Argh!!!

So get this. My sewing machine has quit working right....AGAIN. I don't know what the problem is! I've only had it a year! I just got it back from the repair shop and told myself that the cost of fixing it was at least not as expensive as a new maching. Then today it's screwed up again. If it costs as much as last time, I might as well have just bought a new machine.
I am so frustrated becuase I am working on a lot of sewing projects for my little shop and now I can't. I'm at a stand still. Anyone want to buy me a new machine?

Quilting queen

Here's the latest quilt I've created. I really like it. I love the colors and the size - it fits right on top of my queen size bed. I like to keep it on my couch, though, where I can cover up with it and it brings so much color into my room.

The colors of it remind me of my coleus that I planted this season. Don't you think?

I am thinking of making a couple of these quilts to sell in my etsy shop when I get it going. What do you think?

Where I've been the last week

Can you tell where I have been the last week? I have been about ready to pull my hair out, wear my clothes backwards, and take up drinking. My little angel has not been such a little angel. She's pushing the terrible two's too early. Argh.... I fixed her hair for the first time in cute little pig tails and I wanted to take a sweet picture of her smiling and loving life. Instead, well, you can see. She's been in a funk. I hope that it is just her teeth bothering her. Actually the last couple of days have been very enjoyable with her. Hopefully this last month is behind us and we can continue on our nice little journey together....with hair, my clothes on straight, and sanity.

A hiking we will go

Elli and I went out to Lois's house to play yesterday. It was a lot of fun. Elli really loved chasing and looking for the cat ("wh- a- oo?") , but got frustrated when we wouldn't let her pick her up. She fed Hank the horse a carrot right from her little hand, fed the ducks, some fish, and played with Darcy on our not-so little walk through the woods. I think she had a good time. She rode on my back all wrapped up through the woods, and fell asleep - which kindof made it nice that we didn't feel like we had to really hurry. Her poor little head bobbled around though. I hope that now that I am not working, I'll be able to take her out there on the weekends more often. It's really nice.
If you have seen my paintings that I posted, I changed the fern one so that it is more true to the color of the real painting. It looks a lot better.

Dyptich....not dip stick

Here's a couple of paintings that I meant to blog a long time ago too. These I did not offer up for sale last year. It is hard, now that I am seeing my photos on the screen, to give you the impression of what they really look like. They are very textured, bright, juicy looking grapefruit. They are meant to be hung together (a dyptich). It was done for an interior/exterior project. I took a real grapefruit, cut it in half and started painting it....literally, at one point I was painting the actual grapefruit. My grapefruit kept me company for the rest of the semester in suprisingly non-smelly or moldy condition.
I just finished another painting. Eventually I will get a picture up of it. Maybe in a few months. That's how long it took me here.

Painting

I meant to blog this, hmmm....forever ago. This is one of the paintings that I did last year (I named it "Fiddle Heads") and sold to the local community college. Pretty cool huh? Too bad that since they bought something last year, I'm not eligible for them to buy from again until next year. Oh well. I'm glad that I got some good pictures of it. (Thanks Lois)
On another note, I am making several things right now in the hopes of getting an etsy shop. I'll let you know when I do, so you can come buy cool handmade things from me!! :)

Accident update

So I am still in therapy and chiropractics from my accident. It is really frustrating planning my life around all of my appointments. I am sure it's exhausting for my family who has to keep babysitting for me - because the last time I took Elli with me to an appointment she FLIPPED OUT. I hate reliving my accident over and over again. Everytime I lay down on a table or walk into one of the offices it makes me remember why I am going and what happened to get me there. I ache. I hurt. It sucks.
I have been going to therapy for a few weeks now. I think it is helping me, but I'm not sure. The therapist told me last week that he thinks I have TMJ....a jaw issue from the accident that keeps being a reason I am getting headaches. I hope that all I need is therapy and don't end up needing to get mouth pieces or braces - I've had them once and I'd really like to not have them again. I can't chew gum, wear headbands, bite through a sub sandwich or a big hamburger without my mouth hurting. Argh. When will this be over?
Here's some pictures of what they've been doing to me. My back is taped up to help the muscles in my back stay in a proper place (or something like that) to help with my posture. I do feel better when I have it done. Elli's playing with my neck brace that I'm supposed to wear when I am at home to help give the muscles in my neck a rest. I'll spare you the one of me in it....it's lovely, as you can imagine.

And just for fun, Elli in her "coon-skin" hat (I think she's a little afraid of it, honestly)























and licking the spoon from a batch of no-bake cookies I made....aren't I the best mommy ever?!

The Riddle's

A couple of weeks ago we went for a little trip to my Grandma and Grandpa Riddle's house. Though they live only a 1/2 hour away, I don't get out to see them much - so it's always nice when we get a chance to visit. It was drizzling all day and we sat out on the porch swing and talked a while.

Elli decided she couldn't stand it anymore and ran out into the rain.

After the 5th time, I decided that I was finished chasing her and just let her play.

I had a change of clothes, so what's the big deal?

Eventually the clothes came off...she thought that was pretty crazy. It was a lot of fun. Silly girl!!!

Sorry the post here is so screwy...I have tried fixing the words and photos for the last 20 minutes - I am so frustrated. I deleted a couple of really cute pictures because the words were messed up to the side......ARGH!!! Oh well.... I hate computers.

Crafty

I've been crafty this week! Check it out! I made 2 quilts and bleached some jeans....can't decide if the jeans are tacky or not, so I'll probably wear them to painting class.

The blue quilt:

The brown one (I love this combination), Mike thinks it's nice :)

My jeans:

Playing in the garden

The other day we went over to mom's for a photo shoot with all of her pretty flowers. This first one would be cute, but look at June in the doorway! What a nut.

A big event

So this is Elli the other day sleeping in her crib, curled up on her big white teddy bear that she's had forever, just snoozing away, contained. So cute.

Then she decided that it would be fun to climb out of her crib onto the changing table that was next to her crib and play while she was supposed to be taking a nap.

So here we are now in a crib converted to the toddler bed phase, with the changing table turned so she can't climb up the side (I have to where else to put it - and I still use it because that's the only place where she will lay STILL and not turn and squirm....I'll use it as long as she lets me!) It's a little sad, but oh well. She goes right to sleep at night, but still struggles with staying in the bed at nap time. I hope the novelty of it wears off soon, because I can't rock her to sleep everyday or nap with her in my bed (though, that really doesn't sound too bad after all). My little girl's not staying so little :(