Scissor happy again

Yes... as one friend says................

I've been murdering perfectly good bedspreads again.

But... the way I look at it. I'd rather ten people enjoy part of a bedspread than nobody since it is folded up and stored away in a closet, never to be appreciated.



These two new additions to my ever growing collection are absolutely gorgeous!

These two beauties were listed in my etsy store this morning.
(click on the picture to see the listing on Etsy).

I have 5 new additions, two of which my sister picked up for me.

It is about time to start my soft and cuddly patchwork vintage chenille throws soon.

Outside the sky is so crisp, no haze. I can tell Fall will be here soon (even though it is 85 degrees here at the moment). Isn't it amazing how the colors are more vibrant when the Summer starts to close?

Sharing some Seagull photos from earlier this year

click on the link below to see more seagull pictures I took this Spring.

http://krisecraft.smugmug.com/gallery/5906247_7dkG4/1/367393091_3nJpw#367393819_cvpBu

What a way to wake-up!

We had planned to sleep late Saturday morning. Around 8-ish, Miller started barking, so he got the big "be quiet Miller" yelled at him from our bedroom. He kept barking... Then I heard a rumbling sound outside. I was still halfway asleep (or awake) whichever, and I thought that we must be having a thunderstorm. Miller started cutting loose again, not a normal bark bark, but a "there is something wrong" bark.

I sat up on the side of the bed, pulled the curtains back and holy cow!! It was a gorgeous sunny day and there was a hot air balloon just getting ready to touch the grass. NO wonder the poor dog was having a fit! He had never seen a hot air balloon, I wonder what he was thinking?? LOL

I walked out on our deck, hair unbrushed, pj's on and the pilot smiled and said "Good Morning". I went back in and woke Eastin up, who had slept through Miller's barking because her radio was blasting and she didn't hear him.

She was so excited! She couldn't wait to go back to school today to share pictures of what landed next door.

wanna see more?? http://krisecraft.smugmug.com/gallery/5906391_HS7x9/1/367403963_AAjgY#367403963_AAjgY

A Cat in the Hat quilt on eBay

I haven't listed any creations lately, I just haven't felt like sewing. But one day I decided to spend some time in my studio and I created the most vibrant & fun Cat in the Hat quilt. The Seuss fabric has been saved for years, it has been out of print for many years. I just love how the quilt turned out and it would make a great floor quilt (or wall hanging) for a baby boy or a baby girl!

Dr. Seuss is just so much fun :)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=350089453043

The drought is in stage three

(click any picture to view larger)

It is so sad looking out over what used to be a gorgeous, full lake. The levels are down, dropping inches daily and the forecast looks even worse! Lake Hartwell flows down to the Savannah River which feeds the ocean. If the Savannah River gets too low, the salt water from the ocean can come upstream and throw the whole eco balance off! I heard that there is a chance the lake will be dropped an additional 10'. There is talk that all boat landings will be closed, the docks at the Marina which hold the houseboats will have to be relocated and the gas dock closed. We are rapidly approaching a huge shelf/drop-off which means our dock will be in deep water but the drawback is, it will be in the main channel of the lake. I went over a bridge the other day and the only thing under the bridge was fields of waist high grass, absolutely no water!

Here are a few pictures I snapped as we went on a "treasure hunt". with the lake levels down, we never know what we'll find! I'm hoping for a huge diamond ring :) We've found several pair of reading glasses, sunglasses, atleast five pocket knives, numerous hammers, wrenches, cell phones... My sister let me borrow her metal detector so if the heat and humidity would drop a little bit ~ I would love to spend a day walking miles of shore.




I'll keep you all posted on our treasures :)

hockey sticks and feeling free

I swear.. I never know what will come out of Eastin's mouth.

We were riding around, talking about anything and everything, nothing particular and out of the blue she said.. "and why in the world did you name me after a hockey stick anyway????" ummmmmmmm....

Jon.. it was all your fault! If you had never left your hockey stick at Aunt Betty's... she would have a different name. I personally love her name and thought it was unique. Come to my astonishment, there are 2 boys at her school with the same name! Darn hockey sticks were popular, 'eh???

I also wanted to name her Ray but spelled Rhae ... like the sun's rays ~ but I love the sound and smell of rain, so I played a little with the two words and her middle name was created... Rhayne (pronounced rain)... so.. she is named after a hockey stick, the sun's rays and rain. pfttttttttttttt.... what can I say?? It was just so funny for her to, out of the blue, ask my why she had to be named after a hockey stick. baha ha ha.. I really didn't remember telling her about Jon's hockey stick.

Then we went shopping today, I made her spend HER allowance money. After she bought a pair of earrings that I would have never bought her because personally I think they are two "dang-e-ly" for her.. we get back into the car and she says.. "I love shopping, it makes me feel free"

You know what??? I love petting my pretty fabrics, it makes me feel "free".. I have never thought about it that way but I know exactly what she means. What else makes me feel free??

listening to birds chirp, watching the sun set, eating figs straight from the tree oh, the smell and taste of muscadines in the woods on a vine and this yummy new lotion I found by Naked Bee ~ ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

if you have never smelled it, you've gotta!

what makes you feel as-a-8-year-old-puts-it "free"?

Summer heat

It is sooooooooo hot, hovering near 100 degrees each day.

We are officially in drought status. The lake is getting scary ~ treetops are poking through the water. The lake is down 13 feet.

I did happen to snap a quick picture of a butterfly this morning on our fruit loop lantana bush.

I saw a wonderful job posted in this past Sunday's paper and spent over 5 hours, in one day searching for my resume. No luck :(

I know I've seen my resume since we moved in, but cannot find it anywhere. I do not rememer all of the classes I've taken since I finished school in Virginia Beach. Oh well.. I'll have to leave those off for now. I finally sat down and created a new one.

I'm ambivalent about applying for the job. What if I'm turned down?? but.. then again, what if they offer it to me? It has been 9 years since I officially got dressed and worked outside of home. I've become somewhat of a hermit. I've been selling on eBay, my website, Etsy along with typing reports for my sister for the past 8 years, which all can be done in pj's and no make-up. I'll need to buy clothes and get a "real" haircut.

The job looks great though! It is a 9 month position (off during the Summer) with awesome benefits. The drive will be appx. 20 miles. I'll keep you all posted. All applications and resumes have to be submitted by August 11th. My finger gets itchy every time I go to submit my resume... so I haven't yet.. but I will :)

Eastin has less than 2 weeks before school begins. She will then be in the 3rd grade and running to the mailbox each day after the mailman delivers, hoping to receive a letter from her teacher. She is hoping she gets a certain teacher.

Donna is living 2 doors over right now while her bathroom is totally gutted. She and Rod had already arranged for the bathroom renovation 6 months ago and I'm proud of her going through with their plans. It is terribly difficult for her being away from home. I love having her 2 doors over though and I really wish she lived closer.

One month, today

It is so hard to believe it has been 28 days today since my brother Rod died suddenly. In a way it seems like it was just yesterday, in another way it seems like he really isn't dead. I keep expecting him to walk in the door or find him sitting (sleeping) on the deck when I come home. He was always stopping by.

Life is so unfair. He had just received a clean bill of health from the doctor! It will be 90 days before we get the full autopsy report, what went wrong?? Why did this not show up on the tests?? How could he die of a heart attack when he had undergone a heart cath only weeks earlier with absolutely no indication of any type of problem??

The little things set off rage of emotions. I cannot email him when I run across a cool boat on eBay that I want to share with him. We cannot share natural lights & conversations anymore while watching boats go by... it is sooooooo unfair!

Who is going to teachEastin to ski??? He taught all of the other sisters and brothers, nieces and nephews.

I know life will go on but it won't be the same because he isn't here.

Russ is keeping his binoculars up in his honor ;)

Rod.. you are always in my thoughts and I miss 'ya!

nb

Retro Rocking Cherry Bib & Burp Cloth Set

This set was a custom order from one of my clients. I just love the way it turned out and I'm sure the new Mom to be will love it too. It is absolutely gorgeous in person, so vibrant!

click on the picture to see this set in more detail.

HartwellDesigns included in Treasury West's Favorites!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=15464



What a special treat it was to find my crabby bib included in Treasury West's favorites.

Take a peek at the link and you'll fall in love with all of the "crabby" handmade items on Etsy.

Pictures from my brother's last vacation

The American Queen

He had wanted to take a riverboat cruise for as long as Donna could remember, so they did!

A week after they returned, he died of a heart attack :(

It gives me some peace of mind that he was able to take that trip and that it was better than he could have imagined. He said it was the best vacation ever!

For those of you that didn't know Rod personally. He was a unique individual. You cannot judge a book by it's cover.. so true with my brother! He was a genius, a bookworm but not your typical geeky guy. He lived in cut off blue jeans on his days off, kicked back and relaxed with a beer in one hand a book in the other. It was nothing for him to read more than one book a day.
He loved Homer Simpson (probably because he was a Homer!)
He worked at a nuclear power plant and in his off time, he drank beer ;)
He loved the series All Creatures Great and Small, anything sci-fi and Jaws! He had to watch it anytime it was on tv. Actually he loved almost anything!

There could never be enough knowledge and Rod's outlook on life was that his cup was halfway full ALWAYS, he looked for the good in everyone, he was very observant and wise beyond his years.

What a great couple... Donna & Rod posing with metal bowls on their heads :)

.... okay..... I admit ~ he does look a bit geeky in this photo.. but who wouldn't with a bowl on their head?

ohhhhhhhhh my sweet brother ~ I miss you!

I treasure every single moment that you were in my life and you will never be forgotten.

(((nb)))

A quiet little 4th of July

We canceled our annual 4th of July get together because much of our family came in a week earlier for Rod's funeral.

Russ's Mom and Dad, brother and sister-in-law and their two kids did come to our house on the 4th along with Donna. Donna spent the night with us and watched the fireworks with our long time neighbors from across the street. It was an emotional time for all of us, being our first 4th without Rod. He was never far from our thoughts and many conversations were about him and the great times we had together.

Just a few photos.. We bought a water trampoline.. oops.. put the slide on upside down...

(click on a picture if you want to see a larger version)

Ahhhhhhhhh... look at Eastin jump.. looks just like a frog :)

Sunset over Lake Hartwell

Almost time for fireworks... Eastin cannot wait!

There were fireworks everywhere, here is Russ handing Eastin a sparkler, look closely and you'll see Miller in the middle. He loved them too :)

I hope you and your family had a safe and happy 4th.

If you have a chance, be sure to leave a comment on my blog.

I'd love to know who all is visiting :)

My world has changed

Oh wow.. one minute life is going as normal, then the next, the floor is pulled out from under me. I'm from a family of 2 brothers and 2 sisters. My father died when I was 8 (back in 1976). My Mother died 4 years ago.

I received a phone call Monday night from my sister-in-law, Donna. Donna's neighbor saw a sheriff deputy's car at her house several times during the day. When Donna got home, her neighbor told her about the sheriff's cars being there. Donna tried to call my brother, Rod, at his hotel. Rod was on the road to Lynchburg, VA for work. When she called the hotel, they said that he had not checked in yet. She called me right before calling the sheriff's department so I knew something was wrong. Then she called the sheriff's department, thinking there had been a break-in. Sadly, the sheriff's department told Donna over the phone that Rod was found in his truck, 911 was called and they were not able to revive him and that she needed to call a number in NC. Why they gave her this news over the telephone ~ I'll never know.

She called me, I couldn't understand anything she was saying so, at this point, I didn't know what exactly had taken place but I knew IT WAS BAD. I reached her house in 20 minutes, during that time, my sister Linda had called me to tell me what was going on. Linda had called the phone number in NC for Donna. I heard what Linda said but I didn't process it. I just knew I had to get to Donna's house. Once I reached her house, walked inside, that is when the I came to the realization that my brother was no longer here.

He passed away on June 23rd, exactly 1 week before his & Donna's 30th anniversary. They had the best life together. They were best friends. The only couple I've ever known that have never truly argued. They never had children, they took many vacations and had just gotten back from a week long Riverboat trip 8 days earlier. It was a trip that he had always wanted to take.

I will be posting a picture of Rod & Donna on their trip soon.

I miss my brother tremendously. There will never be a day that I won't think of him. He was one-of-a kind and the mold was broken when he was born. There will be a empty spot in my life forever. He gave me so many AWESOME memories! He was always there when I needed him. He was my father figure, he was a great friend, he would show up without calling and hang out with us for an afternoon just shooting the breeze. He always picked on me like brother's do to their little sister's. He was Donna's soulmate and I just cannot imagine how lost she feels without him. She is a strong, independent person and I know she will find the strength to get through the next days, weeks, months and years. Please keep her, along with the rest of our family, in your thoughts.

Here is a link to the obituary:

http://www.legacy.com/independentmail/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonID=112210448

Eastin with Uncle Rod at the Lake Keowee Marina. She was so scared of the Jolly Roger and he kept making it come on and dance. He picked on her all of the time.

A fun day cruising the lake.

Rod, Russ and Eastin at the dock watching hot air balloons going over our house.

A few pictures from this weekend

We didn't go anywhere, we didn't need to :)

First of all.... I was trying to take some photos before I shipped something out and
I honestly thought I was going to throw up when my pictures were overblown... I just knew I was going to have to ship my camera off, I couldn't imagine being without it!

Every picture I took was so far overblown that I couldn't even make out what the picture was of.

ahhhhhhhhhhhhh... when all else fails ... **RTFM**

So happy to find out that at some point I had bumped the EV up (all the way up to +3.3). Next time I'll know where to check before I reach for the paper bag to breathe into.

Here is the first picture I snapped once I realized what I had done.. ahhhhhhhhhh... great exposure again!

Saturday we broke out our first slip 'n slide for the Summer! We usually go through atleast 2 a Summer. The next door neighbors let me borrow a tarp for putting under our deck to protect our patio underneath when I put water seal down. We decided to extend the slip 'n slide with the tarp.. oh what fun!! Airborne kids (and college bound kids too).... got in on the action!

Then we headed down the hill and spent the rest of the afternoon at the lake,

The maniacs were out ~ if you've never heard these boats before, you would never believe how loud they are! This one was throwing out a huge rooster tail, even though it was obnoxious ~ it was pretty cool snapping a picture of it.

And then hereeeeeeeeeeeeeee's Miller, he wears a life jacket for many reasons!

He can swim for hours, he forgets his name when he swims, he swims after waterbugs and doesn't pay attention to how far he is away from the dock..

I'm hoping the bright yellow jacket will make him more visable to boats

plus, he is my epileptic boy..

so just in case he has a seizure ~ he will be safe. Thank goodness, he is 5 months since his last seizure, but I do keep my eyes on him constantly.

He is on PB twice a day and he is my side kick. He is very closely monitored.

Well.. enough pictures of our weekend at home.

I hope everyone had a great week also and yes!

I did get the water seal down on the deck and we plan to break the slip 'n slide out again once everyone's bruises heal.

Russ & Eastin

It is rare I get the two of them looking serious, they are either making silly faces OR telling me to put my camera up. I was walking through the kitchen on the way out the door to take some pictures of a birthday set that is shipping in the morning.

They had just come up from swimming and he had heated up a hotdog with chili because, as always, Eastin was STARVIN'. I think they are both due for a haircut ;)

Here's the set I'm shipping in the morning for a 1st birthday party celebration.

Thank you so much Lynn!

and... Russ has been griping about how our front entrance looks unkept.. I just love my "shabby chic english garden" style landscaping. This is where I take pictures but it is to the point I have to dodge the bee's and step on flowers just to get to our front door! My daisies have just flopped all over our sidewalk and my lavender salvia in the other bed is slowly making it's way to "the other side". My main concern is that the mailman and the UPS can deliver packages.

Ha ha!! Now you know where my priorities are ;)