Melting Snowman Cookies

These are not only cute, but quite tasty too! I got the directions from Stacey at www.trulycustomcakery. The sugar cookie recipe is from www.allrecipes, and they are yummie. You should try them!

Happy Christmas

May the Blessings of Christmas find you and yours well and happy. God Bless Us, Every One!

My god, they are doing it again!

It appears this administration cannot learn from past administrations previous mistakes. Apparently we are going to work another exchange program with the Chinese nuclear weapons scientists. We did this in the 1990s, and suffered one of the worst cases of falling on our sword espionage in our history.... WTF? This is a play we have seen before... In fact we have acted in it before. We know how it ends. What hubris makes this administration think it will end any differently than before?

Oh wait. Maybe they don't want it to end differently. Maybe they, you know, want something less than the best for our country. It sure wouldn't be e first such instance. Or tenth.


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Location:Burke Centre Pkwy,Burke,United States

Creche 2011

I look forward to putting up the creche every year, and this was no exception. I have had a bug of some kind, so it is a bit late, but it is up at last! And I feel human again, though I am not quite over whatever it is. I was hoping to get a cave made as the stable but maybe after Christmas. Until then, the building with the donkey in it will have to do. One of these days I will make a wooden platform with roads and sand and all on it too, but right now, I have no place to store it, so cloth is the fallback. I also want to paint more of the figures, especially the bases, so you see less of them and more of the figures themselves. All in good time.

Mermaid Murmurings

So, we are having this fun thing at work. Nearly all of us are making a stocking (whether we celebrate Christmas or not) and making them reflect our personalities, and then we will display them up front, where customers get to guess who made which stocking! And this is mine.....

She has a body that is three layers of fabric, the skin, and two iridescent lames for her scales. Then I added sequins as more scales, and German gold sticker and paper snowflakes. Her tiara is a zipper, as is her hanger, and her tail is Angelina fibers (of course). A little threadpainting for her hair, and some colored pencils for her face, and voila! A mermaid to hold little treasures!. She was fun!

Great Flash Mob!

Came across this great video at Neptunus Lex, who got it from Loralee's Looney Tunes. Looks fun and easy, but reading the blog, I would say, easy really isn't anywhere in sight. Still great fun though!

Thanksgiving

The cooking was fun, the eating was really great, and the nap afterwards was just right. This weekend is rearranging the studio spaces weekend..... it will take more than one weekend... but this is a start. But for now, I think I will sink back into tryptophan trance. Or carbohydrate coma. Or whatever. Zzzzzzzzz.

St Timothy's Craft Fair

Had Fun. Made a little money. Made a new friend. Saw old friends. Bought Christmas presents. Good day all around!

STUFFIES

So here are some of the things I have been working on so hard this past few weeks. There are more, but my camera is behind my stitching. Which is okay. They came in lots of colors, and some sizes.... I have a craft show this weekend... aftyer that, things slow a little, but not really until after Christmas do I get a real break.

The Squirrels are Fat!

I think perhaps it is going to be a very hard winter. The animals seem to know when to pile on the weight, and this year they are definitely looking rotund. Spherical. Positively obese.

If you look closely, you can see the sleet that is on the fur of the well insulated and cheeky sciurid that is boldly coming into the house to look for treats. Yes, sleet in October in northern Virginia. Not really a normal sort of occurrence. Must be more of that global warming stuff, yeah. I feel a little like Sabina in Thorton Wilder's Skin of Our Teeth.... well, maybe not so much. But just a little. Brrr.

Cold Last Night!

Ugh

I have a migraine and a sore throat.... I am going back to bed.

A Gift Indeed!

I was having trouble visualizing the pieces for this skirt for my daughter.... she simply drew a picture, we hadn't a pattern, and I wanted to make it for this weekend's event. I was working on a couple more projects simultaneously, so felt a bit overwhelmed. As I was talking with a couple of the ladies where I work, who are amazingly talented, I said (facetiously) and you can have this done for me by next Friday, right? Mahtaub, a lovely woman from Iran, looked seriously at the pile of fabrics, then at me, and said, yes! Skipping many details, 6 days later she presented me with this finished skirt, exactly what Meghan drew, and after squeals of glee and big hugs, I showed it all around where I work. Before she left, I asked (not for the first time) what I could pay her, and her reply was that it was a gift, that for her friends, those she loves, she makes things! Makes things! What an understatement! I am still reeling from the generosity of this amazing friend I have made. I am very fortunate, very fortunate indeed.

The coat, somewhat anticlimactically, has been an ongoing project for some weeks, patterned after a couple of Pictish carvings on stones in Scotland. The coats there were short, I wanted mine long, and I added the collar for sheer pleasure and warmth, but the bones are there. It is all hand sewn, a lovely soft purple wool, lined in a navy silk. I will be warm at all my winter medieval events this year!

Muppets Treasure Island - Shiver my timbers

It's International Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Week of the Full Moon!

I know, I know, they say it doesn't have any bearing, but really, you know it does. This week there have been an aweful lot of strange things, and strange people. At work, in the neighborhood, on the news. Throw back your head and howl, friends, the moon was full.

In other news, the cats are totally unbothered by it all. The squirrels too seem totally unconcerned, and both are lounging around, making themselves at home.

9/11 tribute

Budweiser made this, and I understand it only aired once. It is very powerful.

Put It Behind Us?

I will never forget.

When I read the two editorials suggesting we should move on, should put 9/11 behind us, I was sickened. This isn't like any other attack that has occured, it isn't like any other war we have ever fought, not like any other enemy we have ever faced. How do you defeat hatred? Kill an idea?

Instead of pretending 9/11 didn't happen, or was not important, or is no longer relevant, I will remember the men and women who died that bright September day in Washington, in Shanksville, and in New York. I will remember the earlier victims of terrorism, and those who have given their lives in this sad and desperate war. I will NEVER forget.

Vivat Atlantia!

This year is my kingdom's 30th! Our celebration was in Montpelior Station, the past home of James Madison, our 4th President. It is the same site as the Fall Fiber Festival! Do you know, I have never been inside?

Anyway, the weather started well, but around lunchtime there was a Noachian deluge, complete with thunder and lightning loud enough to drown out the train sounds just across the street. We decided that neither chainmail nor armour would make a good Faraday cage, so called the fighting until it passed. The equestrian games had been about to begin, so they were delayed too, until the ground drained a bit. The rain only lasted a half hour or so, and the the fighting was back on.

Court was surprisingly succinct, though we elevated a Pelican (the highest service award, creating a Peer of the Realm), and at the end, Michael, current King, called for us all to stand. He then asked us to sit if we hadn't been there for 25th year, 20th, 15th, 10th, 5th (here I sat down) and then the first coronation, also his. He then asked those who had been there for the investiture of the Principality to step forward, and said that these few people were the remaining creators of Atlantia, and we all their offspring.... and they should be very proud of us, as we continued to make Atlantia great and strong. It was very moving. (Especially considering Michael had been fed scotch all court by his serving man! )

Here's to another 30 fabulous years!