KnitPony

Learning Photography Again

Mel is going to a Pony Club clinic/camp next weekend.  When I signed the paperwork for her I checked several volunteer jobs that I could assist with.  I was asked to be the camp photographer which meant I had to brush up on my camera settings.  I have totally messed up the photos from Mel's last few shows.  I looked at an on line manual because of course I cannot find my manual.  Hopefully I will be able to capture the fun next weekend.  Here are a couple of my trial shots, I need to figure out how to set my minimum shutter speed on the auto setting.

 

Mel and her friend just riding and talking.

 

This is so embrassing.  I have not posted in so long.  I have been trying to create time to create, sometimes it works.  This January I was away every weekend.  That left no time to play.  Then, once it looked like there was time for me, my family received horrible news.  My father in law is dying.  Mel and I detoured to see him on a Pony Club trip at the beginning of February.  He was in LA at a hotel while his wife recovered from surgery at the hospital.  He was not feeling great then.  He never felt great after that.  A lot of things went on, he ended up in a hospital in Vegas at the beginning of Lent.  A week later he was discharged to hospice care and the doctors gave him 48 hours to live.  Two weeks later, he is alert and still with us.  I keep thinking of Corey's attention to her father and it gives me strength.  Mel adores her Pepe.  We allowed her to skip school for the first week he was home, after the hospital.  I am convinced that she and her cousins were the reason that my beau pere came out of his coma and rejoined us.  I hope this special man stays with us for a few more weeks or months.   

I'm Back

I thought alot about quitting this blog.  The last few months have been too busy in not creative ways.  I decided that the reasons I started this were enough to encourage me to continue.  I am thinking that I will just post once a week.  I have pictures of crafts that I will post on Friday.

The reason I am posting today is to encourage donations to the American Cancer Society for Making Strides for Breast Cancer.  A wonderful lady I know is actively involved in fundraising for this cause.  Please consider donating to fight Breast Cancer...

Making Strides for Breast Cancer

Time to Relax

We are on the downside of the school and show year now.  Mel, Stella and I just returned from Moorpark and the Pony Club's regional Eventing Rally.  I helped organize the rally this year which was very educational for me and time consuming!  Now I can start to relax and Mel can study for finals. 

I have a list of projects waiting for me in my sewing room.  Blouses and tees to finish, a quilt to make, art projects......  I went to the Glass Craft and Bead Expo here in April, took a precious metal clay class in April and had fun shopping for beads, pearls and pmc supplies.  Now it looks like I may find time to make some things.

I have picked up The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper based upon the recommendations of many bloggers.  When I have the opportunity to listen to the Splendid Table on NPR, I enjoy it so much.  Lynne Rossetto Kasper has an amazing voice, I always feel like I'm listening to a dear friend talk about food.  The book has the same tone.  I made a supper salad last night, Mel and AB loved it.  They have been talking about helping me with dinners.  I told AB that he needed to read the salad chapter to start with. 

A picture of Mel and Stella from last weekend:

March News

It's been a very busy month for Miss Mel and Stella (and me by extension).  We went to the Flintridge Horse Trials in early March.  They did great and Mel's coach told her she was ready to move up to Novice level.  I hope I'm ready!

  Not the best picture of Mel, but I'm trying to learn to take action equestrian pictures. 

After Flintridge, Mel was home for a week and then left for a Hunter/Jumper show in Scottsdale.  AB and I joined her on Thursday.  She had ups and downs in Scottsdale but came home enthusiastic and ready to compete at the next show.  I'm very proud of her attitude.

Yesterday we drove to California for a USPC teaching clinic.  Her first time teaching in front of a crowd.  She was able to keep to her lesson plan, she felt the girls she taught understood her lesson and grasped the concepts. 

My March was sort of productive.  I have started reorganizing my studio so that I can find art supplies and not spend my free time looking for something I know I have.  I was able to complete a couple of sewing projects.  Since I went through a crazy fabric buying phase recently - I really need to sew some of it up and resist temptation.  I was able to complete one measly art project, a birthday card for my friend.  I have a couple of other birthdays in April that I'll need to complete cards for - but hopefully we are done traveling for a bit.  I used Character Construction stamps.  I love these stamps, they are so fun. 

This is my friend, KC's, birthday card.  Her birthday is April 1 and she's my favorite April Fool but unfortunately it will be a few days late.

Here are a couple of pictures from Scottsdale.

Happy Leap Day!

I feel like a fog has been lifted from my life.  I've had two very sick people in my home.  Both Mel and AB came down with a horrible respitory cold/flu thing and it felt like they were sick forever. 

Mel and I were planning a girl's day on February 15.  I had taken the day off, we were going to go shopping, out to lunch and see a movie.  The poor dear was so sick there wasn't even a protest about giving up a shopping day.   She did go and and try to ride Stella a couple of times during that weekend. 

I slept in the guest room to stay away from AB's germs and his snoring from the cold.  I was so happy when he started feeling better and I could sleep in our bed again.  My cat was not happy that I was downstairs and woke me several times a night to let me know about it.

Mel had a dressage show last Saturday and it was pitiful to be able to hear her sniffling as she rode her tests.  Stella was not the best behaved horse also since she had week off.  Thankfully Mel's back to riding her and it's a good thing because we have two horse shows coming up.

Next weekend, we are going to the Flintridge Horse Trials.  I love the Flintridge Riding Club, it's the very first place Mel rode cross country on her little pony, Skippy.  FRC is like a little jewel hidden in Los Angeles.  One time Mel was in the dressage court on her horse, Whisper, and a deer ran in front of them.  Whisper was not bothered at all, one of the comments on Mel's test was "nice job with deer on course".  I am always happy go to shows there and stay in Pasadena.  Mel's friends from Tehachapi are competing also and I get to see my Tehachapi friends too.  I'm looking forward to hanging out with them at the show, going out to dinner, hopefully a bit of shopping and window shopping on Colorado Blvd.

Over spring break, Mel is going to an A rated Hunter Jumper show in Scottsdale.  We're letting her go down with her trainer for the first part of the week.  I have always been with her when she competes so this is a new, sort of scarey thing for me to stay home.  AB and I will come down for the weekend.   The Scottsdale shows are fun because Mel is usually finished riding by 10 am.  She likes to stay on the show grounds and absorb all the horsey goodness.  AB and I usually head out to a nice lunch and just meander around.  I have a list of places that I'd like to visit.  I may swing by and take more pictures of my Grandparent's old home in Phoenix.  Growing up I spent at least a couple of weeks there every summer - usually during the monsoons.

Hopefully I'll get to spend some time this weekend reading on my front porch.

For the Love of Supplies Valentine Goodness

I have been blogging - In My Mind!   If only I could make my entries just appear as I think about stuff - or may that's not such a great idea.  Computer problems created a big slow down in my life, right as I was ready to jump up and be crafty in the New Year.

I was lucky to participate in Artsy Mama's "For the Love of Supplies Valentine Swap".  Grace in New York was my partner and she put together a wonder package of glittery, pink supplies and treats.  Even the box she mailed was decorated.  I sort of forgot that I would be getting a swap package.  Then on Friday the mailbox locker would not open - the package was jamming the lock.  I was thinking the package was something I ordered for Mel but once the mailman brought it to my house and I saw the pretty valentines on the box, then I remembered.   

Check out these photos of the swap package I received.  Grace sure knows how to put together a package.  I loved her little touches, glitter on the edges of the cups, the extra valentines.  It was Christmas but with a Valentine theme.  Grace doesn't have a blog but she probably should.  Thank you, Grace!

Isn't that the best heart shaped box you've ever seen?  I can't wait to start playing with these supplies. 

Gone So Long

I have been gone so long.  I recently discovered some websites that have inspired me.  I have looked at the fabrics at Gorgeous Fabrics for quite a while.  I suddenly realized that the owner has a blog, Gorgeous Things.  From that I discovered Stitcher's Guild.  I am so happy.  I feel so "at home" reading sewing blogs, I understand things.  I sometimes feel a bit out of the water with scrappy, artist blogs.  I sew primarily and attempt other things but I always feel confident about sewing and worry about exploring my artistic side.  I'm happy, I ordered fabric today, life is good. 

I am so happy with one of my Christmas presents.  AB gave me a new camera.  I am enjoying playing with it.  I leave you with these pictures.

I've started to push myself to get more craftiness into my life.  I made some things for Halloween in September and early October then let time just slip away from me.  I now have ideas bouncing around in my head and am wondering what to tackle first. 

I pulled out fabric and patterns on Monday night and started to sew.  I finally made a muslin for this pattern from Hot Patterns.  It fit pretty nicely, better than the old tee pattern I've been using, so I cut out a couple of tee shirts and started on them.  I have this Textile Studio fabric.... that I think I'll use for an out of print jacket pattern.   

I'd like to make up some aprons out of the massive amounts of fabric I have stashed away.  I was thinking about gifts for my SIL and mom for Thanksgiving. 

I have a three day weekend this week, so I am hoping to get a lot of fun stuff done.  However, I'm taking Mel to the Ram Tap Horse Trials for her first event with Stella.  We'll be leaving on Thursday morning so part of this weekend will be spent getting coordinated for that. 

I need to start making lists, what I have scheduled, what I want to do/make, what to pack, what crafty stuff I can bring to work on. 

South Carolina and Pennsylvania

One of the problems I have in posting is that I am always forgetting to download photos – because what good is a post without photos?  Another problem is that I forget to take photos because I am busy, don’t want to ask people to stop for me, etc. 

A few weeks ago I visited two friends on the east coast.  I first spent a few days with KC in Landrum, SC.  After a scare at the airport when I thought my bag was lost, it was an easy drive to her home.  Then we started talking and it seemed like we didn’t stop for two days.  We drank wine, went antique shopping, spent over an hour at Random Arts in Saluda while the owner kept showing us different techniques, visited Hendersonvilles and Greenville, hopped into and out of shops.  I was fortunate enough to be able to watch a riding lesson for KC and her daughter.  They are both such talented riders. 

Then I hopped onto a flight up north to visit Shari.  She lives about an hour west of Baltimore in Pennsylvania.  I loved the area she lives in, full of farmland and rolling hills.  The leaves were changing colors, the town is full of historic buildings but she lives in a brand new subdivision.  We mostly ran errands, but what fun.  She took me to the Amish market – the Amish come down from Lancaster on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.  Everything looked so yummy there.  We visited the barn were they board their horses, I was able to met Kira’s new horse, Ellie Mae.  On Saturday, we ran errands to find the rest of our Three Blind Mice costumes for a Halloween party we went to with another Las Vegas friend, Susan, who moved to Maryland last April.  We visited a market which sold mostly local fruits and vegetables, cheeses, the best apple cider and wonderful sandwiches.  I want to go back and look around her area more.  I am wandering if I would like living there when Mel finishes school and we retire.

I had never given much thought to living anywhere else or retiring but I am getting a bit of wanderlust.  I don't think I want to move back to California - the fires scare me.  I would want to live somewhere away from a city where I could see the stars, which in California is prime fire area. 

These women are so wonderful.  I feel blessed to have them in my life..