Sewing for Tatting!

Well?  Haven’t been tatting, but I made myself some . . . wait for it . . . BAGS to cart around my tatting stuff.  Surprised?  Ha ha - I just love making bags, especially bags that zip closed.
This is some fun fabric with tatting on it - a rare find, so of course I hoarded it awhile until the perfect thing came to me.  This was perfect! 😊

Today is Ruby’s 12th birthday.  This is a significant day for her, as boxers usually have a life span of 9-12 years.  She’s an overachiever!  She is such a sweet dog - boxers are loyal, protective (sometimes too much) and hilarious comedians.  My 2 year old in fur - her expression is like a child, hanging on every word.

My daughter LOVES alpacas, and arranged for us to visit a local alpaca farm recently.  The couple that owns these beauties are so very nice, and told us all about showing them, and how each of them has different fiber quality for spinning into yarn.  They are very sweet!  The yarn is beautiful, but I’m really avoiding starting that collection!

This little one was orphaned at only about a month old, so she is extremely friendly after being bottle-fed and handled a lot. I was thinking about how nice it would be to sit in a stall with her cuddled up beside me while I read a book.  (Ha.  I don’t think they are really very cuddly, but it would be fun anyway.)

The answer is no.  I am not allowed to have any! 

June in Minnesota

June is such a beautiful month here - normally we have some stormy weather, but for the most part we have nice temperatures and beautiful sunshine.  We're having an extreme year so far - we just got through another weekend of hot (90's F) along with some ridiculous humidity.  My hair always reacts to humidity with wild frizziness, while some people just have hair that goes flat.

I posted this HAIR forecast on my office door at work:

Ha!

We've also had some nice days in the 70's (more to my liking) and have gotten in some nice walks around the neighborhood with Ms. Ruby.  She has been having some arthritis issues, so we don't go too far.  A few things are blooming, and with recent rain the grass needs mowing often.  (The weeds are especially healthy as well.)  Gotta love Minnesota weather!

Just an interesting weed :)

I've taken a little break from tatting and sewing the past few weeks, and devoured a few books.  I'm really enjoying audiobooks here and there, because I can tat and listen, or go for a walk and listen.  Makes me feel productive to DO something while enjoying a book!  Other times, I love to curl up in a chair and escape the world with an old-fashioned hard copy.  Either way, I get through about 3 books in a row, and then go back to tatting or sewing or whatever else.  (Most likely not housework - ha ha!) 

These recent reads were ALL fantastic:

• The Great Alone, by Kristin Hannah
• The Orphan Train, by Christina Baker Kline
• The Lilac Girls, by Martha Hall Kelly

This one was a bit dark and weird, but twists in the writing kept my interest:

• The Light of the Fireflies, by Paul Pen

I wish I could get a job as an audiobook narrator!  I think I'd enjoy that job :)

Renulek’s Spring Doily 2018 - Round 11

Finally!  Sheesh, I thought I’d never get this round done.

Round 11 of 13

It’s such a beautiful doily though - even though it’s taking me awhile, I’m anxious to get it finished. These final rounds will take some time!

I’m using some old thread, which is really nice most of the time, but once in awhile I hit a spot that doesn’t cooperate very well.  Not sure if it’s really the thread, or if it’s my impatience!  I’m blaming the thread.

The heatwave I mentioned has truly arrived.  This past few days has been incredibly hot - especially today!  We’ve officially reached 100 degrees F, but my thermometer says we’ve hit 102.  Ish.  Got some yard work done before 9 am and have pretty much been inside all afternoon! Laundry is better than yardwork when it’s so hot.

Ruby gets special treats when it’s this hot too! Such a spoiled girl.

Winter Wouldn't Die and Now We're in for a Heatwave!

Wow - I see I haven't documented my creative life since April 8th, but I've done a lot!

The blizzard of the April 14th weekend was the weekend I had extensive training with the snowblower.  While hubby was off plowing for the city he works for, I was cleaning out the driveway so he could get back in the garage.  Several. Times.  That blizzard gave us about 18" of snow - record-setting that isn't particularly appreciated in April when we are all so anxious for Spring to arrive!

There was NO snow prior to this weekend blizzard :(

Since then we've had some nice days - in the 70's (F) and then back into the 60's, and we will go from a high of 80 today to 90 by the weekend.  And humid.  Needless to say, we keep sweatshirts and flip-flops handy around here with these temperature swings!  The A/C is back on today.

A few other things I’ve done this past couple of months:

Prepared a raffle basket for an accounting conference I attended - thought this was a cute idea:

Quilted and got the binding on my Seahorse collage “Garnet” . . .

Donated 10 couch caddies to a local Assisted Living facility . . .

Made some choices for a bathroom remodel . . .

Watched the Kentucky Derby - and am ready to watch the Belmont Stakes to see if we will have a Triple Crown winner this year . . .

Watched the Royal Wedding . . .

And we’ve started the construction season at work - a busy time for us all since winter dragged on forever and now everything is behind!  It’s gonna be a busy summer.

Renulek’s Spring Doily 2018 - Round 10

Round 10 done!  Now it’s getting to be a little slower getting a round complete.  At this point, the doily is about 12” in diameter.

I’m discovering I really like working with size 30 thread. Unfortunately, the Lizbeth threads don’t come in size 30, and I really do love the Lizbeth colors.  In any case, the doily is about all I got done this week - darn job takes up my time and energy!