Ezra ~

Ezra's Farm is finally D.O.N.E.  It took me much longer than anticipated but now it's ready for binding.  It was started in a class with Maria Barton in September.  It is a pattern by Dru Ann Jeffries of Cinnamon Creek Folk Art that can be purchased from Maria.

I had an overnight guest for a few days while her daddy was celebrating his granddaughter's first birthday in California.  Isn't she the cutest?  She will be 13 next month and other than arthritis (for which she gets a monthly shot that is like a miracle cure) she is doing great.

So happy we sprang forward.  I love the extra hour of daylight in the evening.  I hope our government will finally keep us on permanent daylight savings time.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Purging is Messy Business ~

This is just a little of what I am dealing with!  One section of the attic.

The area between the living and dining room.  All stuff that is in various stages of being dealt with.

In the living room.  All ready to head to the thrift shop soon.

I decided to get a jump on Easter decorating.  Why does one person have this many Easter decorations?

The cast iron rabbit mold my mom gave me decades ago.  She had purchased him in a box lot at auction.  Lucky me to have him . . . though he hasn't seen the light of day in 25+ years.

Leonora from A Journal of Days told me she had just ordered a book about Swedish Death Cleaning.  I vaguely remember hearing of this and did a quick internet search.  There are also many You Tube videos on the subject.  I really need to watch a few of these and see if they will make purging any easier!

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

On the Hooking Horizon ~

 

Ezra's Farm is nearing completion.  I am struggling on this last "block".  Wool choices???  Working on figuring it all out!

So what do I do?  Start a quick little bunny mat to gift my sister-in-law since she always cooks on Easter.  I hooked this one for me a couple years ago.

In just over a week, I will be heading to Pennsylvania for a hooking class.  More on that later, but before I go, I WILL have Ezra's Farm hooked and hopefully the bunny mat, too.  And another hooked mat I need to work on is the "teapot challenge".  Our guild decided on doing a challenge that will be displayed at the rug show at Sauder Village during rug hooking week in August.  I have had the pattern on linen for many months . . . and need to git 'er done soon (though I have until June!).  The size needs to be 16" x 16" and the spout and handle must remain.  Those are the only rules!  So far, we have had a couple florals, one hooked like a Polish pottery piece, an animal and a snowman.  

Just a few days after returning from class, I will be heading to southern Ohio for a two day hook in.  No hooking events for many months and then two in less than two weeks!

We have had a couple spring-like days and the early bloomers have exploded.

Then tomorrow snow.  Welcome to Ohio.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Ezra ~

Progress has been made on Ezra's Farm, but not as much as I had anticipated.  I really thought I would be done by now.  Missing wool was either located or a close substitute found.  A couple areas I have no idea how it was color planned in class, so I am winging it.

{{So I decided to pull a few loops before finishing this post.  I sat down in the hooking chair and guess what I found in the tote right next to the chair.  Yup . . . missing wool.  You have no idea how much time I wasted looking for it.  Boy do I feel stoopid!!!}}

In November, I bought one of those amaryllis bulbs that are encased in wax and are totally care free.  It finally bloomed in January and I was getting ready to dispose of the bulb when I noticed this.  

I was pleasantly surprised to see another bud.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Purging ~

 

Adios, February!  I will not miss you in the least.  

Snowdrops are finally ready to bloom.  

I think I have mentioned before that a few months ago, all my sh** stuff was finally getting to me.  I am talking paperwork and stuff in the attic.  We won't even think about the basement or garage at this time.  I am not planning on going "anywhere" for a long time, but I don't want to leave my boys an absolute nightmare.  They like me now so I don't want them to end up hating me when I'm gone . . . 😁

It probably took me 6 weeks to purge paperwork.  I could only deal with it for a short time each day.  Kind of like how you eat an elephant - one bite at a time.  I am guessing at least 95% of the paperwork has been purged from my house.

I started on the attic about mid-January.  I am working at least a half hour each day.  Holy hell.  It is just overwhelming.  My previous house was a few hundred square foot larger.  When I moved here 25 years ago, I just boxed everything and what I was unable to display here went to the attic.  The stuff I am finding.  Pre-move, I collected vintage world globes.  Nowhere to display them here and I was shocked to find I had two huge boxes of them.  Marbles?  Now tell me why I have twelve different size bottles of marbles, about half vintage cats' eyes and the others the cool antique clay marbles.  My latest find . . . so called collector plates from the late 70's and early 80's I am guessing.  I counted 25 still in the original boxes, many unopened.  I never did display a one.  Those are the kind of things I don't think you can even give away.

One of the hardest things is dealing with items from my boys preschool and early grade school days.  Items made from construction paper.  Learning to print papers.  Simple stories they have written.  I am trying so hard to get rid of many of those items, but I will be making a "memory box" for each of them with items that I just can't toss.

I assume you are getting the idea of what I am dealing with.  I have given a bunch of stuff to friends and a load went to the thrift shop.  More will be going soon.  I had not intended to have another antique/vintage/collectible/decorating sale, but I have too much good stuff to just give it away . . . sigh.  So as it is coming down from the attic, it is going in the "garage sale" area of the basement.  God help me!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Another One Fully Finished ~

 

I do believe this hit 'n miss was hooked and bound in record time.  After the challenge of hooking Yellow Bird, I just needed something totally mindless.  The squares are 5 1/2" and the overall size is about 18" x 30".

I am not wishing my life away, but I will be happy to say good riddance to February.  The shortest month of the year always seems the longest!  We finally have temps above freezing and most of our snow is gone.  I have two hooking ventures to look forward to in March.  Praying that the weather cooperates.

A fun log cabin purchased a few weeks ago.  It will reside outside in the garden.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs 😊

Lauren

Hooked, Bound & Labeled ~

Yellow Bird is finally done.  I mean completely done!!!  She was one of my most challenging rugs and without Kris Miller's guidance, I never could have hooked that darn face.  I hooked it all . . . except for the lips 😁.  The background is much more subtle in person.

I don't think I shared the wool used for her skirt.  It is amazing what a good plaid can do.  It's a real workhorse.

My labels aren't fancy like Saundra's, but I will call it good.  They print off white and I coffee stain them after sewing them.

Today we finally had temps above freezing.  Rising temperatures are most welcome.  Have I ever mentioned I HATE winter?  (Only about a hundred times, I suppose.)

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs 😊

Lauren