Dirty Mirrors

Posted on May 6, 2010 by Barb

This is my bathroom mirror…..


Maybe you can see it better if we are up close and personal…..

See how dirty it is?  Well, it is impossible to keep this mirror clean at my house.  And this is why….

Or maybe this explains it better…..

But maybe you need to see it in action……

Or even up close and personal…..

See how he slurps the water over the side of the cup?  See the tiny water droplets on the side of the cup?  Well they end up all over the mirror too.  And thus the dirty mirror.  (Side note – I love how you can see the ripples in the water in this picture!  The only thing that would make it better is to see a little cat tongue <grin>)

Boo is my buddy.  He is a very likable, easy-going cat.  Even if you don’t like cats, you might like Boo.  He makes you like him.  If you came to visit me, he would greet you at the door.  And rub cat fur all over your legs.  And entertain you while you were here.  Or he might just sleep away your visit.  He’s very cute when he’s sleeping.  See?

And he doesn’t get in trouble (see above dirty mirrors) when he’s sleeping.  Isn’t he cute? Unless you’re highly allergic and even a picture of a cat makes you sneeze  — aah….aaaahhhh…. aaaaaaahhhhh……CHOO!

But I’m not really sleeping, Mom.  And could you stop flashing that flash at me, please?  Cats are sneaky that way.  You might think they are sleeping when they really know your every move. 

Boo has other drinking cups too…..

Like this one in the window near the kitchen sink.  Boo likes to jump up there and get a drink and watch me as I cook….. or rinse dishes.  Thank goodness there is not a mirror nearby!  But his preferred method of drinking is like this…..

There’s a problem with this way of drinking.  It requires a human (namely, me) to turn the water on and off for you!  I’m still working on teaching him how to do that.  But he’s really not paying attention.  He prefers me to do it for him.  And quite frankly, he doesn’t care at all whether I ever turn it off.  Water bills are irrelevant to a cat.  (Another pic where it would be really cool to have a cat tongue, eh?  But I LOVE the way the water and Boo’s whiskers turned out!)

This is the table in my sewing room where my sewing machine is supposed to be…..

If I had Photoshop, I’d put an arrow in the picture to show you where the machine normally goes.  (Alas, I didn’t win PW’s giveaway yesterday…..sigh….)  This table is also the reason that the bathroom mirror will remain dirty.  You see, when I came home from retreat last week, all my stuff from retreat got plopped down here and one week later it’s still there!  And I need to sew!!!  But if you come by to see me tomorrow and it still looks like this, I’m going to say it is because I’ve been cleaning mirrors…….and doing laundry…… and vacuuming and even shampooing spots in my carpet.  And blogging…….. mostly blogging.  (Which requires taking pictures all day long too <grin>)  Just don’t ask to use the bathroom so you can check the mirror……

Excuses…..I’ve got a million of ’em!
Barb

Posted in Boo | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Meet LaNelle

Posted on May 5, 2010 by Barb

LaNelle is a member of the JSS Bee but was unable to go on retreat last week.  She was very sad to not be in our beeeyyyuuuuuutiful picture at the top of this blog!  So I suppose now I have to find a copy of photoshop and add her into the picture.  Either that or we all could go on retreat again next week and take yet another really cool pic of us all standing in the wildflowers.  Yeah!  That’s the ticket!  I vote for THAT option!  Of course, then Lani would feel bad that she wasn’t in the pic and we’d have to do it all again.  And she’s in Manhattan!  So we’d have to get her back here for a picture.  And then there’s Tracie, and then……. well, you get the idea.  I’m starting to think buying a copy of photoshop might be a better option!  Unless I want to retreat the year away – YES!  (I bet there would be a few other takers on that one!)

So meet LaNelle!

Bad, bad picture!  Very bad!  I stole it off her facebook page.  It was a picture of a large group and I cropped everyone else away so you could just see LaNelle.  Well, you can see how that turned out – or should I say, didn’t turn out?  Fuzzy, fuzzy, fuzzy!

I had another picture of LaNelle on my computer that I was about to insert here.  But it was not a very flattering picture and I have a feeling LaNelle would NOT want to be photoshopped into the large group picture with that one.  The very last thing I need is to make someone unhappy with a picture in the first week on my blog!  She was wearing a hat that Newbie Cindy made her wear at retreat – a very unflattering hat.  We all got hats at that retreat – many of them unflattering!  And right about now I have a feeling that Lani is very glad that the title of this post is not “Meet Lani.”  I might have used the picture at the retreat when we all painted lips on each other…….. blindfolded.  NOT flattering pictures.  And I don’t think I have a single picture of Tracie.  (Tracie is counting her lucky stars.)  So I guess we have to live with the group picture as it is.  At least until October when we’ll be on retreat again.  Now that I’ve started the blog, everyone will want to dress up for pictures and put makeup on!  They will hide when Barb shows up with her camera unless they are at their very best!  Sigh……

Looks like this blogger better check into photography classes.  Pioneer Woman, do you give lessons?  She’s giving away a camera today!  And a copy of Photoshop!!!  Only 36, 580 people have entered to win as of this moment.  I entered.  I am entry #34,170 on comment page 86.  What are the chances?  Pick me, PW, pick me!  I need Photoshop!

Wanna come over for a sitting, LaNelle?
Happy picture taking…..
Barb

Posted in retreat stuff | 5 Comments

Addictions

Posted on May 3, 2010 by Barb

Ever notice how quilters see quilt blocks everywhere they look?  It’s an addiction, really it is.  Incurable.  Don’t even try.  If you are not a quilter, but hanging out with one, it’s better to just nod and agree when they see a tile floor or garden trellis and immediately pull out a kleenex or a cute little magnetic notepad and start sketching a new quilt.  Don’t try to see it!  Just leave them to their addiction.  It’s incurable.  Didn’t I tell you that already?

A good friend came into the quilt shop where I work today and she was wearing a beautiful quilt block.  I immediately wanted one just like it!  And because I am now a blogger, I had to have a picture.  And me without a camera.  Guess I’m going to have to start carrying my camera EVERYWHERE now, aren’t I?  Well, you’re in luck!!!!  SHE had her camera in her purse.  So she got it out for me to use.  And here’s what she was wearing:

All you quilters:  See the beautiful little nine-patch of champagne diamonds?  Surrounded by two lovely borders, one of white diamonds and then of black.  Exquisite!  Now if you’re not a quilter, you just see a pretty diamond necklace.  And that’s really OK.  Just not nearly as fun as seeing a beautiful necklace and a quilt block.

And how cool is technology anyway?  I saw her necklace, we took a picture, she emailed me the pic when she got home and now you are seeing it on the internet!!!  Not too many years ago that would have been an impossibility.  And now her necklace is a star on a new blogger’s blog.  And her dear hubby is a hero.  He bought it for her.  (He’s a keeper, Jill!)

And here’s another picture – the one I took with my Blackberry today.


And the reason I will now have to carry my camera everywhere I go.  This picture isn’t nearly as good now, is it?  The BB camera just isn’t as good.  And a quilter/blogger MUST be able to capture every moment on film for all of you.  Well, not film, but digital image….. but you get the idea.

Enjoy!
Barb

Posted in just stuff | 3 Comments

Author, Author!

Posted on May 3, 2010 by Barb

What?  All the retreat pics and videos are posted?  Oh, no!  What WILL I do now?  Started this whole blog to post those things – now will I have anything to say?  How will I entertain you every day?  Maybe I won’t!  LOL!  But if I can come up with some meaningless something that might make you laugh, I’m HERE FOR YOU!  Well, only if I can come up with something.  But I DO want to keep you coming back for more…… hmmmmm……

So today I just have a little something to tell you about.  This Friday at 10:00 a.m. at Quilter’s Dream in Colleyville (where I work), an author is coming for a book signing!  Her name is Marie Bostwick and she’s a NY Times Bestselling author!  Her latest novels involve a quilting theme and I’ve read two of them (there are three.)  I highly recommend them!  Here’s a pic of the third book – which I own, but haven’t read yet.  (That’s because I’m too busy blogging – it’s all your fault…..)

OK – not a great pic – but hey – I’m NOT the Pioneer Woman, people!!!!  I have a lot to learn here!  (And you are along for the ride….teehee…. and I really need to stop helping her out with links to her site, but she IS my hero.)

Stay tuned…. maybe tomorrow I’ll have something of GREAT interest to impart….. (and if someone can tell me how to get this text to uncenter, I just wanted the book to center!  WAIT! I think I figured it out!)

But maybe we like it better centered?

Or not………. isn’t this fun?  Sigh….. I have a lot to learn.

Hugs,
Barb

 

Posted in just stuff | 3 Comments

Videos…… AGAIN!

Posted on May 2, 2010 by Barb

You know you love ’em.  The videos, I mean.  I aim to please so I’m getting them posted for all to view.  Even though Boo is begging me for a nap right now.  He knows it’s Sunday afternoon and time for a nap on the couch while the TV plays something that’s easy to nap to.  Golf is best.  They even whisper so they don’t wake you.  Boo is rubbing all over the keyboard and my arms, begging for attention.  But I know him well, what he really wants is a lap to nap in.  Good cat!

So here’s the last of the retreat videos.  I broke them into two parts so you wouldn’t get video overload yesterday.  More fun to drag it out…. on and on and on and on and on with retreat things to keep you coming back for more.  It’s a trick of mine.  To get as many hits on the blog as possible.  Makes me feel loved and wanted.  I seriously must be having self-esteem issues, dontcha think?   But there’s something about the graph that wordpress makes for me.  I want to see it go up, never down.  So do me a favor and log on and off the page multiple times today.  It will feed my psychic need for affirmation.  Or is it psycho need.  One or the other.

OK – ON with the VIDEOS!  Stop chattering, Barb!

 A brief clip of the JSS Newbies as they tell their stories so we can all get to know them better.  Sometimes we even learn things we probably shouldn’t know….. where did you live, Kay?  And are you SURE you weren’t hit in the head with the baseball, Suz?  Your Mom has the ball to prove it, after all.  Sure it was your sister…..this could be your prime excuse for any weirdness you might profess to have.  The game is called “Two Truths and a Lie.”

And since when did the entertainment become the veteran retreaters doing all the entertaining??  Whatever happened to the NEWBIES doing all the entertaining?  Somehow we have lost our way here, girls!  We are going to have to make sure the next Newbie Leader gets it right.  Better training needs to be given these retreat Newbies!  Watch here as Sally gets carried away as her group performs the winning song (there were 3 groups competing.)

The next group included the photographer!  So since she can’t play her magical musical instrument AND take videos, you’ll have to be satisfied with just THIS video…..

And group #3 really got carried away with their song.  Apparently they thought if they danced along to the song (or is that more like a parade clown march?) that we’d all surely be able to guess the song.  They got the lowest score of the 3 groups which was an 8 (just happened to be the lowest score possible because that’s all the scorecards they made!  We tried to tear it in half and make it a 3…. or tear the other way and make it a 0 – sorry group #3!!)  See if you can figure out what the song is as they march and play here.

And finally, Newbie Leader Cindy gets her own prize for leading the Newbies so valiantly this year.   And who will next year’s Newbie Leader be?  We must start training her NOW – it’s all about the Newbies.  Repeat after me….. “It’s all about the Newbies, It’s all about the Newbies.”  We have six months to prepare her, whoever she is!

OK – there’s no holding off Boo a moment longer.  Nice to have a cat to use as an excuse for a Sunday afternoon nap!  I hear you saying, “Who needs an excuse?”  And I agree….. with you and with Boo.  Whoooooooooooo’s with me?!!?

Zzzzzzzzzzzz until next time……
Barb

Posted in retreat stuff | 5 Comments