Barb's Birthday Book

Yesterday was my friend Barb's 50th birthday.  She and her husband put on a blow out party for the occasion.  I took a friend with me as I am usually shy in large groups of people who I don't know, but didn't have to worry with this crowd.  It was a great time, met new people and listened to a band they had hired.  These people know how to put on a party.  The food was delicious, as usual.  There was grilled chicken and ribs..the best tasting ribs I have ever had (heard many similar comments), potato salad, beans..just down home grub.  Greg shared that the ribs were glazed with a combination of reduced cherry coke and cherry preserves, yum.  I had planned to stay an hour or so, but ended up enjoying four hours of party.  Moral of story, stretch yourself, it usually is worth it!

For Barb's gift, I made  her a birthday book, a chronicle of our friendship, along with the others who are in the same quilt group.   I think it turned out quite well.  True to form, I finished the book an hour before I had to leave for the event, lol.  Of course I  have to share pics of the book......  Happy Crafting!

What shall I do first today?

This question is always a stumper for me....there is so much to do, fun and otherwise.  I have to admit I already did the first thing, take a shower, and the general public should be very thankful.  My other choices are; take a walk, do dishes, finish the laundry, clean out the car, go get David and visit a fun place or continue doing my current time-waster--play on the computer.  I think I will see how many I CAN get done, as soon as I can force myself to turn this thing off.

Walking for exercise and pleasure

 Well, what do you know!  Perhaps the doctors know what they are talking about with the ever popular statement of "get more exercise"!  Walking has been my more recent attempt at exercise...I have always found the E word boring and a lot of work and had the attitude of who needs it.  After being sedentary for the past 10 or 12 years, I have started walking.  This has been going on for the last 2.5 months so I think it is not just one of my OMGosh, I have got to lose weight moments.  My ankles were getting shaky, knees hurt all the time, balance was being compromised and I stepped off of curbs like an eighty year old.  Since getting off my butt and starting to move, it is easier to get up from a chair, step off curbs with confidence, lower back hurts a LOT less and feet feel better, not to mention I don't get out of breath just tying my shoes.  There is also the increase in energy ,lowered blood pressure, digestion is moving right along and I am sleeping much better.  Portland has a myriad of wetlands, parks and other  types of cool places to visit.  I have been walking with a variety of  people of whom each has their favorite places to visit.  The grandson is a great nature walk partner, his uncle gave him a digital camera and he loves to use it.  I hope he never gets the attitude that grandmas are people to be avoided.  Enough talking....now for the pics (my

On Lee's land

favorite part).

Creswell Oregon

Wetlands in Sherwood Oregon

Smith Bybee Lake

Smith Bybee Lake

Tillamook Forest Center

Update to my life..........

It has been awhile since I last posted.  The last six months have been very busy.   I have made three dolls and am almost finished with an altered book which is to be a retirement present for my brother.  My sister had surgery and I spent five weeks in California helping during her recovery.   With the onset of nicer weather, I have started walking; usually between one and two miles a walk.  There is so much to see in my neighborhood it makes the time go quickly and I have started taking my camera with me.  There is a wetland I go by which has numerous singing birds..a great way to start or end the day.  The photos being posted today are located in yards that I pass by.  Hope you like them.

My favorite things....

My grandson, David, is visiting me today and tomorrow.  This is the time of year he and I get together and bake Christmas cookies.  We started doing this last year and I hope to make it a tradition.  I bake the cookies and he helps decorate.  This year he is nine and wants to be more involved than he was last year.  He has decided that I can make the dough, he will cut out the shapes.  I will ice and he will decorate, a good division of labor and he stated we will be a team.  David, at age nine having a limited income, will give these cookies to his dad, his mom and her partner and to his Uncle Sean and Aunt Michelle as gifts.  The dough is in the frig cooling and then, as I do nothing in moderation (made a double batch), we will be making cookies until valentines day.  This Christmas our family is giving hand made items as gifts, the best kind as far as I am concerned.  I am sure Santa will be visiting David as he has been such a good boy.  More to follow as the day progresses.........

Mermaid Journal

In March or April of 2008, my friend Ann and I started working on our Mermaid Journals.  The journal was a kit purchased from Barbara Willis, a well known doll artist.  Never did we dream it would take so long to complete. 
Both Ann and I had tons of stuff in our stashes to work on this charmer but that didn't stop me from shopping.  Do any of us need an excuse for visiting fabric stores, craft store and assorted arts related shows?

Ann and I would meet about once a month to work on our journals.  The time was filled with a lot of show and tell, laughing and sharing of ideas, it was a lot of fun. 
 This mermaid is hiding in a seaweed garden pondering life just as we humans do as we drive to a destination, lie in bed just before falling asleep or just after waking up.  A myriad of problems were solved in those sleepy times.  I also learned to plan, plan, plan.  It was not just a matter of putting the nine pictures on pages and putting them together, there is a story line of the mermaids coming of age, so to speak, so one had to think about continuity.  Also, the thing that took the longest for me to remember was that each page had a specific top and bottom.  Oy, what a challenge.  Ann was great help, we seem to compliment each other in solving problems.

All I can say about this little missy is that she seems to be waiting for her cocktail to arrive.  A champagne cocktail, of course.









I have to give credit to my favorite stores - Craft Warehouse, Button Emporium and the bridal section at Fabric Depot, all located in, and around, Portland.  I really love those places.  I also favor Susan Clarke charms, they are fun to use.  Last year for my birthday, friend Judy K got in the spirit of the journal and gifted me embellishment laces and a charm of a frog on a lilypad.  Thanks Judy!!!  My children and friends are so nice to me, giving me gift cards to my favorite places for holidays or those special occasions.



This project gave me opportunity to use lots of beads as embellishments.  Beads are wonderful, they give out sparkle when needed and add accent in other areas.  And crystal beads...yum...my favorite sparkle.  Shopping for beads is wonderful, all the colors, the hanks looking like candy and if one deals in 11s, 12s, or 13s, the cost isn't that great and there are always leftovers for other projects.

The underwater pearl garden, a serene place to wish and wonder.

Hey girls, the fleet is in.....which one will be for you?  This is the exciting part of love, the passion of new love.  Hopefully, everyone I know has experienced the feeling, and if like me, maybe more than once.

The proposal.........what can you say???  Silk ribbons are another one of my loves, you can do so many things with the quarter inch width and so many colors, thanks Button Emporium!

Finally, the mermaids are human....their wishes having come true.

Do you ever feel like a squirrel in a vase?

Recently I started making Christmas items to give as gifts.  After seeing the first one finished, I thought the design was delightful.  Now after ten of them, all objectivity has been lost and they seem to look like a fifth grade art project.  I KNOW they are adorable but the huge withdrawal from the self esteem bank has been made.  The coffers will start to fill back up once the items are given; thank god there is a huge esteem spread sheet that will make both columns balance. 

Is there a twelve-step program in place to help everyone survive the holidays….one that deals with gift giving (OMG, did the present they gave me cost more than what I gave them?????), receiving cards/gifts from someone you did not have on your list, who to invite to those holiday get togethers (are Joe and Danny speaking to each other yet?) and so on.  If so, sign me up..."My name is Katara and I am a holiday misfit." 

We all know that the holiday will be survived just like it has been every other year.  In truth, as we get older we learn to not sweat the small stuff…like being a squirrel in a vase.