May cause drooling. Or not.

So I finally got the rotary cutter out.

Can you tell what fabric it is? Take a guess.



Am I the only one who can't bear to throw away the scrappy little nibs of fabric left over?



Guess what I'm making.

Guess what I'll do with it.

-dana

Some friends may come and go

Some friends may come and go . . .



but true friends never leave your side.

-dana

Gardening may help

I've already whined about what a busy time May is in our house. End of school activities. Beginning of show season for Old Red Barn Co. In fact, this weekend we have two shows. Razor will be manning one solo. As will I.

Anyhow, we spent some much needed family time out in the yard this past weekend.

May I bore you with my photos? Sometimes when I have photo heavy posts, like this is about to become, this little movie plays in my head where I have hundreds of images on slides and ask unsuspecting poor souls to sit down and watch my slide show. You know what I mean. Like when you were a kid and had to watch Uncle Vern's slide show presentation of his vacation to the Grand Canyon. Kinda like that.



Painted Daisies that after three years finally blooomed.

Dame's Rocket

Red Hot Pokers or Torch Lilies






"Love in the Mist" ::sigh::

Snow peas.

Lettuce in the greenhouse.

Baby cherries.

Razor checking the potatoes.

Baby grapes.



Let's hear it for slide shows. Can I get a Boo-yah?

-dana

A tour of the kitchen may be fun

I thought it would be fun to show you my new kitchen in a before-and-after style. The first photo will always be what that area of the kitchen was like before . . . and the following photo (sometimes there will be more then one) will show what that area is like now.

Da-da-daaaah! Drum roll please.























Those bare creamy walls will soon have 5 vintage seed packets adorning them. First I have to scan the seed packet image into my computer. Then, I'll use Photoshop to enlarge them to 11x14. Then, I'll have them printed and mounted on 3/4" standout board. There will be 3 on the wall directly behind the table and 2 on the adjoining wall. Won't that be perfect? I knew you'd agree. Afterall you have such good taste.




So there you have it. My new kitchen.

I love my house.

-dana

Jackson Pollock may have enjoyed this

Jackson Pollock may have enjoyed this.



We had our monthly mom and daughter book club meeting over the weekend. We read Action Jackson by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan. After the story we went outside and tried painting like Jackson Pollock.










I'm not sure what they gaggle of girls enjoyed more . . . painting or washing up.




Does anyone else find it funny (and/or funnily disturbing) that the warning on the side of the 5 gallon bucket is incredibly similar to what the girls are actually doing?

-dana

Thank you may be in order

A reader of my blog, whom I've never met in real life, sent me these things. Well, me, Boo and Licious. She made the beautiful rug and the candle and the decorated tins. The tins were filled with amazing goodies for the girls. And the note that she included. . . Oh, the note. She said the nicest things. The absolutely nicest things.

Thank you Sarah. Sarah from Michigan.

Thank you more than you know.
-dana

Mother may I

This is my mother. My friend. My teacher. My cheerleader.



She looks like the kid that everyone wanted to be friends with. I know that I would want to. I would love to know what and how my mother was as a child. Would I see myself in her? Would I see my children in her?




Those cool pointy glasses. Big blue eyes. And, huge contagious smile.




Here she is in 3rd grade with her report card to boot. That is the same age Boo is now.



Such a beautiful young lady ready to face the world. Her tediously straightened hair wanting to curl up . . . just like mine.

I may not have known her when she was a child. But, I am so lucky to know her today. I've known her for 36 years and thank my lucky stars for each and every one of those years, days, seconds . . . and moments. She has taught me how to be a responsible citizen. She has taught me to be a lover of nature. She has taught me to be a cook for a crowd. A compassionate friend. A caring neighbor. A listening ear. A hearty laugher. A grower of plants. A careful driver. A frugal shopper. A lover of animals.

She has taught me how to be a mother.

Thank you.

Too bad she never taught me how to whistle that whistle of hers.

Happy Mother's Day. I love you Mom.

-dana

May I have your attention.

The US House and Senate are considering bills intended to strip photographer's rights to photos published on the Internet.

Bills H.R. 5889 The Orphan Works Act of 2008 and S 2913 The Shawn Bentley Orphan Works Act of 2008 aim to make any photography published on the Internet to become "orphaned work" and immediately sectioned as public domain and to be used in any way any person or company wishes to do so.

Send a letter to your state representatives (it's an easy form to fill out!) and make yourself be heard.

If this passes, any photos of our children or our work will be public domain and may be used for advertising by anyone across the globe.

Seriously. Click here to quickly and easily send a letter to your US senators and representatives.

Pretty please?

With sugar on top?

-dana

May butter report

I have gotten a few emails lately asking if I'm still making butter.

As a matter of fact I am. And, I have really streamlined the process too. I let the cream warm to room temperature and then put it in the food processor and it is done lickety-split. My Grandmother and Aunt up in Pennsylvania were nice enough to find the inner workings of their old butter paddle churn. See the beauty up in the photo? I haven't used it yet because I have yet to find a jar for that sucker to attach to. But it is on my list of things to do. Thank you Grandma and Aunt Sue! And thanks for the other goodies as well.



We have been doing arty stuff around here lately. The school's annual art show is Thursday so the girls are creating last minute masterpieces to enter in the contest.

Finally, I would have had a video to tell the following story more succinctly but Razor high jacked the camera as soon as he realized I was filming him. So, yesterday we were in the car. I said that I had gotten some very important phone calls lately. Razor said, "Really?" I said, "Yep. Both Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton had called." Razor got uncomfortably quiet for a split second and then said, "Ok. I'm gonna ask this because, ya know, cause I'm me. Did, like, the real people call you or was it a recorded message?"

::blink:: ::blink::

Naturally I said it was the real live people. Do your best to imagine my tone of voice.

-dana

May I please?

May I please have your opinions?**

I showed you a few shots from my first high school senior portrait session. Since she was the first I agreed to do some free stuff for her in exchange for her being a representative of sorts. She tells all her friends . . . and even her enemies . . . that I was her photographer. My plan is to order up a bunch of business card sized prints with her image and my contact info on them for her to hand out to every person she ever talks to for the rest of her life. Just kidding about the rest of her life part.

So, this is where I need your opinions. Which one of the following images should I use? Why?









-dana

(**Yes. I'm actually considering putting the word "may" in each post title for the entire month of May. No. I don't know why)

May we dance?

The girls danced in a local May Day celebration today. They wove ribbons around the May pole. It was cloudy, gray and rainy so the festivities were indoors. Beautiful and merry. Just not the bright-sunny-happy-children-dressed-in-
white-dancing-with-colorful-ribbons-around-the-May-Pole
kind of photos I had envisioned.










-dana

May? Surely you jest.

So it's May already. From here to the end of the school year is an Olympic track and field event. Specifically a sprinting event. Good thing I'm wearing sneakers.

I subbed in kindergarten this week. This weekend is Old Red Barn Co.'s first show of the year. Next week is the art show. Then we have the spring chorus concert. Talent show. End of the year class trip. Field day. Yearbook signing party. Two more Old Red Barn Co. shows. Yep. A sprint.

Or, maybe I should change my perspective. After all, the flowers are blooming and the weather is lovely.



It's all how you look at it I suppose.

-dana