An observation on page views, I was doing great on the first few letters with a few thousand visiting. Now, it has dropped to near nothing. Maybe its the weather?
Also, none of my A to Z posts are trending on my popular posts gadget. Another oddity.
Because I gots nothing on this one, I am going to rely on Boy George.
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| https://www.ebay.com/itm/187122588747 |
This dessert was served to family and friends at weekly Sunday brunches held at our house.
Cranberry Raspberry Jell-O
My favorite is sugar-free orange Jell-O with sliced bananas in it.
A to Z Challenge letter of the day is "I." For years I worked in law and management and identified as a manager or analyst. Now retired, I have formed a new identity. I am a dancer and artist. The post on tap dancing is queued up and the post on art was the "D" letter day. I went ahead and declared as an Art major. I have been a lifelong college student so that has always been part of my identity. In my drawing and composition class, we are exploring Ink Wash with India Ink. A first for me with this medium.
For those retired, have you formed new identities?
💃🎨
A to Z Challenge letter J is just about Jell-O.
A to Z challenge H letter day opens with the phrase "What was once is now a habit." My newest activity I hope to make a habit is Horseback Riding.
What has been a HOOT into retirement is returning to my childhood interests. When I was a pre-teen, I was Horse Crazy! 🐎
There was a stable within walking distance near my childhood home. At church camp, I could be found at the stables rather than sitting through a sermon.
As a middle class family, we did not have the money for a horse. Life went on and I was horseless throughout my adult life. Until NOW. Course the Mr. has thought I've rounded the bend with this newest proposal. I just want to go horseback riding. I don't want to have a horse on the property. I have no idea how to care for a horse.
We will see if what was once will now become a habit.
🐴
A to Z Challenge letter "I" reflects on a new identity.
Each year I engage in greenhouse gardening. Last year, so many seeds germinated that I gave away starts at work, AND put some at the end of our road with a 🆓 sign. This year, I planted the seeds in a different pattern. Corn is on the outer borders, with climbers like cantalope, nearby. I then packed it with peas, radish, kale, lettuce, tomato, and mammoth dill. Here is the image of the newly-planted seeds.
Am I worried about our food future? We have the politicos flexing their muscles and pushing into new territories. Many of America's foods come from Mexico. During lockdown we saw supply chain disruption. All of the world powers are investing in armaments. Be like a Boy Scout - Be Prepared. Fresh fruit and vegetable shortages are a possibility.
The biggest predator to my greenhouse - raccoons.🦝Another reason why we don't have chickens, because of the raccoons. But if eggs continue to edge up in price, we might have to calculate the cost of renovating the chicken coop.
On the subject of gratefulness - the basic theme of the A to Z Challenge. My partner and I are grateful we have made it to the age where we can enjoy our retirement. It is something we wonder at every day, that we are "comfortable." But that is not without some sacrifices made throughout our lives.
Moving along in the challenge, the H letter day is about habits and horseback riding.
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| https://www.ebay.com/itm/187098761885 |
A to Z challenge F letter day f eatures flowers and my online friends. These friends are participating in the A to Z Challenge.
First up is an old friend Anne M. Bray. Her blog featured this year is Pattern Recognition with the specialty of Fluevogs on Repeat.
Newfound friends I have discovered through the A to Z Spreadsheet is Marina at theboxofcolors highlighting her artwork.
And another Lissa at postcardsfromthebookstore hosting an audience-lead non-theme.
A delightful find of Jane Turley a British gal at The Witty Ways of a Wayward Woman.
Finally, I found Rhondi at yagottalaughaboutit a good-natured Canadian.
💮💮💮💮💮💮
G letter day for the A to Z Challenge is Greenhouse Gardening and Gratefulness.
A to Z Challenge day is all about the letter E. For those who live outside of the United States, we have been having an egg crisis. Prices have risen and there was a bird flu. We consume a lot of eggs. Just the two of us consume an 18 count carton each week.
On the subject of Eugenia Cooney - she is a much-loved fashion influencer who is ultra skinny. Too skinny to be healthy. I have read she is taking a much-needed rest from social platforms to gain her strength and health.
A to Z Challenge letter F features flowers and friends.
A to Z challenge D letter day is about my current college class. This sphere was our latest assignment in charcoal. I had never worked with charcoal before. The image below was experimenting with charcoal.
Our mid-term is a series of small studies on a jumble of a still life provided by the professor. The class was pretty much in agreement on the one study I had chosen to use as the final.
My next class up is Design Fundamentals. I have found an 8-week online class. My perfect format, especially in the fall so the class doesn't extend into the November/December holiday season.
While I do not crochet, I do sell crocheted pieces on eBay. Here are a couple of cute pieces from the 1985 Carry-Along Crochet publication. First up, Bert and Ernie - even more adorable in crochet. Representing the letter C for the A to Z Challenge.
These burgundy beauties were just listed.
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| https://www.ebay.com/itm/187108524940 |
Church rummage sales are the best. The pricing is the best. There are many surprises to be found.
A to Z challenge letter D is about art - Drawing and Composition.
A to Z Challenge B letter day is Bridal! 👰My daughter is getting married in the fall and I get to experience all things bridal. The lead-off image is a thrift shop pattern from 1966. The next pattern of the day is from 1969.
I never knew there were so many parties and get togethers. First, there was the engagement party. Then we had the wedding gown tryon with the bride, moms, and maid of honor. Upcoming is the bridal party with just the moms, and females of the bridal party. Another get together is the ravioli-making party for the wedding. They might fit in a bachelor and bachelorette party. I bet there will be the pre-wedding party at the site since we are all spending the night after rehearsal.
The following is a succession of wedding Barbies with a Midge thrown in for good measure.
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| 1966 Wedding Barbie |
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| 1960s Wedding Midge |
The A to Z Apron! Day 1 starts off with the annual Apron. This one is thrifted pink polka dot one with a Domestic Diva pocket. I collect these thrifted beauties for a my comedy homemaking series on whatever format replaces Tik Tok.😜Or like most unique items, I collect them for awhile and then list them for sale. Underneath that apron is yes yet another thrifted ball gown.
I deemed this first day of the challenge as Apron Day a few years ago, below are those links.
A year of the apron patterns.
When you are wearing the Apron, you must make Apple Crisp! 🍏 This recipe from Mary Meade's Country Cookbook (1993)
Apple Crisp
6 cups sliced cooking apples (about 6 medium)
3/4 cup flour
3/4 brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup butter
Place sliced apples in buttered baking dish. Mix flour, sugar, cinnamon, and butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over fruit and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes or until apples are tender. Servc with whipped or ice cream.
🍎
Ending with a video on Arts for Everybody.
The upcoming B letter day is All Things Bridal.
Because I am an eBay sewing pattern seller, there might be a few Pattern of the Day featured.
The weather has warmed enough so I can work in my downstairs studio. Worldwide Quilting Day just slipped by on March 15.
Now that I don't have a local fabric store to run to when I want to supplement fabric, I had to resort to online FabHop shopping. Here is the fairy fabric I purchased for the fairy quilt borders.
Mystery quilter dropped the 6 fairy quilt blocks at thrift. I was able to border the blocks with fabric on hand but needed more of the magical fairy-themed fabric. Don't get me wrong I have scads of fabric. When I first started in this craft, I bought all the orphan fabric at thrift. That meant I ended up with a lot of off-cut, mismatched, partial remnants.
On the college front, I officially changed my major from art history to art major. The next class queued up is Design Fundamentals as suggested by my current professor. I am skipping summer session and will resume online classes in the fall.
Said I wasn't going to enter anything in the California State Fair. I lied. At least not under the art quilt category, which has been my last three submissions. The Fair has posted their craft guidelines for 2025. My preferred category of entry is under Division 167, Class 4 Art/Decorative Rugs. I am getting there with this creation. It is taking a lot more yarn that what I realized. So far, I have bought 3 random small lots of precut yarn from eBay. I have also cobbed together three other Christmas-themed sets of yarn from thrift.
This has to be finished by the middle of May as entries close on the 15th.
Finishing up the first week's postings for the AtoZ Blogging Challenge. A new subject will entice me and I end up rewriting a scheduled post.
Back to working on that rug ...
Signups have opened for the AtoZ April Challenge. I have landed in slot no. 18 on the participant spreadsheet. Link to participants. I have also re-opened comments for this event.
Because I had to fit in a couple of photoshoots for the letter days of AtoZ Official Apron (A) and the Simply Delightful Thrifted Ball Gown (S), it made for a busy March.
Wedding update: My daughter has agreed to include Bride's Fruitcake in the gift bag given to guests. This is a tradition from year's past. A slice of cake is wrapped in floral print bags (modern update: with an ingredient list). The cake is soaked in sherry-drenched cheesecloth.
Thrifting update: It is that time of year when there is a dearth of nothing at thrift. The weather has been warming and folks are enjoying outside activities. Summer will slow my eBay sales to a crawl.
Spring break is over and college classes have resumed. My mid-term compositional sketches have been posted to the discussion board. Fall class offerings will post at the end of the month. Depending on what classes are available will determine whether I continue as an art history major or switch to an art major.
Spring break is so great! I have learned so much in my drawing class. Our two-part mid-term consists of 5 small compositional sketches in charcoal and white conte. The professor devised a complicated still life with student focus on composition.
Below is the still life I arranged for sketching.
For the second part of our mid-term we must post to the class discussion board our 5 sketches and label each with 2 of the compositional techniques utilized. The professor and students then vote on their favorite of your 5 and you then reproduce that sketch into a 11" x 17" final sketch.
Quilting update: Don't despair my quilty friends, I am still quilting. I just bought fabric for a fairy quilt to be highlighted on the April "Q" letter day. Mystery quilter had created 6 different fairies on quilt blocks. I just ordered fabric online (now the only option as all fabric stores have gone out of business in my area).
I picked up a couple of books at thrift, the keeper being a 2009 book by Debby Kratovil, Supersize 'Em! 22 quilts from oversized blocks. The quilt showcased on the cover is called "That Spikey Thing." I think it will work well with some Kaffe Fassett fabric I received at Christmas.
Welcome to the wearing o' the green for this quasi-holiday. I am sporting a thrift shop hat with thrift shop decor in the background.
It is my belief that a theme reveal requires a theme reveal image. This year I present Simply Delightful Thrifted Ball Gown for 2025. Celebrating the upcoming April Blogging from A to Z Challenge.
It has been a few *cough cough* years since I joined the A to Z Challenge. The theme reveal posts have actually been my favorites of the event. Below are links to my previous theme reveals. There are a couple of thrifted gowns in the links.
theme-reveal-for-2022
theme-reveal-for-2021
theme-reveal for 2018
theme-reveal for 2016
theme-reveal for 2015
theme-reveal for 2014
The blog hosts have encouraged us to write about the blogging community, gratitude, or being grateful for our blogging community. I do appreciate my fellow A to Z bloggers.
I will be revisiting recurring themes that I have posted in years past. These posts include:
Greenhouse gardening
Sewing patterns
Weird and wacky items found at thrift
Yarnbombing or You Get One Free Pass
I am going to have a struggle with the X and Z letter days. Both pets, Xena my cat, and Zipper my dog, crossed the rainbow bridge this past year.
I pretty much wing it through. Sometimes I totally re-write posts before their scheduled date. The key is to queue them up at least a month before. I hope you will join me and the other participants for the event throughout April.
Those following along in my blog journey know that I have segued away from quilt postings. What a difference in blog stats that has made. While I still have an interest in quilting, I really don't need to add to my small collection I have created. The original reason for beginning that craft was to make baby quilts for co-workers or for raffle baskets for the Sacramento Food Bank. I have neither of those recipients any more.
The lead-off image is the rustic doll I picked up for 99 cents. All she needed was a bath to freshen her up. These types of primitive dolls are a quick sell. I might keep her awhile.
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| https://www.ebay.com/itm/187022864851 |
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| https://www.ebay.com/itm/187022913111 |
