Project Genesis 5/1/11

WELCOME BACK !

Keeping it simple today so as not

 to scare off any newcomers.

I recently learned of this organization 

via PBS (yay PBS!)

everymothercounts.org

Every Mother Counts is an advocacy and mobilization campaign to increase education and support for maternal and child health.

Every Mother Counts seeks to engage new audiences to better understand the challenges and the solutions while encouraging them to take action to improve the lives of girls and women
worldwide.

There is an important film No woman No cry 

coming up this month,

and we as women need to care about this. 

Mothers Day is May 8th.

All Mothers deserve equal care.

period

Think you cannot affect change?

Donate your old cell phones to

provide a link for mothers and 

health care professionals

via HOPE PHONES 

Now it's your turn..

teach us, inform us, change us...

Small things

There are big events in this world.

Terrible storms devastating so very many.

WARS, horrible, horrible wars.

Glorious weddings with all the fanfare.
Tsunami survivors still searching for the lost.

When there are too many large events in the world,

I seek the small things in life for comfort.

Staying small and focusing on the simple, eases my

mind and quiets my fears. 

Performing simple tasks with grateful intention,

be it changing the linens, weeding the garden,

 or hand washing the dishes, these

simple tasks are given my full attention.

It allows me moments to capture the beauty

of a small thing gorging on the nectar of the 

first blossoms of my pink silk tree.

Project Genesis is in 2 days.

Please join us.

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.  ~Anne Frank

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better.  It's not.  ~Dr. Seuss

Joining Chania again today for her Friday photo challenge.

Dish Cloth Swap

Hello all. It so wonderful to see the beautiful photos Rhonda is posting and great to know what fun she is having with her sister. The sign up for the dish cloth swap is now closed (it is Monday evening in the USA). I am busy trying to make my buddy lists and will spend a few days doing that. I will then be posting the list here on the blog so keep checking in. I am amazed at what a wonderful

Autumn in the mountains

Dear Everyone,I'm having a wonderful time here in the mountains with Tricia.  It's been cold and raining the past two days and although I'm cold, I'm really enjoying it. I have gloves on while typing.  I have a few photos to show you where we've been.
All photos can be enlarged by double clicking on them.
This first place is Brown's Siding Store and Cafe. It's owned by a friend of Tricia's, Kerry

3 B's

Joining Chania today for photo challenge:
EASTER

Please have a safe and wonderful day
 with those you love.


Z

BLURRY 3 am

3 am and cannot sleep

Bits and pieces of leftover roses from orders 

Not enough of each to make a dozen

But enough to make a large wreath

 

Now back to sleep

and over to White Wednesday

hosted by delightful Kathleen

 

ONCE UPON A TIME...

I was a quilter...

 for years and years and years.

I used to adore all shades of green.

All my green primitive furniture pieces are now 

in the studio or on the porch, no longer 

suited to the rest of the house.

Things change, interests change.

I taught this series of quilts many years ago. 

I had the girls make extra blocks and lattice 

strips from the first bed size quilt.

From those extras we made the next table top quilt,

with some moons thrown in for good measure.

From the extra strips from the tabletop
 quilt we made log cabin blocks 
that became a wall hanging.

This was one of my favorite series of quilts.

Using up, making do, repetition,

a very organized method of quilting.

The bed size one now resides in my studio
 and is my comfort in the big chair in the winter. 

I adored all types of log cabins back then,

 in fabric, wallpaper, birdhouses etc.

I was always drawn to the shape.

( a work in progress)

Recently, I have been fiddling with mixed media.

Similar techniques required, color and balance.. 

yet a totally new creative outlet for me, 

with a huge learning curve.

Then this morning I realized that perhaps 

I had not strayed too far from my roots after all.

Modern cabins anyone?

Z

UPDATE: Dish cloth swap

Hello allI am so pleased to see so very many of you interested in this swap. It is going to be so much fun! Here are your instructions to complete your sign up. (They are a bit different than other swaps, as this swap is also on the forum, and I have a little issue with typing....umm I biffed it and broke my wrist rather badly at the end of Feb. , had surgery to place a plate a screws- airport

At Tricia's

We're here!  We took two days to drive from Queensland to Tricia's cottage in the Blue Mountains. It was a great trip, we took our time, after Tricia was pulled up by the Highway Patrol at 20ks over the limit, breathalysed, licence and registration checked, then told to slow down and let go.  LOL  I think we must have reminded the officer of his mum. Anyway, it was kind of him to caution us and

EYES WIDE OPEN

Continuing the quest to find a place for all the 

stuff I had stored and dragged into 

the kitchen last week...

Right under my nose, or in this case in front of my face...

I hate the mini blinds in front of this window, 

they block my view of the garden

and my pretty new striped table,

and they are constantly dirty from sink over-splash.

Keeping them raised however, 

exposed the ugly metal sides of the window frame.

I glanced at the window today, glanced at the %$#$ shutters, back to the window, back at the shutters.

Well, slap my butt and call me Judy.

They fit like they were custom made...

Two years stored...sigh

I need to open my eyes a little wider.

Also notice the last metal rack fits quite snug

 and happy under my green tray on the island. 

Ready to be used when needed.

A few remaining knobs and that blasted horn case,

is all that remain of the piles.

Not a perfectly completed challenge 

but good enough for me...for now.

Are your eyes wide open to your possibilities?

If you will be contributing to Project Genesis 

May 1st, would you please let me know ASAP via 

email or comment?..thanks :D 

NIGHTSTAND

Playing along with Chania's Friday photo challenge today - dresser.

Nothing on the dresser, my night stand will "stand in".

Quite diverse reading this week, I just noticed.

Top one is vintage copy of Last of the Mohicans.

Cannot re-read without image of Daniel Day Lewis

 running through my mind.

sigh

Sarah, how many times did you see it ?  lol (don't hit!)

My most favorite earrings. 

All are made by either my friends Sarah or Heather.

They never make it to my jewelry drawers.

They are worn too frequently to be put away.

AS for my own challenge this week, I lost 

2 days this week to other responsibilities 

so I will resume today my quest to get

 everything out of my kitchen.

Just like everyone else, I am stumped by a few.

Those four large shutters were 

in my living room for years.

When I edited them out they ended up 

stored up on the garage ceiling,

not in my way, just a nagging presence. 

Loved too much to sell, they hung around

 because for many years I believed I would 

move from this home and use them in a new one.

Now, who knows, uncertainty abounds.

I am prepared to put them back up there,

and fail in this week's self imposed challenge.

But that's OK.

Dad always reminded me that we learn 

far more from our mistakes than our successes.

Hope you all have a glorious weekend!

z

We're off soon

A quick note before I pack my computer up for my travels.  Thank you so much for the birthday wishes and all the love sent in comments and emails.  Hanno, Tricia and I had a full and hearty German lunch yesterday, out on a verandah overlooking the magnificent Glasshouse Mountains and the ocean beyond.  Later in the day we went to Jens and Cathy's for drinks and nibbles.  It was the perfect way to

On my mind ...

This is a Friday photo feature that anyone with a blog can join. It opens the door to us sharing our lives through these photos and gives us all a new way to discover each other, and maybe form new friendships. Your photo should show something at home that you're thinking about TODAY. If you're in another country you should join in when you read this, even if it's still Thursday.
To take part,

364 days

I've almost come full circle again, tomorrow is my birthday.  Sixty-three - it feels so good! I know there are people out there who don't like the idea of getting older but I am a staunch advocate of ageing. The alternative - death - does not appeal to me at all.  So here I am, not quite an old aged pensioner, on the brink of a new career, with so many enriching activities and interesting people

JUST SITTING

Table trim is on as promised.

Indoor and outdoor porch

 Enjoying coffee on the porch this morning.

Spring has arrived.

First rose of the season - always on Ben's rose bush,

first rose- first born

Dad's weathervane spinning in circles today.

It's a cool and breezy morning.

One of our last I suppose.

Everything is moving, even this tendril reaching 

up toward the  sun.

I'm not much for moving this morning.

Just sitting and being grateful.

Z

Project Genesis is 17 days 

from now.

Are you ready?

CLOCK NOW STANDS AT 2 HOURS 45 MINUTES

Forgot to take pic of just stripes,

 but if you look to the back of the table

 you can see how white the stripes looked before I waxed. 

 The front half I have just

begun to wax and then thought,

 "Dang! grab the camera"

I use Briwax and I love mine all crusty and old looking;

this next pic is the final table top, see how I glop it up.  

The edge of the table is rough,

so this afternoon while GH is on ( yes I am embarrassed

to still watch.. usually I catch recaps on internet)

 I plan to glue on some burlap ribbon on the edge.

The stripes took me 27 minutes form start to finish.

I used blue mask tape and just eyeballed it. 

If you make them all irregular widths, 
there is no measuring...

no fool am I!   :0

I taped, painted a stripe, taped, painted next stripe.

I grabbed one of the wire baskets 
I had dumped in the kitchen, 
and lined with a piece of cardboard. Last month
 I had purchased some bags of moss
from the dollar store for an Easter display 
I have decided not to do.
Cost 5.00 but I only used 3 bags, but it is new
 so it counts as an expense.

From the side garden, I grabbed my G Wolff pots I love, especially since I did not pay Martha Stewart prices, but TJ MAXX prices about 8 years ago. Added a bunny from another

outside display and I am much happier with my table.

Put together some nesting materials for the birdies

 thanks to Marsha.

Then I assessed what is left for me to deal with.
I had unearthed a box of meat grinders I had stored,
so I added them into my pile in the kitchen. 
For many years I turned them into pin cushions
for local quilt shops and shows... 
they clamp onto your work table,
 so I made some up, and
SIL took to a show she had on Saturday. 
Three returned and I plan to finish the tabletop ones,
 this evening and get them into my shop.

 


Still to go...

Recap: Remaining:

A few pieces of knob hardware, 2 grinders, 

4 white shutters, 1 metal basket, empty horn case,

and felted ball wreath.

I actually considered rimming table with balls

from wreath but I thought they might take 

food spillage.

I added 7 grinders to the mix, 

so I think I am still ahead.

Money Spent $3.00

Time spent 2 hours 45 minutes.

Gluing on table trim should take about 15 minutes

to bring me to grand total of 3 hours. 

Very simple changes, minimal effort and expense.

Feels good.

Now, about those white shutters!!!

Z

Another old skill - charcuterie

Charcuterie is the culinary term for meats such as bacon, ham, sausages, terrines and pâtés.  I delved into the wonderful world of charcuterie recently with an old favourite - brawn as it is known in Australia and the UK, or headcheese as it is know in north America.  These types of meats developed as a way of preserving meat before canning and refrigeration.  Now they're seen in may countries as

UPDATE GET 'ER DONE

First coat on last night. Second this am,

decorative painting this afternoon, still haven't decided,

if it will be words, or designs.

If you are just joining me and have no idea WTH I'm talking about, see previous post.

Curtains hung outside.

I'm not attempting pretty pics here folks, just proving 

that I am making progress.

( rods check)

( stored curtains check)

Removed this painting

from here in the bath and rehung above 

darling daughters brass bed.

and replaced with the three frames

( 3 frames check)

here

First 2 stacked frames got a fast sewn burlap pouch

 with dried, no, dead flowers, 

I had yet to throw out since my return from NYC.

Second one, I quickly wrapped some old wire

across the top third and draped some

prisms on wire I had saved from street find chandelier last year. Eucalyptus is also from dead bouquet.

Notice shutters in front of window. 

Now I can open blinds to allow light in without 

exposing myself. Horrors!

( 2 pair shutters check)

Everyone keeping track?

Out of my own curiosity, I kept an eye on the clock, and 

so far I have not yet spent 2 hours total on all 

of it...so that is 1 rerun of a movie you

 have probably already seen 5 times. 

gives you pause eh?

and just so you too can feel the love..

did you catch this comment on yesterday's post?

This is my SIL ( well ex SIL, but I'm not supposed to call her that and I am the ex, not her, lol)

Sarah said...

May I say "with much love" that you're making me want to

 come over and hit you. You know that my whole house is a

 pile of stuff that I trip over on a regular basis, so I'm thinking

 that this theory is not going to work for me. Oh, that's right, 

you always come over and fix it for me. Ah, the advantages of 

being family!

This gal makes me laugh till I have to..

well, you know...

Anyhoot

the point is you CAN have stuff.

Just use it, shake it up, recycle things around;

if you bring in new, move out the old.

Even fabulous things can no longer work for you,

no longer serve a purpose, and if you fret about 

not finding something to replace it..uh

have you see the kagillion blogs, event sales, thrift stores,

etsy and ebay?

THERE IS ALWAYS MORE

I started at 12 with my Dad and have not stopped, 

and 45 years later< I still find new treasures,

but always....always  I edit.

( oh you are mean, you just did the math)

In fact, sometimes I think we are just trading it all back

 and forth all over the country and now 

we are crossing the seas to get theirs too!

Now on to the rest..

And oh, I found some more leftovers to deal with,

but I am still going to aim for my end of the week deadline.

Z