Exercise room finished !!

woohooooo .... now I can get back to doing my whole routine in the proper place. I've been able to clamber over the ..erm..."stuff".... to get to my treadmill, but, that's all I've been able to do in my new exercise room the past few weeks. I had to do the leg lifts, lunges, free weights, crunches and stretching in the other room.

This room has been everything over the past 23+ years, from a completely air tight shop with special fans for air supply and others for collecting dust and sawdust, to a lovely big bedroom for an ungrateful teen relative, to a junk and stuff storage room....(which come to think of it wasn't much different from her bedroom..hahahha which is one of the reasons I tossed her butt out)....but, luckily it has always had a door.. which I would close when I tired of looking at it.

Now, it's beautiful, functional, and mine....all mine !.... well, mine and Gardener's ... he likes to keep me company in there... see him over there behind the door? ... he's slightly shy.

I love it ! Look how tidy ... all the cables and wiring hidden now behind a beautiful, useful bank of cupboards and drawers. Hidden tv and stereo 'remotes', some books, extra wiring, exercise info, extra socks, t-shirts and some DVDs..... alright!

All the cupboard doors and drawer fronts were painted and left to dry nicely .... then we hung them, put on handles and also hung the tv... my entertainment while I march along on the treadmill....and my encouragement to do some exercise routines... the only thing I still want is a 6 or 8 foot expanse of mirror on the one wall so I can check form and make sure I am doing some moves correctly.

These door faces were built by stripping some louvers out of a pair of new bi-fold closet doors.... cutting out the exact size space, gluing them into position and then putting on some trim, etc. Mr. BV invented and built them. What a guy. Sure it took a while.. we are not cupboard builders... but, we did it. It allows for some air circulation inside the space.... which is helpful for the stereo units .. some of them get pretty warm when in use. You can just see some more louvers on the right hand side as well.... smaller doors he also built ...leading to a huge storage area. I'll be in and out of there over the next week.... getting out the Christmas stuff. Now everything is back in working order and I will have room to maneuver....

photo of the week...

My thumb joint was beginning to bother me.... as I mentioned a few posts ago.... but, it also radiated upward .... more into the low forearm and wrist...even seemed a bit swollen. Then, the tendons began to be painfully tweaky and seemed even to jump over or get caught ... each on the other...ooooh... The same wrist also has the massive cluster ganglion...and carpal tunnel.

May I just say.........SH*t. ! !!!

and, at the top of my lungs too, dammit!

It is called DeQuervain's syndrome...and is so easy to diagnose I knew what it was before I even went to the doctor on Friday...just at the beginning of the blizzard. Got home in the nick of time. Luckily most drivers were very generous letting us in off the side roads... because it was a bit tricky and slippery and with big slushy soft ruts already...

Seeing as I can't hold any little bits of fluff or wool for some time....I am just playing with the little bears I do have ..... taking photos at higher resolution, which is why it probably took longer for this page to download today. Also the reason I only put up two of them... don't want to irk you or your patience...just wanted to post a couple pics...

Rest, ice, anti-inflammatories and also some anti inflammatory creams... in hopes of avoiding injections directly into the tendons ...acckkk ... as bad as surgeries.... guess that's it til way after Christmas for most crafting things..... I have discovered that I even vacuum left handed and it is annoying trying to do it with my right.... but, I must... and what else do I have to do anyway... ?.. Guess it is time for a workout ...to burn off the irritation... .

Some day I want to have cards made using my own photos... and will have to have some clearer photos than I usually post...which are mainly just VGA as they are just for posting and sending via email... and good enough for that.... but, for cards or perhaps calendars, I want better....

I would like them on a watercolour type paper.... but, have no clue about printers or people who print things..and the like...so some research will be the next thing. Of course...not for this year...as I am too much of a procrastinator for that....

I decided it is a good time to get the Christmas cards underway too.... that is a righthanded effort.... and the little guys offered to help...so I addressed a few... but, then they got more interested in a little picture of a bear that they found.... and wanted to hear a story...and, well....there went cards I'm afraid.....

How 'bout this one?..look... it has a bear on it... it's the best one...

hey, look...a bear with a thimble for a hat... what do the words say? is it a story?... why is he wearing a thimble anyway? ... what cards? ...oh. aren't we finished with those? .......

the wind kept blowing...

Although it has now died down to about only 20 kph.. The snow swirled off the roof for two days....and onto the patio..... sigh... a lot of shoveling to get that out of there.... and the temperature dropped to .. well, it's -20 C as I type...... so pretty chilly.

we've never had it drifted in there like this in all the years the patio has been there.... it's weird... must just be the way the wind was swirling around....

look how it's hanging off the railing.... it looks beautiful if nothing else..

Mr. BV says...hah! you think these are drifts? You should try living in Brandon, Manitoba.... we used to have to shovel out when things were up to the house eaves.. ! I'm glad I'm from western Canada..he can have Manitoba... and I bet he's glad he is here in Alberta now too....

waaaaahhhhhhh ..... !

We've been getting away with something....having such great weather this far into our winter.... .... but, today.... we're getting a blizzard to make up for that. Well, officially there are 4 components that make it a 'legal' blizzard; one element is missing ....the temperature. It's not quite -20C ...yet. Give it a few hours... and the wind is not supposed to quit...guess it will be a full blown blizzard soon even if it feels and looks like one already ...

This is the kitchen window... snow blew from the north... swirled off the roof down around the patio and stuck to windows and door... stuck and blocking my view now.. no more nosy neighbour, me...hahahha... they can't see me and I can't see them. Oh, and ...these are not black and white photos...this is the colour of my world today.

Snow started this morning and has been coming down all day..... scratch that..it has been going straight sideways all day. Heavy drifting... blowing it all off the roof onto the roads and sidewalks..

I looked out the garage door to see if there was something to snap a pic of... snow was piled up against the door already... and blew in when I did.

I only stuck my head out. After all I had been out earlier...shoveling... I knew what was out there.... just wanted to show you some photos....

wordless Wednesday

photo of the week...

It's taken a bit longer than usual for my second little pink gal to emerge.... I'm not having fun with my left wrist ... can't hold the tiny bits to work on them because my thumb is bothering me. I think it is because of just that...holding and almost pinching little bits too tightly. It is also the same wrist that has a big cluster ganglion ... which needs to be excised...but, so far... nobody seems willing to do it. One plastic surgeon I saw seemed totally disinclined to do surgery.... hmmm... I always thought those guys were pretty blade happy... but, now..moving on to the next guy because that didn't instill any confidence in me whatsoever.... although I guess I'm dragging my feet a bit now......

This is how she began. A chunk of rayon... that I have been using for my poodles.. of the stitched variety. Like this one...

Once I've tweezed out lots of tufts ... I stab away til I get a little shape....

Here is the head....those arms in the back were too big for her little head...but, seeing as the arms on original Posie were huge...and now I have two extras lying about ....I may change those arms. She is string jointed...so easy enough. Just a snip and they are off... and string on the smaller ones.

It doesn't really show in most photos..but, the new girl is quite a bit smaller than Posie... weird that...

Let's help sort out these little lights Posie...c'mon...help me....

Ooooooh..I dunno.... I think somebody is coming. Quick...get rid of them.....we're gonna get in trouble....

What? hey Posie...come back!

oops... busted......

okay then....can I have this instead? What is it anyway? ... is it for me? huh? is it? I bet it is... look.. it's just my size.....

It's Christmas !! ...

What? ... it isn't? not yet? ... well, it feels like Christmas to me....it even snowed a bit overnight, and is lovely and sunny this morning. It glistens and everything looks so clean and soft and bright ... the neighbours had their Christmas lights turned on last night when the snow began... it looked so pretty... ...

AND.. look... a giftie too already! I have a new needle felting friend in Norway and we did a little swap... these little gnomes flew here in just a few days.... speedy little guys for not having wings. I don't think she will see her little guy til next week sometime. Thanks so much Gunn....I absolutely love my gnomes! Check out all her gnomes and other sweeties on her blog...

Here they are...hiding in the snowdrift....

I've loved gnomes for years... even since before I got this gnome book... which tells everything there is to know about gnomes. ... and...it has such fun pictures and great descriptions......

Christmas cactus is blooming away... ... it must be getting close to the date....

Wordless Wednesday

I'ze bizzy playin' .... and... photo of the week...

I'ze behind a day on Photo of the Week too... and now... I'm supposed to be vacuuming. The dust bunnies are quickly becoming dust buffaloes... (hmmmm....is that right.. ? .. or is it just buffalo ..is it the plural as well. ?..) oh, well..I'll look it up later just for my own edification...because who really cares right? .....anyway....as I was saying when I got sidetracked.... they are getting BIG ! ....

I've begun a little pink girlie..... she is not wool. But... the tufts I pluck with eyebrow tweezers from a chunk of rayon. I like the colour and I like that I can needle in some more loose bits at the end and she looks all fluffy. This is perfect for poodle fur... I've done several stitched poodles from it.. but, it's tricky to felt because the sharp larger needles won't even go into it after two stabs ... they get stuck and if I push hard .. risk breaking them... or stabbing myself a good one because she is sooo tiny. I just use an ancient, almost dull, fine needle instead. It finally gathers ....

It's time to get out the sparkly stuff too. Look what I found right behind the Christmas cards..... hidden...my box of origami ornament supplies. Remember them from last year? I love making them... they all turn out so pretty...and it is just recycled wrapping papers...even doubled up tissue paper... or candy and chocolate papers. I've even used some magazine ads for a couple... good paper and beautiful colours.... that's all it takes. Oh, ...and... trying to figure out how to fold them each year. I can never seem to quite remember it the first time...so now, I leave a couple of pieces just folded in the box.. to remind me.

Add a gold string (thread) ... a few beads... perhaps a little jingly bell on the bottom.. et voila.... beautiful inexpensive ornaments ! Everybody wants one ..... or two, or three...or... perhaps a six pack.

..even early for Thanksgiving....

My Christmas Cactus has its first bloom... I always said the silly thing must be a Thanksgiving Cactus ... and American Thanksgiving at that... traitor cactus.... !!

Our Thanksgiving was way back in October...

By Christmas..its sleeping again.

Wordless Wednesday

okay... not totally wordless... a teeensy hint...

check my other blog..

somebody found the ornaments...

Can I have one of these?

Why not?

photo of the week...

I'm still struggling with the Mac.... the photo uploading to the blog in particular. When I go to select a photo via the little "add image" icon... it takes me directly to a page of thumbnails, which should show me all the photos...but, for some reason... usually the last two or so uploads of photos... doesn't show up. Sigh...I clicked all over the place trying to figure out what went wrong...and Mr. BV did his clicking too. Finally he got lucky and clicked on the list of things at the left of our photo page and something happened to move them into the last position on the grid of "events" as Mac likes to call them. But... today when I went to get some pics...same thing...and no matter how many times I clicked on that particular area.... NOTHING happened. The air was blue....there were a lot of "French" words...and finally...they appeared where I needed them...but, by then... I was ticked. And....I still know not why it works that way.... I want my old way back....waaaaahhhhhhh!!! or... maybe I better go to the Mac store. But...I'm totally intimidated to go ... yet..... maybe next week I'll feel braver. ~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ONwards with something I CAN do.... something I liken to a Rumpelstiltskin trick....I can stab wool into bears. Hahahha....not quite the same as turning straw to gold...but, close....

Remember little Darla? the cutest little natural wool bear? ...I sold her. Shouldn't 'a' done that!

I've been trying to make a second Darla...and finally got one that is close. There can never be two alike... although Paint Granny manages to get lots of hers to look like triplets and twins... how does she do that? more practice I guess.... I don't make nearly enough yet...

Darla "2" on the left of the original...

the first Darla.. side view .....

new Darla....... see how the nose is a bit more pointy? not as deep down to her chin ?

new Darla...

Original Darla.... both are very sweet.....and I'm keeping the second one ... this one is mine, all mine!

Leroy

This little guy is not one of my bears. But, he sure does look remarkably like one of 'em.

A lady up the block wanted to learn how to make a felted bear...so we spent a few hours stabbing and I showed her what little I know..... then off she went to work on some bear bits for the week. She embroidered a little nose..made arms and legs and got some ears on.. we got together again and string jointed him... he posed for his first photo.... he's great! She named him Leroy and went off home mumbling something about making him a scarf or perhaps a hat... hahahha...she's hooked !

When I made my first bear it looked like a monkey. I kid you not. I was recuperating from carpal tunnel surgery... couldn't do any hand stitching on my mohair bears...and so was surfing the net just admiring everybody else's work and checking prices on e-bay. One day I saw a little needle felted bear made by a guy in eastern Canada... it was sooo cute. I decided to put on a bid....I got him! My first needle felted bear.... I could hardly wait til he arrived. When I opened up the tissue.. there he was... even sweeter than his photos.. I carried him around all over the house like a mother cat with a kitten... I couldn't get over how tiny and cute he was. He was so soft...very gently felted.. I had to have more. So, I bought two more, but one got pretty expensive ..somebody else wanted him too.. .. and, well, you know how that goes on e-bay.... he cost me...

When he arrived... yes, he was sweet too...but, I thought... this is getting expensive. But, then, I had a second thought....looked him over carefully and said out loud (to nobody but myself) "why couldn't I make one of these felties"? I got some wool...some needles and gave it a try. Hahahah.... my first effort looked just like a monkey. Poor little Bo... that's what I finally called him... here he is with his model, Kirby. Thanks Norm in eastern Canada... you were my inspiration to give it a try.

Finally he looked sort of like a bear.... I loved him. I, too, was hooked.

Dolls and Bears ....

Well, I was reading about Macs not being as compatible with the blogging format, blah, blah... so I may have to upload Mozilla to my Mac if my blogs and photos don't do what I want them to do.... I'll give a few more posts a try and then.... decide. Thanks for the suggestions....

Just for that.. I'm gonna cheer myself right up by having a giveaway..... I have some bear and dolly mags that I have read and re-read and looked at all the beautiful photos many times. Now I'm parting with some of them. They are not new...but, are in pristine condition.... the Aussie girls will recognize them... we Canucks love this particular magazine. A friend gave them to me and now...I am passing them along so somebody else can enjoy them too. As far as I am concerned, magazines never get old...

If you would like a couple of these mags... please leave a comment on this post...and I'll toss the names in a bowl.... somebody will stir them around and then choose a couple of names at the weekend....

Photo of the week...

Still not doing as much in the exercise department as I should be...... but... when I do...I can't help but admire our handiwork. Yesterday I grabbed the camera to show you. It looks like my treadmill is looming above me in a rather menacing way... it's not really. Mostly I am lying there on the new carpeting... admiring the suspended ceiling that we did... the sconce lighting.... the ambiance.... ahhhh.... a room dedicated to boinging around with a DVD or a tv bootycamp... whoops...shud read bootcamp! Still getting used to the new keyboatrd too... arrghh.... fingers flying all over the place.... It doesn't need nearly as much pressure as I want to give it so I end up with extra letters ...or wrong ones...

Can't show you the other end of the room...yet.... still some cupboard doors unpainted..the tv not hung .... oh, but... here is little Gardener....he hangs out with me in there. He used to be a garden bear..hence his name...but, the first winter I moved him inside because I was worried about how he would survive...and he never

went out again.... he's an inside bear now. His main job is "door stop".

Well, I have no idea why my pics won't biggify when I try to click them....I remember Linda you had the problem one time....how did u fix it?? ... anybody ?? or is it just blogger today? sigh...I'm off to bed... it took me twice to get this much done..... ........

Wordless Wednesday

aarrrgghh%$#@

I feel like Maxine ......

I'm trying to be a Mac girl now... but, so far haven't quite got it all figured. We, (that would be Mr. BV and me we)... have been trying to transfer info, files and photos onto the new computer. And...then, in the midst of it all I wanted to find some photos for yesterday. It didn't happen.

Today I was trying to download two pics of this little man.. my Century Sam doll (made for the Centennial year in the little town where I grew up) from when I was a kid in school... and there were two pics side by side...but, once I got the one downloaded... I returned for the second and poof... I seemed to be in another section of photos...and there are ... oh, I am embarrassed to say the number.... uhm.... there are s...s....si....six.... thousand (gulp) to choose from.... and so far I haven't figured out how to organize them into the correct areas.

Then, there is the matter of the new puny keyboard...so tiny you could stick it in a pocket... with the delete key that so far only works going backwards. I'm used to using the left arrow... then deleting letters that I choose.... but, I can't make it happen with this board....who needs to be highlighting to delete? .. there must be a better way...or maybe I just have to get used to it.

Brother........ it'll take some time to teach the old bitch new tricks. Somebody is talking about "Mac" school on Saturday at the store where we bought it. Grooooaan.... I hate school...

hahhaha.... found it..... it was a lot of scrolling...with an imaginary scroll wheel if you can believe it. Yep...the mouse has no scroll wheel. You just stroke it like there is one..... what next? Oh, well... there is also no right click or left click anything... just another pretend thing you do on the left or right side of the fancy dancy mouse with no buttons or scroll wheels... good grief! Every time I type an incorrect letter...I have to remember not to click the back arrow... because then, the second I hit delete after backspacing...I delete the letters behind where I stopped with the arrow..not in front as it used to be on my old Microsoft keyboard.... ooooooooo .... help!

okay.... I better tell you why I am posting the pics.

They were made by me... the one all backstitched by hand; we didn't have a sewing machine.... the other blanket stitched around the outside.... with some help from Mom to figure things out. I think it is funny that even all those years ago I made two dolls. Then, never even did anything like it til the past few years.

ps.... the pics must be different sizes too...because I had to go back in and move the print down well below each pic so it didn't run alongside the photo...... it's all a BIG learning curve...... more like a spirAL..whoops... found the caps lock button......LL.... HAHAHAHHAHA...