Christmas Critter Felt Along

Christmas Critter Felt Along & June Patterns

May 26, 2014 at 6:45 am by Claudia

Hi everyone. Last month, I was unable to take part in the felt along due to the death of my mother and I couldn’t make the May ornaments. Dawn did, however! So share your ornaments with us and if you haven’t made them and want a reference, visit Dawn’s blog, Creative Cain Cabin.

I’m back on board this month with our two newest patterns for June:

pig&cat

The barnyard pig and the barnyard cat. (I have a really pink pig!)

Barnyard Pig Felt Pattern Click here to download the Barnyard Pig Pattern

To download the Barnyard Cat, visit Dawn’s post by clicking here.

This month’s party will remain open for five days, so you have time to link up. You even have time to make the ornaments if you haven’t had the time to do it. Please join in the fun!

If you don’t have a blog and you want to link up, you can link your photo through your Facebook page. Dawn has written a great tutorial and has included it in her post here.

ORNAMENT CLAUDIA

Have fun!

Yet Still I Post

May 25, 2014 at 8:04 am by Claudia

hiking

It seems like everyone is on a long weekend hiatus…yet still I post. What can I say? The daily ritual of writing a post has become as necessary as eating and drinking. I like the discipline of it. It forces me to focus and, in the midst of whatever challenges are going on in my life, appreciate what I have.

Yesterday, we managed to squeeze in a hike between rainstorms. We’ve had a lot of rain in the past 4 days and I’m over it. More weeds have sprung up everywhere. The grass needs mowing. Everything is soggy.

But the hike? We managed 4 miles yesterday and for some reason, it kicked my butt! My foot developed a cramp during the hike, my allergies were not being helpful, and when I got home, I just wanted to sleep. Today I woke up before 5:30 am. So I’m still tired!

stonesteps

Remember the stone steps that Don and I had to climb to get to the trail? Visualize irregular steps going up the side of a mountain, zig-zagging every which way, sometimes seemingly hanging over a sheer drop into nothingness. I had Don take this picture yesterday of the beginning of the path going back down the mountain. Honestly, sometimes you can’t figure out which stones are actual steps and which ones are just stones. When we were chatting with a park ranger about them later that day, he told us, “Those steps are used mostly by rock climbers.”

Oh, that explains it. A rock climber I am not.

yellow blooms

From the garden.

white flowers under hosta

I’m going to do some weeding and some mowing today. We’re watching The Normal Heart tonight on HBO. Based on the play by Larry Kramer, it focuses on the HIV/AIDS crisis in NYC during the early years of the eighties. I cannot begin to tell you how many friends I lost to AIDS during the eighties and nineties – brilliant, talented, wonderful people who died much too young.

One of my favorite actors, Mark Ruffalo, is in the cast, as well as my sweet Jim Parsons. It will be powerful, of that I am sure.

Reminder: Tomorrow is the May edition of the Christmas Critter Felt Along, so be sure to drop by and link up with your creations.

Happy Sunday.

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Thank You & The Felt Along

April 27, 2014 at 7:31 am by Claudia

momatsixteen

This is my favorite picture of my mom. She was in her late teens when it was taken.

I’m not officially back yet – that will be tomorrow – but I wanted to take a moment to thank you for all the loving and kind messages you have left here on the blog, on the blog’s Facebook page and in private emails. They mean a great deal to me.

I’m still trying to accept the reality that my mother is no longer here; still profoundly and deeply sad. I’m so grateful that Don is here. Just a little over 2 weeks ago, he was far away in Boston. Having him here has been a blessing. While Meredith and I try to come to terms with the loss of our mother, we are also trying to help Dad come to terms with a world that no longer has the woman he loved and adored for 68 years in it. And we are once again dealing with the fact that our estranged sister (her choice) has made absolutely no contact with Meredith or me, even in the face of losing our mother. It’s a mystery that will never be solved but it left its mark on my mother – just as it has left its mark on my father. There is obviously a back story to this – I wrote about it in a post called The Lost Sister. The loss of my mother has brought all that pain and anger to the surface once again.

So I’m wrestling with pain and loss. I’m awash in memories of my mom. I’ve been calling relatives and friends to tell them of Mom’s passing. I’ve walked in our woods. I’ve sobbed in Don’s arms. I’ve worked on the dollhouse. But mostly, I’ve been quietly honoring my mom, talking to her, telling her I love and miss her.

I’ve missed blogging, the daily ritual of writing a post. I’ve missed all of you. It will be strange, however, to be writing any sort of normal post tomorrow. I guess I’ll just jump in – like getting back on the horse when you’ve fallen.

I also want to remind those of you who are taking part in the Christmas Critter Felt Along that this month’s installment of our linky party is today. Dawn has kindly taken over this month’s linky party so that I can have some time off. The link to the party is here.

Thanks so much.

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