Even Bigger

It grows!


I'd estimate it to be about 4' wide from flat side to flat side, so there's definitely palpable progress!

I got bored with the fabrics I had in my stash, so I was naughty and went fabric shopping. I'm glad I did, though, because the new fabric choices got me through making that last round of flowers. I think I'll be running out of that particular yellow that I've been bordering with soon, though. So I'll have to transition to a different print. A different color would be an option, as well, but I don't know how I feel about that yet. Opinions?

Tom came over today to work on getting the little kiln in my basement vented properly. He says it's not a big job, but it sure seems complicated to me. Lots of wiring and riveting and drilling and cutting. Once it's done, I will no longer have any excuses to put off test firing it. I'm still scared, though!
In other pottery news, I have to go back to the Arts Center for the Thursday night class (which I am not in) because when we unloaded the kiln at class last night, my stuff took up most of a table. I got everything washed, got tomato stamps painted, and then got all the wax resist put on where it was needed, and by then it was nearly an hour past when class ended. So NOTHING actually got glazed. But Jim said that's ok, because his Thursday class hasn't glazed anything yet, so it will be good to have a couple people there who know what they're doing.

I also went to my doctor today to have an osteopathic manipulation done, because I've been having a lot of back pain, especially sciatica-type pain shooting through my hips. I forgot that when you get stuff like that done, you usually do NOT feel great right afterwards. Maaaaan, if I thought I hurt before.... I don't know what happened, but all the body pain that has somehow been keeping itself in check just decided to club me into submission. My everything hurts. Every joint. Most muscles. My head. My teeth. Just....owwwww. Probably a good sign that I need to stop making excuses and get back on my diet.

Speaking of diet, after making those smoked whitefish cakes, I started toying with the idea of making up various AIP-compliant meat-and-veggie "meal cakes" as ready meals while on my diet. My first experiment was a Cinnamon Lamb cake made with sweet potatoes, zucchini, lamb, cinnamon, onion, and garlic. I liked it a lot, however the children did not. More for me! I'll post the recipe once I play with it more - I thought it needed more zucchini, and I think I need to play with baking times and temps some, because they turned out a bit floppy and spongy. But I have a lot of different ideas, using different meat-root-green veg combos. It'll be neat to see what works and what doesn't.

- Stell

Days Fly By

Last week of February, and GOOD RIDDANCE. Thank goodness the month has pretty much just flown by. That's been handy.

I've pretty much spent the month doing the same few things - not following my diet, pottery, sewing on the yo-yo quilt, and watching TV. I like to think that the lack of variety is helping to speed the time along.



The quilt grows. I've watched my way through Mr. Selfridge, Cranford, The Last Enemy, a bit of Miss Marple, Penelope, Wayne's World, Bill and Ted, and The Hobbit. All things Monty Python is slated for this week, as trivia at City Park Grill will be along that theme on Sunday. (I lost tonight, so I got to pick the topic. How was I to know that Maria Von Trapp outlived all of her children? I don't watch the news!)

Lifetime Achievement Quilt

Ok, so it hasn't been achieved yet. BUT!! I've finally started and made (very very small) headway on that yo-yo quilt that I have wanted for my entire life, from the time my Grandma Marge told me what the heck yo-yos were and how they were made and what you could do with them. Besides make creepy clown dolls.

I had started making yo-yos ages ago, like when Davey or Bobby were babies? Anyway, I found a whole bag of them all gathered up nicely....but not nicely enough. They were pretty lumpy looking and not very perfectly round. I compared them with the couple test ones that I had made using my impulse-purchase Clover Yo-yo Maker (size Large 45mm) and they were a touch too big to be compatible. So I strung them all in a rope on a sturdy thread and gave David a yo-yo lei. It looks pretty stupid. Then I decided to give that yo-yo maker a workout!

The Superawesome Jeans Rescue, or: Not Your Grandma's Pull-on Jeans

Oh. My. Gosh. I did it. I can't believe it worked. It worked!!
Ok, you know that pair of jeans that you have at the bottom of the pile? The ones that you have to constantly tug back up in back, that has the half rolled-over waistband in front because your mama flab keeps trying to escape because the rise is just a bit too low? The ones that fit ok 3 years ago, until something happened and your bulges inexplicably shifted? THOSE jeans.
Know what you can do with the dang things? You can, my dear reader, execute a Superawesome Jeans Rescue. Not only will you be able to wear them again, but you won't have to hitch them up EVER, there will be no muffin-top at all, and you can wear those form fitting tops that go down over your hips without the stupid waistband button making a big old lump in the middle. For serious.