Finding Grandma

Its funny how someone can be lost for such a long time.  It was cleaning day and it was time to change the sheets on the bed.  I pulled some sheets that I had not use  for awhile out from the bottom of the linen cabinet.  As I unfolded the sheets there she was.  Her soft touch and sweet smell, it was my Grandma.  I remembered then that I had hung those sheets outside to dry this past summer.  The  fresh air had been folded inside.  Fresh air, that was my grandma. My Grandparents built a room next to the kitchen and behind the garage.  My Grandparents called it the Florida room which I always thought was funny since we lived in Chicago.  It had a sliding glass door which for some reason meant it was a Florida room?  Fresh air would flow through the screen door and mix with stories that my family loved to tell. My Grandma's fried chicken and green beans, vegetables from the garden, salt and pepper that my Grandpa always put on his tomato's, ice tea,  my Grandpas smoking, all these added to the smell of the house.  My Grandma would take us kids upstairs and tuck us in real tight.  Its funny how I don't remember the smell of my Grandpas smoking as much as Grandmas clean fresh sheets.  Whats really strange is my Mom hung out our sheet at home and still they were always better at Grandmas.Those sheets were the best smell ever. I always slept good at my Grandparents house.
Several years back my Grandma died.  Her mind was lost to Alzheimer's.  Alzheimer's stinks.
Its a bummer that it is about 12 degrees outside or I would be hanging out laundry right now.  I don't think I need to add anything else to the odd factor in my neighborhood.  Frozen laundry would be just to weird.
I am going to sleep good tonight.
Love you Grandma

Creative What?

Well, thank God my mojo is back. Its strange how you can have such creative energy at one moment and then the next moment ------ nothing, blank. Then all of a sudden there it is again. What helped me you ask? Pintrest, thats what. What a helpful tool to build up creative energy. Its going to be a creative year. Thanks for the day!

I love Spring!!!

Well it has been a long time since I have written in this blog.  Life gets so busy, I don't know how people have time.  My goal is to blog more.
  This is the most glorious spring.  The weather has been wonderful.  I hope everyone can find time to go to the park, take your shoes off and walk bare foot in the grass.  I am hoping I can find some creative juices in all this sunshine.
  Ellie and I have rehabbed some baby squirrels.  Two boys and their sister.  They are so cute but I am amazed at how many people are scared or just down right hate squirrels.  What is up with that. 
You plant a garden and expect the squirrels to just assume that you did not do it for them? hum?

The squirrels should be released next week.  There is nothing better than seeing something or someone do what they are naturally suppose to do.  Squirrels being squirrels, kids being kids, birds flying, horses running.  Enjoy the SPRING, and feed the squirrels.

Enjoying the Holidays

  My fingers have been very busy this season.  Thank you to all of you that have purchased some of my work.  I have enjoyed all that Ellie and I have been making. 

I enjoy watching people when I shop.  Christmas brings everybody out of the wood work.
I find dads very interesting to watch.  Dads definitely shop differently than moms.  I saw a dad running with his kids up the down escalator at the mall, another was throwing coins off the second story mezzanine, into the wishing pond,  and another was throwing Pillow Pets across at there kids. Well, you wont catch a mom doing this, but I will have to say it looked like fun.

I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday.  Peace, Love, Happiness all though this next year.

Roller Coaster Ride with a Twelve Year Old

Twelve is such a weird age.  One minute your kid makes you so proud, and the next you would like to string them up.  I am so lucky that my daughter, at this point, has more good moments than bad. Space is the big issue at this age.  How much space do you give them?  Creative space is always a safe bet for her.  She can create anything, she amazes me.  I went in her room the other day and on her sewing table was some recycled containers, and she had decorated them with fabric yo-yos.  They are so cute!
Social space is scary!!!!! Do you let them on face book, they want to go shopping with there friends, you leave them at home for a little bit and come home to a trashed house, (creative people tend to trash things), they spend the night at a friends house and come home so tired that they make your life miserable the next day.
Emotional space is exhausting!  One minute they want you around the next they don't.  The other day she was in tears, I asked why and she didn't really know why.  She just needed a hug and ice cream.  She said, "mom you always know what to do, you are the best mom ever".  Once, she wrote that in a card, I have it on the refrigerator.  The next day she got mad at me and said, "you never understand and your the worst mom ever".  I told her,"no I am not, I have proof, on the refrigerator"
Call out to all MOMS.  How do you do it, without going crazy?

Crazy Chris

Some of you know how I love to carry fun, crazy purses.  Well, I went to a Art fair here in Louisville, it is one of the biggest Art Fairs in the US.  It is called St.James Art Fair.  Set up at the fair was this fun spirited artist who wanted my purse.  She asked me if I wanted to trade, and I said sure.  So, I dumped everything in my purse in a shopping bag and traded for some beautiful hand spun wool and fiber for me to use in my knitting.  Everyone around us thought we were crazy.  We laughed and hugged, and we were both tickled with our trade.  Artist are the best people in the world and they give the best hugs.

Life is Great

I have been so busy lately.  Ellie and I took a break and had a fire outside and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows.  What a great smell.....Hot dogs......burnt marshmallows.......and a beautiful fire.   Time is nothing without memories.  People say time flies.  Well, if time is going to fly by, I at least want to remember it.
This little old man came in to the salon the other day.  His wife was getting her hair done.  I put rollers in his wife's hair and put her under the dryer.  The little Old Man started talking to me, in the back of my mind I thought I sure have a lot to do, but I needed, he need me to sit and listen to him for awhile.  What a joy he was.  I listened to a man tell of the days of prohibition, the war, and how he met the love of his life.  He is 91 years young.  He has Parkinson disease and had his car taken away from him, he was not happy about that.  I found out he is a fellow artist and has made furniture, shoes, and plans on bringing me a tin man that he has made.  I can't wait to see it.  Well, I listened with great interest and amazement as to how full his life has been.  He created so many wonderful memories.  I am glad I took some of my time to share in some of his.  As he left the salon, he said, " this has been the best day he has had in a long time".  Can  you imagine, just a few moments of my time made someone have the best day in a long time.  The little Old Mans wife is coming in for a perm next week and the little Old Man would like a hair cut and will be visiting for two hours.  He asked how much are the hair cuts and I said they are the price of one tin man, he seemed to be happy about that.