Visitors, Packages and Brainstorms

I do a lot of different kinds of work for a lot of different kinds of people and one of those tasks is more a labor of love -- I get to babysit Lucy. Lucy, as you can see, is entirely charming:

Maybe she looks only a little demonic -- well quite a lot actually, but I assure you, she really is a sweetie. Everyone thinks so... accept Talia:


Talia is not buying the "Happy Visitor" routine -- she believes down to her toes that Lucy is an evil invader and it isn't soon enough till Lucy goes home. Talia will sulk, Talia will pout... for about four days, at which time she will decide that maybe Lucy isn't so bad after all and so she will play nice and happy and cheery. They will cavort and leap and twirl for an entire day and a half. Then it will be time for Lucy to go home. And THEN Talia will sulk and pout and look bored and pitiful. Good grief

Today was not only a thrilling day thanks to the arrival of Lucy, but also my very brave mailman delivered the happiest package. (The dogs carry on so ferociously I am ever amazed the mailman bothers to approach my doorstep at all.)

My Package was from Teresa at MaggieGraceCreates and boy did she ever. This was for an ATC swap -- part of the swap is that the ATC be mounted or framed. Teresa is a quilter of the first order... so she quilted both the ATC AND the frame upon which it hangs!!! Isn't this the cleverest thing. One of Teresa's posts, while making this was JENNY, DON'T LOOK! It was so hard to not look, but I didn't want to spoil the surprise. Now I'll have to go back and look! I am endlessly impressed with quilters. All those perfect little blocks... all those tiny stitches. Looky here: And being very sweet, Teresa packed, and I mean packed this box with all manner of lovlies from her very own studio... there are charms and trims and papers, OhMy!

That's quite a lot, isn't it. Thanks Teresa!! I LOVE it.

And now, for the BRAINSTORM portion of our show -- because it is the weekend, which is when I get the bulk of work done on my ongoing Children's Garden project, it occured to me that what I needed was a hand! Or rather a a couple of hands attached to some strong and mighty muscles. (Leaves me out.)How to get muscles here? How?

What I want to do is dig a Magical Frog Pond -- because every Children's Garden needs one. And there is a sidewalk right in the way of where the Magical Frog Pond goes. I swung a sledgehammer rather effectively a time or two before it struck me that somebody younger or bigger should be doing this. And perhaps the path to getting them here is magical ... a party. I will have a Magical Frog Pond Digging Party. Invites have gone out and it will be held tomorrow. The revelers are mostly vegetarian, so I am serving very healthy veggie wraps along with fruit smoothies -- because if I serve them beer they will be too bloated and groggy to sling a sledgehammer or dig a very impressive frog pond hole. And for dessert (my daughter-in-law is a pastry chef, so I never bother with cake, that's her very impressive department) we are having fruit compote -- all my favorite fruits topped with orange glace, almond slivers and whipped cream.

I've never had a work party before, but it makes a lot of sense and to my sensibilities it sounds like a lot of fun -- I'll let you know how it works out.