Sparks of Fall...

I have been slowly returning to my old self lately...I have a few dolls I really want to finish before my upcoming surgery on the 12th. I know it's an elected surgery but I have always been a very squeamish person... I just got a spark today to begin my Fall dolls. It's funny how these inspirations come...sometimes you sit around trying to think of something and feel as if you are under a dark cloud...other times you see an ordinary object or event and a spark is ignited. Let me tell you, being sparky is a wonderful feeling!! Anyway, I've got a couple of dolls brewing right now and hope to do another listing soon. Please hop over and check out my current listing on Ebay...she's a real primitive gal!
Take Care,
Tina

I'm Still Here...

I hope you all had a very relaxing long weekend. I have been taking a lot of time to relax and try to rejuvenate my spirits. This weekend was so nice and cool so I spent most of it on the screen porch watching the little birds at the feeder and an occassional deer in the woods...I'm trying to enjoy this low humidity and hoping it will stay through summer... it won't!
I have Lap Band Surgery coming up in a couple of weeks and I have had a lot on my mind lately. My family can tell you that I haven't been my usual self lately, I'm very short tempered and snappy...and distracted...
This was a big step for me to decide this...heart disease and diabetes2 run in my family and me and my sisters have always been" healthy" country girls...I noticed how paranoid I have become lately because I feel uncomfortable going places and enjoying myself. I never thought of myself as huge but I am large enough to feel paranoid. I have tried so many programs in the past and nothing has seemed to work for me. This option seemed to drop out of nowhere after we moved here...I found someone who was going through the process and it just took off from there. I have completed all my tests now and have my surgery set for June 12. I have been in deep thought and very distracted ever since! In the long run it's going to help me but the surgery part is the scary part...I don't like medicine and I certainly don't like surgery! I'm sure I will muster up the courage to face this by the time it gets here...I hope!!
I will be listing on Ebay this week so please check back...I'll let you know when it happens!!
Take Care,
Tina

Rested and Relaxed

My company has left after a very short but enjoyable visit. We had a great time and we did get to see Beaufort NC. It was such a beautiful place. We are fairly new to NC( July will make our first year here) and I would never have known about this wonderful historic place if it weren't for Early American Life magazine! We rode on the double- decker bus tour and got to see where all of those long ago souls of Beaufort once lived...Blackbeard's former house is in a little neighborhood...can you imagine living across the street from Blackbeard the pirates old home?! I would love it!! They also have such a spooky old cemetery called the "Old Burying Ground". It's got so many interesting stories and gnarly old wisteria and crooked trees covering it. It's your classic scary cemetery and they have haunted tours we are planning to see this fall. We had fun in Beaufort and then headed over to the Morehead City beach. This is one of those well kept secrets ... Everything is so clean and pretty and still rural out there,believe it or not...
The downside is ...I am getting further behind and I can't find my motivation...I didn't get anything done as far as sewing goes ...I'm waiting for something to inspire me...a little inspiration goes a long way!! Until next blog...
Take Care,
Tina

Company's Coming!

This has been a pretty busy week. It's been hard to juggle my creative side and my time -consuming housekeeping duties! My parents are coming in for a short visit this weekend and I always like to have a clean house for their visit so we usually get into " details" when we clean. As I mentioned earlier, Mama can spot a speck of dust from a mile away! I wanted to list one of my latest dolls on Ebay this week but it looks like it will have to wait until Sunday or Monday...Please check back...I think she really turned out great...you gotta take a look at her and see what I mean!!
My parents want to go to see the ocean while they're here. They are mountain people...born and raised at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mtns.(me too!) so the ocean is a real treat. I saw an article in my EAL magazine about Beaufort NC. It looks pretty interesting because it's full of history ~ dating all the way back to the 1700's and Blackbeard the pirate was a regular there... We are going to pull out the maps tonight and see how far away it is. This area that we live in now is so neat because it has a lot of pirate history too.( I wish ~ Capt. Jack Sparrow ~ would drop by for a visit. LOL ) We have pirate symbols and pirate names everywhere and so many people have skull and crossbone decals on their cars. I would love to know where they got them~ I want one!
They will be arriving here tomorrow and I have some cooking to do in the morning. I always like to bake a cake or pie when they are coming. Their visits always go by so fast and nothing is better than plenty of cake, coffee and conversation...Until next time...
Take Care,
Tina

Gosh Darn It!!

I hate to be a grinch but I really don't care for spring!! It's the time of year when I feel so confused...should I plant or should I create? My heart is twisting and turning trying to figure out what it really wants to do...After the turmoil...I usually end up scrapping whatever I was doing and nothing gets accomplished! So is the story of my life! Inner turmoil...nothing done...woe is me!
I do have a wonderful primitive doll ready to list on Ebay. Plans are to get her listed by Friday.
Mama and daddy are coming down for a visit from VA this weekend so we have been busier than a hornets nest trying to make the house spic and span! Mama is a detail person and she can spot a speck of dirt a mile away!!LOL It will be nice to have company visit even though they never stay very long. On the bright side, the house will be in tip-top clean condition!!
We will be going to see them sometime this summer. It's a 5 hour trip from here to Lexington Va. I sure hope gas prices start going down. It took $60 to fill the minivan yesterday! I couldn't believe it!!! I usually don't complain about these things and just ride it all out...but this is making me worry! Let's hope something good will happen soon...
Take Care,
Tina

Cool and Brisk Morn...

What a difference a day and a storm can make. We have been near the end of several storm systems and we were very lucky to be east of the latest ones. Yesterday we watched the weather channel "off and on" the whole day to see where that system was headed. What looked like a wash out day was only heavy morning rain and no big storms...thank goodness! The air has changed from humid to nice and cool which is a big improvement. I got a beautiful flower urn for Mother's Day and some wonderful geraniums(my favorite) .The weather cooperated and I got them planted yesterday. I love 'em...they look great... I remember when I was younger, I always had this romantic dream of getting diamond jewelry for Mother's Day or some extravagant dinner and jewelry. Now, a simple(modern day plastic) urn and some geraniums are like those diamonds to me. I'm glad I have gained some wisdom along with my age because I realize that simple things bring as much or more joy to life. I love to walk past my front window and look at the beautiful lines of the urn and the flowers inside. This gift is simple but the beauty of it keeps giving... I love my kids and my husband ten times more because of our many years together ...with all the ups and downs along the way we grew together instead of apart...Love grows and things change but we always have each other and that's the true important thing in life...This wise old owl is growing more sentimental with time...
Take Care,
Tina

Thursday Evening...All's Well...

It's not until you try your hand at blogging do you realize that life follows the same routine. My life hits a few road bumps but mostly it's a steady humm...I am by no ways complaining about this...I am a creature of habit and I notice that I seem to stick with my tried and true schedule of doing things on a daily basis. I actually feel upset when I don't follow a similar path each day...
This week I picked up my needle and floss and a great sampler to cross stitch. It's so relaxing and when the kids were little, I turned to this a lot as a stress reliever. I managed to make them each a baby sampler for their walls when they were little babes...I have never lost the love or the need to stitch so it was great to start something I know I will finish this time...unfortunately I have a little pile that I know I will never finish...There are so many great reproduction designs out there now, unlike before...it makes it hard to settle on just one! The desire to finish them is much greater too because they naturally fit into the primitive/colonial look we love. However these are usually long term projects so wish me luck!!
Did I mention, I also need to fit my stuffing and sewing into this? It would be nice to snap my fingers and get everything done that I wanted to do. A little magic would be a great Mothers Day gift!!
Take Care,
Tina

Not Much News

Sadly, as my title says, not much to talk about tonight... school is winding down and it's hard to resist the laziness that summer sometimes brings with it... I always seem to peak in the Springtime and then slowly wind down to the end of the year...This is a very bad habit because my customers seem to appear near the end of the year! This old girl better fight the urge to have a lazy summer this time...My business has shifted since our move down here to NC. I know I mentioned it before but my focus has now become online...I am my own worst nightmare though...if I worked for me...I'd fire me!!! LOL Seriously,I should have quite a few goodies ready by this time next week!!
Thank you so much for stopping by to view my thoughts and words...I really appreciate your visits...Please check back often ...
Take Care,
Tina

Primitive Mammy Set on Ebay!!

Well, after one good day and one 'blah' day this weekend...I did manage to get some
photos and post an adorable but primitive Mammy and her child on Ebay this evening.
This is my first listing since their new rules...we'll see how it goes...
Please hop over and take a look~ They turned out GREAT!!!
Take Care,
Tina

A Beautiful May Morn...

It's that time of the year when the days are brighter and longer. I'm sitting at my computer looking out over the many trees in our "new" yard. We just moved here last July and the house is perfect...it has a very nice colonial look and as you well know by now...I LOVE colonial!! However, our backyard is very woodsy and very overgrown. We knew it would be an issue when we moved in because it really looks like a snake den back there! I had the "pleasure"...ick! of seeing a couple snakes last year...on our front and back stoop!! You can be sure that kept me in for a great deal of the summer!! While it is scary for me-I have severe snake phobia!LOL It is very beautiful to sit inside and look at. I see many different kinds of birds from Blue Jays to little noisy Wrens on the branches...Our second floor is level with the tree canopy and it looks beautiful from up here... Unfortunately, I know that if I ever want to walk in my backyard...something has to be done. I hate to think of the chaos it will cause their little worlds but we are the last house on our street to harbor a rainforest for a backyard and I'd like to see any snakes before they see me! One day soon we'll get our estimates...Until then, I really do enjoy the view!
Take Care,
Tina