Burnin' Down the House

How long does it take to melt a half gallon container of honey that has crystalized? Now, I'm talking MELT the entire half gallon CONTAINER, contents and all?!

It takes approximately 2 hours. At least that's how long it took me to finally realize that it wasn't someone's dinner cooking. How could it be dinner cooking? My windows are all shut. I can't smell the neighbor's cooking from my basement and it's only 3pm. No one's cooking dinner this early. Where is that smell coming from? OH SHIT. The entire upstairs is filled with smoke, the kitchen, the bedrooms, everywhere upstairs. I made my way through the smoke to the stove and turned off the boiling honey and plastic. Grabbed a hot pad and took the pan outside to finish smoking and then opened all the windows. Boy, what a mess honey makes when it boils over. At least it disolves easily with water. My pan? Not so sure about that one. I haven't attempted to clean it yet but at least I got it all off my stove.

That white stuff in the pan is what's left of the plastic half gallon container

And it wasn't just this section of the stove. My entire stove was covered in honey. This is just where it got cooked on and was harder to clean.

So you're wondering what started all this? Well, I made a peanutbutter and honey sandwich for lunch today and because I am a thrifty shopper, I buy the giant container of honey from Costco and before I can use it all, it crystalizes. So, to make is pourable, I melt it down. I put the container in a pot of water and turned on the stove to LOW then went to my room to eat my sandwich and watch my soap. After that was over, I went back down to my office to work. Totally forgetting about the honey. The stupidest thing about all this is as I turned on the stove, I thought to myself, "Now, don't forget about this". Yeah, right.

Say ChEEEEsey Bread!

One of the advantages of being an Oma is that I get to enjoy spending time with my grandkids while their momma's and daddy's do their own thing. Friday night, I got to spend time with my cute grandson Jase. When his daddy dropped him off, we were just about to have some pizza from Papa Murphy's. I also purchased an order of their cheese bread. Jase must not have been hungry because he didn't want anything to do with either... until about 9pm. I found him in the kitchen eating the old left-over piece from his plate that I had not cleaned up. It had gotten a little hard but he found some soft parts and was eating his way around it. I broke off a fresh piece from the nearly 3/4 round that was left and handed that to him and gave him some milk. He had it almost all gobbled up when he decided to get down off the chair. No sooner had he stepped foot onto the floor when our new puppy had stolen it right out of his hand. I gave him another piece and that one seemed to be safe for a while. I walked out of the kitchen and a few minutes later, Brent called up to me. "Honey, did you really give this all to Jase?"

Well, NO, I didn't. (I had put it in a ziplock bag on the counter) but he seems to be enjoying it and now that he's got it under his arm, we'll just let him eat what he wants. I grabbed the camera to get this shot but three seconds later, guess who stole the bread right out from under Jase's arm? Yep, the new devil dog herself. (Sorry, didn't get a photo of that because she kept running to hide like she does everytime she knows she has something she wants but shouldn't have like a mouth full of kitty litter stuff but that's another story).

Back to earth

The last few days have been a bit foggy. As I mentioned several posts back, I have tremors. aka; benign essential tremors, aka; familial tremors. What ever you want to cal it, it's just an annoying thing to have. I have complained to my doctor for a couple of years about this and he wouldn't do anything. Finally, he gave me some beta blockers. This, as mentioned in a previous post is basically a blood pressure medication. My BP was 110 over 70. Very normal. After taking the beta blockers for one month with no relief, I went back to the doc for a follow up and my BP was 90 over 67. Hum, how much lower do you go before it's dangerous? I don't know but it was only a 2mg tab and the doc said because it was such a low dose, that's probably why it didn't help so... he sent me to a neurologist.

This guy was creepy. He appeared to be in his late 60's, perhaps early 70's. He spoke so quietly (and stupid me, forgot to put in my hearing aide) but he also spoke with his head down so it was difficult for me to understand him. But, the thing I disliked most about this man was that everythinhg I said, he would come back with a comment to make me feel absolutely stupid. He continually referenced Katherine Hepburn and that my shakes are not nearly like hers and that some people thought it was a wonderful characteristic of hers... blah, blah, blah. I wanted so badly to scream, "Listen doc! I don't want mhy tremors to become as bad as Katherine Hepburns, that's why I am here NOW". He just kept telling me that there hasn't been any studies on this "genetic syndrome" since the 70's because it's juszt not that big of a deal. So here I am sitting in his office, there for some help and he starts to ask me if I have any other pains or issues.
Doc: Does your back hurt?
me: No.
Doc: Does your neck hurt?
Me: yes.
Doc: How long has it been hurting?
Me: oh, about 10 years
Doc: Why does it hurt?
Me: I don't know, mahybe stress.
Doc: does it ever make grinding noises?
Me: Yes
Doc: Well, we better get an MRI done then.
Me: So you think that has something to do with my tremors?
Doc: NO, I never said that. Just because you neck hurts, doesn't mean your head will shake. Most people come to me with a list of 8-10 oomplaints. You only came to me with this one and there's not mujch we can do about that one. But here's a prescription for Primidone. It's a drug from the 70's that they used back then to treat tremors but we need to get an MRI done on that neck of yours.
Me: Umm,OK
Doc: Come back in a couple weeks.
So, I went out to the receptionist. She called and scheduled me an MRI. It was for the following day I didn't go. I didn't get my prescription filled until a week later. Tuesday of this week, that is. The prescription was to take one pill, three times a day. I took my first pill that night. I woke up at 4am, my usual time, attempted to get up to go to the bathroom and I couldn't walk. I had no balance and no sense of control. After starting to come to my senses around noon but with my head still fuzzy, I figured that maybe if I take just one pill, in the middle of the day, maybe the timing of the effects will be worse while I am sleeping so that I can concentrate at work. I knew that taking three pills a day was out of the question. Taking them in the middle of the day made me extremely sleepy and I felt like I was very drunk. I just wanted to sleep all the time.

So, after all of this, I have come to the conclusion that my tremors are just going to be a characteristic of mine. (me and Katherine Hepburn). I've decided that having the tremors is better than being high all the time.

More new stuff

I've been busy. Here are the latest items added to my line.

Random stuff

Monday, I received a call for an order for doll clothes. This woman ordered 8 items and also wants to just see what stuff I have on hand. One of the items she ordered is a fur trimmed coat. I asked her what color she wanted and she told me purple. So, I went and bought purple. Being the smart person I am, I also purchased blue and pink. She called me Tuesday morning at 7 am and asked if I had already purchased the fabric. I told her yes but no problem, (Here I am thinking she is going to cancel the order)Instead, she changed her mind and wants red. I wasn't sure if they had red so I told her I would call that night to confirm. I found the red, purchased it and cut it out. Wednesday morning I was at my sewing machine at 5:30 am working on the list of items I had to make for her. At 7 am, she called again! "Oh, I really want pink" was her request. I told her that since I was already half way through making it, my deadline of Thursday would have to be delayed another day. She agreed to come on Tuesday 9/1 instead because of out of town guests. Yippeeee, I have the entire weekend to work on her items as well as make a few extra's just in case! Always please the customer!

Di, I have managed to sneak in one little outfit for one of your dolls too! I will have the other two outfits made up shortly and will send them to you soon.

Today, Brent had surgery to repair a couple of hernias. It's strange to me that when he is not under doctors' orders to rest, I can't get him off the couch. Now that he is under orders, I can't get him to sit still! What is is with men? BTW,he's doing just fine but I dread the next 10 days that he has taken off from work to recouperate. He cannot drive and that's what his job entails. It's going to be a very long 10 days!

Oh, and since my oldest daughter is lazy and doesn't post on her blog, I have been given permission to announce, she is pregnant. She's due in January and she just told us. She has been keeping it a secret, shame on her but it's a BOY. That will make two boys and two girls for her. Now we just have to figure out how she is going to go anywhere with 4 kids. I guess they will have to take two seperate cars every where they go. And, she is now working with me and my other daughter, working from home. No nepotism in this company!

Foot rest

I love my foot rest. Really, I couldn't work at my desk all day without it. Now, I have a little extra cushion under my feet!

Circa 1910

Here are the newest additions to my line of doll clothes. These two beautiful dresses are from the era of 1910. Thanks to my treasure trove of patterns I recently acquired, I was able to come up with these two dresses by combining and altering a couple different patterns.

My newest treasure

Last week I received an email from a woman that had seen my ad for doll clothes on a local news channel's website. She told me that she had just placed her mother in an assisted living facility and her mother used to own a porcelain doll store. She asked if I would be interest in seeing her supplies and maybe purchasing some of them. She had placed an ad on the same site for the entire lot for a price of $150. I replied back and we made arrangements for me to go see the items. When I arrived, I found a treasure trove of patterns and supplies. Rather than pick through and decide, I paid her the $150 and loaded the truck. I've been going through the three boxes, 9 storage bins and a 4 drawer file cabinet. This woman was very creative. She made her own patterns for modern, antique and antique style dolls and clothes of all sizes. She also has many, many purchased patterns as well. Some of these I can use to make period style clothes for the American Girl doll as well. I don't quite know what I am gong to do with the body patterns since I don't make porcelain dolls anymore (my tremors are too bad for me to paint the detail on the face). I am going to check with some of the local doll shops to see if they want to buy any of them or I may sell them on ebay. I don't know yet. Most likely, I will just store them. Here's a picture of what I haven't incorporated into my own supplies yet. This and the file cabinet that is out in the garage because there's no room in here.

So, if you or you know anyone that is in need of patterns for clothes or doll bodies, I have them. Contact me and I will see if I can accommodate your needs.
Di, If you can, send me a picture of your little dollies. If you can't get the pic to upload, then give me measurements. I am sure I have several choices now that will fit.

The Surprise

In a few of my postings, I mentioned that I was working on a special project for my dear sister, Linda. A week ago, she was in town and I was able to give her my surprise.

Since I am in the business of making doll clothes, she and I talked a bit about the different types of dolls that have come and gone. She mentioned to me (I could swear this is what she said but later learned I was wrong)that she always wanted a Revlon Doll. {History lesson: This doll was very popular in the mid to late 50's. The came in 10" and 22" sizes then later on, a smaller version called the "Little Miss Revlon" doll came out in a 10" size.} I decided that I love my sister so much that I wanted to surprise her with one of these Revlon Dolls. I searched on eBay and to my luck. found one that I could afford. I placed my bid and a day later, won the doll. She came, not in as good of shape as I had viewed on the site but with a little tlc, she'd be in great shape. I gave her a real good bath and washed and conditioned her hair. The biggest problem I had was that her face was very sticky. I did some research online and found that this can happen with the vinyl dolls of that era depending on how they are stored. I also found a solution for that stickiness. I purchased the magic solution and a few days later after receiving it in the mail, I was able to restore her face to almost new. The magic solution had slightly removed some of the coloring in her face but with a little artist chalk, the non smearing, acid free kind, I was able to put a little color into that beautiful lady's cheeks. She came with earings, panties and a dress that was rather ugly (not original to the doll) but I liked the style so I took it apart and used it as a pattern to make something in a more suitable fabric. I also purchased more patterns and was able to make three dresses, a slip and bra, and a teddy. I also purchased a couple extra pair of shoes. Since the earings that she came with were tarnished, I carefully removed those and packaged them for Linda and replaced them with beautiful pearl like earings and made a matching necklace to go with them. I didn't remember to get a photo of one of the dresses and didn't take photos of the under clothes but I did buy myself a doll as well and when I make the clothes for my doll, will post those. Linda, I hope you enjoy your doll as much as I enjoyed giving her to you. I love you lots!

Week Bowling Scores 8/16

Brent 148 / 137 / 154 / 161
Terrie 141 / 137 / 136 / 182

More All Dolled Up Doll Clothes

Click on the link at the left to be directed to my website: AllDolledUp-DollClothes.

I've been tagged

Thanks Diana, for tagging me. I would never have asked my children this question had it not been for the "tag".
This tag, we are supposed to reveal 7 things our children like about us so I sent a text message to all three of my kids at once. The question was posed like this:

"Don't bother asking why but I need you to tell me two or three things you like about me, love mom."

My daughter Kim who is 31 said:
"You are extremely talented (remember; Oma knows everything {that was a comment my grandkids said to her once})"
"You help me with everything in more ways than one and more than anyone else"
"You are very pretty"

My son Jeff who is 29 said:
"Everything" Then he asked what the girls had said and I told him that Jenny was going to email me and Kim hadn't responded yet to which he replied; "Well, I bet they can't top that, cause it's the truth, I like everything about you"

The youngest Jenny who will be 26 on the 12th said:
"You are my best friend"
"You are always there when I need you"
"You're creative and talented and make me great stuff" (I made her a purse recently and I guess this is a hint for me to hurry and make her apron, computer bag and jammies that she's been asking about)
"You're beautiful"

Thank you kids. I love you too. Your comments mean more to me than you realize.

So now, I have to tag 7 people. Since I only have about that many who read my blog anyway, your're all tagged. And for those of you whose children are too young to tell you, have your husband or friend tell you what they like about you.

Discount Puppy

She was the last one unpicked from a litter of 8. The owner said that he would give us a discount on her because of her white paws. Truth be told, we would have bought her anyway, whether she was the last one or full price. She was the one that came to us first and kept coming back to us. Yes, she was THE ONE!

The first name that came to my mind when I saw her was "Lacy" so here she is, the newest member of our family, Lacy.

For those of you that can't tell, she is a golden retriever. Very spoiled and Luke doesn't care much for her yet.

COWABUNGA!!!!

No, that's not my new catch phrase, it's the new water park that opened a few weeks ago close to my house. Cowabunga Bay that is. It's not a real big water park but there sure are plenty of slides and fun for everyone. Brent and I and our kids (sorry Jeff, we missed you)and their families as well as Brent's neices all put on our swim suits (OK, I didn't, I wouldn't be caught dead in a swim suit and I am scared of the water because yes, I almost drowned in 2 feet of water coming off a slide once)and headed on down to the park. We got there shortly after it opened in the morning so it wasn't too crowded. I do believe that everyone had a great time!

Kim and Mollie

Emily in the black bikini and Sarah (standing just behind Matt), lovingly known as "the girls". They love their uncle Matt!

Mollie Macaroni

He's still so handsome and look at that bod!

Me

Aubrey Girl. She just got her hair cut a couple weeks ago. Isn't she cute?

Kim and Mollie coming down the kiddie slide

No fear for Jase. Luckily they have the jackets on site to use

And Jenny was never far from his side

Zach and Aubrey getting ready to go around the lazy river

Kim and Mollie again.

Weekly Bowling 8/2/09

Brent 137 / 132 / 151 / 148
Terrie 134 / 140 / 139 / 125