Back to normal... whatever that is

Over the last 20 days I have been so busy I thought I was going to fall over from exhaustion. We finished painting, now there are only little things that need to be replaced or added. I spent 3 days getting ready to go camping.

On June 18th we picked up Mathew in Redding and headed up to Oregon. We went to a small lake called Lake of the Woods about 30 miles west of Klamath Falls. We arrived at near dark. It was dark by the time the truck was unloaded. As I set up the "kitchen", I discovered that our new little camping stove didn't have an adapter to fit the 5 gal. propane tank (that I had asked Rob to check long before we ever left...). Well, improvise! Fire. Hot dogs. Marshmallow sticks. Dinner! The kids thought that was pretty fun roasting their hot dogs over the fire. Good! Fun is good.

We made a run into Klamath Falls that was a true comedy of errors right from the start. We got within 1/2 mile of the Wal-Mart that we had been looking for 3 times. We finally got there and got the little propane tanks that we needed for cooking. Back to the campsite.

Our campsite was really beautiful, right next to the lake. The only thing wrong with this beautiful spot was that it was rip-stinking cold! Kookie was not happy on this trip at all. She is a So Cal dog living in No Cal. She wanted to stay in the back seat of the truck, so we let her. Each of the kids took turns getting in and loving on her. It's different camping without Mo Mutt.

After dinner, we discovered what a smarshmallow monster looks like. Mathew went to town burning and eating marshmallows faster that anyone I had ever seen before.

It rained a bit during the night, so we decided that we were just going to forgo the cold wind and possible more rain for a bit more warmth in California. We packed it up and headed to Lake Almanor. Much warmer and the campground had showers! Yay! Vivian and I were DYING to get a shower.

This campsite was really nice as well. Even though it was in closer proximity to the water, there was a campsite between us and it. We still enjoyed it though. The kids got to go fishing for a bit, but didn't catch anything. They rode bikes and Mathew made lots of new friends.

We spent 2 days at North Shore campground, then headed home. We got home on Tuesday and my parents arrived on Wednesday. I was still mopping the kitchen when they arrived. It was a nice visit, but seemed to last forever! We attended an anniversary party for my cousins Jim and Diane in San Andreas on Saturday and they left on Monday (yesterday). It is now Tuesday afternoon and after a nap, I feel like I might finally get back to normal ... whatever that is.

In the last few days, much has happened with our feral cat colony. We lost 1 very small white baby and gained 3 bigger ones; 1 pretty little red one and 2 pinkish colored ones. We have one that is so small and precious that Vivian has a hard time leaving him outside because he is the littlest one we have at only 4 weeks. He is our little red Fox. We have been working very hard to get this round of babies hand-tame. We have also gotten an added bonus, the mama's are becoming more trusting. That will make the trapping and "fixing" easier ... I hope.

My new camera came today! I thought I would share what we are doing this week.

Trevor and Vivian (Rob's kids) are here, but the "boys bedroom" needed to be painted. I had already done a coat of white on the walls to cover the dark blue, but the ceiling needed a coat. Once that was done, we decided we were on a roll and started on the hall. That only got about 1/2 done before I bumped into the wall and got paint on my butt. It was decided that we should do one wall at a time so that we could at least bump into one wall without the benefit of wearing what we had just put on the wall.

After getting cleaned up, we ran down to Wal-Mart to get a new paint tray (I broke the one we were using) and some other supplies. When we got back, we set off with color. We challenged ourselves with getting the first coat done before Dad got home. We did it! It looks great! I can't wait to get the second coat on tomorrow and then start on the trim. The boys (Mathew and Trevor) decided that they want a mural of a monkey in the window of a hut on the wall. It's really cute. From there, I get to chose the rest. I'm really pleased that this project is going so fast and is much more fun than doing my bathroom. It's been almost 2 months and I'm STILL working on the bathroom.

Speaking of my bathroom, I had a "honey-do" list for Rob when he got home. I painted the baseboards around where the toilet goes (yes, I painted my bathroom yellow as well, but it is a different color yellow) so that he could put it back in tonight. He put up the new light fixture, but there was a bolt issue with the toilet so that will have to wait until tomorrow. Oh well...

It's hard to believe it's already been 6 weeks since we lost our Mo Mutt. I have been so busy helping Kookie adjust that I haven't had time to miss him. I suppose that isn't such a bad thing though.
Kookie has become my constant companion. If I pick up my keys or purse, she thinks she is going bye-bye. If I go outside, she goes. When I go to bed at night, she goes to her blanket in the hall. I have threatened to get her her very own purse so that when she does get to go, she will be prepared. When I do take her out, I don't have to use a leash anymore, she keeps a really good eye on me so that I don't get lost.

In other animal news, we have 3 semi-feral cats that have had babies. 13 so far. 2 more are expecting, but I think I can catch 1 to take care of the problem before there are more. I call these cats semi-feral because I can touch them only when I feed them. They hang around the house quite a bit, but if you get outside the feeding area, they disappear. These little white ones are surprisingly, in a box next to the door. I hope this mama will leave them there until I can get them hand trained. Anyone want a cute little kitty? (Just shoot me now...)



I was so excited when this picture arrived yesterday! This is the cast of the play I was working on. They call themselves the E. Nicholaus Shakespearean Players. I had so much fun working with these kids and their teacher. I am so looking forward to next year and Much Ado About Nothing.

My next costuming adventure will be Queen Elizabeth I. I will be off to Costume College in August to help further my knowledge and skill in the Midevil/Tudor/Elizabethan time period.

Today has dawned bright and beautiful! It rained for the better part of yesterday. But much progress was made.

So this is where we begin our day. 1 complete costume, right down to the hat. 4 in various stages of completion and 2 on the board for today.

Rob has gone to San Jose to visit his family for the weekend. His brother Will, is having a birthday party and Rob will do his folks taxes while he is there. No lawn mowing this weekend! I get to stay home and take care of the animals this weekend, but I hope someone (Rob... hint, hint) will bring home some artichokes from the farmers market.

This is going to be a short post because I have things to get done. Let's see what we can accomplish by tomorrow night!

Decision made!

The Magic Needle is open for business!

I have been having so much fun with this project! It didn't take very long to make my decision. I had put off entering the fair for so long that once I really gave it some thought, it wasn't that important anymore. So off we go...

As you can see, I have been busy. My dining room looks more like an Elizabethan underwear store than dining room, I have so many underpinnings hanging there. I have bits and pieces of everything as "in progress" status. There are still just a few things that I still have to get, but what I need to get won't take long to put together. The plan is to have the majority done by a week from Thursday (March 15th). The costuming deadline is March 23 and the performances will be the following week. I think March 28 and 29.

So while I was busy working on more underthings for the play on Sunday, Rob was busy out in the garage with his cars. He thought he had a dead battery on the Duster (the drag racing car). So he put it on the Charger and it started right up. So he went back to the Duster and found a loose connection. What a relief that it wasn't something more! He has had more than his share of trouble with that car. The car started right up with everything connected. It sounds really good too!



The one thing that did have a dead battery was the lawn mower. The grass is getting really long and since it was a beautiful day on Sunday, Rob decided that it was time to cut it. Once the battery was charged up, he was off and running. It didn't take long for it to find something hiding in the long grass to cut things short.

Oh well. It will just have to wait until next weekend!

We're underway!

I've been busy working on Twelfth Night, a Shakespearean play. I am working on the charters Orsino, Olivia, Viola, Sir Andrew, Maria (or Mary), Sebastian and Cessario. I will be going back to the high school on Tuesday for another round of working with the students on their ideas and to assess what they need help with. This has been better than anything I could have imagined!

I am having so much fun with this project that my desk is being taken over by stuff other than my work. I am so grateful that I can work my business around this wonderfully creative project. New ideas come all the time. There are so many fabulous websites for research these days. Every time I sit down, I start looking for more ideas. I have had to stop looking until after I get other things done because I spend WAY too much time looking at all the beautiful stuff. But this is so much fun!

Soon, I will have to decide what I want to do about this project. I don't charge for any work I do. It is completely volunteer at this point. Do I want to give up my desire for a prize ribbon at the county/state fair and start charging for my work? Or do I want to hold onto my dream of being a prize winning seamstress? The fairs aren't until August and September. That is a long time to wait. I already have people wanting my services. If I charge for my work, I can't be a novice and enter anything into the fair. What a dilemma...

Seamstress Extrordinaire

It's been awhile, but I have been busy!

Right after Christmas I decided that I needed to open up and share my gift and passion for costuming. So I put out the intention and an ad and a magical thing happened!

Yesterday, I did a presentation on costuming for a local high school. They are putting on a Shakespearean play. In talking with the drama teacher, she is reviving a sagging drama program. What an opportunity! I look forward to helping with this program and maybe inspiring someone to go further.

More details will be coming, so stay tuned!