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Spring Gardens or a Lesson in Patience!
At this time of year the hardest thing for me to do is be patient, because by nature I am NOT a patient person. When the skies are sunny and the temperatures soaring, I want…
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Making Your Yard Interesting To Children
There are some children that you can’t keep indoors. These children wake up in the morning and the first thing they do is seek out a large window and play weatherman. “Can I go outside…
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Santa’s Workshop Teddy Bear Applique
Here is the 4th free applique in our Santa’s Workshop Applique Collection. All perfect toys to find under the tree Christmas morning! When my son Adam was a wee lad, he had a Teddy Bear…
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Sneak Peek at Peanut’s New Sweater
When one of my babies asks me for something, I tend to put everything else on hold. A couple of weeks ago I got a text from 10 month old Peanut asking me for a…
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Parenting Hacks :: Two Blankies
Back when my son, Adam, was 18 months old, we managed to lose his favorite blankie at a street fair. When we realized it was gone, we went looking for it, going up and down aisles, asking…
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The Ugly Scar or Allowing Children to be Creative
Every once in a while I need to go through files on my computer and do a little housecleaning. I came upon this blog post I had written some time ago. Why hadn't I published…
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The Face of An Artist
What does an artist look like? She looks like this and this and this. Pixie sculpted her own bird after seeing my Paper Clay Totem. May we always endeavor to see the artist in all of…
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Cherry Party Dress Coloring Page
Being raised with three brothers and no sisters there wasn’t much room in my life for fussy dresses. I needed to run, jump, hang upside down from monkey bars and generally do things that dresses…
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Thank You
I would like to thank everyone for your kind words, warm thoughts and prayers. They truly touched us and helped sustain us during a difficult time. As expected, my father died June 14. Thanks to…
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Time Out for Family
As many of you know my father has been battling Alzheimer’s disease for many years. After a stay in the hospital last week, he has returned to his care facility and is now under the…
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In the Garden: Early June 2015
I had been intending to post weekly updates of our garden, but somehow there just doesn’t seem to be enough time and things in the garden change so quickly that the photos always seem so…
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Painter’s Palette Coloring Page
One of my earliest school memories involves me at the painter’s easel back when I was in kindergarten. I absolutely loved it when it was my turn at the easel. All those beautiful juice cans…
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Spools of Thread Applique
I can remember on one of my grandmother’s visits to our house my mother gave Bushia her sewing basket to organize. As is usually the case with unattended spools of thread, as soon as the lid…
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How Does Your Garden Grow :: Planning April 2015
Mary, Mary, quite contrary, How does your garden grow? With silver bells, and cockle shells, And pretty maids all in a row. Growing up with Kimara as a mother, you would think I had…
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A Morning of Painting with Friends
I am beyond thrilled that last year I began painting. I will never be an exceptional painter, but finally picking up a paint brush fulfilled an unrequited dream and the time I’ve spend drawing and painting fills…
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The Corner of Whimsy and Wishes
Photo Source :: Lucy’s Flickr Stream There is a part of me, no matter how nonsensical it may be, that believes in fantasy, because in that corner of my brain there is no poverty or…
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Can’t See the Trees For the Forest
We’ve all heard the expression “You can’t see the forest for the trees” meaning someone gets so bogged down with the details that they fail to see the big picture. I’m just the opposite, I…
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Fairy Dust
Ever since we added our master bedroom suite onto our house last spring, it’s become a hub of activity for our grandbabies. It is right off our family room and they tend to spread toys…
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Meet Our Little Peanut!
Sometimes I forget that NOT everyone is on Facebook where I announced last week that grandbaby number six, our precious little Peanut, was born on New Year’s Eve. Mama had a crazy long delivery, 36 hours, and…
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Hugs and Kisses Baby Quilt
Soon after my DIL Raewyn found out she was pregnant, she called and asked if I would do her a favor. “Sure”, I said. “Want me to climb a mountain, swim a sea?” I’d do…
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Nutcracker 2014
We had a very busy but fun weekend. Fairy and Pixie both did a wonderful job in this year’s production of The Nutcracker. It has been a wonderful, jolly sort of chaos the past few…
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Abandoning Projects
There was a time when I held the belief, “If you start a book, you finish a book”. I’m sure this came from 18 years of schooling when teachers and professors picked books for me…
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February Baby Sweater
If you have been knitting awhile you have probably heard of Elizabeth Zimmermann. If you haven’t heard of her already then you are in for a real treat, and trust me you will encounter one…
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The Printed Word
Forgive me Madonna for hijacking your song but… “You know that we are living in a digital world, and I am a digital girl.” Obviously, I spend a hefty chunk of each day using digital devices.…