Oh, the weather outside is frightful!

6:16 am and I am wide awake. The weather has brought us lots of sleet and freezing rain. The driveway is a white sheet of frozen wonder. Gorgeous and dangerous at the same time. I actually had to go outside this morning and take my daughter to catch a ride to work. I am so glad I retired and don't have to work (at least away from home).

This weather started yesterday but my sable will go in anything, so I get to be the designated driver for the compound. I even went out last night to my weight watchers meeting. So disappointing, they didn't show up! It was only my second meeting and I was excited to see how much I have lost. Since my retirement, I have gained over 20 pounds and I refuse to buy new clothes. It has to come off. Being from a medical background, I don't like diets. So of course, I choose a new way of living. That's what it is all about. I really like the flex point system. I even managed to save enough points so I could have a few spoonfuls of peanut butter. I love peanut butter! lol! I started straightening up the basement so I can get my exercise equipment moved around. I feel like over the years I could run a gym in my basement. No excuse for me not to move more. I use to love it, but it seems I have fallen into bad habits and turned my energies into other things. But I know that if I want to change, I have just got to get myself down there. I am not much for going to gyms, takes too long to get there. This way I can walk the treadmill in my jammies! Maybe I will get my laundry done while I am at it.

Well, I should keep my mouth shut. I jinxed myself. I told my sil that I don't think there will be anymore grandkids. I can't see D having anymore, he's got a 19 yr old son. B will never marry, S won't have any, she's 42. T is a lost cause. C is finished (thank God!) R1 hasn't grown up enough and she's 34 (she doesn't need any children) and R2's hubby got fixed! She has two, a boy and a girl. But last week R1 was having a few too many glasses of wine, blabbed to me that B's girlfriend is 4 1/2 months pregnant! They could have told us at Christmas but no one said a thing. Now I only have a few more months to make baby blankets. Geez! What is wrong with this family. We already know we are getting a girl. The girls are now almost even with the boys in this family!

I am a very hands on granny. I am fortunate enough that my children live close. In fact B lives about 100 feet away from us, in our rental duplex. You would think I would have known before this but he didn't say a word and I never just pop in (well almost) without warning. But now I wonder if I will get to kiss and cuddle this one as much as the others. We shall see. I have been gathering baby clothes for a week. Seems my house is full of clothes, the babies outgrew. Little Lil was a nine pound baby and she had clothes she could never wear, so they got a bathtub full of goodies yesterday. There were at least 6 onesies that had never been worn. I sent back at least 6 receiving blankets, and another 4 heavier blankets. I filled the tub with outfits that had been barely used. Lots of baby gap, old navy and carters. R2's Lil is a designer baby! lol! Now Cara, who is 23 months old likes it all. She had a ton of clothes, but I didn't know about the new one, so I sent them all home to C. C is getting her own box of stuff together.

Cara has some buntings she never worn, I know they can go. Cara had spent the first 6 weeks of her life in Childrens Hospital with a heart condition and a lot of her clothes never saw the light of day. When we finally got her home, the weather had changed and she never wore them.

Well, off of that subject. I cleaned out my craft room the other day and found that I had six projects I had not finished. That was unacceptable! My limit is three! So of course I have spent this week finishing things. I had cuffs for big boys, so I finished two pair of those. I had a skirt to a christening gown, that Lil didn't get to wear. That's another story. I turned that into an adult skirt. Fits R1 nicely. I can't decide whether I need to put a fabric skirt under it or just have her put some tights on and model for me so I can get some pics. Then I finished a stocking cap I had on my needles. I had part of a sweater I was making for me done. So I finished the sleeves and put it together, but it was too short. So much for trying to follow a pattern. What was I thinking? lol! So of course I added on to the bottom, made a border and added a little color to it. It just looked so drab all in blue. I put some mustard color to the border and then decided to add it to the bottom of the sleeves. Seems the sleeves are a little long, but it looks good. Now I can't decide whether I want to keep it or sell it! Last but not least, I still have to finish this apron. Maybe today will be that day. Maybe not!

I tried to take a nap yesterday, but the phone kept ringing. So I layed there designing in my head. I want to make a hat to go with a couple coats for my Blythe doll. Trim the coats with fur. Add some ladybug buttons on the one hat. If you can't guess, I didn't write this down yesterday, so this is going to be my reminder list. I think I am going to make a purse and add a ladybug on it too. Then I had bought some twine the other day. I want to make some soles for sandals. I have been tossing around the idea of using my cloth strips and crochet the top piece that goes across the foot. I am thinking it would be more comfortable than yarn. I want to make ties from both sides so that it can be adjusted to fit easier. And since I don't like floppy sandals all the time, I have to figure out how I want to do the back of the heel. Still wheels at the moment.

I do wish this weather would get nice. I need to get the camera out and go to work. I haven't added anything in over a week to my store and it is stale as can be in there. I laid out a few items on the footstool. They have been there for a week. It has been so drab here I just don't get good pictures in this weather. My house seems to be too dark and I have yet to make a light box. My list could go on forever! Omg!

My cousin finally got back from Florida. We are suppose to spend some time together before she goes back down to her home. She lives about 4 hrs away from me, but we are like sisters and are quite close. She is making a quilt using her deceased husbands clothes. Hmm. Now I am not sure I would want his shirt laying over me everynite, but to each there own. Got me to thinking though. She does quilt. I have two quilt tops done, but I have never watched anyone quilt and I want to learn. I just might go down there this summer, take my tops and have her teach me. Of course I will take my own machine with me. I don't know what she has, but mine will do everthing but wipe my butt! lol! Hopefully today, we can go out for lunch, and go by the fabric store. Maybe I should make a few baby quilts before I tackle that king size one. The big one has over 1000 squares in it. It is sooooooooo gorgeous. Wah, I should finish it!

Enough of my rattling, time to go to work. Or go back to bed!

That dang ole Flu bug!

It has not been a good two weeks around here. I can not believe how sick this family is. Seems that we just like to share everything. My kids and grandkids have runny noses, coughs, and fevers. They just keep passing it back and forth. Right now Miss Cara is in my bed, running a temp. Poor baby! We gave her some motrin, wiped her down with a wet rag. (she won't let me put her in a tub of tepid water) . So it is going to be a long day. I am lucky I get to do some work on this blog today.

It is also a wonder I have anything done. I designed a new outfit for my Blythe doll but my kids say she looks like a hooker. I am still trying to decide what else I want to do with her. Maybe I will post a pic of what she looks like right now. But today isn't a good day, as it is rainy and cloudy. I really need to make me a light box. Well, I have to cut this short now. I hear a whiny child. Gotta go/

Are you ready for Valentines Day?

Well, I'm not! lol! I never am. I don't need the chocolate and hubby can't have the chocolate, unless it is sugar free. Plus I am just too tired to do anything for it. Not that I don't love him. I must. Or I still wouldn't be married to him after 36 years.

But I am worn out. I figured I haven't slowed down since Thanksgiving. Holidays and working on the rental property has just about finished me off. I hardly have any time to myself or for my love of the arts. I have to say we have knocked out the majority of the remodeling and am down to finishing touches. We had carpet laid last week. They did three bedrooms and the living room. Gorgeous stuff! Makes me want to work on my house! NOT!

But here are a few of the things I have down in the last few weeks besides home repairs. I like them. Hope you do.

I am so aggravated!

Well, I had started out saying good morning, good morning! But that all changed after I had written for a half hour, posted a pic and was getting ready to write some more when Netscape kicked me to the curb. Lost it all! Sigh! So now I get to start all over again. Great! My memory, not being what it use to be, has already forgotten what I said! lol! Oh well, here we go! I am waiting for the sun to pop out today. Drinking coffee, looking out the window between the slats of my dirty blinds. I should be cleaning my own house, but noooooooooooo! I get to go work on the rental property later. We have spend two weekends now scraping, sanding cleaning, repairing and probably will spend another month in there. We have yet to pull up carpet and tiles and do floors. I'm hoping it all works out soon. I am so tired. I don't know if it is this crappy weather or this crappy cold. Probably both!

So yesterday, while I am patiently waiting for my work crew to show up, I decided to take some pics of my lovely Blythe dresses. I had made these months ago. No clue why I never put these on my Etsy store. Of course lately, I just think I have no clue period! lol! I put a few new ones out and low and behold! Two of them sold within 15 minutes. I just regret to say, I lost the pattern for the purple outfit. Seems my 22 month old granddaughter has happy fingers lately and everything disappears. So I think this will be a ooak. Have a look, and enjoy!

Lets make Doll Clothes!

I have been working on making my own patterns for the Blythe dolls! I have some half crocheted and with skirts. Some are all crocheted. I am hoping to improve on this line and take better photos. Here are just a few. If you find anything you like, let me know. You can reach me at www.everlastingcraftycre.etsy.com.

Slacking time is over!

I have come to the conclusion that if I want to sell something, I better get it out there so someone can see it. lol! I am so glad Christmas is over, it was fun and now it's gone! I don't think I will make any New Year whatever you want to call them. I always break them or just don't start. I would like to sit down and make a business plan this year and follow thru with it. But for right now, I've got to get myself back in the grove of posting here and adding to my store on Etsy. Got to work on better photos and communication.

I'm sure there is more but I am going to put some pretty pics of my new OOAK stocking caps on. Hope you like them.

Recap of craft show

Well, to say the least, I was a little disappointed in the weekends craft show. I had such high hopes but they put me across from a couple who were selling commercialized ornaments and wall signs. They had such a crowd that the whole aisle was block with people looking and people trying to check out. They had their cash register up front and I know I counted 12 in line to check out for at least a half hr. It was just a steady run for them all weekend. Their customers had the aisle so blocked people were turning around and going a different way. No one looked my way passing by unless they were looking for me. They would even stand back to look over there and block the front of my displays!

Around Saturday afternoon, another vendor came by and asked how I was doing. She was two stalls down from me and said all of us around were doing badly because of our couple. She said a lot of people had already complained about him and that I should too. I am not a complainer. The point had already been made and I am sure the promoters didn't need to hear it again.

I did manage to make as much as I did last year at this time. Plus I have a few orders to get finished. I guess I was just spoiled after the first year. So far I haven't had a show top it. C and I have discussed branching out a little more and doing some shows a little farther away.

C took our Santa hats to work today. I will let you know how they do there! I had a lady look at them Sunday and asked me if I did this for a living. I told her if I had to rely on this to pay the bills, I'd be out in the street! lol!