Life Happens

Like Diane (lace lovin librarian) I have had school start and have been busy with that. Also I have had a little tragedy hit my own family. Nothing severe but enough to shake up my life some. My sister in law who is very active and in great shape suffered a mild stroke while running in a 10k race. She is doing better but it is hard on her young family and us. As you can see by the picture her girls are adorable, but they are lively!

The Scribner girls!

The youngest one is 3 and does not understand why mommy isn't there when she wakes up in the morning. The next youngest started kindergarten this year and the oldest middle school.
Life will change for everyone when mommy does come home, but I have faith she will be completely healed. It is only going to take time!
On a tatting note I am working on several things. Below I did and wrote down my center for the doily and made a snowflake out of it. I did it in 'Rhubarb Pie' size 20 by Marilee aka Yarnplayer.

Motif center.

I changed the  stitch count on this version and it is too close to the start of one of Jon Yusoff's patterns that I don't feel comfortable writing it down here to share without talking to her first. That is fair to her and me. I don't need to make enemies with anyone.
I am helping a friend with her pattern and need to work a little harder this week on it. It has been fun to do. Hope to get back to her next week with all my comments.
So this has been the week of break downs too. Son's car died just helped out with buying new car. Ouch. My car needs to be replaced so does husbands. It is like when it rains it pours. lol.
Oh well it all works out in the end.

New motif that I am to do 3rd round.

So here is a pic of my next project. I get to design the third round for this doily. I'm thinking maybe a little Celtic thing with it . We shall see. Well time to run :)

Summer break nearing end. :(

Well I go back to work in one week, what happened to summer break? Ok so I worked 5 weeks of it, got to participate in my first Pioneer Days in Kenosha, met some tatting 'Godesses' (Diane-Lace loving librarian, Gina-Threads of a tatting Godess), went to my first Lace days, road trip to Cincinnatti for the day with Diane to meet up with Jane Eborall, had visit from Alaskan daughter, did the fair and actually did some tatting!!

My first 'spinning wheel' in Autumn Spice.

One of the pieces I worked on May into June was the 'Spinning Wheel Mat' from Mary Konior' s "Tatting With Visual Patterns".  The book doesn't tell you that you need two shuttles or that you switch shuttles to do the end turn rows. Diane and I had a discussion about that. What you can't tell unless you look close is all the cut and ties. Until I figured the pattern, there are several. My second one I am still working on( that Jane unpicked my boo boos on) is still not done. There are not a lot of cut and ties ( decided to unpick) just where I had to join more thread.

My part of the round robin piece for Lighthouse Lacers.

The next project I had was to design a second round for a motif we are doing a round robin in my lace group. The center was done by Barb Gorden a very talented lace maker and lady who is working with me on learning bobbin lace. (Oh yeah I'm learning bobbin lace this summer too!) My round I did in Lizbeth 'Easter Eggs' size 20. The color is darker in appearance than it actually is. I need to write down what I did. I am going to suggest we each send a sheet with the pattern so we can each have a copy of all the finished round robins.
Summer has gone by and fall with more mild temperatures will be quickly behind. Once again all my good intentions of cleaning, exercising and weeding have fallen to the way side. Oh well before long there will be snow covering the weeds, winter break to be ambitious about cleaning and tomorrow to get up early and exercise.(ha ha)
As a post script: the disturbed lady from earlier post broke off all my raspberry plants so no more raspberries this year. I will have to go in and mow down to 4" so next year than can come up again. It took me 4 years to get my plants to be were there are now.  And this was a good year for berries! Ugh! Life is always exciting at my house. :)

We are having a heat wave!

Anyone who lives in the Midwest know heat and humidity = awesome sweet. At the rate we have had our latest run on high heat index days we should have bushes and bushes of lovely sweet corn. lol. I do not have air conditioning except in the bedroom, so the heat slows me way down. To do anything strenuous means total wipe out and end up in the bedroom to bring core temp. down. But it hasn't stopped me from working on my tatting.

My motif for Lighthouse Lacers.

 So my lace group (Lighthouse Lacers) is doing a tatting round robin. This is my entry. Jane made a suggestion since it starts with SCMR in doing a SR for the last ring . I haven't  tried it that way since the  motif would make a cute snowflake. I do have to give credit to Jon Yusoff for the center as it is inspired by her snowflake. And since it is similar to hers I don't think I can share a pattern for it legally as she has it published in "Tatted Snowflakes".
I have a very nice one that when I get my row done I'll share, until than anyone with a connection with the powers that be to cool the temps down please help! lol :)

Life's surprises!

We are not hermits but can be close to it. Our house sits about 200 feet from the road surrounded by tall trees. You really can't see us from the road and we like it that way. We have three entrances to our driveway which is  tree lined so you have to come around the bend of the driveway to see the house. People walking by who haven't been here have no idea that we are here. So when strangers pull into the yard it takes us by surprise and them too. ( I can tell when people drive up and they usually get met somewhere up the driveway). Ok we like our privacy . To continue with my story: Saturday my son was outside in the yard picking up his tools. He had just finished working on  a friends car. A woman with a cat carrier(cockatoo inside) and a small dog walk up to him and asks if she could hide in our woods to hide from her ex boyfriend who was a cop.( there is about 4 acres of woods surrounding the property). Of course my son said no. He watched her leave or so we thought. He finished his clean up and didn't think anything about.
At 4 am the next morning my daughter came into our room and said she just got a text from my hubbie's phone. (see our spare room 'luxury accomidations' for guests)

The spare room.

My hubbie got up to look for his phone. No phone anywhere(he forgets it in his car all the time.) So he and Bec took the camping lantern out to his car, as my daughter hung back she heard her father yell 'What are you doing in my car!' The questionable woman was in his car sitting with her dog. Yeah that did not go over well. She plead with him not to call the police and took off thru the woods toward the road. My husband checked to make sure everything was ok with his car. He locked it and my car came in and went back to bed.
Sunday goes on and husband stays home from church to make sure the lady does not come back. Son and husband have to go outside for some reason and my son turns around and finds the lady asleep in the grass by my raspberry bushes! Police are called and when they finally get here she is still asleep. Apparently she has been on the police watch list for some time because she has a mental illness and there hadn't been enough to commit her.( not enough complaints so the police were grateful to us calling so she could get the help she needs!) Are we in the twilight zone??!! Or what?? At least all ended well.
So this morning Becki was to fly back this morning. She came out with two pieces of luggage and left with three more so she could take good Illinois corn home.
We are going on the tollroad and the car starts driving funny-flat tire and no jack! Quick call to son. He rescues us and hubbie and Bec are off to the airport-she made it with one minute literal to spare. Good thing her flight left late! Murphy's law what can I say.

Becki and Jim the Bee Whispers!

Jane's hexagon mat!

So I am closing with a few fun pictures. One of hubbie and daughter after checking our bees(yum home grown honey!) and a small sample of Jane's completed mat! So when life gives you those little speed bumps just smile and be happy you have good family and friends to be there for you-and of course tatting! :)