A Gardening First!

I've been watching these red 'berries' on the ends of these three Christmas Cactus lobes.

Today, I looked up what they were--gotta love Google!

And indeed, they are berries--seeds from pollinated blooms! 

I don't know if it was the hummingbirds or the bees that pollinated the blooms

but I am thrilled to think that this happened!

I will try germinating these seeds--I've got a bit more research to do first!

How cool is that?  Have you seen this before?

My daily drawing and painting from that calendar.

More pinks...

I'm ready for some blues or purples...! lol

And a wonderful package arrived today!

 I couldn't wait to unwrap and sniff!

What a sweet way to say thank you for those masks I mailed to Araignee' !

Who says blog friends aren't 'real' friends?!

Soap for a Soaper

Even though I make my own goat's milk soap, mine is a brown soap.

It is usually peppermint or lavender or Patchouli for my DH.

It is not colored or fancy. 

So this is why I adore the generosity of Araignee 

for the occasional soap giveaways!  

Bars I do not make

....aromas I would not be so bold in choosing

...colors that thrill the eye!

And a fizzing soak for your feet followed by a moisture bar when you are done!

Thank you , Blog Friend, for your amazing work 

and sharing it with your adoring fans!

So remember when you worry you shouldn't give yarn to a knitter

 or fabric to a sewer- 

that just because they can buy supplies for themselves-

they would still love what they love for a gift! 

The Waiting Room

 As we wait to see where this is going to hit....

 I decided to play with a bit of glass in the microwave kiln.

 My tribute to Irma-hurricane glass jewelry.  These will be pendants.

BTW,  the soap separated just fine if a bit crooked at the divide!  Now we each have 7 bars to last us for months!

Re-Harvest Sock!

 Meet the new Harvest sock!  

 I was on the ribbing and nearing the bind off 

when I took a good look at the sock.  

It was stiff

 and the pattern was lost in all the Fall colors

and looked like wrinkles instead of a pattern. 

 To top it off, when I put my foot in, it strangled instead of hugged. 

 I ripped it right out!  

So there!  

 I picked up a size three needle (instead of the #1)

 and I am going to knit a plain sock 

and it is such a better decision!

  Ahhhh.   

(I heard that voice all the way through this sock, 

I'm sorry I didn't listen sooner!)

I actually made a batch of soap!  

 It has been months and months since I got to play with a batch! 

 I needed my scent (lavender) and Bill needed his (patchouli)

 but I only had enough goat's milk for one batch;  so I did an experiment! 

 I divided the batch at the last minute, added scent to each half accordingly 

and then poured each bowl into the big mold 

while Bill held the piece of plastic (I cut from the top of a Cool Whip lid) 

to keep the halves separate! 

 When I slice it tomorrow , I will let you know how it worked!

Sock Races

The black pair won the sock race by a few hours!

The black socks have a good variation of color which I aim for in a kettle dye;  its good.

The red/green pair are superb!  I loved the red / green switch every row and the little speckle area pooled in an amazing way to swirl over the top of each sock!

I love them and so will the recipient!

Yippee! 

And I did another yippee yesterday-I made a batch of soap!

I haven't made one in a long time and we sure needed it!

(The bonus bars from Araignee'sWeb held me over!)

I have made a 4pound, 16 bar batch of peppermint soap 

which is my children's favorite formula!

Weekend Bang

What a wonderful treat arrived in the mail....

Deb of Araignee's Tangled Web very generously shared some of her latest soaping products.

In only a year, she has exploded in her saponification talents.  I can't wait to try these incredible bars of soap and the lotion bar.

Even her wrapping is a visual delight.

Thank You!!! 

This is one of the sand roads leading to my parent's home just two miles from mine.

Very Thoreau-ish! 

There was plenty of smiles when this family comes for a visit!

The baby surprise jacket fit her perfectly....I forgot to photograph her but I will catch one soon! 

The Orchid trees are all abloom.  These trees are 20-30' tall and filled with these flowers that do not survive in a vase....one enjoys them on the branch only!

                                   

This is my orchid (phalaenopsis)  so you can see why the tree gets the name Orchid tree!

Snatches and Snuggles

I'm squeezing a bit of sewing-this is for the new color this month:  brown and pink. 

I have two of the 9 blocks done. 

Another hat with the color change yarn for first grandson. 

Some soap going on- 

Two loaves in two days!   

Here's the snuggles!  Will came for the weekend to give the new parents a bit of rest.

I get to do something creative when he is out for a tractor ride with Grandpa.

The rest of the time, I am on playmate mode!

I love it!

Studio Time

I won a pack of hand dyed fabrics from a fellow blogger's site.  This is the blog that has the RainbowScrapChallenge each year-I won't use this fabric in my rainbow quilt but I see a browns quilt in my near future. 

This month's work is the brown row.  I got right to work on the cutting and organizing.  A design wall sure helps! 

Then when this little center panel of tumbler blocks got in the way, I finished sewing them together! 

By then I was ready for a bit of down time-Stormie 'lives' in our bedroom so I enjoy play time with her.  Feathers, yarn balls and bottle caps litter the floor!  She likes to 'hide' in the corner.

She is so cute! 

After a good romp, she took a long nap with me! 

When I got back up, I made a batch of soap, peppermint smell fills the house!