just a thought.

I am caring for my mother in law and don't have a lot of craft time at the moment. Suddenly, I had a thought. Why not include her in what I want to do? That way we get two things, something for her to do, and time with her. She was an artist but has mainly lost her sight. So today we spent painting and practicing being satisfied with the PROCESS and not the end PRODUCT. It was good for both of us. Not bad for a novice and a blind person. ;)



And THIS is one of the pictures that my mother in law did before she started losing her sight...

berries and berries and berries and cherries

I have always loved the feeling of a row of freshly canned something. It feels a bit like a squirrel hiding away nuts for winter. This year, as I am tending my mother in law's house and garden, there are oh so very many berries. I picked a gallon just this morning.

In the past, I just canned it without much thought. This year, however, Not Everything Is Going Very Well.

Canning berries and cherries. I got the first batch of berries done, then a batch of cherries. Then, halfway through the second batch of berries, the stove burner died. I Muscled the canning kettle full of water and berry jars to the other burner, thanks to the weight lifting I have been doing!! The small burner would NOT get it hot enough so I had to settle for 200 degrees. So, have to do something else with the berries-- package them and freeze them. It's a shame, they are beautiful...at least I got a couple batches done before the burner died.

But before that, must get the berry cobbler done. No cornstarch. She said, "I quit buying that because of you, you can't eat it!" True, but I can't eat the berries either so why care if it's in there? oh well, I'll use flour instead. No lemon juice. Well maybe there's a lemon still out there on the tree I can use. Whew! No baking powder. oh my, off to the store. Better see what else I am missing. That's what happens when you bake in someone else's kitchen and you depend on what you have in YOUR kitchen.

Next time I am checking things out FIRST instead of running to the store in the middle of the project.

About the cobbler. After all the fuss with having to go get a lemon, I forgot to add it. And now it's baking, and even though I used the correct pan size, it is going over the sides and dripping on to the floor of the oven. Sometimes it is as if there's really a Murphy after all. She wonders why I don't do much baking? Well then. Here's the reason.

And even though I repeatedly have said I do NOT do pies, my dear mother in law is still going through her recipe file with her magnifying glass, looking for "that good pie recipe, did you know it was Fran's?"

Well she found the recipe. Macular degeneration didn't stop her. Phooey. I must be strong and resist her!

I think I'll call Fran, and tell HER to make a pie. :)

I am so EXCITED!!

For a long long time, I've wanted to scan some slides I have. We even bought a special scanner to do the job, but it took so long it was very discouraging. Today I was trying to scan some using these instructions:

http://www.abstractconcreteworks.com/essays/scanning/Backlighter.html

but for some reason my scanner would only scan black and white. Frustrating. Today, I read an idea to use a high-quality digital camera and take a picture with it backlit. I thought, how about holding it up to a white place on the computer screen? and although all I have is a Canon power shot, I tried it....

and guess what, IT WORKED!!

It took a bit of experimenting to figure out how close to hold it, and I think I will set up some kind of thing to hold it while I shoot, but this way I can do a lot more than the scanner that takes forever.... so yes I am excited!! So is my mother in law, who owns a TON of slides. We're going to have to be choosy. But this picture is so good... :)

Australian candy...

One of my favorite bloggers, Make it Crafty in Australia, is having a blog candy giveaway. Enter here...
Make it Crafty is a fun way to get ideas-- and digi stamps. They also carry crafting supplies.

I sure haven't had a lot of crafting time lately. Hope that changes soon.

snow???

Every once in awhile, May surprises us. This weekend I was at my parents' place in Placerville. Early in the morning I woke to SNOW. It wasn't piling up at all but it was actual snow. This morning I saw snow on the ground as I passed through Diamond Springs but by Somerset it was gone. Many cars in Placerville had everything from a dusting to four inches on them. Pollock Pines had a lot more-- that's the direction from which they were coming.
I visualized an art journal page, but haven't slowed down enough to do it, and now it is too late, I am zonked and heading to bed. :)

WINDY!!!!

Oh my there's trouble all over the place because of wind. Tornadoes even. Here, it is just WINDY. And I am hoping my newly planted tomato plants don't get shredded. I've put off doing any more out there because it is so windy I can't even dig in the dirt without choking. so I just watered a lot and am hoping for the best. My peas look good, I did lose one to a snail I think. Will see if it recovers.
I took pictures, but since my camera isn't here, it's there (the bother of living in two places) I can't post them yet.
Still hoping to find my sewing machine cord. I should just give up and order a new one. THEN I would find it. ;) NOTE: That's exactly what happened!

where does the time go??

Being creative is sometimes hard to fit in to everything else. Right now, I'm only home 2 nights a week-- the rest, staying with my mother in law. I spend my days there, and so far haven't taken paints. I should. She might like it too. I got an outdoor table, so I ought to just do it. She's losing her sight, but she used to paint, and if she could get past not Being Perfect, then maybe she could...I gessoed some pages and did some more ghosting while i was there... just finished, and am dissatisfied with the results... just am so tired I can't think much less create something. Of course the beauty of painting is i can just gesso it again and start over.... maybe tomorrow, or technically today since it is after midnight.

A funny thing happened today though. I planted the sweet pea plants in the garden and found out that they are not "sweet peas" but they are "sweet peas". Not Sweet peas the flower. Sweet PEAS. LOL.... I had a good giggle, and I guess they ought to look pretty anyway but I was disappointed. I also planted snapdragons, dahlias,   and transplanted 4 peach seedlings, at my mother in law's request, because she wants to see what kind of peaches we will get.... but she's 95 and I don't know if they will be bearing soon enough. Oh well, I will do it anyway, and we will see. She might surprise me. I planted 3 kinds of tomatoes, and am preparing the beds for swiss chard, lettuce, and several kinds of beans, although not the favorite one-- blue lake pole beans. Couldn't find them anywhere. :(  I am LOVING the gardening. I get up around 6:30 and garden in the coolness. Very cool. Pictures someday.

Speaking of creating, and speaking of my mother in law, she has something new she made for lunch one day. The peanut butter and pickle sandwich was one thing, but when she added raisins to the tomato soup and loved it, I'm shaking my head.

She hardly ever acts like she has dementia.  LOL