Liebster Blog Award!

Haha—I think this is about the third time I’ve been awarded this particular…um…award. This time, it comes from Rebecca Moore, AKA Whimsey Keith. Thank you!

The rules:

When a blogger receives this award, he/she gets to answer 11 questions posed by the person who gave the award, pick five blogs to give the award to (which have fewer than 200 followers), and make up 11 new questions for the bloggers to answer.

~Whimsey’s Questions~

1. What, to you, is the definition of joy? What comes to mind is the image of a glass of sparkling cider—bubbling up until it overflows. It’s hard to describe joy in terms of emotion, especially since we tend to think of it as extreme happiness. Perhaps true joy is more of an inner peace and calm in times of trouble, or a sense of satisfaction in a job well done, especially for someone else.

2. If you were like Helen Keller, both blind and deaf, and I offered you three days to see and hear, what would you do? Employ your imaginations! Hard to say. If I’d been blind and deaf all my life, I’d want to see and hear everything there was to see and hear! But I think I’d go into the country and see the wildflowers in the meadows, listen to the birds singing in the woods and hear the wind whispering in the trees. Then I’d go to the ocean and see the mighty waves pounding the beach and collect shells and sea-glass.

3. If I offered you coffee, hot chocolate, or tea, which would you take? Hot chocolate, definitely! Tea is fine, but hot chocolate is the queen of hot beverages!

4. Would you rather take a three day vacation to Disneyland or a three week vacation touring the vast majority of America's historical sights? I think I’d prefer the three-week deal, as Mount Rushmore, the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone Park and New England in the Fall are things I’d like to see someday.

5. If you were offered a cabin in the woods, a cottage on the beach, or an apartment in the city, which would you choose? I’d choose the cabin in the woods—the redwoods, that is. Then I’d be near the beach, too! ;-)
6. If you had the opportunity to go parasailing, would you go? Yes! They have parasailing on Lake Coeur d’Alene, and it looks like fun!
7. You have suddenly become a millionaire. What are you going to do with your money? Ten percent of it goes to the Church—the congregation we meet with plus other Believers we know who live elsewhere—and then the rest would be evenly divided between Mom, Peter and me. $300,000 is still a LOT of money to play with!
8. Guess what! You have happened upon a time machine!!! Which historical figure are you going to spend the day with? I’d visit Jane Austen while she was writing Northanger Abbey and try to convince her to name Catherine Mooreland’s floozy friend something besides Isabella. Something ugly—Maude, for example—or something kinda pompous, like Augusta.
9. Out of all the heroines in historical fiction, who do you admire the most? Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice. She’s spunky, witty and loyal to those she loves. Yes, she’s a bit cynical and quick to judge, but once the true facts are before her, she quickly admits her mistakes and learns from the experience.
  10. Out of all the heroes in historical fiction, who do you most admire? Arthur Clennham from Little Dorritt. Wow—what a guy. He treats everyone he meets with respect, and when he hears of an injustice his family has done to the Dorritts, he does everything in his power to try and make it right. (At least, that’s how he was in the miniseries. I’ve yet to find a complete copy of the book….)
11. And lastly, if you were offered a pet baby mule or a pet baby goat, which would you adopt? The goat-kid, especially if it was a milk-goat. Free raw milk!

I award:

~Kellie (Accordion to Kellie)

~Tasha (Day By Day)

~Michelle (Free Indeed)

…and I don’t know anyone else who has under 200 followers.

My questions for you to answer:

1.)   What was the first Bible verse you ever memorized?

2.)   Ice cream or frozen yogurt?

3.)   Describe a favorite outfit:

4.)   What would you define as Godly music?

5.)   Where is/are your favorite place(s) to go in Summertime?

6.)   Is/are there any food(s) you refuse to eat?

7.)   What would you consider to be the ideal pet?

8.)   Do you wear jewelry? If so, what style(s) do you like best?

9.)   What is your favorite genre of books (fiction, non-fiction, fantasy/sci-fi, biography, etc.)?

10.)          Which of Jane Austen’s heroines are you most like?

11.)          If you could learn any new skill, what would you choose?

Have fun!

Until next time, Gentle Readers,

God bless,

~“Tom”~

P.S.

I’ll have an announcement to make next time I’m on the Blogosphere. Want a hint? OK, two words: “Chop-chop!”

~TWR~

Liebster Blog Award!

Hello, hello, Gentle Readers! I finally got around to answering the Eleven Questions asked by the lovely Tasha when she presented me with the

 

Liebster Blog Award!

…um…several months ago. Thank you, Dahling! Miss Melody Muffin also awarded me with the Liebster Blog Award (thank you!), so I get to answer twice as many questions—yay!

I’d have done this sooner, but do you know how hard it is to think of eleven random things about yourself? Harder than you think (which is why there are only eleven instead of twenty-two)! And then I was attacked by The Migraine From The PIT for most of November and am just now returned to the Land of the Living. Yikes! There’s two-plus weeks I’d pay money not to go through again! But I digress.

So, without further yammering from the Crazed Wench, my answers:

{rules}

1. You must post eleven facts about yourself.

2. You must also answer the eleven questions the awarder has given you and make up eleven questions for your awardees to answer in turn.

3. Tag eleven fellow bloggers

4. Notify them that you've awarded them

5. No tagging back

6. And the eleven blogs you tag must have less than 200 followers.

{eleven facts about myself}

1. I don’t like cream soda (save Jones’), yet it’s one of my favorite Jelly Belly flavors.

2. Actually, there are very few JBs I refuse to eat. Those would be: Top Banana, Black Licorice, Cinnamon (of any sort), Lemon and anything coffee-flavored. The rest I either LOVE or am willing to try.

3. I can’t brush my hair sitting down—I end up brushing my lap, too! :-D

4. I’m a wee bit obsessed with tartan. Just a wee bit…but that’s another post entirely. ;-)

5. When I braid my hair (as in updos and what-not), I tend to walk around the room in circles. Don’t know why, exactly; it seems to relieve the tension of wrestling with 3+ feet of hair that gets stuck on itself. :-P

6. I can’t put my hair in a high ponytail anymore without getting a headache…unless I braid the sides first.

7. I have a multi-track mind…but only one train. And it keeps jumping from track to track. :-P

8. Over the past several years, I’ve been slowly training myself to use both hands. Why? Because sometimes you can get a better angle with your “off” hand. And it’s starting to pay off; a couple weeks ago I was finally able to crochet left-handed for the first time in my life! PTL! (I could never wrap my brain around the mechanics of the thing before.)

9. I don’t use the word “ambidextrous” if I can help it. My late Daddy said it means “two right hands,” which is anatomically incorrect…plus it kinda ticked him off because he was a Southpaw. So I just say “both-handed” instead. :-D

10. I love cats. In fact, I’d adopt every stray that showed up in the yard (or at church, as did the two cuties pictured below back in October) if I could. Some folks are picky about a cat’s appearance, but to me, if Pussy has four legs, a tail (even a stumpy bob-tail), fur of any length and a pleasant personality, then that’s good enough for me.

"Midnight" and "Shadow"--adopted by a nice family who attended Mom's strings program in October

11. If I actually have to pay money for an animal, though, I prefer them to be attractive/have interesting markings, etc.

{Tasha’s Questions}

1. Which is your favorite season? (spring/summer/fall/winter) Late Spring and early Summer, when the weather is warm enough to doff the heavy coats, but cool enough to keep one from melting into a puddle. :-P When the grass is green, the leaves are still new and fresh, and the flowers are blooming.
2. Do you watch more British TV shows or American? Actually, I think it’s pretty equal.
3. What's your everyday hairstyle?  A ponytail, a braid, a bun? Usually “Swedish” braids, or a braid with twisted sides if I don’t feel like fiddling with bobby pins. Something to keep it contained (and therefore, untangled) and out of my way as I go about my tasks.
4. Do you sew most of your own clothes or buy them? Right now I’m on a buying spree, as one can usually find decent, classic styles in any thrift store nowadays. I do intend to keep sewing my own things, but it doesn’t hurt to buy what I need NOW, to tide me over till I finish them.
5. In what year did Columbus sail the ocean blue?

In fourteen-hundred an’ ninety-two,

Columb’ sail the ocean blue

…

In fourteen-hundred an’ ninety-eight,

Columb’ sail for Unita’ State

(Seen in an old book of funny stories and poems. :-P)

6. Favorite screen/literary couple? The couple that come to mind are Fanny Price and Edmund Bertram from Mansfield Park. While there are times I could happily slap Edmund upside the head for being such an idiot, he remains a thoughtful and caring friend to Fanny—knowing her so well, in fact, that his choice of a gold chain is exactly what Fanny would have wished for. It is Edmund who first reaches out to Fanny and tries to make her feel welcome in her new home, Edmund who stood up for her against their odious Aunt Norris. And Fanny herself—sweet, gentle, loving little Fanny—never faltered in her love for Edmund, even when it seemed hopeless that he would ever love her in return.

A new favorite couple are Amy Dorrit and Arthur Clennam from Little Dorrit. Amy is so sweet and kind but she has a wee bit of spunk that keeps her from being sickly-too-perfect-sweet ala Elsie Dinsmore. And as for Arthur—wow, I love that guy (although like Amy, I felt he was rather “unobservant” not to see how much she loved him). What I love best is his determination to clear up whatever injustice existed between the House of Clennam and the Dorrit family. Also his respectful and honorable treatment of all he met—male or female, rich or poor, English or “foreign.”
7. Which is your favorite/most read book of the Bible?  (not including Psalms and Proverbs;) Favorite book: Revelation. I’ve always been fascinated with it—don’t know why. Also parts of Isaiah.
8. Your favorite TV show when you were a child? Too many, actually. *Blush* But I think the ones I liked most were Eureka’s Castle, Grimm’s Fairy Tales, David the Gnome, Fred Penner’s Place, Lassie (reruns of the ’50s show) and Sharon, Lois and Bram’s Elephant Show.
9. Least favorite vegetable? Asparagus, AKA “asper-grass” or “Spare Grass.” I’ve tried it raw, I’ve tried it steamed—it just tastes like tough grass to me. Some things just aren’t meant to be. I won’t even touch eggplant, neither.
10. Do you watch the Marvel Superhero films?  If so, which is your favorite superhero and why? We never really got into superheroes at our place, actually. We went more for sci-fi and murder mysteries in general. Wait—does The Incredibles count? :-P

11. Do you think bow ties are cool? Depends on the bowtie…and what it’s worn with. Actually, I fancy cravats (those fancy ties gentlemen wore in Jane Ausnen’s day) more than bowties, if anything.

{Melody’s Questions}

1. What is your favorite holiday tea (or drink)? Hot cocoa, definitely. Specifically the flavored cocoa mixes by Land o’ Lakes—Chocolate Mint, Chocolate Caramel, White Chocolate Peppermint, Chocolate Supreme and Chocolate Raspberry. Half a package per mug, ‘cos they’re really sweet!
2. Would you rather visit the mountains or the ocean? Well, I kinda live near the mountains, and before we moved to North Idaho, we lived in the Sierra Nevada Foothills, so I’d say the ocean. It’s been so long since we visited the ocean. There’s just something about it that fascinates me—the vastness and power of the water. The salty air. The sea-glass worn smooth by tumbling about in the water. The aura of mystery and magic about it…sometimes I fancy I feel it calling me….
3. What is your favorite soup? Minestrone!!! Especially when I make it—with meatballs (recipe coming soon)! Second-fave would be a hearty chicken-noodle-vegetable. Actually, I just like soup in general. Except those made with meats and veggies I hate, of course. :-P
4. A mouse runs out from under a wall and across your bedroom.  What do you do? Stare at it bug-eyed for a moment, then wake up the 16-pound Main Coon-mix cat who sleeps with me, and toss him at the varmint.
5. What was the last book you read? The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien. I actually started the book earlier this year, but got stuck in the middle of “The Council of Elrond.” Ach! Darn you, Tolkien, what’s the deal, writing a chapter sixty pages long?!
6. King Kamehameha (the Great), who was he? Not a clue. A character from one of your (Melody’s) books, mayhap?
7. What is your favorite Christmas song? Oh my, only one? Well, I’d have to say either “Masters in this Hall,” “Silent Night’ (especially by candlelight) or the Sussex Carol (“When blossoms flow’r amid the snow…”). But there are so many good Christmas songs out there (even among the secular ones), it’s hard to choose favorites.
8. What is your favorite traditional Thanksgiving food? Stuffing, I guess (sans onions), although I’m really not into turkey-dinner-with-all-the-trimmings. Gimme a pizza or some manicotti anytime!
9. Have you ever been in an airplane? Yes, when we came to North Idaho for the first time, to visit our friends Patty and Richard before we moved up. It gave me a roaring headache (plane trip, not visit)!
10. Housecleaning, do you hate it, not mind it, or actually like it? I HATE it! The dirt, the dust, the germs—AAAAAUGH! Why can’t they invent a whole-house decontamination unit??
11. Ever played Ultimate Frisbee? ’Fraid not. *Shrug* Sorry.

As with all tags, I’m opting out of tagging anyone else because I don’t know enough people in the blogosphere who haven’t already been tagged by someone else. :-P

Until next time, Gentle Readers,

God bless, and if I don’t get around to posting again this month, have a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

~“Tom”~

♥

Progress and an Award

MissTasha has graciously awarded me with the....

Versatile Blogger Award! Thanks, Tasha! I'll answer the Random Things and all in later post....

As of Wednesday, April 11th, 2012, at 10:30 (ish) a.m., “Wild Irish Rose” arrived safe and sound! God be praised! 

This picture shows just how well they packed it:

Why does a Martyouschka come to mind?

Quoth Peter: “Every package should be able to survive a drop-kick....I am not kidding.”

LOL!

I just want to say a huge THANK YOU (again) to Laurie and Avo for all their hard work on this project. While the process of realizing this pendant has had its bumps in the road, I have been so blessed—not only by Laurie and Avo's patience with my moments of indecision and occasional hysterics, and their willingness to work with me to get my design as close to what I wanted as possible—but just by God's arranging it so that I'd have a cousin who designed jewelry, who married a professional jeweler, so that when He put this design into my mind, I'd have someone I know working on it. Awesome!!!

And here it is:

WIR with Amethyst

WIR with Rose Quartz

WIR with London Blue Topaz

WIR with Rainbow Moonstone

(The bluish coloring on the pendant is from the blouse I was wearing the day I took these pix. The metal is very shiny and reflective!)

The pendant is made (to my knowledge) entirely of Sterling silver, with the central flower being fine silver. The Celtic knots are charms I bought from Fire Mountain, and the “web” and “star” are Sterling silver wire and sheet, respectively. Originally, I had sent a “Turkish silver” (pewter) flower charm with the other materials, but when Avo tried to solder it to the sheet-silver, it ended up looking like this:

Icky...but still usable!

Apparently pewter melts when you try to solder it to Sterling silver. *Eek*

So he very kindly cast another one in fine silver. :-D

While there are some noticeable differences between the design and the real thing, it's still a beautiful pendant, and I'm thrilled that my dream has finally become a reality.

Four of the five stones I sent Laurie and Avo have been set in custom-made bezels and, as you can see in the photos, are interchangeable with one another. Avo put a brooch-pin in the back of the pendant, which slides through the holes in the bottom of each bezel and holds it in place.

Back view

The fifth stone—a genuine Ruby cabochon scored off eBay for only 11 bucks!—was too big to fit in the bezels, so now I get to find another project to work it into. Mwahaha.

And if it seems a little boring to have only four stones to choose from, Laurie sent me some extra bezels and said that if I got any more stones, to send them with the bezels, and Avo would set them for me. PTL!

But of course a pendant isn't much without a chain to hang it on, now is it?

Originally I was going to use the Figaro chain on the right, but the beaded chain looked way better, so I'll be going with that. The tiny crystal point is just for demonstration. I'm actually still debating whether to use this one (leaving its mate orphaned and me with no pretty quartz-point earrings), or see if I can find another crystal this size.

Bodiced Petticoat, minus zipper

On the sewing front, I installed the zipper in my Bodiced Petticoat, so now I'll need to take 2" off the whole neckline in order to keep it from peeking out above my dresses. It'll mean I won't be able to re-use the trim, but there are other projects in my sewing boxes....

Once all that's done, it's on to the easier stuff—hemming and lace!

The picture on the left is actually from last week, before I put in the zipper, but since the thing looks pretty much the same with the zipper, I didn't bother to take another pic.

The *creative* darts in back

I also finished altering my blue-grey capris. Yay!

These have a rather interesting story behind them, actually....

In June of 2008, Mom and I visited one of the local thrift stores back in Grass Valley—the Humane Society, or something like it—and picked up a pair of black twill, side-opening capris; a rare find in this world of fly-fronts (which is another rant entirely). After purchasing them, it crossed my mind that perhaps our next stop—Salvation Army Thrift—might have a pair in grey...and then put the thought out of my mind. After all, it was miraculous enough to find one pair of side-opening britches—two pairs would be just too much to hope for, doncha know.

Then I saw them!

They were just the right grey—medium-light, with a hint of blue, and they had a side zipper! “Don’t tell me lightning doesn’t strike twice!” I said.

Oh, you of little faith. :-P

Because I'm rather—shall we say—“tall in the saddle,” the capris rode a bit low for comfort. So, over the course of four years I unfolded the waist, removed the elastic (to reduce bulk) and added a facing in a thinner fabric, topstitching it all down to keep it in place...and to disguise the faded line and slight ridge left by the original fold. I also shortened them, as they were almost ankle-length before.

So PTL! I now have some grey trousers to wear with my lighter-colored blouses...as soon as I get them finished. *Halo*

Until next time, Gentle Readers,

Good night, and God bless,

~“Tom”~

Awarded!

Well, now. Today--this very day--I was wondering if I should continue with this blogging malarkey, or if it was just a lot of effort for minimum returns. Then I opened up my e-mail, and what should I find, but a comment on my blog! An actual comment! *geeks out* But not just any ol' comment--oh no, no!--it was from Miss Tasha, informing me that she has bestowed upon my humble corner of the Blogosphere the....

Kreativ Blogger Award!!!
Thanks, Tasha. You made my day. ;-) And now I get to share the love!

If I tagged you, you have to:

1. Link back to me

2. Complete the below form

3. Award other blogs, and inform them

4. Share 7 random things about yourself

1) Name your favorite song:

Vocal: "Be Thou My Vision."

Instrumental: "Down By The Sally Gardens."

2) Name your favorite dessert:

Boxed Chocolates...or frozen yogurt. *Drool*

3) What makes you angry:

Lots of things, but mostly seeing a problem and being ABSOLUTELY POWERLESS to fix it. *snarglebarglesasafras*

4) When you're upset:

I melt down. Not a pretty sight.

5) What's your favorite pet?

Well, since we have two cats, it'd be kinda unfair to pick one over the other. I have to admit, though, that I tend to prefer Licorice because he lets us give him "lovin's," and he comes and sits by me when I'm in one of my >moods<.

6) Black or white?

Black. White is too hard to keep clean. :-P

7) Biggest fear?

Falling from a high place (or being in an accident) and ending up maimed for life. That, and "stinging devils." >Shudder<

8) Everyday attitude?

*Cough* It depends. Some days I'm kinda ticked off from the moment I drag my lazy carcass out of bed. I can put up a front for a time (like when I'm around other people), and even forget about it for a moment (like when I'm baby-talking the cat), but there's always an undercurrent of anger or "the blues".

And then there are the BAD days....

9) What is perfection?

Unattainable. Until we get Home, I mean.

10) Guilty pleasure?

Eating boxed chocolates. :-P

Seven Random Things:

1. As of next month, I will be the same age as Charlotte Lucas in Pride and Prejudice.
2. ...yet I still don't have a driver's license. Or even a permit.
3. I have a "thing" for red hair. And curls.
4. I am allergic to bananas. >Gag<
5. Not only do I make my own clothes, I also make jewelry to go with them.
6. I can't stand to see people kiss. Yech!
7. People still occasionally ask my if I'm in high school!

I award...

Kellie

Ashley

Michelle

And that's really all I can think of because anyone else has already been tagged. Plus I don't know many people on the Blogosphere.

Until next time, Gentle Readers,

God bless,

~"Tom"~