Tag : Marvin

38 posts

T Tuesday: many things edition

This post will be a jumble…so many things in so many directions. That’s my life right now. Some days I feel a little more scattered than others. When I’m having a scattered day I am trying to be mindful and prioritize, slow down when possible and forgive myself for not vacuuming.

I finally set up my sewing machine in J’s room. Not really sure what took me so long to get back to it… perhaps lost creative mojo.

Quilting

marvin being helpful

Now that my machine is in a usable space I got out the scrappy quilt top I made before Christmas. I settled on a tie-dye fabric from my stash for the backing. As soon as I laid the quilt on the floor for basting, my helper showed up.

marvin being helpful

Making the bed is pretty much his favorite activity…well maybe eating and sleeping are tied for first then making the bed.  Of course, he doesn’t understand that laying the quilt out nice and flat and smooth, keeping it all inline are an integral part of the process.

Teaset pincushion

Since this desk overlooks the front yard, it’s a perfect spot for Marvin to do a bit of bird watching. With that in mind, I decided that the standard tomato pincushion wasn’t the right choice…looks a little too much like a ball.

teacup pin cushion

I made this teacup pincushion a while back and have finally put it to use. I love that the cup sits slightly off-center on the saucer. When I first noticed this mistake I was upset but now I realize that this is a good thing. The off-center placement allows for more useful space for sewing tools at the ready.

Week of appreciation

para appreciation week

Last week was declared Paraprofessional appreciation week by Governer Walz. Our school went all out making us feel appreciated in so many ways. Puny gifts, signs on our lockers, cards, and breakfast but honestly, the most meaningful one was drawing and note from a student that I wasn’t sure I was making an impact with.

Archery

Archery season is upon us. I love this season even with the distance we travel most Saturdays. It gives Mini-me and I some quality time in the car.

Birthday Boy

reading to friends

J turned 20 years old today!! TWENTY!! So crazy. It was hard not to be with him today. I was very distracted with thoughts of him throughout the day. I just wanted to hop in the van and drive to Duluth. I’ll be calling him shortly when his class is over…but it’s just not the same.

What else…oh yeah…I dyed my hair…mostly the underside…purple. Well…technically eggplant. Yep…totally went for it. It’s really fun and I love it. The family had a bit of a hard time getting used to it but I think they have now. If you take a peek at my about me page, you will see the new look.

T stands for Tuesday
What are you doing today?

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T Tuesday: changes edition

This week is one of change. J heads back to college for the Spring semester. Our school is having its final week of the semester. Next week brings new classes for me and Mini-me, just to name a few.  With J heading back to college I’ll once again be expanding my crafty space to include the desk in his room. Perhaps then I’ll catch up with a couple of projects that have hit the back burner over the last month.

New projects

I’m creating an embellishment storage booklet. I was inspired by Gayle Agostinelli. So far I only have one page of the booklet completed. It’s not pretty but that wasn’t my purpose. I’m using up papers and extras that I’ll never use. It’s strictly utilitarian. Waste not, want not.embellishment booklet

I slipped a few random paper pieces in the pockets so they’d actually show up…

embellishment booklet

It will make better sense when it’s all put together but basically I want to have a book or booklet with all my small or fussy cut embellishments at the ready instead of searching through half a dozen places for just the right piece I know I own.

Another new project is actually an old one that I never started. The sketchbook project that I purchased over the summer. Of course, at the time the due date seemed so far away…now its only weeks away.sketchbook project page

sketchbook project page

I’m sure you’ll be seeing a lot more of these pages in the weeks to come. My only disappointment is that the pages are so thin…any wet media really soaks through very quickly. I definitely have to keep this in mind instead of just intuitively creating as I prefer.

Last weekend we finally put away all the Christmas decor. I snapped this late even photo the night before for my obligatory T Tuesday beverage reference. T Tuesday obligatory photo

Something fun that just came in the mail that I had to share was our “free” Marvin puzzle.

Marvin puzzle

I say “free” because for the puzzle itself we had a coupon code making it $0 but then the shipping seemed a bit overpriced so they definitely were making their money somehow.

I snapped this pretty sky photo when I got to work this morning. The sun was behind a veil of thin clouds…it was a perfect orange disk. The view almost made up for the slick driving conditions from the overnight snow. Almost.snowy morning sky

Such a bummer…we’re getting snow again right now…in fact, we are getting snow basically every day this week during one or both commutes. Not fun.

T stands for Tuesday

What are you doing today?

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T Tuesday: Christmas wrap(up) edition

Hello and welcome to another edition of T stands for Tuesday! You may have noticed that I’ve been gone a while. I talked about my back saga in the previous post so we are moving on to something more festive and fun!

Since we were hosting Christmas (because I love it!) I had to lean on the rest of the family to do all of the heavy and not so heavy lifting.

Even the simple things like getting a cake in and out of the oven.

The past few years I’ve made a rum cake for Christmas but this time I went for a Fireball Whiskey cake. It was so good. I forgot to take a photo of it with the icing…likely because it wasn’t very pretty.

We had overnight guests on Christmas eve…Mini-me gave up her bed and slept on the couch. Of course, this meant that she was up even earlier than she usually is. She is my early bird kid.

It was a long wait…even with me making all kinds of noise in the kitchen.

This was my favorite present under the tree…it’s hard to wrap arrows. Mini-me needed a new set for archery season which is just days away.

Marvin had to be a part of the chaos…bows are his favorite.

I suppose the whiskey cake could have been my “beverage” for T stands for Tuesday but instead, I thought I’d share the tiniest cocktail I’ve ever seen. My BIL brought this over. It wasn’t anything I cared for but the can sure was cute.

I’ve been working on purging my rubber stamps. I was so frustrated digging through them trying desperately to find a Happy Anniversary stamp since I had promised my MIL that I’d make her some cards. I had a bunch of bases completed they just needed a sentiment and the also requested “shiny butterflies”. Thankfully I have a very crafty neighbor who is willing to share. Thanks, KW!

The “shiny butterflies” have the big wow factor but are pretty easy to make. I stamped each butterfly on white card stock with black Staz-on ink. I used watercolor paint to colorize each. After completely dry, I fussy cut each and placed on a non-stick surface. I coated each one with Diamond glaze. As they dry a slight curl happens quite naturally giving them an even more “lifelike” appearance.

I have now looked through every single one of my stamps and alas…I never even had a Happy Anniversary stamp. ugh. Well, now I do…I bought a set of sentiments at Michaels. I’m sure you’ll be seeing some cards in the near future with these words.

Today is Mini-me’s 17th birthday. I can hardly believe it. 

I was planning to go out and get her favorite meal… Chipotle…but we are getting a snowstorm. It remains to be seen if we venture out or not.

Speaking of crazy storms and slippery conditions….have you seen this video?

The video was taken a few miles from our house. Mini-me had friends on that bus heading to a girls’ hockey tournament.

T stands for Tuesday
What are you doing today?

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T Tuesday: Halloween edition

I sometimes feel guilty about dressing up for Halloween when we skipped the whole works when our kids were young. At the time it made sense due to food allergies. Now with my job, it’s kind of a thing again.

I dressed as a VSCO girl. Those of you who don’t have teenagers won’t get it. but the kids at school loved it! “Oh my gosh Mrs. G…you’re a VSCO girl!” “That is so awesome!”  You can google it if you are super curious…

This was a good chunk of the staff who dressed for the occasion. So fun…and some actual learning took place believe it or not.

Over the weekend I went to a local craft fair and immediately fell in love with this bowl.

Something about it spoke to me. I told the potter that I’d be back…I had to think about it. I quickly made the rounds through the rest of the vendors in the gym and came back with cash in hand.

I LOVE IT!! The potter is a retired orthopedic surgeon. After decades away from the wheel, he started creating again.  I’m certainly happy he did!

I have to show you my view this morning after the time change. Marvin is not a fan. He doesn’t understand why I’m not willing to open the shades @dark 30.

So he waits… giving me the cold shoulder…or rear.

T stands for Tuesday
What are you doing today?

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A second look: summer photography wrap up

I haven’t been using my “big camera” (my DSLR) all that much lately.

Its a shame really since I love photography. Over the past couple weeks when the weather has cooperated, I’ve tried to get in the habit of using it again. I really need to keep up on my skills…I’ll be taking Senior pictures for Mini-me NEXT summer. Geesh…the time certainly flies.

Take a look…

 

9/23/2016

2016 Summertime Photo Scavenger hunt wrap-up

The summer has ended and so has the hunt for photos. I like to wrap things up with a recap of the old and any newly snapped photos. This year I only missed one on the list but got an alternative to takes it’s place. In the past I’ve gotten every single one including the alternates.

1. A “wild heart” – a naturally occurring heart (like the rock above, but it doesn’t have to be a rock)summer photo huntHostas in my backyard

2. A footprint or pawprint

paw-print

Husky paw print

3. A skeleton, bone or x-ray

bones-collageAt the orthopedist

4. A book or magazine read during 2016

books

Lots of books…can’t stop reading…

5. A porch or deck

deck collage

Trex Deck at the MN landscape Arboretum

6. A camper (caravan)

summer photo hunt

Camper trailer

7. A family gatheringsummer photo hunt

Independence day gathering

8. A drawing, art project, artistic photograph, scrapbook page, greeting card, or art journal page created by you.summer photo huntObviously this isn’t my only creation of the summer…if you’d like to see more just browse around the blog. :)

9. Someone playing with, in, or around water.summer photo hunt4th of July waterfight….a tradition

10. A bicyclebikeAt a parking lot next to a state bike trail.

11. Fresh producesummer photo huntBeans from my garden and CSA box

12. A windowwindowThe broken remains of my drivers side window…you can read about it here.

13. The moonsummer photo huntLucky low light shot of the moon over the house.

14. A buffet of foodsummer photo hunt4th of July gather again…

15. A team logoteamsSome of our beloved local teams…current and former.

16. A map showing a trip taken during the time period

map

Mini-me and I traveled to Alexandria over the summer for a girls weekend.

map-2This close-up map has both lakes that we stayed on…if you look closely you can see my reflection.

17. Twinssummer photo huntI took a bit of liberty with this one just because it made me laugh.

18. A supermarket cart, basket or trolley full of groceries cart

Back to school stock up at Target

19. A seasonal cocktail or beveragesummer drinkMoscow Mule…favorite summer drink!!

20. Someone laughing

This is the one I didn’t get mostly because I don’t show faces on my blog if at all possible.

21. A photograph of you with a newspaper or calendar page from the time period covered in the Hunt. Note: you may not use a substitute for this item.

timely-photoI believe this one is self explanatory

Alternatives – if you’re having trouble finding any of the above, you may substitute from this list (but you may not substitute for item #21):
alternative 1: a lighthouse

No lighthouse either

alternative 2: a baby (human or animal)

alt-baby

Can you see the baby? Cute little “O”.

That about wraps it up. I’m not sure what happened to Rinda’s blog as it hasn’t been updated since June but I do know that the Facebook group has been active so I’ll be posting there. I do hope to continue with photo scavenger hunts…they are really fun and a real challenge at times to get creative and think outside the box.

 

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Thanks for stopping by for Second on the 2nd.

Second on the 2nd

 

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T Tuesday: great outdoors edition

This weeks T stands for Tuesday is dedicated to the great outdoors. I wish I could take you on a current up to the moment tour but…its raining…again. You’ll have to settle for some photos that have been taken over the past week or so.

Shall we start with the pest that is digging up my garden?

Cute isn’t she…pain in my @$$ is what she is. Her and her now babies are digging up plants everywhere!!!! Did you notice she seems to be red and grey…I looked it up and there seems to be some crossing of the species. These squirrels are closer to grey squirrel size but with a red squirrel temperament. “Fantastic” she says dripping with sarcasm.

We’ve also had a bunch of deer around eating my tiger lilies…I can’t blame this little fawn…mama left him rest in the tall grass by the fence.

She’s looking at me like I’m the paparazzi….

Here’s some adorable and equally destructive critters in the patch of clover my neighbor has in their yard.

This robin and the cedar wax wings are busy eating the service berries from our tree like they do every year…the only problem is the berries seem to go right through them if you catch my drift.

Do you notice the netting over my patio tomato plant? Squirrel deterrent. My in-laws used to have a huge strawberry patch…this was the leftover netting. Thank goodness!!

I also have it on my deck boxes and the raised bed. Marvin is out on a supervised visit of the great outdoors on one of our non-raining moments.

He’s such a handsome guy. I love how he poses for me.

He enjoys sniffing the air, watching bugs and birds and generally lounging around.

How do you like my new signs….

My MIL bought them for me. There are a few more but I need to repaint to reflect what I actually have planted.

My garden is finally looking pretty good. I’m excited to see how the yellow pear tomatoes do in this garden vs the raised bed by the deck.

Yesterday I put up a few flags…immediately after placing this one atop the fence post on the garden this dragonfly landed. Must have been an excellent hunting position since he would not move even when I adjusted the flag.

Marvin doesn’t love the heat…even though we’ve brushed and brushed him…he still has quite the coat. We know he’s warm when he does this… His other position is belly up on the floor. Poor baby…he’s a winter cat.

Are you still with me…I know its a long post…

For my art/beverage tie in we have this journal page. I kept meaning to post it but it never happened…as you can see by the date it’s a couple weeks old.

I love how the book page shows through the napkin so much!!! The page really didn’t need a whole lot more in my opinion. A little recycled sari fabric and found text…done.

Tuesday has lots of errands in store getting ready for the Independence Day holiday.

T stands for Tuesday
What are you doing today?

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T Tuesday: thrifted treasures edition

Hello and welcome to another edition of T Stands for Tuesday!

Lately when its not frigid or snowing, I’ve been doing a bit of thrift store shopping. Mini-me has gone a few times as well. She has found some really awesome clothes for herself. Me…not so much in the clothing department but I have found some craft supplies and home decor items.

Such as this cute word pillow for the couch. I love it! 

I also picked up this lovely red tray and the craft supplies in it. Frankly I don’t know if I’ll use the cards as craft supplies but they were so cute and reminded me of my childhood. They were a must have for me.

Speaking of supplies…I finally finished the tea in this tin! I’ve been wanting to use the tin in my craft room as an organizer. Now if I could just remember my original intention for it. :)

Since today was a workshop day for teachers, Mini-me and I had the day off. Marvin was very confused. He likes routines. He spent the day taking turns following each of us around the house, curiously watching.

BTW–Mini-me did really great in her tournament over the weekend. She once again shot a personal best. A whole 21 points higher than the previous week. And get this…she shot left handed after shooting right handed for over a year.

You can see her shooting left on this side at the most recently…as opposed to right at all previous tournaments. Crazy huh? And yes, Mini-me has almost waist length hair.

Tuesday has work, archery (thrifting time for me) and an evening meeting. It’s going to be a long day!

T stands for Tuesday
What are you doing today?

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