lady cordelia

blu.

blu eggs. 
wouldn't that be a great name for a band?   and yes I know how to spell.  but how rad is blu?
today i'm not capitalizing.  it's tru.

just a little check in. 
i had to share with you that one of our chickens was laying her blu eggs somewhere that we could not find. 
we could not find those eggs
for 14 days. 

today i found them.  under a random bush.  i saw her coming or going.  she blew her cover. 

because i'm a (full-on) seasoned hen farmer, i could tell the old eggs from the newer.  saved about 4.  the rest went down the ol' disposal.  so. freaking. sad. (by the way.  the old eggs have shells that look gross, old and dirty with mud and poop on them. the new look fresh and bright.  that's how I told old from new.  it's a hard-learned farming skill.  really.  takes years. )

also made a blu quilt. maybe for a big bouncy boy. right?  i mean, come on. 

and blu face paint on the hands.  so super sweet.

if i had another band, i'd call it cor and the blu eggs.

ya.

gotta tell the brad about that.

 

weekending with my pal Amanda at Habit Of Being.

 

6 p.m.

A series of shots I took, just walking around the house with the camera yesterday at 6 p.m.

I am going to plan to take the next few days off and I'll be back by weeks end or Monday.

Much Love.

just.do.it.

Another day, another peacock in the works. I'm basically learning how to become better at embroidery by continuing to do these peacock samplers. See?  Just.Do.It.  It's my motto.  I don't do anything very well (yet) in the embroidery dept.  But I am getting better.  One learns by doing. And doing.  And doing. 

I started working on another project too, at 4 a.m. (yes A.M.) I decided to try and do a "fiber art" piece.    The subject is is a local historic Mission.  I used sewing machine stitches, embroidery and applique and didn't stop much to think.  I just went with the flow.  It was a really fun experience to be that free and not know what I was doing.  I look forward to finishing it tomorrow.   Or maybe just starting another one.  I am totally intrigued by this kind of "fiber art."  So: again...Do it. DO IT.
That's what I tell myself.
At 4 in the morning.
That was a little early.
I don't think I should try that again. 

And, for the record, I just hate those two words together: "fiber + art."  Dunno why.  Sounds snobby.  We must come up with another name.

Anyway, I am tired and will be off now.
Be good and well.

And remember: be willing to make mistakes in order to persevere.
I sure am willing.
And I sure do make them.

XO

adopt-a-chick

Once in a while, a hen gets "broody."  That means she sits on a pile of eggs and waits 21 days for them to hatch.  If, however, the eggs are not fertile (there is no rooster around) then the eggs will not turn into chicks. (I'm hoping you knew that already.) Thing is, hens don't know if their eggs are fertile or not.  (Hens are amazing ancient creatures, and they are certainly not stupid. But sometimes, like the rest of us, they are also not too smart.)  In other words, they will sit on their eggs and wait for them to hatch even if there isn't a rooster around for miles.

We went through the process several years ago of obtaining some fertile eggs from a farm down the way and putting those eggs under our broody hen.  21 days later?  Voila.  Five little chicks!  But this time we tried something else.  We let our hen sit on unfertile eggs (which we changed out every few days so they didn't rot) for about 21 days.  Then we purchased two 1-day-old baby chicks from the local feed store and put them under the mama when she was about to go to sleep. We had no idea if she would take them in as her own. But she did! 

She looked a little confused when I set the chicks next to her.  She knew something wasn't quite right.  She looked at me, and then she looked at the chicks and then she looked at me again. I acted real casual, you know.  I was like: La ti da ti da.  Ho hum. Like this was all the most normal thing in the world.  Then she put out her wing and pulled those little babies under her really fast.  And they are all a super happy little family now.

I just can't help but give these broody hens of mine the babies they deserve.  Brad on the other hand, is not so amused. He knows this means we now have 9 chickens when we supposed to only have 4.  Whoopsie.  Sorry Brad.  But to take away from a hopeful deserving nice lady her right to have babies!? Well, that's just a sad, sad thing.

So, I thought you might like that cute little mothers day story today.    I just love having baby chicks around.  It really does make the world a little sweeter.

I hope you have a fantastic tomorrow and I will see you on the flip.

XO

p.s. been working hard this week, there are a few more new smaller sized quilts in the store if anyone is interested.

p.p.s. please come on over to instagram and follow along if you like.   I'm not one of those people who take 20 photos throughout my day (though there is nothing wrong with doing that, of course!).  I have a goal to do one a day and make it separate from blog photos.

Around Here

 


Around here the flower beds aren't quite getting the love they need.  Little messy flower and veggie beds everywhere I look and I'm tired of it! Today I hope to go out and do some weeding and trimming and loving on those little beds.

But I'm a little slow on the get-up.  Because yesterday was the daunting task of giving each girl their own bedroom.  Everything had to be shifted and moved.  You know how it is.  You don't think living room bookcases would have to be moved just because you're dealing with the kids rooms.  But it's like that weird fact...when a butterfly moves its wings in the amazon, the wind molecules in New York City are affected.  Something like that.  Anyway, it was an all day event and it's still in process.  The whole house is in shift.

Oh but it's so nice!  The girls are loving their own spaces and I remind myself that these are their spaces for their expressions of themselves. (Read: not for me to micromanage.)  That said, I was so happy to hear my littler girl wanted a fresh coat of paint in her room.  Oh!  Finally I know that someday in the near future I can say goodbye to those shiny blue and yellow walls that have been haunting me since we moved in.

Yesterday I was also somehow able to finish what I call "Mama's Lap Blanket." This one is big enough for mama to cuddle on the couch with tea and take a break from a busy day. I should like to keep it for myself.  But, that is not what selling things is about.  It is available here.  And, well with Mother's Day just around the corner and all....

xoxo

rock the embroidery

When I was a kid, in the 70's, my mom used to embroider on my dads shirts.  I'd love to embroider some flowers, etc... on the edge of The Brad's shirts.  But, the 70's are long past.  I know and you know Brad would never go for it. Such a bummer.  

That said, did you know that embroidery is really "in" again?  Maybe not on mens shirts.  But check it: all the crafts of old are in: sewing, farming, running with no shoes on.  Swear!  People tell me the running with no shoes is in, anyway. 

Anyway.  I guess that's why I like to embroider.  It slows me down and offers an opportunity to be quiet, away from the hustle and bustle of busy, fancy, complex modern life.  I love learning ways to create modern art with thread and a needle. So simple, right? It reminds me of a time when our connection to "the craft of things" seemed so much deeper.  That way of thinking is something I want to share with my children.

I would like to get a lot better at embroidery over the next years. There are so many amazing stitches and I'd love to perfect all of them.  In the meantime, I'm going to pull out another one of my peacock embroidery samplers and give it another go.  I think I'm going to use more couching stitch this time. And coral knots. I really love coral knots.  The thing that is so cool about this sampler is that there is plenty of freedom to be creative and not have to adhere to a strict pattern. You can incorporate your own sense of style and stitch!   This sampler is great for kids too because there is plenty of room for keeping it basic or getting super detailed!

If you are interested in purchasing my peacock stitch sampler visit here.

xoxo

C

 

heads up

We've had quite a week around here. I've been tending to one of my girls who had a frightening bout with allergies.  Many visits to various doctors ...and I could go on.  But I'd rather suffice to say that all is good now, under control and very nearly back to normal. Plus, we've learned a lot- and that is always a good thing.

So, clearly, I am not going to work the art show today.  I have a to-do list that borders on the impossible and I am hoping that this huge cup of black tea might motivate me.  (Coffee just seems too harsh when quite frankly there has been enough adrenal stress on me this week.)

On another happy note, in the middle of our crazy week, I received my new stitch samplers!  Yep, I had a small run of these original "peacock" embroidery samplers screen-printed for my Etsy store.  (The peacock idea was inspired from a drawing by my 7-year-old.)  What is a stitch sampler you ask?  It's a design that you stitch yourself with embroidery thread.  What I'm providing is the material with the image.  You put it in an embroidery hoop and stitch away!  This sampler  is perfect for beginners and intermediate embroiderers alike and, when finished, would look lovely framed or made into a pillow.  If you are scared to try embroidery, just know that:

1) Stitching is easy-freaking-peasy.
2) It's totally "in" (you want to be cool, don't you?)
3) Working with thread, color and a little needle is creative and fun!
4) There is a plethora of free tutorials for every stitch on youtube.
5) It's a gosh darn cheap way to make art (knitting is great, but damn it's expensive!)
6) Frame your finished embroidery piece and you have an impressive homemade gift to give.
7) My sampler will be cheaper than going out for a garden burger, sweet potato fries and a veggie juice.

So think on that as I complete mine, I'll show it to you when it's finished and the samplers are the in the store!

I hope your week was good to you.  I am looking forward to tackling my to-do list and getting back to normal.  After, maybe, just one more cup of tea.

XO

joining weekending.

full randoms

A few non-congurent sightings into our week so far.   Hey man, sometimes there's a lack of flow.  That's life. 

~ A newest "child-size but could also be a lap size" quilt up on Etsy.  (One of my personal faves so far.)

~This week I'm working on some that are a little bigger and a tiny bit less child like.  Throws for the couch, I'm thinking.  Adult lap blankets.  You know.  Not everyone has a kid.

~Red Bottle Brush Trees.  I don't know if that's really what they are called but they line our street and bring in so many bees. I'm very concerned about the bee population.  And maybe that's for another post.  But, I will say that I love bees.  I wish I could pinch their cheeks while saying....awwwwww. wook at dis wittle bee.  But I'm not sure bees have cheeks, so I just adore them from afar and often get teary at all the dead ones I see on the sidewalks.  By the way: someday I still want a hive.  Of course The Brad gets all irritated when I talk about getting a hive.   But, has that ever stood in my way before?  I got two kids out of a man who said he wanted one, 2 dogs out of a man who said he wanted one and an ever-growing flock of chickens out of a man who wanted zero.  Brad likes to say to me...You know you'll get what you want regardless of my opinion so why are you even telling me about it?  The Brad is a very smart husband.  

~We went to our local college town yesterday, about 2 miles from our house, and surveyed the array of cheap restaurants.  Full.  On.  Cheap. Indian Food.  And a Thai Iced Tea with these little tapioca balls in the bottom.  I guess it's an Indian thing, evidently, cause I've never had a drink with balls before. Our littler daughter thought it was the funnest thing in the world to have a drink with little gooey candy things at the bottom that you could suck up with a big straw and so she kept grabbing it from me while screaming...Yay! Big Balls! (Note to self: don't give a 4 year old caffeine. Ever. Again.)

Anyhoo. 
That's a wrapper.
Peace.
Out.

oh, and  p.s.  please join me on instagram.com!  I've been trying to post more daily pics. I do have a private identity there, so you can't see unless you sign up.  my instagram name is: dearcordelia.

XO

 

until you succeed

 





“Take risks, and you’ll get the payoffs. Learn from your mistakes until you succeed. It’s that simple.” ~ Bobby Flay

I've always loved that quote. Simple, direct information to remember and live by.

Here's what my world looks like under that lens (most of you are well-versed in these still "very real" realities of mine.)

~ A little tiny veggie patch is beginning to thrive after a lot of hours and days of nursing.
~ A doggie who we were told was "a risk" to keep alive is back with a vengeance (and dirty socks.)
~ A hen, who is determined to make a batch of infertile eggs hatch will, when the time is perfectly synchronized with her little hen homones, be given (by us) her own day-old chicks to raise as her own.
~ A business dreamed up just a few months ago by a mama who wanted to find a way to make some money through art and stay home with her kids...well...isn't quite booming yet, but hey...it's most certainly rolling!

Determination.  What a fine word. 

What are you determined to do these days?

 

i can organize.

When my kids were really little,  like before the older one turned 5, I began doing a lot of thrift store shopping.  Those of you who have followed my blog for a long time know I even hosted a "Thrifty Thursday" for a while where everyone could share their second-hand gems from that week. 

I can safely say that most of our clothes, toys and furniture are in one way or another second-hand. (We did however fall victim to Old Navy about a year ago when my older daughter fell in love with the leggings there.  It's hard to find good used leggings for a little 1st grader.) 

Anyway, when we moved last August, it was a quick thing. The packing and moving happened so fast that there was no time for things like planning how the girls rooms should be.  There was just hauling of a lot of thrifted toys and dumping it in their rooms. Since then, I've found it very hard to commit to going through everything they own.  The play room was a disaster.  No organization at all.  Full of everything from vintage Fisher-Price to a plethora of matted-haired Barbies (I have no problem with Barbies as toys, I think parents - not Barbies-  teach our kids everything they learn about self-image.) 

Anyway,  point is, today I went into the playroom and hauled out several hefty bags to be brought (back) to the thrift store and one smaller one for the trash. 

Also, I invested $25 in a used version of this.  I found it on Craigslist, basically brand new.  I can't tell you how much one tall set of wire drawers has bettered my life today.  Watercolors, beads, coloring books, card games and craft items all separated from each other and tucked in their own separate drawer.  All the board games tucked into a part of the closet that the kids can reach so I don't hear..."Mom can you get down [blank]!" everyday. 

Still a lot of work to do.  Serious paint job needed.  We loooove this house but have to wonder at the interior paint colors. When we moved in we painted the common rooms of the house white , but didn't get to the rest.  Like this here playroom where walls and ceiling are painted in what seems to be an oil base (shiny) blue.  Oh, except for that one yellow wall. And I can't wait to rip out the bedroom carpets some year.  But, in the meantime, it's the small stuff that I'll focus on; the room could use a few more storage things here and there ( I've been eyeing  this for the stuffed animals for about a year now.) 

And then, there is their bedroom and of course my office and our bedroom.  All need some level of organization and/or fresh paint.  We also all need new bedding.  New, and not thrifted.  I just can't deal with one more ill fitting sheet set on deep mattress beds.  (Yes, I've bought "used" sheets.  Of course I made sure they looked very clean and I washed them in hot water, silly!)   I guess sometimes retail is better.  Sigh.

Anyway, every week or every month, I'm planning on just doing something to get closer to my vision of how I want this place to look.  Making a home truly an efficient beautiful, streamlined place just doesn't happen overnight, at least not for most of us.  And that's the fun of it, right?  It takes time and thought and a little more time.  But, eventually, it happens. That's my plan, anyway.

 

XO