Pulling out the art supplies

I have been secretly planning several portraits for Tim, and as you know, now I won't be able to surprise him with them.  I'm not usually very good at portraiture, but I found a lovely blog called Grow Creative, and using a wonderfully easy tutorial supplied by Elise at that blog,  I came up with this.  It's the first time using this technique, so I expect the next one will be better, but at least I'm testing the waters again.

Hope you like it, I know he probably would.  I also uploaded (to my youtube channel) a very short video of him that I took while in California.  He was in this same chair, but slapped a hat on for the video.  I'll post it soon.

Thanks again for all the support I am getting from you my blogger friends.  It really is helping tremendously.

The urn...

I really hope that this doesn't upset any of my readers, but I just wanted to share this last experience.  Looking back on it now, I probably shouldn't have gone back to the funeral home by myself.  I have been waiting two weeks for them to call and tell me it was time to pick up the cremains.  I started getting a bit antsy because it is supposed to snow here tonight and I needed to know what was going on.

I was called last week to pick up the death certificates which I did.  It took fifteen to twenty minutes to find them, sign papers, make a copy of my driver license.  At no time did anyone even mention that Tim's urn was ready to be picked up.  So apparently, I could have picked him up the day after the service and didn't know it.

So after finding out that I could pick him up.  I just hopped in the car and drove myself.  Actually I was a bit peeved because no one had let me know, so once again I'm running on adrenaline.  After I got there and they felt awful about me not being called and really didn't know what to say.  I'm standing there gently crying. The gentleman brought him out in a nice little tote bag and I had to sign some more papers.  They offered to take the tote bag to the car for me, but I said no.  It never occurred to me that it would be heavy, I thought he was just being nice.

Well, I went out to the car, buckled the tote bag in the passenger seat and headed home.  I figured I should try to eat something so I cried at the drive through and when I stopped to get a newspaper and when I rearranged to shelf to put him on.

I cried while I ate and I'm crying as I type.  I am just so much sadder than I thought I would be.  My dear husband would have been devastated if he had been doing this.  I'm so glad he didn't have to experience these feelings.  I'm so blessed that it is he that is in heaven and feeling no pain or sorrow.  I would not want him to be sad and lonely.  He would be so sad here without me.  God knows what He's doing and makes no mistakes.

Anyway, if you are still wading through this tale of tears and mourning with me, know that I really will be fine.  I know that I will be.

Here is his final resting place...

I placed him on the shelf next to our picture and surrounded by the crazy, bad movies that he loved to collect.

RIP Sweet Timbo, rest in peace.

Two weeks have passed...

Yes, friends, two weeks have passed now since Tim died.  I'm finding new ways to do things, staying as busy as I want to be, going on about my daily life.

I went back to the gym today.  I went at our regular time (a little bit later than usual) so I could speak to the usual friends.  I talked for about half of the time I was there, but I did walk seven or eight laps and used two weight machines.

Folks at the gym didn't know about my haircut, so some of them didn't even recognize me at first.  I remember when I changed my hairstyle right before going to see my sister in CA and they couldn't find me in the airport.

Anyway this is my new hair cut.  This picture is somewhat better than a previous one, since I'm not puffy-eyed from a cold or being a bit weepy.

I know that I will be alright in my new life.  Things will be different, things are different.  Today I went to the post office and the grocery store and then went to the bank to tell the girls that Tim used to see whenever he went in to do his banking.  I usually stayed in the car, but I went in and introduced myself and they were all so sweet.  I did the same thing at the dry cleaners and where we get our gas.  My last stop was at a nearby convenience store where Tim would often run in and get sodas or water while we were out.  The gentleman remembered Tim and said what I think really grabs the essence of my husband.  He said "he was so kind-hearted and friendly".

I'll always remember that.  He WAS kind hearted.  It really came natural to him.  He was a good guy and I will miss him.

I will be fine.  I have family and friends that are really concerned for my welfare and are sincere in their requests to help me when I need it.  I will take them up on it.

My blogger friends have been so gracious and supportive.  I really do want to thank you for all your kind words and prayers.  I appreciate them more than you can know.


Thanks again for being there for me. I heart you.

Dream a little dream....

Well, that didn't take long.  Last night I had little dreams about Tim in which he was doing exciting things that all ended with his early demise.  I think one if them he was a spy running from bad guys.  There were probably about eight little vignettes, and in each one he was playing a role.  For some reason I woke up thinking "The Life and Times of Tucker Thompson".  Anyway, the one that is still so clear to me, he was hanging on for all he was worth to the side of a gangster style car, as it was careening around a ridge.  They were obviously running moonshine.  He was hanging on to that car and when he passed by (either me or the camera, I'm not sure which) he flung his arm out and in it he had this beautiful white fedora that he seemed to be waving at me.  He had the biggest, toothiest smile on his face and I  could tell it was the most fun he had ever had.

I'd like to think that is truly the way he went to heaven.  Lickety-split, no stops, enjoying the journey with a huge smile on his face.  That's how he lived his life.

Get your tissues...

A childhood friend sent me a condolence card that contained this poem.  You may be familiar with it, I was not.

Gone From My Sight

  I am standing upon the seashore. A ship, at my side,
spreads her white sails to the moving breeze and starts
for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength.
I stand and watch her until, at length, she hangs like a speck
of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.

Then, someone at my side says, "There, she is gone"

Gone where?

Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast,
hull and spar as she was when she left my side.
And, she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port.

Her diminished size is in me -- not in her.
And, just at the moment when someone says, "There, she is gone,"
there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices
ready to take up the glad shout, "Here she comes!"

And that is dying...

Even though I am a strong, independent woman,  a pretty tough chick when need be... this poem allows me to bring forth the tears that I know will help deal with this new normal.

Not everything has changed...

I mentioned on my Facebook status this morning that I'm gaining comfort in ways that are surprising to me.  The warmth of the hairdryer (as I dried this massive mane of hair this morning) was the same as always, and I was comforted by that.  The taste of the honey on the spoon as I made my hot tea this morning...it was the exact same taste as before.  Little things like that serve as a subtle reminder that not everything has changed.  My husband died, that is what changed.  The things that he took care of while running the house they will remain the same, that has not changed.   Right now, for today, thinking about things that haven't changed will help me a lot.

You may already know that twice a year, for birthday and Christmas, Timbo would make a polymer clay sculpture for our sister-in-law in California.  This came as a surprised to folks that knew him.  He had a very artistic side to him.  Not only in being a musician and singer, as seen on his YouTube channel, but also being a carpenter and furniture builder. Nobody expected him to make cute little figurines.

Here he is with the last little bear that he so, lovingly made and remade, until it was just so.

Here is the close up version of Little Bear...

He was so proud of the finished product. I was proud of him.  He did wait until the last minute to make it, as he did sometimes.  Make it he did and got it shipped out in time for Christmas.  Peg just loved it when she got it and he was so happy about that, I just can't tell you how happy he was. 

Well, that's it for today.  We'll see what tomorrow brings.  Thanks so much for listening.

Life goes on...

We had such a lovely service last night for my darling Timbo.  His best friend officiated and did a wonderful job. He spoke lovingly and sincerely about Tim.  He told not only of their friendship as musicians, but of Tim's love of God and how faithful he was.  Not everyone knew that. Our little friend and trainer Chelsea also spoke of the many sweet things Tim (and I) have done for her over the past several years.  Little things that I had forgotten about.

People have just been wonderful.  Flowers, food, errands and chores have been done for me.  I'd like to post some pictures of the past few days, but for now I'll just show some of the flowers that are filling my house with love and beauty.

Thank you dear friends for being there for me, this is so different.  Bear with me as I learn what to do without him.  It just occurred to me yesterday that I hadn't seen any mail, because it always just appeared on the table.  He always got the mail.  Now I have to get my own mail. I have to get my own mail...

Day 3

I just want to let everyone know that I will be OK.  I know it takes a different kind of person to be the spouse of someone as outgoing and energetic as Timothy.  Sometimes when we were together, I would just step back and let Tim bask in the love and limelight, that always seemed to follow him.   I suppose that sometimes I forgot that the folks that loved Tim loved his wife also.  If they didn't, Tim would kick them to the curb.  We were a package deal.  With that being said, I thank you all so much for your prayers and words of encouragement. 

This is still so fresh and new, but it is final and for that I am bound to mend quickly. There will be no difficult choices to be made, no sad trips to nursing homes, no exorbitant hospital bills.  That is the way he wanted to go and God, in His infinite wisdom, gave Timbo just he wanted.  Like we all did. We loved Tim and wanted him to be happy. He is forever happy.

Here is his obituary...

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/roanoke/obituary.aspx?n=timothy-craig-keene&pid=162087826#fbLoggedOut

Please click on it and read about my love.  My one and only, EVER, love.

Thanks again, so much.

Saddest day ever

New Year's Eve will never be the same for me.  My hubby, the love of my life, my soul mate and favorite person...suffered a massive heart attack yesterday morning and was unable to be revived.  I did CPR on him until the crew got here and they took over and continued in route to and at the emergency room and it was just too late.

Tim's body will be at: Oakey's North Chapel, 6732 Peters Creek Road, Roanoke, VA 24019.

If you are local, we will have visitation from 2:00-4:00 Thursday and again from 6:00 to 7:30.
At 7:30 after a brief prayer friends and family will have the opportunity to speak about how they knew Tim, tell a story or two, or just be there with us.

I'm holding it together for the most part (that's just what I do), but I have moments when I feel like my heart is just broken.  Those moments are few, blessedly followed by gratitude for the swiftness of it all.  We were absolutely crazy about each other and everyone knew that.  For his obit, I submitted a cropped version of the picture from my last post, showing the two of us together.

Funerals are for the living and I want to send him out as enthusiastically as he lived while he was here.

Thanks for everything.  I'll be back soon, I  think.

Merry Christmas

I think it's time to post my painting again.  At last a poinsettia that I never have to water.

And a casual Christmas portrait from several years ago...

All our family visits are over, our shopping is done, our treats are consumed...and it still only Christmas Eve. 

We ventured out today to get, of all things, a new toilet seat.  While we were there, I picked up a pack of kitchen towels.  Yep, that's it.  That's what we got each other for Christmas.  We usually buy what we need throughout the year, so a gift specifically for Dec. 25 just hasn't been a big deal for us for quite some time.

We celebrate our faith in, and love of, Christ everyday and since we don't have small children visiting, there is no need for a great deal of decorating or thoughts of Santa.  With this being said, I would like to wish all my friends Merry Christmas and pray that you are healthy and happy.

Since you did stop by, I'd like  you to stay...

Stay safe and warm and be careful of the winter storms that will be making themselves known this week.  Most of all stay true to yourself and don't forget to stay creative.

Merry Christmas to All

Felted eyeglass case

Peri and I have been doing a lot of research and reading on felting.  (You remember my sweater felting post of a few weeks ago?)  Anyway, there is needle felting and sculpting like our bloggy friend Viv does.  Her excitement with a new craft was very evident in her post from several years ago.  My fear of repeatedly stabbing my fingers has prevented me from getting started on this craft.

There is felting from roving.  As in using wool roving that has to be placed on a mat and hand felted with hot water to make a sheet of felted fabric.  It results in unusual and vibrant one-of-a-kind pieces of fabric.  This is the same type of material used in needle felting and comes in a beautiful array of colors, often harvested from animals raised lovingly by the artists for this very purpose, then processed and custom dyed as part of their art. Wool roving is used in a vast number of ways.

There is also machine felting, as in washing machine... which is actually fulling, but is called felting in an attempt to avoid confusion.  (Check this link if you want to read about fulling in great detail). 

Previously I had never used wool yarn for any of my projects.  I was under the lifetime (that's a long time, by the way) impression that wool yarn was scratchy.  While I was in CA I got a skein of merino wool, named for the type of sheep that produces this lovely wool.   The moment my new birch crochet tool made it's first loop, I was hooked.  This yarn is a dream to work with and it's 100% wool so I can felt/full it in my top loader washer. 

After making an over-sized glasses case, see the image on the left,  I felted it and tossed it in the dryer.  You can see the size difference in the photo on the right.

I  think I could have made it even a bit larger.  My original plan was to use it for my shades, but it shrunk to the size of  readers instead.  It is still quite nice.  You can still see some of the stitches and the wool got a bit fuzzy.  Some folks shave off  the fuzzies with one of those sweater pill shavers, but I kind of like the texture.

So there you go... I'm crocheting with wool.  I'm quite happily surprised with my new yarn and hope to acquire more of this luscious yarn in the future.

That's all for now.  We'll talk soon.

Some people are sooooo sneaky!

Look what showed up on my doorstep today!

My sister and Karin got together and surprised me with this cardinal.  It's my favorite bird and every time there is one for sale at Countryfolks Keepsakes, it is sold immediately.  So apparently the two of them got together and decided to surprise me with one.

I had just talked to Peri earlier today and I suppose when I didn't mention anything about it, she realized it hadn't been delivered yet.  She's better with Christmas secrets than I remember.

It's just beautiful, and I love it.

Thanks again, you crazy gals, thanks.

Hello there!

Well, we're back from visiting my sisters in California.  We had a really nice time visiting, sightseeing and shopping.  We went to the zoo and we rode around and looked at the Christmas lights in the neighborhoods and had a pleasant time while we were there.

The resort where we stayed has just undergone a massive renovation so while it is the same resort that I have shared photos of before, they are somewhat different this year.

We got several early Christmas gifts, in addition to the trip itself, and one of those is a new camera.  Not knowing, of course, that I would be getting a new camera, some of the pictures are taken with my more basic camera and aren't quite as clear as I would like.

With all that being said, let's start off with a tour of the suite at the resort.

Instead of the usual fruit basket, we were greeted with a nice carafe of cool water and a bowl of fruit dried there at the resort.  I suppose that is what it was, as I had never seen grapes on the stem.  Peri and I laughingly commented that perhaps it was just an old bowl of fruit.  Seriously, the grapes were very tasty.  The rest of the dried fruit...not so much.

The sleeping quarters have been revamped with new mattresses, beds and bedding.

In addition to the new bedrooms, there was new furniture in the living area...

 as well as new wooden floors with new rugs and colorful pottery

For some reason someone seemed to think that a distressed leather chair would be an asset to the decor, but my slinky jersey blouses did not agree.

I immediately had to cover this crackly chair with a coverlet to keep from ruining my clothes.  Grrr.  The cabinet beneath the widescreen telly holds the fridge and espresso maker and such.

This is just the beginning of the five days that we were there, so I won't bore you with too many more photos this post, but I do want you to see this...

My sister, Peri, is a fan of the art of our friend Karin at Countryfolk Keepsakes and has a nice collection of her work displayed on her mantle.

 Karin's art is displayed in a lovely grouping, along with a self portrait that Peri did...

 and here we see Gracie, nestled among the little pillow doll that I crafted and the portrait of Zipper Cat, that I painted in pastels.

In this view you can see a portion of the beautiful, artisan crafted cabinets that hold some of their other works of art.

I'm quite honored to be included in the fine art that they have displayed.  There is another cabinet that holds the more whimsical art pieces, and even more of mine and hubby's sculptures are displayed there.  The gals have such lovely decorating tastes and we are honored to have our art showcased in their home.

Well, there is a lot more to come, but it does take time to decide what pictures to show.  I'll be back soon with more.

Take care and don't wear yourselves out shopping and baking.

A new video...

Well, it's been over two years since I said I was going to be doing a video log and I suppose things just got in the way.  With that in mind, here I am two years later saying hello.

For one thing, I'd like to apologize for the sniffing throughout the video.  In the winter my nose gets wonky and that's all it is.  I'm not on any kind of nose candy, or whatever they call that stuff on Intervention.  I know that I really don't look this goofy in real life, nor do I sound like this.  I cannot, for the life of me, use my real voice when I am being video taped.

With that being said, watch and hopefully, enjoy.

Fabric coils...

Remember back several years ago when I got the book about fabric coil crafting?

I had very good luck, making mats and baskets...

and who can forget the handbag that I made...

This bag served me well and I still have it.

All of this is bringing me to what I will be experimenting with tomorrow.  I was thinking about covering some clothesline and coiling it and stitching it, leaving both ends open.  The end result will hopefully resemble a bangle bracelet.  Since I will be using fabric, it shouldn't be too difficult to embellish it with beads or coins or buttons.

So, that's the plan for tomorrow.  We'll see how it ends up. 

I know that none of you ever run into anyone who is less than pleasant.  In the event that you EVER do, remember the sentiment on this sign that I saw on the internet.  Normally I don't post bad words, but it really is funny.

That's it for now.  We'll talk soon.

Happy Thanksgiving 2012

   
We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing

He chastens and hastens His will to make known;

The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing

Sing praises to His name; he forgets not His own.

Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining

Ordaining, maintaining His kingdom divine;

So from the beginning the fight we were winning

Thou, Lord, was at our side; all glory be thine!

We all do extol thee thou leader triumphant,

And pray that thou still our defender will be.

Let they congregation escape tribulation;

Thy name be ever praised! O lord, make us free!

I sang this song as a child in Thanksgiving church service. The words still touch me. I pray that you and your family and friends have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

My, my, how taste does change

I have always been a "rocker".  I loved the British Invasion and every electric guitar fed genre that followed them.  Marrying a musician just seemed to be a natural step in this  progression.  I really wasn't that into rock until high school and even then I marched to my own drummer.

Being a fan of The Monkees, Paul Revere and the Raiders and Creedence Clearwater Revival didn't mean that I didn't have time for groups like Queen and Led Zep.  The thing is, lots of my memories are from listening to the radio.  I had lots of albums, but I was quite selective in purchasing them. Therefore I know lots of songs and liked them, but didn't really know who the group was.  My hubby is like an encyclopedia of musical information.  He knows a little about almost all of it, but he know a lot about rock and classic country.  Over the years, he has introduced me to bands that I liked but really didn't know.

This week we watched a documentary on Jeff Lynne so, Timbo has been playing his music in it's many forms and bands for me to absorb.  Gotta love it.  Yesterday we were listening to classic country on the music stations of the cable tv and so many came on that I remember and really liked.  I got a mini lesson on country music and found out that I have even liked a certain type of country music, I just didn't know how to explain it.  He likes bluegrass, which is not may favorite.  People have asked me what I don't like about bluegrass and I always say, "if it just had some electric guitar and some drums and maybe a bit of keyboard" I would really dig it.  I like the twangy-ness of the vocals and just want it to...well, rock more.  The following song came on and I got excited because I remembered it from my youth and I said, this guy!  I really like this guy!  To which my husband (and he should know) said this guy is a "long hair".

Well, this guy turns out to be John Anderson and his sound is more what I would call cowboy country or country swing.  You might remember this as a bit of a novelty song, but he sounds just the same now as he did back then.  Here he is from back in the day, Swingin.

He has a crazy twangy voice and not the shiniest spoon in the drawer, but you gotta love this song.  In fact, go to YouTube and check out his videos.  This is what I think bluegrass,(and shoot, all country music) should sound like, electric with drums and keys.  Rock on long hair, rock on!

Happy Saturday!

Well, elections are over and my guy didn't win, but life will go on.  It may not be life as we know it, but it will go on.  Since the last few years have been occupied with political websites by my hubby (and to a somewhat lesser degree) me, I am finding that I need to throw out the old and bring in some new.   I've cleaned up my computer of lots of the news sites that I was following and have been delving into some new things. 

When not blogging or reading tweets, I go to the craft web sites.  As you know I have a page on Pinterest and I like to browse on Craftgawker and Etsy. If you aren't on Pinterest and need an invite, please let me know and I'll "hook you up" as they say.  I'm not sure if anyone still says that, or if it means the same thing these days, but that's another story altogether.

Keeping all this in mind, me looking for something new to try and such, I have been researching recycling sweaters.  I love to sew and I thought it would be fun to work with sweaters.  I have always wanted to felt a sweater but never realized that you could do it in the washing machine.  I recently got a new top loading washing machine (my old faithful front-loader finally needed to be replaced due to an unknown mold problem) and this top loader is great for felting because you can stop the wash cycle and look at the garment.

I hit the Goodwill several times looking for 100% wool sweaters and there are not as many as you would think.  I found a mohair monstrosity and a small cashmere twinset.  Almost all sweaters are cotton or acrylic.  Who would have known?  I did find a striped wool scarf/muffler that looked promising and something I was willing to cut into.  It's hard to destroy a perfectly good garment in order to makes something else out of it.  But anyway, onward and upward.

If you aren't familiar with felting (not to be confused with needle felting, btw) here is a quick tutorial.  The one thing I wasn't prepared for was the smell.  Remember that "wet dog" smell that your sweaters got when you came in from playing in the snow as a kid?  Yep, that's what hot wet wool smells like, even with detergent added. Not my favorite aroma.

Long story short, I felted my items and got the scissors and went to work.  There is a learning curve, to be sure.  After several hours I finished a felted sweater pillow and I kind of like it.

I have been seeing lots of sweater items with the seams on the outside for texture, so I mixed it up and little bit with some seams showing.  I made the star simply by placing a star template on the sweater and basting around it before sewing it on the machine, then I cut out the star shape.  Much easier than trying to sew around a pre-cut shape.  Learned that trick from making doll appendages.

While the last sweater was in the dryer I made two pin cushions that were fun.

The fish is simply cut out from a printed piece of fabric, sewed right sides together and turned. To do this, I split the back of the fish, turned it right sides out and added fiber fill, then whipped stitched it closed.  I attached an additional piece of fabric and ran a wrist band from an old pincushion and there you go.  The little hat shaped one is made with a jar lid as a base and a circle of fabric stuffed and tacked on to the base.  A bit of ribbon hides the boo-boos and it's ready to use.

While I haven't found the stash of sweaters one would need to make something like this...

I'm happy with the direction I'm taking.  Speaking of that monstrosity of a mohair sweater, a very large loosely knitted sweater when felted, turns into a dense heavy piece of fuzzy wool.  I didn't know about taking the sweater apart first, so this is what I ended up with.  What's next for it? Any ideas?

That's all for now.  Have a great weekend and stay healthy and happy.  I do have another project in the works and that will probably be next week's post. 

xoxo to you all.

There is a Morning After

I've always loved this song and for now it says what I want to say...

Those of you that know me, know what I mean.

It's Election Day.

Vote, vote and vote.  

Oh, and if I forget to remind you...be sure to VOTE!

Yes, this means you.  If you don't vote, how will your true voice be heard? 


If you can't vote because you're a felon, you probably are not even reading this blog, (so you won't come and get me) but, boo hoo hoo.  You knew the rules, so there.