ovenbird over countersunk

 “Great art must be a living thing or it is not art at all.” (Bill Reid,  1920-1998)

Kiss on one side, kiss kiss on the other side.  

Just noticed my stats have gone up a bit from a long slow period-  guess some of you don't have any Easter prep to do!  I've been dyeing eggs with a 3 year old-  he was great we got a dozen done without any patental help. Anyway, welcome back!  I'missed ya. 

Did I tell you I got my new glasses the other day, wore them home (after not having them on and hitting a wall while p-ulling into a parking space- see?  I DID need them) but TY hated them immediately.  Thankfully they weren't what I have been known to pay as I am not at the age where I buy green bananas any more, and he told me to get a second pair.  TWIST MY ARM!  I went to Warby Parker 'cause my daughter told me to and found 5 airs for them to send for try-on.  I LOVED one pair, liked two more pair, felt neutral on the fourth pair and the fifth pair was an immediate 'no' for being too small for my gigantic face.  So I started with the neutral pair-  he loved them.  Then I escalated to the two frames I really liked, he went ...eh... so I saved the ones I loved for last and.. he hated them!  So, neutral it will be.  It happened that those are the ones my daughter liked best too but they are the same color as my hair, same color of my eyes-  like I said~~~ neutral.  They are on their way now.

Kids are here, the baby is delicious-  such a sweet natured little thing!  Mister is tearing the place apart, nothing he won't touch and rearrange for me.  I'm not one of those 'don't touch' grandmas-  generally it's OK to touch stuff but he doesn't quite get the concept the it's MY stuff, not his.  Yet.  Anyway, he is way cute and we are having fun with him and listening to his stories and 'deals' of trying to get just one more inch from all of us.  Yeah, it takes a village, but this kid might possibly need a whole city!  He is very funny, just what I need as my mind goes into overdrive from not being able to work in the studio.

I have my bag packed ready to head back to Beautiful Downtown WATERTOWN-  for the first time I am anxious to get there to see the new paint job contracted for from afar, but since we bought the condo on line I guess buying a paint job on line isn't a stretch.  TY sent off the key to the condo and I sent off my paint numbers and away he went.  The cool thing was that he took down my wall of pictures in the front hall, patched and painted the walls, and then replaced them all on new nails-  he sent me a text with a picture and it looks wonderful!  OK, it's gray, how wonderful is that?  Not much, but whatever I painted it is ready for a buyer just in case.  

The real reason I am headed back north is to be there for next weekend's Panel Discussion at the Quilt Museum.  Our show class the following week and I have't seen the whole thing hanging yet-  it was mostly done but the lighting hadn't been added so I want to get there early and poke around-  lots of work by the others I hadn't seen, as they haven't seen mine either. We need catch up time!  If you're in the neighborhood I'd love to see you stop by-  please find me if you do.  I've been planning my bit of the talk from inspiration I gathered from Spinal Tap last night.

I've started making the dog treats I found online the other day-  so simple- 4 ingredients if you get fancy!

1 c. whole wheat flour  

1 c. rolled oats

(or just use 2 cups of ww flour or any combo you want!)

4 oz. pkg of baby food (I go for anything that is in the store that is a bit of chicken or turkey

4 more oz baby food-  this time I add pumpkin or squash mixtures

(OR it could be 8 oz of 1 flavor if you want)

Mix it all up, drop by 1 Tbs chunks onto cookie sheet, bake 20-25 min at 350.

The dogs absolutely love them!

I am so tempted to go for the big quilting machine...  Anybody know how they hold up for resale? Anybody want to go in halves?  Anybody want to send me money?  Oh well.  I still want it.  Maybe I can sell of other stuff in the studio taking up my emotional space.

not the one I want, thank yew.

Ive added a few new collection for the ARTY PARTY-  hope they tickle your funny bones! Or something.  The point is that there is art wherever you look, it just may have to be rearranged in your head!  Here you go:

Oakland-based artist Gabriel Schama (previously) continues to produce intricate relief sculptures by layering pieces of laser-cut mahogany plywood. Some of his most impressive new works see mandala-like shapes contained within the silhouettes of people’s faces, a striking idea that imbues each portrait with an unusual sense of motion and personality. Other pieces seem to utilize religious iconography or patterns from nature like reptile scales or leaves. Schama is soon to release a new collection of work for sale and you can learn more via his website.