Come back, ladybug!

I received the saddest call last night from my three year old niece, Noelle. She was utterly distraught on the telephone. I could barely understand what she was saying through her tears. When it all came down to it, she had been outside in the garden and found a ladybug. This little creature was her new best friend, that is, until it flew away. She just could not understand how her BFF could leave her so suddenly.

I chatted with her mom this morning who told me the first thing Noelle asked when she woke up was if they could go out to the garden to find the ladybug. She's so heartbroken over the loss of her little friend.

I Spy

I was just catching up on my evening Internet browsing when I looked over my shoulder and saw this:

Apparently my sewing area exploded. Here are a few things amongst the disaster. Can you spot them?

1. basket full of fabric scraps and a bonus paper bag full of additional fabric scraps that I have good intentions of using for something yet to be imagined because I just can't throw any of it away.

2. blanket give-away neatly wrapped waiting to be delivered to the lucky winner

3. new set blanket set made with the most delicious "Al Fresco" by Michele D'Amore fabric with an edge of Egyptian thread, almost finished and ready to be posted on By-Low Baby

4. bunny-soft purple fleece fabric waiting to be made into a blanket just like the one in the give-away

5. sewing machine yet to be unpacked from it's recent trip to the cabin (I never leave home without it)

6. box of pins which I've had since 6th grade. The little white ball tips are all starting to come off leaving 70% of the pins useless

7. machine peddle, which I probably removed from the machine cover pocket so I could dig out my the safety pins I needed to pin on my race number for the 10 miler I ran on Saturday, in a snow storm.

8. rotary blade sharp enough to take off a finger

9. plastic bags to ship blanket orders

10. paper cutter to slice blanket tags for blanket orders

11. a Llardo calendar, still on January, that G gave me for Christmas. It was free with the one Llardo wise man I got from Santa.

12. the "dream board" I made one day at work in our Yes I Can committee

13. a self-healing cutting mat that has been cut into so many times it is nearly beyond the stages of self-healing

14. A grid ruler essential to any seamstress' repertoire

15. a bag full of Royale Classic Crochet Thread in every color this side of Easter

16. The Yarn Girls Guide to Beyond the Basics book, which seems to be written in a language I have yet to understand (I think it has something to do with knitting or something?)

17. Multiple piles of fabrics and scraps strewn about (this is a gimme)

18. G's poker chip organizer

This is what my life looks like, my friends. I didn't even have to try.

On this day 7 years ago, we promised to be true loves forever.

Happy Anniversary, Pookie

And the Winner is......

Congratulations to POLLA, the lucky winner of the the softest fleece blanket ever! Wow, thanks everyone for entering and leaving such nice comments. I feel like I need to make one for everyone! We can probably make arrangements to do that if you really want one :)

Meanwhile, I've finished this adorable little quilt. It's made with the Look and Learn cotton fabric by Moda. The white fabric is actually a very soft flannel. I've machine quilted - free motion - so when washed will give it a vintage, crinkly look. I love it - so bright and fun. I've put it in my Etsy shop. Hopefully someone else will love it as much as I do.And the signature strip on the back for a little added interest.

Blanket Give-Away - Last Chance!

If you want this super-soft fleece blanket, all yours for FREE, enter now by leaving a comment. I'm going to randomly select a winner before the clock strikes midnight tonight! Good luck!

By-Low Baby Give-Away!!!

I am adding a fleece blanket with a silky edge to my By-Low Baby collection. Tonight I made a prototype, which I love and I think you will too. It isn't perfect enough to sell, but it just great for a blogging friends give-away! It is made of bunny soft, light-weight fleece with a coordinating silky border. The blanket is mint green (in terms of color, the first picture is the more accurate then the second - I'm working on my photo skills!) measures 34"x38" so it is the perfect size for the wee one to wrap up, sit on, or cuddle. Or if you don't have a wee one, that's OK too. It makes a great lap blanket. So everyone, enter to win by leaving me a comment!!

The winner will be randomly selected on Wednesday, March 25th.

Disclaimer: this blanket is a prototype and only near perfect, which means you might notice a minor flaw or two. It is still completely functional and I have every bit of confidence it will last through years of wear and tear.

The Marriage of Figaro

Last night I had the pleasure of attending Utah Opera's production of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, a comical yet profound tale of love, betrayal and forgiveness. I went with my friend, who I call The Ven-I. She and I used to have season opera tickets together. She reminded me that this opera was the first one we saw together nearly ten years ago.

I was first turned on to the opera when I took a Music in Culture class at the University. The professor would elaborate on several of the classics, then would show a clip from a production put on by a huge company, such as the Met. The class left me intrigued. I wanted to see Don Giovanni's deliverance to hell in person.

After I married G, I added him to my season ticket subscription. His attendance to the opera was entirely to fulfill his duties as a good husband and had absolutely nothing to do with his desire {or lack thereof} for art and culture. It wasn't until the production of Julius Caesar did I get much response from G. He is a Caesar fan and actually looked forward to this opera. When the opera opened we were sorely disappointed to discover it wasn't the classic Roman Caesar with togas, scrolls and olive leaf headbands, rather a campy production set in the early 20th century. On top of that, the nearly four hour production far exceeded G's two hour attention span. That was it. G felt his duties as a good husband had been fulfilled, and marked this as the end of our season tickets. Such a tragic ending.

I don't know that I will ever be a season ticket holder again, but I do know that my appreciation for the arts has not waivered. I thoroughly enjoyed the production; the comedy, the love, the music, the set. Bravo!!

Me to my boss as he's leaving for the day {with a what-up head nod}: "Take it easy."

Boss to me: "If it's easy, take it twice."

Ok.

Say AH...now spit!

I had the joy of visiting the dentist today. I go every six months, as I believe in good dental hygiene, but I have to say, visiting the dentist is right up there as one of my least favorite things to do in life. I think the dental hygienist could sense my discomfort, even though I was trying so hard to be brave. I told her her "types" were one-of-a-kind to do the job of cleaning people's mouths. I can honestly say if that were the last job on earth, I wouldn't do it.

Usually I leave the dentist office with a clean bill of health. I have only had one cavity in my entire life, which I got about three years ago. You can only imagine my disappointment after that visit. How could it be? I brush at least twice a day, I rinse with Act Restoring mouthwash, and I really try to floss more than just when I eat steak or corn on the cob. My teeth are perfect. They're even straight and I've never had braces! I really believed my dentist knew he'd never make money off of me, so he made the whole cavity thing up. I considered getting a second opinion.

Today's visit took me back to that day three years ago. The dentist walks in, takes a look at my x-rays and says, "Oh look, you have a cavity." Just give me my free toothbrush and leave me alone.

Just Us Girls

Poofy skirts and candy sum up this little girl. A sunny delight.