Tatting at the Bar

(Anniversary by Mary Konior, from Tatting With Visual Patterns, 

#5 for the 25 Motif Challenge)

     So I was hanging out at the bar.  It was a busy night and people were everywhere.  I knew I was in for a wait just to be served, so I pulled up a stool and pulled out my tatting.  I started a little edging I was previewing for a nighty for Baby Doll's baby doll.  After working a few minutes I realized someone was watching me and then a voice spoke from somewhere behind me.

     "Excuse me, is that tatting?"

     "Yes it is!" I turned and replied to the nice, smiling, lady.

     "My mother-in-law is crafty and she can tat.  I can't tat, but I can crochet," she continued.

     "That's funny because I can't CROCHET, but I can tat!" I laughed.  I was already taking a liking to this person.  We seemed to have a bit in common, what with an appreciation for fiber arts and both of us winding up in this particular bar on this particular night.

     "I can't believe anyone who can do THAT, wouldn't be able to learn crochet!"  It was her turn to laugh.

     But that is where our brief, crafting encounter ended at the bar, because an Apple Genius came and snagged my new acquaintance away from me to discuss the repairs on her computer and then my name was called so I could talk to my own Genius about the state of my iMac's hard drive.

     I hope her talk went better than mine...

A Tatting Temptress

An Afterthought

'Twas in the garden chatting

Amid the mignonette,-

She with her snowy tatting,

I with my cigarette.

I still can see her fingers

Flit softly in and out;

With rapture memory lingers

To view her lips a-pout.

A happy sunbeam glancing

Upon a wayward curl

Set every pulse to dancing,

And turned my brain a-whirl;

And when she looked up shyly,

I could not help, you see,

But stoop and kiss her slyly

Behind the apple-tree.

Strange that some mote forever

Should mar the rays of bliss!

Though conscious I had never

Yet won so sweet a kiss,

Alas!  the act of plunder

So gracefully she bore,

I could not choose but wonder,

Had she been kissed before?

Samuel Minturn Peck

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

No picture today? 

 Nahhh... it's a public service announcement after all!

And it's a SIMPLE one:

BACK UP!

BACK UP!!

BACK UP!!!

We have been without a computer all week.

On Monday, without warning, the hard drive crashed.

LUCKILY, I had a system backup 

thanks to a 

VERY good friend

who set it up for me

after she helped me update

my old family videos.

It wasn't as up-to-date as I would have liked

(because I don't have it back up constantly),

but it sure saved us the hassle of

resetting settings,

and we haven't lost a GREAT deal of work or pictures.

That concludes my announcement.

I will return

you and myself

to our regular schedule

of cruising about 

the Blogosphere.

Beautiful Pendant from Victats

It was a pleasure to pick up the post today

BECAUSE

I received a package from Victats

which contained

this BEAUTIFUL pendant necklace

I won

from her last giveaway!

It is STUNNING!

Thank you SO MUCH Vickie!

An added bonus for me

was snapping a picture

of this little fellow

while I photographed

my lovely, new necklace.

Baby Doll and Good Mama Go Shopping

Baby Doll and Good Mother 

wandered into an antique mall one day.

Baby Doll found a pillowcase

hanging amidst countless other vintage linens

and pronounced it "mine!"

At first Good Mother did not agree

and explaining that it didn't "go" in Baby Doll's room

rehung it

amidst the countless other vintage linens.

As Good Mother continued to browse,

Baby Doll searched and found the case,

and again proclaimed it "mine!"

Good Mother glanced down,

and seeing the price tag,

hung it more determinedly than before

BEHIND

the countless other vintage linens.

(Perhaps I should rename Good Mother...)

As Good Mother continued to browse,

Baby Doll resumed her search

and found something else which caught her fancy

UNTIL

she spied THE pillowcase

BEHIND

the countless other vintage linens.

With a SQUEAL of delight

the newcomer linen was forgotten

and when Baby Doll DECREED the case, "MINE!" again,

Good Mama agreed...

How Do You Catch A Wave Upon The Sand?

Today, Krystal posted about the struggle we all feel 

balancing the unrelenting practicality
foisted upon us by the real world 

with our creative projects
and the stuff of our dreams...

Some days I feel like I am full to overflowing with ideas.

Some are GREAT (I think),

some are wild (and less than feasible),

some are harebrained (but they make me happy),

and then there are the duds (bound to happen I suppose).

Lately, I have been trying something new.

It is NOT a new idea at all, 

and one that I'm sure has been tossed about
in many self help books.

Here it is in all its glory:

I'm finding myself interesting.

I'm taking more of an interest in myself,

and taking care of myself,

but also I'm giving myself credit for

having interesting ideas.

Good grief, if I don't who will?

And  so I'm writing all these interesting ideas down.

In a little sketch book.

With my little colored pencils.

Now my interesting ideas

will be there for me

when I'm feeling

less than interesting...

and holding the page for me

when life is too busy to wait.

It's my way of holding moonbeams in my hand

and catching waves upon the sand...

but I STILL don't know

WHAT to do with Maria...

No Troubles, Just Bubbles

I haven't been in the Blogosphere much lately...

But now school is finished

and there is more time for

bubbles for Baby Doll,

swimming for Groovy Girl,

games for my Boy,

books for my Oldest,

and long walks with DH.

For me, I also hope to find time for

tatting, sewing, and blogging.

Is that my own version of 

The Impossible Dream?

I hope not because

this summer

I plan to have three more kids at home,

as well as,

six extra helping hands...