BlueTulipsBags

Adding to the Fold......

noreply@blogger.com (BlueTulips) — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 14:38:00 +0000

Yes, it has been forever ago that I have taken the time to sit down and write here. It has been a very busy time at our home.

I had an order for 300 project bags to do…yes, that’s right three zero, zero. While I do appreciate the compliment that my bags were so well liked, never again. Too much for one person to do. Well, this one person anyway. I tend to put too much pressure on myself to get things finished, do not like things on my plate. I felt like I was living in Beijing for three months.

Then there was winter, filled with shoveling, snow blowing, shoveling, snow ball fights, and sledding.

There were fiber shows to vend at, Sheep in City Getaway in Milwaukee and Madison Knitting Guild Knit In Both of which are great events.

But, most importantly was adding to the fold. Meet Cashton Xander, all 8lbs.8oz. of him, born February 25.

Here you can see him being told by his big sister just how things are going to be, so she thinks....

Where has it gone....

noreply@blogger.com (BlueTulips) — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 14:30:00 +0000

I can't believe it has been two months since my last post...I suppose facebook has taken over my blogging. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to be a vendor at the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival this year. That kept me very busy for most of the summer. It was like living in a fiber paradise for three days. Meeting scads of fiber freaks just like me, seeing the excitement on their faces just seeing all the wonderful things to touch, see, and covenant. The weather was cooperative, not too cool but cool enough to wear a lovely hand knitted scarf, vest, or shawl. To me it was very inspiring to see everyone donning their beautiful finished knitted works of art. It was also great to put faces with some of the folks I have met through Ravelry.

Now to get ready for the next show. That will be in February in Milwaukee at the Sheep in the City Getaway,,,,, check it out. http://web.mac.com/jmassie1/Sheep_in_the_City/Welcome.html

The garden has been put out of its misery with the hopes that next year will be better for it. The leaves are turning and frost is expected for tonight. As you can see it is time for comfy, cozy flannel pj's to come out.

Where has the summer gone?

Playing Hooky........

noreply@blogger.com (BlueTulips) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 21:07:00 +0000

I went into my sewing room yesterday with every intention of really producing some bags to put into my inventory. After all, I do have a show coming up the end of the month.

Well, I guess my ADDS kicked in and this is what ended up coming out of yesterday. All though quite nice, neither what I had set out to do nor what I should have been doing. I suppose we all have to play hooky from our jobs sometimes.

I dyed the middle one first, the blue one next and then the purple,blue,gray one last. I used the same dye water for all of them. I was just playing but I think the results came out very nice. I suppose I will have to have another hooky day to spin it. See, it's just a never ending circle of fiber.

Adding Another.....

noreply@blogger.com (BlueTulips) — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 12:15:00 +0000

Recently "the girls" took a trip back east to visit family. The weather was great and the flight uneventful, except for leaving a little late...but hey, what are you going to do.

As you can see Cailin had no issues what so ever with the plane ride.
She made a wonderful traveling companion.

Once there she had the oppurtunity to explore some of my childhood.
Sitting on Great PopPops tractor. I can just imagine that he was smiling down on her.

Met relatives that she couldn't get the names straight to save her life.

She got a chance to visit Aunt Audrey and her sheep. We have no pictures of that because there was no way she was leaving my grasp to get down to see them. She isn't a real animal lover. Cailin perfers the wool already in yarn form.
And last but not least, she had a chance to have her picture taken on "the picture taking front steps". During our visit we found generations of photos taken on these front steps. We just added another.

Sometimes............

noreply@blogger.com (BlueTulips) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:40:00 +0000

Yesterday was my birthday. When you reach a certain age birthdays seem to just come and go. However, yesterday's birthday was a little different for me. With the path and the changes that my life is taking right now coupled with the fact that the "whole" family was out of town, I was feeling pretty sorry for myself.

Then all my friends on facebook started wishing me happy birthday and my friend called to take me to lunch. Her 3 year old grandson was with her and had chosen a birthday card for me. To see the smile and pride on his face for choosing that card made me put everything into perspective.

It should be just that simple. Choose a fun card and make someone smile.

We tend to get so wrapped up in the things that are shitty in our lives we lose track of the things that really count. Those things are the love of our family and friends and our health.

So, I have pulled on my "big girl" panties and am moving along.

Happy Birthday to me!

Who Says......

noreply@blogger.com (BlueTulips) — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 14:42:00 +0000

Woohooo...the first day of Spring! My seeds are up which as you can see, I had help planting.

What great fun we had this week, the weather was in the mid to upper 60's and even hit 70 one day. We played outside, went weee on the swing, took walks, played ball, and even got the tricycle out for the season. We watched the robins jump around looking for worms to pull from the ground, the chickens were finally out basking in the sun. The first day of Spring would be on Saturday. All was good with the world.

Then Mother Nature stepped in.

Who says Mother Nature doesn't have a sense of humor.

Ready Set Go........

noreply@blogger.com (BlueTulips) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:40:00 +0000

Bags are finished and bagged and tagged. Table covers are pressed and hanging up. Fixtures to be used for display need to be gathered. Items yet to be checked off the "to do" list. The car needs to be packed up and we are off.
Tomorrow is my "first" show at the Madison Knit In. http://www.madisonknittersguild.org/knitin.html
Guest speakers will be Kay Gardiner & Ann Shayne Mason-Dixon Knitting. Check out the site for classes,vendors, and more info.
We have to leave home at 5:00 am. Yes, that's right, 5:00 in the morning, I don't think our rooster is even up that early. I foresee a high volume coffee day.

It should be great fun. After all, how could it possibly be bad, surrounded by fiber and knitters. You just can't go wrong.

Happy March...

noreply@blogger.com (BlueTulips) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:35:00 +0000

Well, it's March......I just know spring has got to be here soon. The signs are coming. The trees are tapped for sap, the willows are starting to get their yellow haze going on, the chickens are laying more eggs, there's mud in the driveway, the dogs are spending some time out on the deck, next week the seeds will be started, and I AM READY for winter be OVER. Hang in there it's coming, it's March!

Baby's New Hat........

noreply@blogger.com (BlueTulips) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 16:29:00 +0000

My daughter sent me this: a fan asked singer Matt Morris "what value do you find in making handcrafted items like knit hats?" and he answered "peace comes to those who, with steady hand and slow breath, make beauty from yarn".
I thought that was just a very lovely quote and wanted to share it with all of you that knit. And for those who don't, maybe you should try it.

What could add more beauty into your life than this? It is a double whammy, beauty from the yarn and beauty from that face. She is such a ham.

The hat was made from yarn by Queensland and the pattern

used was "North Porch Hat, Jr. by Kim Wagner available here http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/north-porch-hat-jr It was a very fun knit. I had already made another hat and mittens from the pink so I added the brown stripe. It worked out quite well. She seems to like it.

How Quickly.....

noreply@blogger.com (BlueTulips) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:11:00 +0000

Sometimes it is just amazing to me how quickly life can change for you at the hands of someone else.

This week started off great. Daughter and Son and my little sweetie-pie came down for super bowl Sunday. We played games, ate a vast amount of junk food, laughed and had a great time. The underdog team won, which to me, anytime the underdog can win is always a good thing.

Monday morning came just like most Monday mornings do. I had bag orders to fill and ship out. Hooray! Tomorrow I get my sweetie-pie for her and Ama's two days of fun and play, things are good.

I get all my bags ready to ship, get a last minute request for a bag. It is to be a Valentine’s Day gift, it needs to go out today, still have time. That bag gets packed and I'm off to post office.

It's a fairly nice day, no snow, not too cold it's all good.

Then things changed desperately for the worse. As I approached the green light of the intersection and started through it someone ran the red light to my left. Needless to say things got really bad quickly. Unable to stop I hit the back of his car, was forced across the intersection head on into a light pole. Lucky for me I wasn't going very fast. I had my seat belt on, as I always do, and my air bags deployed. Those two combined saved me from being hurt too badly. My car on the other hand is a different story. Let’s just say, we will be car shopping.

As I got out of my car the "young" man driving the other car just kept saying, "I'm so sorry", "I'm so sorry". When I finally got out the words "what the *@#* were you doing" his reply was," I wasn't paying attention". Well, you know what? I had that figured out already.
What do you say to that?

Come Tuesday things were hurting a lot more. I spent the better part of Tuesday in the ER getting checked over. I ended up with neck sprain and strain, and contusion of the chest wall, it could have been a lot worse.

That's just how quickly your life can change at the hands of someone else.

I suppose the moral of the story should be: Make the best of each day you have!

The Wish List....

noreply@blogger.com (BlueTulips) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:52:00 +0000

It may not feel like it now, but Spring is on the way. Just ask my mail lady, she'll tell you. You know how she knows? Because more and more seed catalogs are being delivered to our box every day. And so, the list begins. Will everything on the list be bought? Probably not. Will everything that is bought be planted? Maybe. But, when the wind chills hit -20 it sure is nice to sit with a hot cup of tea and dream. Dream of the sun beating on your brow, and all those wonderful flavorful goodies growing in your garden. Yum..yum!

We'll leave the digging, hoeing, and weeding out of the dream.

Production Has Begun...

noreply@blogger.com (BlueTulips) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 20:08:00 +0000

I have been invited to be a vendor at the Madison Knitter's Guild Knit In this year. I am very excited and have kicked myself into production mode. Kicking into production mode means that other things become secondary re: cleaning, cooking, you know those fun things. That's okay because I have a great support system that doesn't mind picking up the slack. Thank you DH.

As you can see, it also means that my work area also becomes a state of disarray.

The Knit In will be held March 13, 2010 at the Bishop O'Connor Center in Madison WI. The keynote speakers will be Ann and Kay, aka Mason Dixon Knitting. It should prove to be a very fun day. So mark your calendars and maybe I'll see you there. Stop by and say hey.

Today, as we returned from our errand trip it started to snow. The oddest snow I can remember seeing. It looked like Mother Nature was above us shaving a huge block of ice. Perhaps she's letting us know that this warm weather isn't going to last because she still has plenty of ice blocks to get rid of before spring.

Happy New Year

noreply@blogger.com (BlueTulips) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 22:35:00 +0000

As I reflect back on the year, this time last year seemed awfully bleak for this household. DH lost his job along with thousands of others. With no income and savings disappearing quickly, one wondered what the future would bring. As you turned to others for support you heard over and over again, "well there are lots of folks losing everything". I know they meant well, but that is sort of like your Mom telling you to eat your peas because there are children starving in China. Did that make those peas taste better? I think not.

That's when my Etsy shop came about. Thank you to all that have had a hand in making it a success.

Winter came and went and spring brought a new job, way below the salary level of the last one, but a job none the less. Amazing what one can do without. Makes you wonder, do we really need all those "things" after all. As long as I have yarn, knitting needles, roving, spinning wheel, and a little bit of dye, I'm good.

Then it was garden season. The weather didn't cooperate and it was a struggle to get our usual yields.

Fall came and it was time to start thinking about Christmas knitting. Last year everyone received sweaters, this year they all got hats. Which I think they were just as happy with. We were all together for Christmas and that is what is most important.

That brings us right back to the New Year. I have a HUGE pot of black-eyed-peas cooking for New Year's Day. I'm not taking any chances.

Happy New Year one and all!

Snow day..........

noreply@blogger.com (BlueTulips) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 21:56:00 +0000

Everyone knows that you must have a clean house in order for Santa to visit. Here she is busy at work. Might be a good plug for Dyson. Look, maneuvers so easily your two year can vaccum for you. Do you think I should ask for royalties? Anyway, she did a great job. She actually had fun doing it. Oh, how quickly that will change.

After our cleaning was finished it was time for playing. And play we did. Cailin thought it was really great to throw snowballs at Ama. She also thought it was really fun to go sledding, as long as Ama would pull her. Otherwise, it was just way too much work. Up the hill, down hill, down the driveway, up the driveway, and up and down the hill again. Okay, that's Ama's workout for the day, enough.

As I watched my granddaughter play in the snow and dodging her vast amount of snowballs. I couldn't help but think of playing with my own two small children in the snow. Then, falling in the snow meant laughs and giggles, now it means aching bones. Where has the time gone.

Mother Nature...How do you like her now?

noreply@blogger.com (BlueTulips) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 23:46:00 +0000

Well, as most of you have heard we folks here in Wisconsin got dumped on pretty well last night and today. We ended up getting about 15 inches of very wet heavy snow. Anyone who lives in a climate with winters knows that wet heavy snow means power outages. There were several thousand of people without power today. Lucky for us, we were not one of them. Along with the heavy snow and blowing winds, we also had snow thunder and lightning last night. The question comes to mind, "you enjoyed Novemeber?" Well here you go, how do you like it now?

This picture was taken from the same place I took last weeks shot. A tad bit different I'd say.

This is our clothsline that I was just using two weeks ago.

The fence around the garden. The garden which it seems we just dug carrots from.

And at last, the lonely gazebo that not so long ago enjoyed laughter and dinners under its roof.

The Beginning....

noreply@blogger.com (BlueTulips) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:33:00 +0000

What a sad day it was, last Thursday we had our first accumulating snow. Of course it had be knitting night that it arrived. I found that there are a few die hard knitting groupies out there.
It was just one of Mother Natures funny little jokes she plays on us. She has yet a much larger joke in strore for us tomorrow. She is going to wave her arms around, blow with all her might and produce 12 plus inches of snow with 40 mph winds. Ain't she cute?

Tis the Season

noreply@blogger.com (BlueTulips) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 23:54:00 +0000

Three weeks ago when we hit 70 degree weather we decided that it might not be a bad time to get the Christmas lights hung. We are getting way too old for frozen body parts. According to Karen's rule, no lights will be lit until after Thanksgiving. Well, it's after Thanksgiving so here we go, lights are lit.

Sami decided that he needed a "cats eye view".

Post Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (BlueTulips) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 23:50:00 +0000

Our Thanksgiving Day started off with the turkey, like most Thanksgivings do. After all, he is the star of the show. If you are wondering what is up with my turkey, let me tell you. I have a sister who just happens to be the "queen of kitchen gadgets". Every once in awhile one finds itself getting mailed here from back east. This one happens to be a very useful one. It is a silicon cord on a stainless steel needle. Thread the turkey up, leave it all in there, roast it and let me tell you it isn't coming apart.

We all sat down to a very yummy dinner which consisted of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, squash au gratin, green bean casserole, gravy, homemade rolls, and cranberry sauce.

She was just making sure that PaPa was carving the turkey properly.

As if that wasn't enough food we had pear pie and pumpkin cheesecake for dessert. A serious food hangover was had by all today..

So, as you can all see I have an awful lot to be thankful for. The faces around the table say it all.

This and That

noreply@blogger.com (BlueTulips) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:37:00 +0000

I have two "older" sisters who seem to think that all I have to do is write for my blog, well here we go. This is what has been going on. Sit back and start reading.

I started my day early watching the moon set behind the trees. Although it is a beautiful site nature gives us, I think I like seeing it in pictures better. Pictures, that someone else snaps that is.

Then I did a little raking with just a ton of help. As you can see, she does love to help Ama.

Of course the boys had to get in on the action too.

Not sure how much help they were but they did keep a close eye on things.

After we finished raking, we went for a walk on the trail through the woods. I wasn't really clear on the purpose of the stick, but I was told at one time that is was to chase porcupines. Now, has she ever seen a porcupine in the woods? I'm thinking not, but that is the beauty of how a two year old thinks.

As we all know it is pumpkin season. This year we relished in the pumpkin theme.

We "growed up" pumpkins, we danced with pumpkins, we looked for just right pumpkin, and we walked through the pumpkin patch with PaPa.

After all that hard work a hot dog was in order.

Well, there you have it. Now you are all caught up on what has been going on here.

All A Glow....

noreply@blogger.com (BlueTulips) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:40:00 +0000

Usually the three maples that we have around the front of our house turn a brilliant red, bright orange, and some yellow. This year they decided that it was all yellow for them. I don't know why, I'm sure some enviromental guru could probably explain it to me.

Do you think we might have some raking to do? Looks like a job for the lawn mower. I'm all for recycling.

The yellow of the leaves is so vibrant, it looks like the sun is shining constantly. Which has been a very good thing because we have been socked in with rain for the last week.

When I would look out the window and see the yellow shining in, I couldn't help think of my Grandmother. She has long passed by now, but I remember her saying when they painted her house a bright yellow that now she would always have sunshine. Strange how unrelated things bring back memories. You just never know where you will find them, I suppose.

If you look at this picutre really close you will notice a small rainbow in the upper right hand corner.

I guess the trees are our gold. Hmmm.....who says your gold has to be monetary.

Are We So Different?

noreply@blogger.com (BlueTulips) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 22:47:00 +0000

As the leaves turn and the days cool and become shorter , not unlike the bears and all other hibernating animals, we too as humans go into hibernation mode.

We start slowing down, spending more time indoors, finding ourselves with more time for the knitting needles, and oh yes, eating. Well, just like the animals we too have to layer up for the winter. Don't we?

I must think so, because the other day I had the uncontrolable urge to make orange cranberry scones with almond glaze. After which, my husband and I began the layering process. Hmmm....perhaps winter isn't so bad after all.

Talk,,,,Talk,,,Talk

noreply@blogger.com (BlueTulips) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:27:00 +0000

It just must be something in the genes. One of my two year old granddaughters favorite things to do, is talk to PaPa on the phone on his way home from work. As you can see by the photo, she feels quite relaxed with the task.

I wish I could still cross my legs like that. Come to think of it, not sure I ever could.

These photos were not taken but just a couple of weeks ago. Hard to believe that we had snow showers on Saturday as my husband was mowing the lawn. There's just something really wrong with that whole scene.

Peter Would Be Proud

noreply@blogger.com (BlueTulips) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 12:04:00 +0000

We finished picking the garden last weekend. It was a nice day and we knew cold and rain would be coming our way. About all we had left were peppers and more peppers.

As you can see our peppers did quite well this year. That's my husband hiding behind that one. He was a good sport and held it while I snapped a few pics.

What in the world am I going to do with all these peppers? I decided to freeze the sweet green ones to use later in cooking. That's an easy fix for them. Now on to the sweet red ones and ALL those semi hot ones. hmmmm...

How about some pepper jam? This is the jam I came up with. I roasted some sweet red and some hot on the grill. I then peeled and chopped them, added some garlic, onion, fresh basil, vinegar, and sugar and viola' we had pepper jam.

Since everthing sits better on a "ritz" we decided to try some with cream cheese. yum..yum That ended up being our dinner that night. What do you think Tracey? Looks yummy doesn't it?

Lace Project Finished and Dye Job Gone Bad

noreply@blogger.com (BlueTulips) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:34:00 +0000

Whoo...hoooo! The lace project is finished. Now I can be in love with it again. As far as lace projects go it was a fairly easy one and an interesting one to complete. I purchased the yarn at Stitches Midwest in 2008, from Brooks Farm Yarn http://brooksfarmyarn.com/ The yarn is called Acero, it is 60% wool, 20% silk and 20% viscose. It was fantastic yarn to work with, no fuzz, slight sheen, and an almost heathered color. The drape is wonderful for this project. I was looking for a lace project that wasn't too "frilly". I wanted something that would be a heavier weight. I came up with "Ene's Scarf" by Nancy Bush. Wonderful, Wonderful pattern. It is worked by casting on along the lower two sides and then decreased as it is worked up towards the center of the top edge. The best thing is it keeps getting smaller and smaller, instead of the traditional shawl that just grows and grows. The shawl pin is a great item I purchased from http://nicholasandfelice.etsy.com/ It is light weight and still has enough gusto to hold any shawl in its place. Check out their shop on Etsy. They have wonderful items.

I finished another project the other day. I recently purchased some hand carders. I had some roving from a day that the dye session had gone terribly wrong. I thought, "hey, I might as well try them on something that really doesn't matter a whole lot". Well, all you fiber freaks out there know that every piece of fiber can be saved one way or another. After I had all my little rolags I spun it and went back to the dye pot.

As you can see, not a good mixture. I got the idea to over dye it with blue, thinking that the green would turn maybe an aqua of some sort, the pink a purple of some sort and the white or cream would be blue.

I love it when a plan comes together.

Here it is now. Much better I think.

WI Sheep and Wool Festival

noreply@blogger.com (BlueTulips) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:08:00 +0000

We went to the WI Sheep and Wool Festival this weekend located at the Jefferson County Fair Grounds. Kudos to the festival team for yet another great show. It is just a flurry of activies for groups of all ages. Herding competitions, sheep judging, sheep shearing, fleece sales, classes, food, displays. and of course all the wonderful goodies for a fiber freak like myself to purchase.
Although I have a very hard time justifing buying anymore yarn or roving, I could not pass up at least one skein of sock yarn.
I purchased this skein from Happy Hands Hand Dyed Yarns, http://happyhandsyarn.com/ it was just irrestiable. Her colors are just fantastic, so vibrant and alive. She also has samples knitted for you see what the yarn will look like when knitted. When you walk into her booth you are greeted with friendliness and enthusiasm.

How could anyone restist that face? Not sure that she is real happy being here. She's probably thinking, "haven't you ever seen a sheep before."

I turned my attention to the many, many sheep that were to be sheared that day.
When I looked over at the herd all I saw was skein after skein of yarn. I found myself wondering how many skeins were there.

hmmmm.....I wonder if thearpy would help. There has to be a twelve step program, don't you think?

Okay, tell me you don't see them too.