One Of Those Weird Days

Today was kind of an odd day.  I worked really hard to finish putting everything back in the dining room.  I actually wanted to work on the bear but I had to do this first.  There were boxes stacked with china that needed to be gotten out of the way. 

I did take a break to do a bit of gardening.  My garden seems to have had it's last hurrah and is in the process of going to seed despite the warm weather.  I guess plants just know when it's time regardless of what the jet stream decides to do.

It was very warm today...88 in fact.  But it doesn't seem much like summer anymore.  Maybe that's just a perception brought on by years of looking at the calendar.  Or maybe we have an innate sense that something has changed ever so slightly.

I think the worst part of today was that I didn't see one other single human being.  Despite keeping myself quite busy all day, it still left me feeling a bit melancholy.  R was out of town for work last night and I didn't go anywhere since I was working around the house.

I am pretty sure I would never make it as a hermit living alone in the woods. 

I was also suffering from Facebook angst again.  I needed to join a group for something specific I have coming up and I wanted to leave a post explaining how to do something that a few people asked about.  For some reason it took me a couple tries to get the post to take.  You wouldn't think that would be that hard.

I have never come across anything computer related before that I can't figure out.  I learned everything I know about computers on my own.  Over the years I have learned a whole lot to the point of just sort of picking up coding through immersion, the way a person would do if they moved to a foreign country where they didn't speak the language at first.  That's how I learn most things actually.  I like to look at stuff and figure out what makes it tick, but it's not even a conscious effort to learn stuff most of the time...I just do. 

But for some reason I am one of the rare people on the planet who can't figure out what makes Facebook tick.  I can't even figure out how to add people who I might want to go back to their page.  I seriously need a "Facebook For Dummies" book.

I had no trouble with My Space when that was the thing and I figured out how to blog and make everything pretty and customized in under an hour.  So it's beyond me why I can't figure this out.  If anyone has any insights or tips by all means don't hold back. 

I actually find it a bit annoying that everyone feels the need to use Facebook for every little thing and I will be thrilled when it dies and is replaced by something else that is hopefully better, and more customizable.  I don't care for those stark white pages.  You could make My Space much prettier.

I guess I am rambling and R finally called so I guess I will drag myself off to bed.  Today I am going to finally be able to work on bears again.  I always get a little wilted around the edges when I haven't been able to make anything for a while.  I suppose that might explain my mood today.

I hope you all have a lovely day!  Hugs, K. <3

Save The Veggies!

This is going to be one of those posts that is most likely going to be controversial. I am just giving you fair warning!  *Grins*  I don't expect you to automatically agree with the way I see things either, but maybe it will give you food for thought...pun intended!

Recently I overheard a conversation between two teenagers.  One was a staunch vegetarian and one wasn't.  The vegetarian was one because she couldn't abide killing animals for food.  Now as you know I am an animal lover.  I also don't care what you choose to do with your life, that's entirely up to you and I respect that.

But I happily eat meat.  Now the second girl had told the first that her Father had gone hunting, and this of course caused the first girl to launch into a tirade over killing Bambi.  (I am not even sure that was what her Father had been hunting for.)  Vegetarianism for this reason puzzles me a bit.  If you're doing it for health reasons, that's a different story.

I have absolutely no problem with anyone hunting deer, or any other animal for food.  ( I vehemently do not abide hunting for a trophy only though because it's wasteful!)  I also don't dispute that animals kept for food production are treated poorly in many instances...but those same animals could have a very difficult time if they were in the wild as well.  I think it's a lot better for a hunter to shoot the deer and feed their family rather than have it ricocheting off of cars on the freeway, slowly starving to death from over population or being torn to bits by a mountain lion.

The other thing I take into consideration is that many animals that we try so hard to protect wouldn't think twice about killing a human and eating it...nor do animals have any issue killing each other for food or territory.

Also, why is it ok to kill plants but not animals?  Plants feel a type of pain when they are harvested caused from a hormone and chemical reaction.  Is it simply ok because plants don't have a face?

Human beings are designed to be omnivores.  I agree that sometimes the thought of an animal dying for my dinner isn't the most pleasant...but there are a lot worse ways it could go.

A Give Away From Wayneston Bears!

First of all I want to thank everyone who visited my post for the Practical Magic Blog Party!  I loved all your kind comments.  If you missed the post, it's the previous one so just scroll down.

Now for something fun...Wayne at Wayneston Bears is having his very first give away ever!  You definitely want to be a part of that!  So head over there and follow his blog, check out his adorable works and enter to win Aloysius!

Good luck!

Also I will (hopefully) be having a give away of my own next month again.  In the mean time I am finally starting to get over this cold or flu or whatever it was.  So I will be doing some new pieces again.  Stay tuned!

I hope you had a lovely day!  Hugs, K. <3

A Practical Magic Blog Party ~ Finding The Real Magic

I remember the first time I saw Practical Magic.  I went with a friend when it first came out in the theater.  I am fond of Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest, so I was certain the movie would be amazing.

As we left I asked her what she thought of it.  She said she liked it, and asked what I thought.  I wasn't sure what I thought to be honest.  The first time you see the movie it's a lot to take in.  It's easy to miss the message.

But when it came out on video, I bought it and watched it again.  Despite the stellar cast, for me the house was the real star of the movie.  I liked the styling as well.  I tried to find clothes similar to what Sally and Jillian wore.  They were so effortlessly romantic and fun. 

As I searched I realized I had a lot of very fun and romantic clothing already!

But who doesn't ooh and ahh over that house!  All too often it's easy to get caught up in wishing we had something when in fact, we already have houses filled with all sorts of magical things!  It's just that we see them every day and begin to take them for granted. 

Today I went around taking photos and finding all sorts of wonders in my own house!

And my garden...

nothing hiding under these!

I may not be able to grow rosemary by garden gate, or lavender for luck because of the altitude, but I can grow morning glorys by my garden gate...

and some of us do things like no one is watching, and fall in love whenever we can!

I have seen the movie at least a dozen times now, and I truly love it.  The message of the movie is that the real magic is love!  The romantic kind....

the love of good friends...

and family!

There is indeed a little witch in every woman, and the spell we cast is love!

Thank you for visiting my house and my blog!  Be sure and stop over at the Practical Magic Blog to visit other lovely blogs participating!

Have a magical day!  Hugs, K. <3

  PS...I am working my way (slowly) through every single blog...I promise I will get to yours if I haven't already!  Hugs, K. <3

To Tell The Truth

Are you an honest person?  Chances are, if you were raised like I was you were taught to always tell the truth at a very young age.  Most likely you have gone through your life believing yourself to be mostly honest and truthful.

I was thinking about that other day.  Are we really as good as we think we are?  At some point after learning that all important initial lesson we also learn that we should sometimes not tell the truth in order to spare someones feelings.

I remember quite a few years back thinking for some inexplicable reason it was a good idea to buy a pair of orange shadow stripe pants.  My friend who was shopping with me that day assured me they looked good.  In retrospect I wish she would have just said they made my backside look like a pumpkin and asked me why on earth I was even considering buying them.  But being a good friend, she chose to spare my feelings by telling a lie.

Good friends and fashion disasters aside...I think it's hard to always tell the truth.  In fact I think sometimes we aren't even sure what the truth is.  It can be quite subjective.

If I tell you green beans are evil and disgusting that is my truth.  R on the other hand would tell you they are quite delicious, and that's his truth.  But the real truth is that green beans are neither, they are simply inert, and we put our own spin on them based on our preferences.

Quite often we believe things that we have learned other places, the internet, books...TV...or the newspaper and we pass that along only to discover that what we believed was the truth isn't at all.  If we do that, have we told a lie?  For a very long time people believed the world was flat and passed that information on, but it was a lie.  So if you believe you are telling the truth...then are you even if it turns out not to be true.

Then of course there are the lies we tell ourselves.  If we lie to ourselves is that considered a real lie?  Quite often we don't even realize we do it.

If you are wondering what prompted all this pondering, it isn't a guilt complex.  While I was visiting my parents we had a Bible study and I was confused about a section.  While I have been trying to read it from beginning to end this year, I don't usually do Bible study at home, even though I probably should.  We discussed it and I worked out in my head what I thought it meant.  I was pretty satisfied I had come to the truth of the matter.  But then my Mom suggested an alternative explanation.  She was certain she was right.  So I was left wondering what the truth was.  I finally determined that we were both right.  When it comes to the important matters of life I don't think there is always one singular truth.  I think that we each have to find our own truth, and that's based on how it applies to our lives.  That truth can change from moment to moment too.  Those big truths are open to interpretation for each of us.

But I can assure you of one absolute truth in this world...no one...and I mean NO ONE, should ever buy orange shadow stripe pants!

Montana

My dear patient friends!  I have been trying so hard to get a blog post done the last few days but every time I have come to the computer and sat down, it made my head pound so hard I just got back up again.

To be honest things haven't improved that much, but I did think I should make a post so you know I haven't deserted you!  I was actually feeling a little better today despite a rocky start this morning.  I managed to get to the post office to send off a little bear who has been waiting patiently to go to his new home.  Then I came home and started unpacking all the boxes with my dining room things in them.  I also cooked a nice salmon dish for dinner, harvested a few things from the garden, cleaned the pantry, repotted a couple plants, and a few other little chores.

By this evening I felt as if I was starting this thing all over again, and R yelled at me for trying to do too much too soon.  I think he knew I couldn't argue because my throat was sore and I could barely talk.  But you know how it is when you are sick and bored and can't stand the idleness that goes with it!

At any rate...I went on my trip to Montana for two reasons.  One...I hadn't been to visit my parents in a bit and I wanted to go.  And two...R was going to put a hardwood floor in my dining room, which is why everything was packed up.  I can't stand the mess and clutter that goes with renovations so he just sends me off when he does them.

The first day after I arrived my Mom was scheduled to do a little craft show for York Days, so she suggested I bring along some of my small pieces.  I came home with three less things.  It was kind of a fun event.  They had a pancake breakfast and rubber ducky races.  I bought five ducks since it was for charity but they didn't win.

There was a park that had a bear statue in it, and you can see my Step Dad being funny with it above!  I love that picture. 

This is a pic from their back porch.  It was raining over the mountain range.  The weather was much colder than I had expected and I had to buy a fleece lined hoodie just to keep warm!

We drove to Missoula one day and did some shopping.  That was fun too, they have a really cute mall there.

I took this one evening, you can see the city lights from their house.  The orbs are dust particles in the air.  It snowed two days after I left!

When I came home I had an amazing new floor in the dining room.  R does such good work!  My puppies aren't nearly as impressed though, they can't get any traction and keep falling down. I had to put down a rug so they could get in and out.

It was a nice visit, but I was happy to come home too.  I just wish I hadn't caught what ever was going around up there. 

If I feel even remotely human tomorrow I am going to work on one of the two pieces I have started.  Just don't tell R, he will probably yell at me again!

I hope you all had a lovely day!  Hugs, K. <3

Home...But...

Hi everyone, I am home.  But unfortunately everywhere I went this past week people were coughing and sneezing and I have the most dreadful cold.  So posting will have to wait until I feel better.

I hope everyone is doing well!  Hugs, K. <3

Vacation!

I will see you all in a week!

Brand New Layout

I have spent the past few days doing a completely new layout for my website.  I went back to a vintage feel because I think it best supports my style.  You get a nice big picture of each piece and they open in their own window now. 

Go have a peek and give me your feedback!

Blondheart Website 

A Busy And Fun Weekend

I was so busy this past weekend it was crazy.  I have been working like mad to get my dining room all packed up.  I have a huge amount of antique china in my hutch and a bookcase filled with DVDs...and a whole lot of other stuff.  I am leaving for a week next Friday and while I am gone R is going to put a hardwood floor in there.  So I have to have it all packed by the time I leave.

I have also been working really hard on my new website design and I have a bird cut out from last week that I haven't assembled yet, and I cut out a new bear as well. 

But we did find time Sunday night to go down to the park for the Colorado Balloon Classic Balloon Glow.  It was a beautiful night so there were quite a few lit up.  We got hungry though and headed off for some Mexican food and then came home.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend too!  There probably won't be a lot of posts this week since I still have to finish everything I mentioned above and do laundry and pack and....and....lets just say I have a lot to do still!

Hugs, K. <3

~*~ Ovid ~*~

Sometimes I keep things for years before I use them.  Such was the case of this piece of wonderful patterned vintage mohair.  But I was feeling inspired to work with it this week.  Ovid is the result, and I think he is quite amazing.  I love the way he turned out.  The great thing about the vintage mohair that his body is made of is that it isn't stiff like vintage mohair can often be.  It's delightfully velvety and soft.

If you would like to visit Ovid on my website you can do that on the bears page.

Morning Glorys

When I first moved here I tried quite a few times to grow Morning Glory's and they simply wouldn't grow. I planted them this year in the new garden with no expectations. But they surprised me. The thing is, I am usually asleep when they're open. But a few weeks ago I did catch a couple pale pink ones.

Night before last I had a nap so I stayed up until about 7:30.  I was really tired and about to go to bed when it occurred to me I should go have a peek.  I wasn't prepared for the sight that met my eyes.  I had a few more pink, some really deep purple...and HUGE blue ones.  It was like a fairy land in the early morning sunrise.  I had to snap a few pics just to share with you!

Aren't they amazing!  It certainly made my morning!

Hugs, K. <3