YELLOW!

After seeing other blogs encouraged to do the color Yellow for the month of April by Angela on Cottage Magpie, I thought "why not"? Who cares if it's the very last day of the month? Seems that's kinda the way I do things. So I toured around my house and found some yellow to share with y'all. Of course, leading the way was Big Bird. This cute chair was Kitty's when she was a toddler and now is used by a new generation:

Now here we have two very lazy puppies, but on my loveseat in the kitchen which has yellow in it. Also a utensil holder thingey which I painted:

Can you tell my kitchen is yellow? Actually it's yellow & cobalt blue. I love the bright colors. We all need to be cheered up while cooking, right? I painted these plates too. Kitty and I went thru a period where we painted pottery alot, so my house is full of this stuff.

I've got lots more to share, but wanted to get this posted before too late. I'll be ba-a-a-ck!

Luv, Nerm

My Birthday Pillow!

OK, so I know my birthday was over 2 weeks ago but in my defense it has been a bit crazy lately. This is one of the special presents I received handmade by Nerm. It is also my favorite gift too. These pictures really don't do it justice because it is so much more wonderful in real life.

I am so fortunate to have all these special gifts because I know that I will always have them and I can pass them on to my family. I hope to have a girl someday to make special gifts for that I know she will love just like I do. Thanks Nerm for being the best mom I could have! Love you, Kitty

HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL

TGIF to you all. I am so excited! Which isn't necessarily anything new! My beloved middle daughter recently called me a chihuahua because I was jumping all over the place. Please picture this arthritic grandmother jumping anywhere!

Anyway, I picked up a magazine today (so what else is new, they ask). It is a Special issue of that great idea mag called, "Cloth, Paper, Scissors". Now you have seen pictures of my craft/sewing room (at least two walls of it) and have heard me moan and groan about my struggle to organize it. Well, this magazine has page after page of crafter/artist's studios. Lots of great ideas to help poor little me. I tried to download a picture, but haven't quite figured that out yet, so just click on this link and see it for yourself. Cloth Paper Scissors Studio Issue,

I hope you have a wonderful weekend and we'll be back in touch with our organized results.
Hopefully yours, Nerm

THIS 'N' THAT

Hello out there in Blogland! Hope all is right with your world. It was a busy weekend as usual. Did lots of fun things. Saturday morning first thing I went to church to participate in the Weecare program I've written about before. Providing handmade baby blankets, hats, etc for indigent mothers at the city's metro hospital. The things these ladies come up with is astounding. What a blessing for these poor women. We do manage to drink lots of coffee and wolf down several donuts while doing such good works-ha!
Directly afterwards at noon, met up with Kitty and Amy (middle daughter) and went to an all-day scrapbooking event. It went until 10:00, but we gave up at 8:30. Everyone gets her own table so you can spread everything out. You saw my craft room, so you will believe me when I say that my stuff overflows to the table next to me! Got lots done & did some more eating and drinking of coffee. We crafters need to stay fueled up, right? Where do you think those ideas come from anyway? Go to Amy's blog and see pictures of her and Kitty working away. Unfortunately, the picture of me mysteriously disappeared--what a shame!

Look what I got yesterday in the mail from Cheryl of Perwinkle Vintage! It's so beautiful and matches my blue and white bedroom perfectly. Go over to her Etsy shop and see all her great handcrafted vintage items. She a sweetie.

Afraid even on these beautiful spring days, the laundry still calls and calls. I need a mute button for these pesky household chores. Later, gator. Nerm

Who Can Resist This!!

So this is another picture I found from my birthday party from Sunday. I love my nieces and nephew more than anything. Tanner (nephew) had a special hairdo just for me. His dad spiked his hair in a mohawk. As soon as I drove in the driveway he came running out and jumped in my arms. It was hysterical! I laughed and laughed. They are all so sweet and keep everyone entertained all the time. I can't wait to have one of my own, hopefully that will be soon!

My Birthday Dinner

Sorry it has taken so long to post these pictures from my birthday party. It has been pretty busy here the past week. We had my whole family over at my parents house and it was a blast! My mom made this special Marie Antoinette cake just for me. It was strawberry cake with fresh strawberries on the inside. I loved it.


Tom (husband) as you may or may not know is Italian, so for my birthday dinner I asked him to make me a huge spread of good and authentic Italian food. I was able to snap some pictures while it was being prepared. In addition to these pictures he also prepared two different sauces or "gravy" as they call it. One sauce was a bolognese with homemade meatballs and the other was a cream based tomato vodka sauce. Both were to die for. He also steamed some fresh mussels just for me since I love these. I actually think that Tom and I are the only ones that enjoy these but we love all seafood.

To top off the pasta is my favorite ingredients all together....Roasted red peppers, eggplant, pine nuts, and sun dried tomatoes...
Add a homemade fresh Caesar salad and what more could this girl have asked for???

These are the fried mozzarella balls that we had as our appetizer. They are made of fresh ricotta and smoked mozzarella. This is actually Giada's recipe from "Everyday Italian". They were by far the hit of the party and I would recommend for all of you to try them. They are divine!

More pictures to come of my gifts.... Also, thanks so much Jamie for sending me a special birthday post on your blog. -Kitty

WE'VE BEEN TAGGED--TWICE!!!

I know it's been a long time between posts and I promise I will be better in the future. Really I do. I could say it was tax season, Kitty's birthday, a wedding we attended, and all that kinda stuff, but really I've just been distracted. And now we have been tagged and I'm going to have to really dig deep for some cutesy stuff.
The first Tag was from Cheryl at Periwinkle Vintage in which we were to name seven (7) things nobody knows about us. Since it's Kitty and I, you lucky ducks get double the pleasure, double the fun. Here goes:

Kitty: l. I still have my baby quilt & sleep with it!
2. I love Fraggles & have one
3. I have no wisdom teeth & still have 4 baby teeth which I try to keep healthy
4. I love romantic comedies-to read & watch
5. I studied to be a graphic designer
6. I can't touch raw chicken (I use gloves)
7. I can purr like a cat

Nerm: 1. I asked my husband to marry me & he said yes!
2. We eloped.
3. We have lived on every coast of USA
4. I won Best Reader in first grade & still have the award
5. I had all three babies a la Lamaze w/no anesthesia!
6. I have always wanted a farm w/sheep to shear & make my own yarn.
7. I have traveled very widely & my favorite place to be is home.
I am such a homebody.

Now, we move on to the tag from Jamie at Make me a Saint , It's ten things we have "the urge to do now".

Kitty: 1. I want to: have a baby
2. Get a poodle
3. Buy our first home
4. Go back to Europe
5. Go on a vacation to Florida w/the whole family
6. Learn to sew & make a dress
7. Change my hair style
8. Get a pedicure
9. Go on a picnic w/my hubby
10. Lose 5 pounds

Nerm: 1. Have a new grandbaby
2. I have the urge to get these puppies housebroken
3. Do some major remodeling/redecorating
4. Finish a few craft projects
5. Do more volunteer work
6. Lose alot more than 5 pounds.
7. Budget my time better
8. Drink a cup of coffee w/hubby & put my feet up
9. Read more
10. Improve my devotional life

Gosh, now you know everything there is to know about Kitty and me. We will tag some others soon. One step at a time over here. Luv, Nerm

GREENER THAN KERMIT!

Let me show you all a fun project I'm doing. I know, I know: another project! Why doesn't she finish what she starts? Anyway, I have saved my hubby's old, ratty tee shirts for a couple of years. After I accumulated about 7-8 of them, I cut the sleeves out and the band around the neck. Then I started at the bottom and started cutting one (1") inch strips round and round like peeling an apple. I came up with a big ball of tee shirt yarn. Using a HUGE crochet hook, I chained a length of about 2-1/2 feet long & then started triple crochet rows. I am still crocheting, but will be finished soon. Then I'll put a knotted fringe on each end.

This will make a great bathmat. Obviously, tee shirt fabric is soft, easily washed & even bleached. Great recycling! Wouldn't it be clever to have rows of colored tee shirt fabric?
The possibilities are endless. I may have to go to Goodwill and scoop up some used tees.
Here's what it looks like today -I had a hard time keeping Lily the cat off it. But, hey, I could just wash it to remove the cat hair, but Lily's is white, so what does it matter, right? ha ha
Note to all readers: Tomorrow is Kitty's birthday! She can tell you how old she is, but we'll have a big family get together Sunday to celebrate. I'm making her a couple of fun things. Hope I get them finished in time (there she goes with more projects, will she never stop?) So we'll have some photos of that fun time to share. Til then, Luv, Nerm

I LOVE PAPER DOLLS!

I have always loved paper dolls. When I was a little girl I collected them and kept them in a suitcase (which I still have). I think that was the beginning of my paper obsession. I bought comic books with paperdolls, regular books of paperdolls; kept the paperdolls which came in gum, home permanents, and my mother's magazines. I still love them and that 's why when I saw this quilt pattern, I HAD to make it. It's for the youngest, Morgan, who's two yrs. old. I've already made all the rest a quilt, so she wins by default and being a girl doesn't hurt either.

I started laying out the rows and appliques-it was so much fun! Here is the beginning. I hope to have more done soon. I had to take a day or two off because the ole arthritis is really hurting my wrists and hands. I guess it was all the cutting, but who knows? What a bummer. I was all primed and ready to finish the appliques and, as I said, it was fun, fun. I am not a good sport at sitting quietly nursing my aching hand. I have a dr's appt tomorrow, so maybe he'll give me a magic potion-ha! But never fear, I am not a quitter and I shall prevail. ha ha Nerm

TWIRLY SKIRT

DO you all get tired of my grandchildren? The correct answer is, of course, No, we love 'em! Good-'cause I sure do. Today Amy and Danny were out car shopping and I got to babysit.

Which was a good thing, Martha, because I had just finished the Twirly Skirt ; I was dying to see how it looked on her. I think it's pretty cute and its owner is pretty special as well. Mekenzie is an angel-so sweet & loving. Look at that smile!



Of course, we had to take a picture of sister, Madison (previous birthday girl), who couldn't be left out! Are they adorable? Am I smitten? Heck, yea. I am so blessed to have such sweet granddaughters!

I hope to have more goodies to show you very soon. And enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Luv, Nerm

HAPPY WEEKEND TO YOU!

I don't really have anything exciting to say tonite. Tomorrow I will have pictures -I am almost finished with the Twirly Skirt for Mekenzie (10 yrs old). It is so-o-o cute. Hubby and I went out for our Friday date night-Mexican food and a trip to Home Depot. It has been raining here buckets for two days. I am ready to build an arc-ha. So my skirt sewing got interruped, but
for good cause. Talk to you all soon. Nerm

MY SPACE

I can't believe I'm doing this--letting you into my "secret" place; aka my sewing/craft room! I'm counting on your charitable responses. No comments about conspicuous consumption or overkill or "what is ALL that stuff"? Let me explain:

No. 1: You have to understand that I love all kinds of crafts, not just sewing, knitting, quilting. I also am a big scrapbooker. I do decoupage, paint, polymer clay, most paper crafts, etc, etc. I have a hard time staying on task because there is always something else fun to do. Below is cabinet holding lots of things from books, paint, fabric and lots of other things.

Now here is where it gets interesting...my desk. This is really a large table-7 feet long-filled with all kinds of goodies to use scrapbooking, creating almost anything. I have tried to organize it, but as my darling hubby says, you can't put a gallon in a quart jar. LOL. Can you even see it all?

Click on photo to see it up close...if you DARE!

Now on top of the cabinet is this--part (yes, part) of my yarn stash. Pretty, huh? I enjoy looking at the colors.

Now the important part: I have mentioned that my mother lives with us. She has moderate dementia. When she came here, she brought all our old family pictures. While she can still remember people and events, I have made it my job to scrapbook and save as many memories as I can. The pictures start back in the 1890's and come thru the 1990's. So far I'm up to the 1940's when my Dad & Mother got married. Here is his Army picture. Isn't he cute? He was a great daddy- my sister and I were both Daddy's girls. He was in WWII & was part of the Normandy invasion and was awarded silver & bronze stars. I miss him so much and doing these albums make me feel close to him and other relatives who have passed away.

Okay, enough serious talk for now. I'll let you see the other half of the room some other time. I don't want any emails about emergency room visits due to hyperventilation! Luv, Nerm

"Adrianna"

This is Adrianna. I know I have posted pictures of her before but I love her so much I wanted to share her again. She is losing her winter coat right now so it seems that she needs to be brushed about every hour.

I love her fur though so I don't care that she is high maintenance. She makes me laugh really hard, sometimes just by looking at her and that flat little face. As you can imagine, she is very prissy. I always like to think that if she could speak, it would be with a French accent. I know that sounds silly but I have always had a vivid imagination!

She loves to watch me paint and will sit next me for hours. It's very sweet and I talk to her often while I'm painting. Like a good little friend, she just sits there and listens. haha. Anyway, hope all you think she's cute too. -Kitty