Pages

Thursday, May 9, 2024

I Like Thursday #401 Birthday celebrations, good food, and a list of likes

 

Welcome to this week's list of likes... and Milo is illustrating the prompt for this week

no it's not my birthday month, but a poodle can celebrate anyway
More about that later

talking to friends

I was lucky enough this week to chat with Cindy, Lane, Diane in Texas, and Joy. It makes such a difference, being with friends.  Zoom and FT are fine ways to visit... almost like being there

TV and streaming

Brokenwood is back, Murdoch is back (ACORN) we're watching Midwives on PBS, and I'm enjoying Traitors (on Peacock) Australia

The Amazing Race season is coming to a finish this week, so what will replace this as a must see show for us? 

Want to learn

I want to learn how to sing harmony. I like to sing, but have an alto voice. I haven't found a good lesson on how to harmonize, they all say, sing a third or fifth note up. I can't just know what a third sounds like til I go up a note, then another and by then the song is in the middle! Crikey!

I also want to learn to roll my R's in Italian. Not one decent instructional video for that either. 

Grateful

DH went with me to urgent care twice and to an emergency visit with an ENT at UCHealth in the last two weeks. I am phobic of hospitals and doctors and rubbish in an emergency. He was steadfast. 

 watching on youtube

OMG   I wish humans were as welcoming as these sheep... 

https://youtube.com/shorts/zbXX58W7gK4?si=tD1Kz6dcjp5cfWRM

Fine Dining

tried this recipe, dividing it in half because we had one can of beets, and it was like old time good...

note we don't like cornstarch and use arrowroot to thicken... delish but not photogenic

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/92773/grandmas-harvard-beets/ 


 

made a new to us recipe for thumbprint cookies... very buttery shortbread texture and so good

https://www.loveandlemons.com/thumbprint-cookies/
 Made some garbanzo bean soup, and homemade bread too this week. Don't like to cook, DO like to eat

 


recipe from Jenny Can Cook

60 Funny Birthday Wishes For All Your ...

The prompt this week is : how do you celebrate your birthday? 

Growing up, I always had some kind of party... at home of course, with pin the tail on the donkey kind of games and 25 cent prizes for the winners. A store bought cake with decorations sat on the dining room table from that morning... it was considered fancy rather than a home made cake that would taste better! I always blew out candles, and asked for one of those greasy icing flowers of course. 

As I aged I had sleep over parties, and when I turned 13 I think, I had a movie party with three girlfriends. I wore a mini skirt and fishnet stockings for the first time, where my fat squeezed through the squares and gave me a rash! I had a newsboy corderoy hat, my hair was bobbed, I wore blue eyeshadow and white lipstick. 

Vintage 1950s For The Birthday Girl ...

I was engaged before I met my husband, to a lovely man who made a lot of effort for my birthdays. Once he set up for me to have time off work, bought us plane tickets and a hotel stay in NYC to go to a major wholesale craft show. Once he set up a surprise party, and it was one of two I've had in my life. 

My Canadian boyfriend set up the other surprise party, and for the first time, I had intuition hit me full on while I showered I saw lots of friends gathering and laughing. Unmistakable. I was stunned, got ready didn't say anything on the way to the friend's house for dinner. Surprise! I often now have those intuition moments and do not discount them. 

My husband and I always took a trip, or did something special we'd never done, on my birthday weekend. A trip to NYC with show, shopping, carriage ride, dinner at Tavern on the Green. Trip to Newport RI, Poconos, Mystic Seaport. 

Biggest Lie: Hysterical Belated Birthday Card with a Retro Image of a  Woman, with Envelope. C6956BDG: Greeting Cards: Amazon.com.au

Now that I can't leave the house safely because of allergy to vaccines, I make my own cake. If I'm lucky my generous but gift impaired husband might have purchased a gift. Life is what you make it, but sometimes you can't make it into what you want. It's my birthday in a few days, and I'm glad I'm able to make something of the day. 

When I was born, my birth mother gave me to the adopted mother. The doctor told Mary not to get attached to me as I wouldn't make it. I was teeny at 4 lbs, my liver didn't function, I was too weak to eat. Then I grew...  As the story goes my birth mother wanted the best for me, and she felt as a single mother she couldn't provide that. Sad. (the placement wasn't a nice one as it turns out) but one day, I'd like to meet her family, maybe even my birth father (who was Italian) family, and belong somewhere. 

So birthdays... where you celebrate the fact that this glorious person was born in the same time period as you were... are special to me, how about you? I don't think, I'm so old, I save that for when the body fails throughout the year lol. I think, well, here I am. Why am I here and how can I add goodness to the earth's family. 

 

Milo's moment

well y'all I dodged a bullet this weekend.

Grrrr you will not win hooman
 First daddy tried to poison me with some kind of medicne 

(Daddy: a heartworm pill is to keep you safe, we have early summers here now)

Milo: whatever. Then Daddy tried to drown me in the shower

(Daddy: it was just a bath, Drama King! You smelled like pee)

Milo: it's my signature fragrance... not worth manhandling me and putting soap all over me just to rinse it off with a power hose

Daddy: it's the same shower we use... oh my dog

Milo: then Mama tried to skin me alive with that noisy machine

Mama: The shaver. Just the shaver, just like I use on Daddy's hair. Scissors and a shaver. Same. 

Milo: just because you pin him to the chair with that cloth over him and vibrate his head the same way doesn't make it right. Haven't you noticed when you shave him, I am always there to supervise? In case you cut off an ear? sheesh, my worries are many.

Mama: well you smell much nicer, I can now see your eyes, your fluffy hair isn't tangled, and you're cooler. Isn't that good? 

 Milo: oh don't try to get out of it... I made it out alive this time... 

well, I admit I'm cooler, but  I also look more Blue
Mama: love you and you're so handsome

Please visit these peeps to see what they liked this week

https://canadianneedlenana.blogspot.com/  

grammajudyb.blogspot.com

https://comfortspiral.blogspot.com/


 
   LINKING WITH 

               friday smi
 

Saturday, May 4, 2024

My creative week.... a little house for my pins and some paintings

 

This week I was distracted by physical pain, but I managed to compete this wee pin cushion! 

There are videos of people teaching versions but none gave me a pattern... I found one on line


SunCatcherStudio.com

at first I cut it out large since it was drawn to scale. Too big for a pin cushion but great for a box... so then I cut it out as shown. 

I used pink felt scraps since the color of the month at rainbow scrap challenge is pink! yea! It looks wonky in these photos but it's a precious little sturdy 3 X 3 X 4 inches, stuffed with walnut shells in a little scrap bag, with fiberfil on top. 

I just randomly put things on like thick threads, felt bits, beads...

love the felted spotty roof, the flower shaped beads


I stitched on it while chatting to my friend Cindy one afternoon. She suggested sticks and french knots

Mais Oui! Magnifique Love how the hand dyed size 5 perle cotton changes color. 

I thought to do a sort of whisteria like vine over the door, lots of threads and beads piled on top of each other! The door is a wood textured scrap of tan felt
already on the job with my night time hexi sewing

I happily played with my threads, beads, and worked by hand (the aqua box is one of 4 I got at IKEA or the container store, I think... they come in handy for little things to keep together


One day I googled henna tatoos to get some new ideas to doodle on paintings... I like them
paper and black pen

I used a few on this quick color play

watercolor impressionist series Kuretake, ink pens and posca paint pens

see the word peace with the letters scrambled? a hand, a face

I learn by doing... painted a pink triangle and used blue posca acrylic pen over it, and it looks blue with pink but was done the opposite way. How do colors look next to each other? try them and see

one day I despaired of my round face... now looking old because of a series of physical set backs so I thought, I'd paint the roundest face and make her pretty... a la Botero

Grace never liked her round face, but she faced the world full on, standing up for herself. She knew her worth and was who she was unapologetic-ally. The spiral is for time/infinity, the hand for her artistry, the heart speaks for itself as she always lived by her good heart. She deserved the moon and the stars . 

Linking with


design wall Mondays at smallquiltsanddollquilts

https://songbirddesigns.blog/

finished or not

https://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/

https://beadwright.blogspot.com/





Thursday, May 2, 2024

I Like Thursday # 400

 

welcome to this week's list of likes... starting with pretty skies

and audio books..

.try to get it on audio, the reader's accent is magical  and I am enjoying the lyrical writing, the concept, the layers of meaning... 

 
a recent painting

 Watching on TV

mostly there are competition shows, and I like them. I was relieved Boston Rob remained on Deal or no deal Island, or I'd have lost interest. So you think you can dance has changed for the worse, American Idol is sending home kids at an alarming rate. First of all why rush when there is nothing to replace the show when the season ends... The only drama left for me is the good doctor and the dvr'd Elsbeth. We just finished the way home, a wonderful dive into traveling though time to the family farm. They are up for another season. 

I am HOOKED on the traitor. Watched the American version both seasons, the British version ( both) and am now into the Australian version... 

Thank you!

My friend Pat from NY (Miss Pat) sent me a giftie... how perfect is this for me??!

Sweet embroidered flamingo chorus line, enamel flamingo pin, wrapped in a swatch of flamingo fabric

so thoughtful, I love it Pat!  (I'm the flamingo in the middle of them, with her mouth open)


Our prompt this week... tell us about your name

LeeAnna means : a combination of the Old English name Lea, meaning "meadow," and Anna, meaning " grace" and "favor." Together, it can translate to "graceful meadow," making it a lovely

The story goes, one grandmother was Anna Lee and the other one Mae, plus there had been a Miss America called Lee Ann. Put them in a blender to get Lee Anna (May) and the early family called me LeeAnn. Annoyingly in school people messed it up calling me LouAnn which I just detested for me.

By  university I was requesting people call me Lee Anna and introduced myself that way, upsetting the family. It was prettier, my real name, and I wanted it. Sometimes I must remind adults it has an A on the end. 

There is a latin name called Lianna like the flowering vine. 

People spell it so many ways, Leigh, Li, LeAnna, etc. I hate when people shorten it to Lee not at all like me. 

When I was about age 4 or 5 I asked to be called Ann, and only my middle sister's mother-in-law called me that and I adored her for it. Then about age 6 I wanted to be Barbara. As an adult I found out my birth mother (named Barbara) had lunch with my Aunt and I one day, unbeknownst to my adopted mother who had an angry fit. Must have made her angrier to hear me fall in love with the name. 

long story shortened... 

When my middle sister turned age 50 she informed me she wanted a different name from Patty. I suggested several and she eventually changed to Patti with an "i" I had a college friend who totally changed his mundane name for an exotic folk singer style name, like maybe panther/cougar/lion 

Have you ever thought about changing your name? What does your name mean?

 On Youtube

wonderful... this guy usually plays for animals in the sanctuary but this is just him singing one of my favorite songs... 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-A6ATF7ZMio

 

I Named My Dog 5 Miles So I Can Tell People I Walk 5 Miles Every Day: Funny  Dog Journal Lined Paper
 

Milo's Moment

Milo here, hiya! I don't know how I got my name, but Mama does. I know if my people are saying the word "he" it means me, doesn't sound like Milo but it's always about me! and my middle name is "Mommy's baby" said with a singsong voice and I can't help but wag my tail when I hear it. 

I run for the safety of my crate when I hear, "MILO Paylor" in that tone of voice 

it snowed here one day, and has been hot the other days, and Daddy played in the grass without me 

daddy: planting grass plugs that are supposed to be strong against dog pee

Mama: Milo's name came from Milo Ventimillia the actor... and the movie, Milo and Otis. My poodle cole was named for Cole Porter (because he was jazzy) Chelsea my labradaughter was named for the character in "on Golden Pond" 

so Milo-baby do you like your name? 

Milo: finally gets back to me, on my segment, harumph, but I like it when you say it sweetly followed by "I LOVE youuuuuuu"
 

Please visit these folk to see what they liked this week

https://wordweaverart.blogspot.com/
https://tentoesinthewater.blogspot.com/ 

https://canadianneedlenana.blogspot.com/  

grammajudyb.blogspot.com

https://comfortspiral.blogspot.com/


 
   LINKING WITH 

               friday smi