Just 4 more days, and 2009 is over. I'm up early because Denny is working 3 days this week, with day hours, no kids at school. I'm finding it hard to sleep beyond 4 a.m. Perhaps we should go back to milking cows. That was always an early morning activity. No, guess not. My poor back couldn't take it. I always like to see a new year come, fresh days, new ideas, broken resolutions. We had a busy Christmas with the kids, and will have 2 birthdays this week. Chad will be 43, and Kadygirl will be 10, both on the 30th. She still has the energy of a young dog. If we keep her healthy, she'll be with us for many more years. Today I'm including pictures of a few of the many bookmarks I made for the kids, using fabric and Scrabble letters for their names.


Here are a couple ornaments I made last year out of wooden spools. The pictures aren't too clear, but they give an idea of what I did. I think I gave the boys all Santas, and the girls got snowmen. They all really liked the ones I did this year, with little scenes on them.




Here's our youngest great-granddaughter, Makayla Rose, with her big puffy duck she got for Christmas. She is a cutie, and has such a happy attitude. If babies can have attitudes.


The end of the year always makes me want to clean. I can't do too much at a time with my sore back, but I will start going thru boxes again, and start organizing stuff to keep, stuff to throw, stuff to sell, either on eBay or the city-wide garage sale we always have in May. The garage is still full and my storage room is too. Not to forget,,, all those unfinished quilts and sewing and painting projects. I have potential for a couple shops wanting my products this spring, so I will concentrate on those too, making and using what I have already made, for sale. I already started putting the Christmas decor away, now what? It's too early for spring decor, I'll have to think about it. Maybe continue with some snowmen. We have plenty of snow. Everywhere you look, it's white. Waterville actually was on the news for getting some of the most in the last storm, 21"!! That should bring up the lake levels, though I guess in a foot of snow there's an inch of water. The piles are getting high, and we're running out of places to put it. Time for a second cup of coffee, and wait for the sunrise, which should start coming sooner now that winter has started. Karen/Prairiedog

Another project

I made this blackbird, or crow, yesterday, finished it today with some "wings" made of pine needles, fake, and white berries. It was a new project in a magazine. I love working with wool. I also got to use one of those rusty bed springs out of the boxful I have. This is a birthday gift to one of our daughters-in-law. Very primitive, I may want one myself. Karen-Priairiedog

Well, I can see I didn't get my pictures in the right place for the last post. I'm still learning. I always forget to check if the first picture is last, or vice versa.
Karen~Prairiedog

More snow coming

It's now officially winter in Minnesota! We've had plenty of snow already, but I don't want to complain, as we complained about the lack of moisture all year, and the fact the lakes and river we live on were so shallow. They are frozen now, and the annual building of the fishing shanty village has commenced. In other words, the fools are out on the lake fishing. You wouldn't get me out there. We are forecast more snow tonight, we already have flurries, and more again the rest of the week with wind blowing it around on Christmas day. I may be cooking dinner here if we can't get to our son's.

I'm posting a picture of a female mallard duck that was brave enough to come right up on our patio to feed under the bird feeder. I fed her a couple slices of stale bread, she didn't even flinch when one hit her tail. We should not feed them here as they may choose to leave a calling card that will mess up our shoes, and give Kady something to sniff. But their water is frozen in most places, so we have to tacare of them.



One of our grandsons wanted just money in the gift exchange for Christmas, so our granddaughter is giving him 15.00, the limit for gifts. I looked up money folding on the 'net and found a way to fold crisp bills into a box. See the picture. We put one 5 inside, and the box top and bottom are also 5's. Problem with the pattern is with the new bills the portrait of Lincoln is off center, and you are supposed to use him for a fold line. Had to measure, and it worked. Fun way to give money. I tied a little ribbon around it, and we'll put it in a small gift bag. Karen~Prairiedog

Finished a bear

Here are my before and after pictures of my first bear made for a customer. I used a sweatshirt with an embroidered heart design, and an old jacquard blanket. I used the shirt for the bear's "shirt" and arms, and for the center piece of his head. The blanket I used for the legs, "pants", back of head and ears. I used the satin binding for the bottoms of the feet, paws, inside of ears, and a ribbon for around the neck. I cut some 4.5" squares from the blanket, and made a small blankie for the bear. I think it turned out kinda cute, and hope the customer, and her mother-in-law like it. The blanket was very loosely woven, and it helped that I lined it with fusible pellon. It doesn't stretch so much, and it keeps the polyfil from leaking. This is a start, hopefully, in a business with a mission. Now I must finish the ornaments for the grandkids. Karen~Prairiedog

Here's the wool pincushion I sent to a quilty friend. I've made several of them for gifts, and use a couple myself. They have wool inside too, to keep pins and needles sharp. The top is glued into an aluminum Jell-O mold. Karen-Prairiedog

Here are 3 pictures of some of the spool ornaments I painted for our kids and grandkids. I do them in acrylics, and tried to customize some of them. I put a windmill on the one for our daughter and sil. She would like to have one, so I painted her one by an image of the barn they do have. I made a hockey rink and a basketball hoop for 2 of the grandsons. I finish them off with a hanger made of twine or ribbon, and tie a large button on for added texture. I have 5 left for the smallest kids, and I need ideas. I'm also posting a photo of a wool pincushion I made for a friend. It has an aluminum jello mold for the base. More tired now, time for bed!! Karen...Prairiedog.

December is half gone

and I'll be working on Christmas gifts and crafts and sewing up to Christmas Eve. I have most of my ornaments done. I did do the little landscapes on spools, they were fun but very time consuming. I have 5 more to do. They should be given to the kids soon, or it will be too late for this year. I got an order for one Bear With Me bear, and am taking before and after pictures. I want to keep a photo album of my bears only. This one involves a sweat shirt with an embroidered heart, to be used as the chest of the bear, and an old blanket, aqua and white, that has a jacquard design, with the colors reversed on each side. I'm using the blanket for the bottom and legs, as well as part of the head. The sweatshirt will be used for the top and arms. The blanket has a satin border on 2 sides, so I'm using that for the paws and foot bottoms, and the inside of the ears. I'm fusing pellon on the backs of all surfaces to make it stronger and so it does not stretch when I stuff it. I had that problem last year when I made 10 out of sweatshirts. They got too big because the fabric stretched as I overstuffed them. It will save on stuffing, which isn't cheap. The pellon is spendy too. I still want to make doll clothes for one granddaughter, a jeans stocking for our youngest great-granddaughter, and maybe should do some actual shopping. We need to buy our exchange gifts, no ideas. Then there's some food prep too. Add in there a trip to Faribault to see the ortho dr. about my sore back. I'll make it. I usually do. Time for bed soon.

September, October, Nowonder, I'm behind.

Where do the months go? Here it is 5 weeks until Christmas, and I'm still thinking about what to do for ornaments for the grandkids and greatgrandkids. Every year there are more, around 18 this year. Last year I painted on old wooden spools, made Santas and snowmen, don't even have a picture of one. I'll try to remember to do that when we go to our son's for Christmas. I'll be making another Christmas stocking for our ggd Makayla this year, she was born in January.
I've also started advertising my "Bear With Me" memory bears. For me it's a mission project. I do get paid for them, but since they usually go to family or friends of someone who has passed away, I feel a connection to the person they honor, as I'm making them from the clothing of that person. I'm putting a picture here of the sample bear I made from a shirt and denim dress. I am also interested in making prayer quilts, which will be a church project. Small quilts are made for people who request one in honor of someone who is ill or needs comforting, something similar to the prayer shawls. Since I don't knit or crochet, this would be a good way for me to participate. Quilts are made and then tied by church members and prayers are offered during the tying process. I'll be meeting with the prayer shawl ladies today, and see what comes of it. Karen/Prairiedog

Gotta sew

I'm up, early with Denny now that he's on day hours at school. Today is his last day for the week, so I had better get busy finishing Jill's wedding quilt. I have 17 days left to quilt it, after I finish the top which I fully intend to do today. Then iron the backing and batting, set up tables in the garage, lay it all out and pin the whole thing together, to prepare for machine quilting. I plan to do just ditch sewing, so it will just be time consuming. Then the binding which will be sewn on by hand. Add a label, and go.

We have lots of other activities this month, Bullhead Days this weekend in Waterville. Denny works Fri. evening in the hamburger stand, and I have to make 2 pies for the Ice Cream Social at church on Sunday. Hopefully the weather man is correct, and we have sunny weather for the weekend. I also have some projects to do for Horizons, need to make up and send thank you cards to the participants in our downtown beautification. Will do that on the computer. We also have a Lions club picnic, Todd's birthday, Gregg and Cathy's 25th anniversary and Jill and Josh's wedding, a couple Horizon meetings, yada, yada, yada.....

We are having cool weather for this time of year, it's just 55 deg. at 7 a.m., the river is not moving a bit, and it is covered with fluffy cottonwood tree seeds. Looks yukky.

Now to work!! Karen/Prairiedog

Almost forgot

Today is our youngest son, Brent's, birthday, he's 33, and still mom's boy. Hope this year is better for him than the last one, anything would be. Today is also our great-granddaughter, Marissa's 5th birthday. Made her a cute apron for her gift, she liked it. Here's a picture, a country girl, fresh from the rainy outdoors, and showing her girly apron. Didn't get a smile from her, did later. And a hug.

A year or so later....

Today is my day to update my blog. I will try to come here daily, use it as a diary as I first intended, and keep me focused on my projects.
We are finally getting the rain we have needed for weeks, and this should save the lawns, crops, and bring up the rivers and lakes somewhat. The robins are sure loving it, have seen several hopping around, even up on the cement patio, with squirmy worms in their beaks. We have a couple mother ducks in the area, one with 3 babies, and one with about 9. There is also a single young duckling all alone, hope he or she makes it, have seen it feeding under the bird feeders. There are predators around, just looking for something tasty. The ducks like the rain too.
Today I will head up to my "sewing studio" and work more on Jill's wedding quilt, more rows to make and sew on, then quilt, quilt, quilt. I wonder how long that will actually take me, I need it done in 3 weeks!
Denny started working day hours this week, and he will play horseshoes this evening if it stops raining, so I'll be alone many hours and will have time to quilt, and maybe some housework. We need to learn to go to bed earlier, 5:15 a.m. comes fast. At least it's only 3 days a week, as he has 4 day weekends all summer.