The kiln at the ceramics studio has been working over time. There was a little bit of a backlog of pieces waiting to be fired. Amazingly I got several pieces back! This piece was a little bit of an experiment. First I used white stoneware clay mixed with porcelain. That is not an ideal mix for several reasons. First the 2 types of clay have different shrink rates so it is really hard to gauge how big to make something to account for the shrinkage. Secondly if the clay is not mixed well when it fires (the shrink rates being different) might cause cracking or separation. And lastly, glazes look different based on the clay body color making it a gamble on what color you will get. Speaking of glaze I experimented with layering of the glaze. Usually when I use the glaze I will hand paint all the different sections so that the glaze colors will be "true" to the test tiles. In this case I dipped the orb in Evan's Red and then applied Super T in specific sections.

As you can see the red turned out beautiful! I attribute that to the porcelain in the clay body. Red always comes out red on porcelain but more often turns a nasty brown on white stoneware. When the glaze reaches its full viscosity and mobility in the kiln, it melts fully and the oxides move about freely. During this period, the fluidity and surface tension of the glaze determines its ability to wet the surface to heal minor bare spots, and its ability to pass gaseous bubbles percolating up from the shrinking and vitrifying clay body. In essence the glaze runs and moves. This can be good or it can be bad. For this piece it was good and at the same time bad. The Super T parts melted and slid off the spots where they had been placed. I was thrilled that the red came out so vibrant and additionally disappointed that the Super T moved...

As for seeing red, I got yet another email from the ceramic studio management. They are asking for "volunteers" to clean up the studio. You won't get a price break on the cost of the classes, nor any perks, just a warm glow knowing you are helping fellow students. Call me silly but I'm shelling out $152 for 8 classes and they have hired 3 people to handle the studio and they are trying to guilt, arm twist, and force me into doing their jobs! If I clean up the studio once a week I want to get paid for it - either with a class credit or cash money!

Sparky and I were coming home after dark the other day. As we turned on to our street we both spotted an owl statue that the hippy neighbors had put in their front yard near the street. My first thought was that they had put it out for trash pickup. My second thought was that it would make a really cool geocaching container. We drove the block to our house. Sparky had to run out to get some bolt cutters from his brother in law and mentioned that he would get a better look at the owl statue and see if it was being discarded. Less than a minute later my phone rang and an excited Sparky was gasping that it wasn't a statue! It was a real owl!! Now I was as shocked and excited as Sparky. This was not a little barn owl. The "statue" we saw was a good 18 inches tall or maybe taller and substantial. As my husband approached the spot he realized that the branch the owl had been perched on was not a branch but the freshly killed body of a rather large rabbit. He pulled around the corner and sat waiting to see if the owl would return. He waited but no sign of the owl. On his return home with the bolt cutters he stopped again to see if the rabbit was still there. The rabbit was gone - mostly. All that remained on the neighbor's lawn was the entrails. The owl was so quiet when it flew away that it was hard to tell if there had really been an owl or maybe it was just a shadow in the night.

We have been overrun by all critters great and small in the last couple of weeks. There have been the usual squirrels and chipmunks galore. But we have also seen opossums, groundhogs, raccoons, and the rapidly multiplying rabbits. Then there are the deer. My neighbor had a doe and her 3 fawns in her front yard! It is crazy. I nearly hit a deer that was leisurely meandering down the middle of the street in the neighborhood. I'm just glad I have good brakes!

I promised that I'd make two fidget blankets and I did. The second one was easier to do since I'd figured out the logistics making the first one. I had some red and black checked fleece to pair with the neon lime green fleece. I had picked up a hot mitt with a Christmas Kitty on it that I made into a pocket and added a cotton yarn knit doily along with the rick-rack and ruffled elastic. I wanted to get fancy with the doily since it was so loosely woven. I decided a zigzag stitch would probably work better than a straight stitch and since it would be more visible I used metallic gold thread. I had purchased the gold thread several years ago when I was doing some bead work on the bodice of a velvet dress. I swore that I'd never try to do that again but I still had the thread. Here is the finished project. I'm thinking about asking a couple people at work and church if they'd like to make a blanket or two.

Here is the whole thing. The color looks a bit off because I took it in the bedroom during a thunderstorm so there wasn't any natural light.

This is a close up of the gold thread - It isn't a really pretty job of sewing. I felt successful because there wasn't any bunching and creasing of the doily! And the gold thread was a huge pain to thread in the sewing machine. I had to resort to one of those cheaters that pulls the thread through the eye of the needle. And it wasn't age - the gold is in 3 strands that DO NOT stay twisted. Just saying.

This is a better view of the cat. I like cats but Sparky is terribly allergic so no cats for me. Closest I can get is on a pot holder!

Everyone goes through a phase of searching for identity, purpose and passion. Some people find it quickly, almost without trying. They raise their eyes to the horizon and there it sits - leash trained and house broken. Others stumble around blindfolded shouting out "Marco" and listening intently for a faint response of "Polo". Every once in awhile there is the individual who peers through windows and looks into locked cars convinced that what they are looking for is in someone else's possession. And finally there is the clueless one standing in front of the refrigerator with the door open. There is the sincere belief that what they want is somewhere inside but they have no clue what it is.

I always thought the search belonged to the young. However I've recently become aware that there are a large number of people who are addicted to the looking. They like the hunt. It is not in getting the prize but the process of looking for it! I can relate to a degree. Shopping for many women is a sport. It is not about making a purchase but in looking at and for that elusive perfect, must have, fashion item. I get that. I am also mystified by the adults who cast about looking for the "perfect" mate. They try them on and then cast them aside leaving a trail of disaster and tears. Sometimes time puts an end to their shenanigans as it becomes much more difficult to attract attention when physical aging can't be denied. There are others who refuse to be satisfied with possessions - always grasping for more, better, bigger material objects.

I suppose I'm lucky. I've looked and found and I'm satisfied. Contentment means I can enjoy being in this place. My heart is at ease. I am not driven to keep looking and I don't compare what I've found with what others possess. When I see the blank stare as the refrigerator door is held open, and the searching eyes looking through my window, I feel a little spark of pity and maybe a little guilt that I have looked and found and they are still looking....

The internet is rife with helpful hints and life hacks. If you look you can find 101 ways to use a coat hanger (other than to hang clothes) and creative ways to use empty chip bags (including braiding an indestructible rug). Facebook is so overrun that I generally ignore them. My sister in law had the misfortune to try a "quick and healthy" chicken recipe. It sounded good and had one of those time-lapse videos showing you how to make it in 30 seconds. Well, she made the meal for her family. They hated it. The kids wouldn't touch it and even though her husband is a very good natured fellow willing to eat most anything set in front of him, he had a very hard time getting it swallowed. She was upset that they had rejected the meal as she sat down to her own plate. She took one bite. She apologized to everyone and proceeded to order delivery pizza. She swore that she would never again make internet food!

Having her experience fresh in my memory made me hesitate. But my FB feed kept showing me this same video for Crockpot Apple Cobbler. Several of my friends were "sharing" the recipe and raving about how delicious it was. Maybe it was the rainy weather or the drop in the temperature into the 50s, but I succumbed to the allure of the crockpot. As it cooked it filled the house with a delicious cinnamon and apple fragrance. I had a warm happy feeling just walking into the kitchen.

Crockpot Apple Cobbler

6 apples peeled, cored, and sliced
1 T. corn starch
1/4 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. cinnamon
2 T. white sugar
1 T. lemon juice
The above are mixed together and placed in the crock pot.

1 c. flour
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar (not packed)
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/2 c. butter or margarine
1/3 c. pecan pieces
Mix the dry ingredients and then cut in the butter until it forms a coarse crumble. Lastly stir in the nuts. Dump this over the apples in the crockpot.

Cook on high for 2 hours or on low for 4 hours. Then remove the lid and let it cook for another 30 minutes uncovered to let the top get crunchy. Remove from the pot and let it set for another 30 minutes before serving. Tastes great with a dab of cool whip or ice cream on top!

I would give this a 4/5 stars. It was quick and easy. When I put all the stuff in the crockpot it was filled almost to the top. The apples really cook down and so it wasn't as substantial as I had anticipated. I think I'd probably reduce the sugar a little in the topping as it was really sweet. It was very tasty. I'm thinking this may become one of those recipes that I can take to the next work potluck and be able to serve hot!

Saintvi is making fidget blankets for the Alzheimer's patients at the nursing home where her mother lives. She challenged us to help her make enough of them to provide one for each resident. The blankets are small lap sized blankets that are multi-textural with manipulatives added to it to keep hands busy. It is very much like the infant "busy blankets" that are to encourage exploration that stimulates the visual and tactile senses. I had been trying to decide on a theme since saintvi did one for her mother with hearts and then did another with bib overalls and John Deere fabric in a farmer theme. Since I had yesterday off I made the effort to start my fidget blanket. I decided to use up some scraps of fabric. I had shamrock print cotton, some neon lime fleece and a few scraps of a water color fleece. Since I had to head out to the store to buy a new mailbox (a story for another day), I decided to stop at the Salvation Army Store and see if I could find something to add color and texture to my blanket. I was very lucky - I even got them on half price sale! So here is the finished project:

So here we have the finished blanket complete with the Christmas hot mitt, ruffled elastics, and the red rick-rack attached.

The fabric of the mitt pocket is silky and the back is a textured quilted cotton. But I provided a surprise - a silky ribbon is sewn inside!

The back is the pretty shamrock fabric - at least I have two holidays covered...