BLESSINGS!

This is truly Art!
I got a true love of Irises when I was a child going to Catholic boarding school. We went to Mass each morning at 6 am...every day!
It was St. Joseph's Academy in Prescott, AZ....high desert....there weren't a lot of flowers that bloomed in this area...then...But each Spring the church was packed with Irises.
I Loved the smell of them. I would breathe in that scent like it was candy!
I have my own Iris collection now and this is the most magnificent of them.


Today is our Kate's birthday. When she was little we called her Katie Rose...now she's Kat to some....Kate to others...but to me she will always be My Sweet Katie Rose.
Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

I now have another type of collection of roses....Tea roses are my favorite. Oregon is hell on roses. They like it a bit drier....but I keep on attempting to figure out how I can have them here.
They are so magnificently beautiful...just like our daughters!

Who knew that we had a bazillion little yellow finches just waiting to be fed thistle seed? Where were they hiding? We bought this little bird feeder and a bag of seed thinking that we would...maybe...have a few birds come to live on our property.
The other day I counted 30 of these beautiful beings flocking around the feeder...........they muscle each other out & have a grand time vying for the 6 perches. Michael has been filling the feeder up each day.
I told him that we were going to have to take a loan out on the house just to feed these birds. Their antics are quite entertaining!


We are starting quite a collection of tomatoes. They will have to live in pots on the deck until the weather warms up. Then some of them will go down to the garden area.
Here is one of the newbies....
I really enjoy watching them grow....not to mention the wonderful fruit that comes of it all. Nothing like a home grown tomato to munch on a hot Summer day ;)


Last...but certainly not least is my Sweet William.
This little guy is Hardy....he wintered over this year...looking sad and pathetic and them coming right back to be this beauty......who graces our deck!

Loads of *eye candy* around me these days...making me Happy....thought that I would share it with you ;)

I hope that you are enjoying your eye candy too!

Show & Tell

Hello Again....it's a beeutiful Sunday morning here at Chez Ernst. I have been out giving guano to all the plants and boy are they happy....nothing like a little Bat juice to brighten somebody's day!

I hope that it's as lovely where you are....&....that you are out in your garden....or wherever...enjoying this May day!

I am invigorated whenever the sun shines!


I have been wanting to do a little show and tell for a while now and I think that this beautiful Sunday is just the time for me to do that. I have been spinning a little bit...when I have the chance. I am finding that spinning is quite an Art.
It takes patience, fortitude....& a lot of the same things that I need in order to do my glass.


I am enamored with the whole process of hand spinning. Knowing, when I hold a skein of hand spun yarn how easily the energy of the person who has spun it.....with love....comes through.
I didn't know just how much of an art it takes to do it....correctly!
I am starting to!!

Here are 2 skeins that I have turned out of my own hand spun. They both are from Lisa's roving. The one on the right she calls Deep Sea. The one on the left Sky Drama.

I get frustrated....don't know if I'm doing it too loose or too tight (always with me it's too loose though...I'm learning my way)....&...I can't wait for it to be done! When it is I am pleased...but also see where I have room for much improvement!
Progress Not Perfection!

When we left for MS&W I left my knitting in the van....YIKKES....no time to go back and get it before the flight.
I called Jackie when we got to Maryland (...in a panic) & when we got together she had an Emergency Knitting Bag with her (XOXOX). In it was several skeins of yarn and some pointy sticky things.....also called double points.
Now....I am a circular knitting needle kind of gal...that's what I learned to knit socks on...but I was desperately willing to give these a try.
Blessedly Jen sat down with me (XOXOX) & taught me how to cast on....getting me started on these socks for Michael.....not to mention saving my sanity.............as she would say...."Knitting for Sanity" (that's the name of her blog!). There's a funny picture on her blog...........me with the needles in my hand and a silly grin on my face!
WHAT WOULD WE DO WITHOUT OUR FRIENDS?.....Thanks again Dear Hearts!

OH NO....I've been MEMED!!

Alrightee then.....Yesterday I got a message from Lovely Melissa notifying me that she *memed* me....It's not like getting shingles so here goes:

The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?
Lets see, what year is this....Oh Yeah....
In 1998 I was living outside of Drain, OR with my husband and 2 of our 3 daughters.
We were doing Fine Art Craft Fairs at the time, making Glass Ink Pens...Jewelry...Beads....Glass Ornaments...you get the drift. We traveled the country selling our wares like Irish Gypsies.
The 2 youngest girls were home (13 & 15)...so there was alot of energy drifting around the place.
They were Home schooled & quite active in the Community.....lots of friends through the "Not Back to School" who came by to stay for extended periods of time.
I was just trying to keep up with them, the business & all that my busy life had to offer.
It was a Good Time.....albeit hectic.

2. What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):
.........1. Take the recycling into the recycling center....we do not have trash pick up out there on Hwy 38.
.........2. Go and get my teeth cleaned.
.........3. Wash the Dishes ;)
.........4. Make sure that all of the plants are watered as it's going to be over 100 degrees today.
.........5. Make Dinner....it's my turn.

3) Snacks I enjoy:
........Ben & Jerry's Phish Food
........Bananas
........Unsalted Sunflower Seeds
........Anything..pretty much...with chocolate in it.

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1......Work to get good...free health & dental care to all people.
2......Set up a fund for small businesses to succeed.
3......Buy my own broadcasting company that actually gave people good news and information about how to make their lives happier. Giving them the facts about what's going on in the world that were honest.
4......HELP!!
5......Pay back all the people who have helped me in my life.
6......Buy our daughters homes that they could love all their lives.
7......Help children who want to go to college be able to see that dream.
8......There's bunches more things but...................

5) All the places I have lived:
Las Vegas, NV
Prescott, AZ
Tarzana, CA
Burbank, CA.....Twice
North Hollywood, CA....my first apartment....cost $80.00 a month, furnished....including utilities.
Glendale, CA.....Twice
Carpinteria, CA
Topanga Canyon, CA
Los Osos, CA
San Luis Obispo, CA
Santa Margarita, CA
Drain, OR...........for the past 18 years....

6) Peeps I want to know more about:
Lisa
Trish
Kim
Jane
Sachi
Alison

It's Always good for me learn a little more about myself....& others!
This has made me take a look at the past and present of my life...and what I would like to be in my future.
This meme is open to anyone.....I am interested!

And....if anyone would care to try...here's the typing test.....

88 words

Speedtest

Fun At Jackie House!

After MS$W Michael & I got to stay at Jackie's house for a few days....a little, much needed R&R!

We had a Very Good time!

Here's Jackie's new lap blanket..in progress. She's making it with Lisa's handspun cashmere...&...boy is it yummy!!


Jen had to high tail it home to Seattle on Monday but we did have a little time for show and tell! *This is an picture of Jen from Madrona.........&.........since I didn't get any pictures of her at MS$W I thought I'd put it in here......she's so Dang Beautiful!*

I wish that Jen could have spent a few more days with us....but she's got a family & they need her even more than we do.....besides...she flew all the way across the country to be with us at the show.....Just How Lucky Were We? *I could do a whole blog just on that one subject!*
We both consider ourselves Very Lucky to have Jen & her Family in our lives!!


We had a blast at Jackie's new house! It's on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. We ate, talked, knitted & enjoyed Jackie's Awesome hospitality....None Better!!

Here's Jackie's socks *in progress*....isn't it gorgeous!! It's from Lisa's kit....Vintage Quilt Sock Kit
It's a lovely sock....and the Foxglove sock yarn is to dye for ;)


Soon enough ;(....it was time to leave Maryland & our wonderful friends and head back home....

We had a Lovely time.....A Great show....*we have already sent off the check for next year's show*....I miss our friends....& wonderful customers....but know that they live in my Heart...along with the memories of how much fun we had!

Thank you!!!!!

Happy Mother's Day....&.....WE'RE HOME ;)

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!....I hope that all you Mom's out there are having the best of it! Hey, it's face it.....the Mom's that I know...Really Rock!!
Here's a Mom and her baby belonging to our Dear Friend Jackie...gifted to her by Sweet Jen...her loving daughter!

We are home from our adventures in Maryland. We had a lovely show at Maryland Sheep & Wool! The weather couldn't have been better....as well the wonderful people that we came in contact with both inside & outside the booth.




Our friend Carolyn won a Blue Ribbon for her masterfully done Bee Fields shawl....not to mention a few more ribbons for her yarns. Check out her blog for the details! It was more than a pleasure to see her & her lovely daughter Em!
We couldn't have been prouder of her and her accomplishments! I only wish that you could see this beauty in person! It's Amazing to say the least. She deserves the accolades! Congratulations Carolyn!



Here is a beautiful felted piece that I just loved...look at the detail in the face! Those eyes!!

I was lucky enough to get time to run off with Jen and Jackie at the show....although it was busy from the beginning of Saturday until the end of Sunday!
Jen & Jackie were our Lovely Helpers....and Damn Lucky we were to have them with us too!
Thanks to both of YOU for helping to make Maryland Sheep & Wool such a Great Show!



There were so many excellent Award winners, I just took pictures of a few of the ones that we saw.

Here's one of the yarns. It looks like hornets nests to me. Very nicely done.




I just loved this bear with his self caught dinner.........I could have looked at him for a long time!

I have loads more to show you from the trip....& I will do more blogs in the coming days....

But right now there are dishes to be done.....and Spinning....
So I will close...
I hope that you are enjoying your day....and Spring...which has finally come to Oregon. I am SO pleased to be home.....I missed you guys!