous. The chickies just look at her like she's crazy: Which she is.

Saturday morning I got up, mowed the lawn, took the dogs for a walk, and did somethings around the house. All Saturday Matt was at my parents' helping them to build their hen house for their 8 chicks.

When I was a teenager I goofed around with watercolor painting: Nothing that phenomenal. Last year I used some of my birthday money (that's right, last July) to restock my paint supplies. Over the years a lot of it had gone to my sister, and I didn't have much of anything left.

I've really been wanting a set of notecards that have quilts on them. Not just quilts or blocks, but still life paintings, of which quilts are a part of. I cannot for the life of me find any. So I decided yesterday to try my hand at it myself. Now mind you, this is the first thing I've painted in about 10 years and it took me the better part of 2 days, so be kind. If anyone out there in bloggerland finds me some awesome notecards, I'd love it!

There is one unfortunate even that accord this past weekend: Remember in these posts (1 2 and 3) I was commenting on the problems we'll face because of the rising fuel costs and such, and about the truckers. Well sometime around midnight on Saturday, someone syphoned my dad's full tank of diesel out of his truck: $165 in fuel.

My dad had bought the locking gas caps, but the more he thought about and looked into it, he realized that it would cost more to replace a gas tank (if they drilled it) than it would if they syphoned it out. I guess it was a "good" thing he didn't put the caps on. The state police came and filed a report.

My dad's truck is one of 15, that someone has stolen the gas out of. He asked the officer if he caught the guy, could he hold him at gunpoint until the police arrived. The cop told him that, no he can't do that, if he did they would arrest him for armed assault. Does that make sense?! They guy is stealing from you, but if you hold him at gunpoint, you'll get thrown in jail!? Something wrong with that.

"It is well that war is so terrible--we should grow too fond of it" Robert E. Lee

This weekend there is a Civil War Reenactment taking place in our town. Yesterday my mom, sister and I were part of an evening worship service. The committee for the reenactment asked our theater group if we'd be willing to sing several hymns for the service. Unfortunately I do not have a video. I had asked Matt to film, but somehow things got lost in communication and it didn't happen. I do have lots of pictures though!

I've now been bitten by the Reenactment Bug. While I've always been interested/fascinated with the Civil War, seeing "it" makes it even more so. I hoping that someday we'll go to Gettysburg for their reenactment.