Lakadaisies

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog # 21

2012-02-22T08:28:00.000-06:00

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog # 21

Sadness envelopes us at the farm. We laid our beloved Saint Bernard, Maggie to rest yesterday. She lost her battle with cancer, though she fought bravely to the end. Her last day was filled with her favorite pastimes, a pickup ride with dad and a walk. Her walks were getting shorter as the cancer took hold, but she enjoyed them so much we allowed her to go as far as she could go. She was the boss of our family for about 6½ years since she came to us at 6 weeks of age. She ruled with love and a stern hand. We will miss her dearly and hold her in our hearts. We will need your prayers to get through this tough time and focus on the coming months. John says that we should be happy that we were able to be in her company for at least a little while. I know that he misses her just as much or more than I do.... Well, I feel better now that I have got that "out".... Thanks for being such a good listener.

It will be hard to leave Quinn tomorrow as we head south to the valley for the RGVQG Quilt show in McAllen, Texas. Our daughter Ginny will spend the night with him Wednesday night and then our son David will take over. I don’t know how we could leave him alone. We would love to take him with us, but have no idea how to sneak a 185lb. puppy into our booth. Please let us know if you have some insight into this.

I have spent the last couple of weeks working on a new design. Seems like that work is the best way to keep my mind off of "things". It will be at the show and you can see a picture below. I haven’t quite finished the quilting, so don’t look too close.

We will have about a week between this show and a workshop in Rogers, Arkansas at the Rabbit’s Lair. Then we head to the AQS show in Lancaster, Pa. We will be gone about 10 days before we come back home. I am already getting "homesick" and I am still at home.

After that, I think we do the Country Living Festival in Austin and then John wants to do the Spring Wholesale Market in Kansas City in mid May. He hasn’t told me any thing else yet. I will share with you as soon as I know.

Well, I have miles to go before I sleep, so I better get going. Thanks for listening and all your support.

enjoy life

dolores Storm

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog #20

2012-02-04T16:30:00.000-06:00

Down on the Lakadaisies Blog # 20

We are back from the Jefferson quilt show. Life is returning to normal. We were greeted at the door Sunday night by two very happy Saints. Maggie is holding her own and is very happy to have Mom and Dad home. Quinn is overjoyed that Mom is home. The poor baby was starving. This new protein diet we have him on doesn’t get him very many cookies. It seems Mom is the only one with a soft heart. His brothers and sister kept him on the strict diet while we were gone. They don’t fall for that cute little " I really need a cookie speech", like his Mom.

They really were sweet to pitch in and take care of them though, if not for their combined efforts you would have seen only John at the quilt show. Speaking of the quilt show, it was great. I want to thank the ladies that host the show. They are not a guild and volunteer to do this show. They not only feed us, they politely listen to our input as to what they can do to improve the show each year. Jefferson is a great venue for the show, they have wonderful turn of the century homes, many of which are bed and breakfasts. We stayed at one along with several of our vendor friends. What fun.

I was anxious to see how my new quilts in our Hand Me Down series would be recieved and I was very pleased at the positive response. We visited with a lot of wonderful people and I enjoyed sharing my designs with them and hopefully inspiring them to incorporate their hand me downs into their quilts. It was hard to put a finger on their favorites, because they liked them all-but the "Pledge of Allegiance Quilt" seemed to be the biggest hit. I put a picture of it on Blog #17. I made a few kits and we sold them all. I am making more, but you might want to hurry. Not sure what will happen when I run out of the fabrics. We decided to sell the kits with the patterns not included. We thought that you might buy the pattern first and then decide to buy the kit, in which case you would have to buy the pattern twice. John said something about offering some kind of incentive to buy them together. You will find them on our website under Kits stock # 1609. We did come across a couple of people who seemed to think that I changed the wording of the "Pledge" on my quilt. That is not the case. I decided to honor Francis Bellamy, who wrote it in 1892, by using his original version It was actually changed four times by our government. So, if you don’t like the changes, my question would be, "which one". I hope this clears everything up. It was not my intent to upset anyone by using the original version, only to honor the author. By the way, the rest of that story is fascinating--look it up.

A lot of our customers expressed interest in classes or workshops and I talked to them about our upcoming workshops in Rogers, Arkansas at the Rabbit’s Lair. Here are some pictures of the designs we will be working on.

I know that we will have a lot of fun and I hope to see you there. See my last Blog for information about that and Blog #15 for more information about the rest of my schedule. I am keeping my fingers crossed about the Country Living Fair in Austin, Texas. (April 27-29). I sent my deposit in and will let you know ASAP. Just call or email for more information. Who knows, you might even talk John into bringing me to your town. I don’t know what he has going on NEXT ...and now he has another saying " if you don’t want to go anymore-just stop". I don’t know where he comes up with them, but I guess I am not quite ready to stop so....Well, I have got to get back to those kits ....and there are some new designs just floating around up there...... ....waiting to be done.....gotta get them out... so I will say good bye for now and as always....

Enjoy Life

dolores Storm

ps I am getting all of my stuff ready for the valley (our next show in McAllen Texas) let’s see now, suntan lotion, beach umbrella...hmmm....maybe I will let John run the booth while I enjoy that sand......sounds like a winner....

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog #19

2012-01-24T18:58:00.000-06:00

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog # 19

My last blog was a little sad and I will try not to go there again. Now, I am going to focus on the positive. The swelling on Maggie’s leg has gone down. She is getting around pretty good-feeling no pain. We finally got the "special" medicine. We have radically changed her diet. Hopefully, her immune system will win. But, if it doesn’t, we got to share her life for a while. She is so full of love for us and we relish every minute of it.

I have been so busy, getting ready for the quilt show at Jefferson, Texas, this weekend (January 27, 28, and 29). We met so many truly nice people there last year. Plus the food was so good!!! I have a lot of new designs that I can’t wait to show off....I think that Brainiac has put most of them on the website.

And, I have been having a lot of fun getting all the kits ready for the workshops I am going to teach at The Rabbit’s Lair in Rogers, Arkansas (March 9, 10). So exciting...

Check out their website www.therabbitslair.com or call 479-636-3385 for more information.

I guess that there is always a tradeout. It seems that John scheduled us to vend at the American Quilters Society (AQS) Quilt Show in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and I will not be able to join my friend Susan Meyers (Silver Star Mercantile in Carrolton, Texas) in her booth at the Dallas Quilt Show this year. To make it up, John has promised her a life-size cardboard cutout of me.....that ought to be interesting. Seriously, Susan has most of my new designs in her shop and will have even more at the show. So, I will have to say "catch you later Dallas".

Well, looks like John has the bus all revved up and ready to go, and as he always says, "you are either on the bus or you are off"....he does have his moments-just not very many.

...got to go ......enjoy life......ds

PS We are planning on doing a lot more traveling this year and I really do enjoy speaking at guilds and teaching workshops/classes. I just might be in or at least close to your part of the world...Stay tuned to my blog or call/email for more information.

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog 18

2012-01-17T13:13:00.000-06:00

Down on the Lakadaisies Blog # 18
It has been over a month since my last blog, and for that I apologize. The holidays took it out of me. First Christmas, then New Years, then putting every thing back in place......Whew. Glad that is over. Still I find it hard to believe that it is the 17th of January 2012.

Maggie our Saint has been sick. She has been sick quite a bit since October with several trips to the vet. Her last trip gave us news that every parent of child (or dog) never wants to hear.... CANCER ..... our sweet Maggie has bone cancer in her hind leg and has been in a great deal of pain. We had noticed her limping a little, but put it down to playing with Quinn and arthritis. We wish that were the case. The vet says that probably the best option to prolong her life is to cut the leg off. Notice I say prolong her life and not save it. Maggie is quite heavy and he is not sure about her being able to get around after.....

All the kids rallied round our Maggie this last weekend and we discussed our options. John poured through internet sites, reading blogs and testimonials from people who had similar heart breaking news. We have decided not to take off Maggie’s leg. It seems selfish to me to prolong the pain and suffering just to keep her with us. Right now we have her on pretty potent pain pills and she is as comfortable as possible and surrounded by love.

We are looking into several ways to boost her immune system so that she can fight the cancer. We have tried ordering some medicine that was recommended, but the companies say they cannot ship to Texas. We seem to be the only state in the union that will not allow this. Looks like our best option is to ship it to an individual out of state that will ship it to us. I guess we are just in the wrong place, we just didn’t know it until now.....

This is so frustating, but when your child is sick you will try anything. We have decided to change their diets, so we have decided to cook their food from now on so that we can be assurred they get healthy cancer fighting vegetables(carrots etc.) and Omega 3's. We know it will probably be too late to save our Maggie, but it might give us Quinn for many more years.

I am almost empty of tears and my heart is aching, but rest assured we will keep Maggie as pain free as possible as she struggles with this horrible disease. I guess that we should continue to be happy to be a part of her life as long as we can, and cherish each moment. I guess that every once in a while we just need a little reminder. Maggie has always enjoyed her life and family. Sometimes it is tough but I am trying and I encourage you to do this too.

Dolores Storm

PS Please feel free to email with any help/advice/support/etc. Our email address is lakadaisies@hotmail.com

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog 17 or WHOO...WHOO

2011-12-13T22:20:00.001-06:00

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Volume 17 or WHOO....WHOO

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas, just not at Lakadaisies. I have not decorated at all. I have been so busy playing with some new designs that I have neglected lots of things. Like housework and cooking and shopping, and going to see Breaking Dawn. I really miss seeing Breaking Dawn, but I cannot see it without Ginny. She is leaving for Ireland Thursday. She will be gone for 5 days and I keep telling myself that she will be fine. Of course she will. I really need to concentrate on ONLY worrying about things that I can change....!

I just received my Christmas Memory Quilt back from France, along with a copy of the new Quilt Mania magazine. Guess what? It is in the American version...I am just gonna blame it on the lack of translation ...actually, it looks so good......I am really okay with that....WHOO...WHOO... What a great Christmas Present for me. It should be on the news stands, or in your local quilt shops soon. The Nov/Dec. issue. So go check it out.

Remember when I said I was working on new designs? Well, I just finished two of them and I am letting you be the first to see them. Pictures will follow if I can talk John into posting them..As you know I am still computer challenged.....They will be my latest designs in our Hand Me Down series. I used vintage and recycled clothing, including some of my socks in making these quilts. Sometimes I wonder about me...Seriously, I actually cut up not one, but two different pairs of socks. I call my first design Robbie IraDell after my mother in law (Hand-Me-Down Series- Stock # 607). I wanted to use some of the vintage buttons and scraps of handmade eyelet that she left me. I hope you like it. It went really fast and I did it all by hand, no machine work.

and here is a close-up of the little girl

And my second (Hand-Me-Down Series- Stock # 609), is dedicated to Frances Bellamy who wrote the original "Pledge of Allegiance" in 1892. I used recycled and vintage fabric with this quilt also. I did it by hand also.

I just love working with this technique of quilting. You get to use up what you have on hand and you can sit by the fire and watch television. Can’t get much better than that.

Anyway, back to Christmas. I am finding it hard to get in the spirit this year. Maybe I need to start on a new design and watch some Christmas movies and eat some Christmas cookies and drink some eggnog. You know what? I am getting right on that.....I will let you know if it works..

Enjoy Life

Dolores Storm

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog 16 or THANK YOU

2011-11-23T16:17:00.000-06:00

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog 16 or THANK YOU
It is the day before Thanksgiving, so I decided to write a short note about being Thankful for what we have. So many people wonder about what what their life would be like if they had chosen another path than the one they took. Most of them are convinced that the other path would be so much better...Life would be so great...All of their dreams would come true....They would have more money, a better house, they would of course be married to the perfect mate....But, really.....I don’t think so.

The path we chose to begin with may not be so bad....If you aren’t doing what you want to do in life, you can change it....There is no law against it....Of course you may have to work a little longer for it, but it is there for you to do...

I asked myself the other day what I would do if I suddenly won the lottery and had all the money I would ever need to live on. After several hours, I decided I would be doing the same thing I am doing now. So...I guess I really did choose the right path and I am thankful for it.

I am thankful for my family, my puppies and the chance to do what I love to do for a living. I am truly blessed that I am supported by them and you. Without either of you, my life would not be so rich....so Thank you .....for supporting me and believing in me for so many years.

I hope that you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving...and a wonderful start to the holiday season.

Enjoy life...
Dolores Storm

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog 15 or Busy Having Fun

2011-11-14T15:15:00.000-06:00

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog 15

I can’t believe it has been a month since my last blog....I sometimes get lost in my own little world...sad but true...and I have been so busy having fun...........

I did not vend at Quilt Market and Festival in Houston this fall, and I feel so stress free that the ideas are flowing so fast my hands cannot keep up. I did go down to Market on the first day and had a very nice visit with my friends at Sulky and some other old friends that I only see at Quilt Market. I also visited with some of the magazine people including Quilt Mania-we have a small problem-I don't speak French. They do speak a bit of English, however, and we had a nice visit, I thought.

I was so happy to see Connie of Starry Pines Pattern Co., she is one of my favorite people in the world and I was so sorry to hear about her husband having a stroke. I wish him a speedy recovery. Connie has a store in Windsor, Colorado...The Little Wool Shoppe...if you are in her area-stop by...call first because she does close for a few months in the Winter to redo the store.....Her work is so great...you do not want to miss it.

Anyway...........we are gearing up for the new year....John is booking shows and workshops....right now looks like we start the new year at The Jefferson Quilt Show in Jefferson, Texas on January 27, 28 and 29th -Great Show(they fed us so well last year we have to go back for "seconds")...here is a link to their site www.jeffersonquiltshow.com ..... then it is down to the Valley for the Rio Valley Show at the Convention Center in McAllen, Texas...Febuary 24 & 25th....I have heard a lot of good things about this one- here is a link to their site www.rgvqg.com .....from there we head North to Lancaster, Pennsylvania for the AQS show-they always put on a good show-one more link for you www.americanquilter.com ....March 14-17..that sounds like four days to me...hmmmm....John wants to set up a few speaking gigs (yes, I do "speak" at Quilt Guilds) or workshops that might not be too much out of the way....contact him if you are interested... we will be listing more as they come up...

Meanwhile, I am playing....I have finished one quilt and now I am starting on two more while doing some new redwork patterns on the side...I am a multi-tasker...this answers the question about getting lost in my own little world....

Thanksgiving is next week...who knew..... well I guess my daughter and myself will be whipping up dinner. She just got a job promotion....We are so proud of her....She is a multi-tasker like her Mom....only smarter...and younger...and cuter....and still single...Told you she was smart....

Maggie and Quinn are enjoying the cooler weather...Quinn is snoring from the bedroom right now, and Maggie is snoring under my feet.. Life is good...Ok....enough chatter....I am going back to playing...catch you later and enjoy life.... ds

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog # 14

2011-10-20T10:42:00.001-05:00

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Vol. 14

It is Thursday, nearly the weekend. We are home now, just back from a guild quilt show in Canton Tx. Here are some pictures of our booth.

That cat seems to be all over the place. Actually, his/her name is Scaredy Cat and we sell patterns for him/her. On our website, click on Folk Art and the pattern is Stock # 415. They are all just a little bit different and look so cute in different clothes. I made several and I do have a few originals that I might let go..call/email

My babies, Maggie and Quinn are following my every move, they spent yesterday with me in the workshop while I put some things back in their proper place. Now I am doing some long overdue cleanup. I am hoping to finish today so I can start playing again.

We had such a good time at the show, we saw some old friends and met some new ones. The ladies that put on the show fed us every day with the best food, it was like a family reunion....everyone bringing their favorite dishes with the best desserts going fast. I found two cutter quilts at the show from the 1800's that I will take apart for the fabric. I have lots of ideas for them and can’t wait to get started. I actually started one last night and John took the other one. I gave him the hardest one, because he has lots of patience.

My favorite find came from the booth next to us. A board that you can put over your ironing board to make it bigger. I think that is so clever. I guess I don’t get out enough, but oh my stars...I can come up with so many uses for it. Display tables...work table... and they (the couple who had the booth) were so sweet...I am adopting them. I don’t think I’ve had a better time. I haven’t laughed so hard in a long time..I am sure we had way to much chocolate. It turns out that they live right down the road from us at Lake Belton. He is retired and she was/is a fan of mine. She had bought some patterns from me a few years ago...Small world. She made the cutest pin cushions and Santa ornaments from old wooden spools...we made a good trade or two.

We recieved an email from Quilt Mania in France while we were there. They borrowed our new Christmas Memories Quilt a few weeks ago and it will be featured in the Nov./Dec. Issue. It will be the French version of their magazine, I will try to get some extras when I see them at market. Otherwise, Barnes and Nobles usually carries them..They sent us our ad to view, and it looks good. I cannot wait to see it...Yes, I know I have been in magazines before, But not in France.....I can already see the Eiffle Tower....I am going to have to hone up on my French...

Well, I am going to go enjoy a cup of coffee in the gazebo before I get started on my day. Everything looks so green... We got a little over 5 inches of rain last week and wow....What a difference. John is planting an oat patch.. So it will be nice and quite .......Remember to enjoy life

dolores Storm

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog Lucky # 13 or Thank You Colorado

2011-09-29T13:39:00.000-05:00

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog #13 or "Thank You Colorado"

Hello Everybody:

Well, we just got back from the mountains. It sure was nice to "beat the heat", at least for a little while. It doesn’t seem so bad/hot now. Maybe it is just me or maybe I just haven’t been outside as much. We have been staying inside-trying to catch up and ship out those orders that piled up while we were gone and those that we took at the Quilt-A-Fair in Longmont, Colorado.

I would just like to say to all of the people that we met at Longmont, Thank You Very Much. I have not had such a good time in a while. You really do know how to throw a party. I really enjoyed watching John work so hard. He gave away so many "kisses" to other women that I think that he is going to have to start buying his own chocolate. I wish that I had counted how many were in our booth at one time-where is that camera when you need it. All I have are some pictures of the booth before everybody got there.

Also, a special "Thank You" to the woman who decided to move the line outside the booth. I would send you something nice if I just knew your name/address. John didn’t get it, but he doesn’t get a lot of things.

Oh, I nearly forgot-thanks for making our son Josh feel so much at home. He went with us on his vacation. I guess I would call it a "working vacation". He works all the time at his job (he is some kinda higher-up at a HEB grocery store in Austin) and we think that he needs to "get away" more. Well he got away, or at least out of the frying pan and maybe into the fire. No, that was John that was in the fire. Anyway, he helped us a lot and he even tried his hand at stitching-John caught him on camera. He didn’t delete it so here it is.

Well, it is back to work time-I am going to stop by the gazebo for a "break" first. John says we gotta get ready for the next show.......Canton Texas...14th and 15th of October....... OK ...but right now I just need to get the proper attitude...but wait what do I see.... is that John with a bottle of wine....and... is that chocolate?........hmmmm.....maybe he is not so bad......

So like John always says.....Enjoy Life.....I am beginning to like that saying.....I might just steal it.........oh yeah ....... I already did dolores Storm

PS After a "heart to heart" with my babies-puppies. I have decided not to have a booth at The Houston Quilt Festival this year. I am going to concentrate on new designs and plan on having "BIG SALES" and getting our property ready to sale...... I need some sand between my toes....

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog 12 or 2 Much Fun

2011-09-19T12:16:00.000-05:00

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog #12

HELLO from “not quite so dry” Texas. Yes, we had a nice rain out here on the farm-
nearly two inches. I really hope that everybody else got one also. For those that didn’t , I
will get John to order one. He does that kinda thing.

So...anyway we met a lot of nice people at the Quilt Guild of Greater Houston Quilt
Show at Stafford. We are revving up for the NEXT PARTY in Longmont, Colorado at
Quilt-a-Fair on the 23rd and 24th of September. And then, the guild show in Canton
Texas, on the 14th and 15th of October...........maybe Quilt Festival in Houston ........
hmmmmm.

I am having BIG SALES most weekends at my shop outside of Lampasas, Texas.... we
are downsizeing and fixing to put our place on the market.... We still have lots of
antiques and other FuN stuff left, and some of my originals will be “for sale” as well.
So......if that sounds like fun and you want to pick up some bargains....Come on down, or
up..... which ever the case may be......Call first, just in case.....we live right close, so I can
open any time .

I am thinking about changing my name to “2 Much Fun” because that is what I have been
having. We just got through making these guys out of stuff we have (had). I call them
the “spare parts people” and they are truly “one of a kinds”. I made one and named him
“Sam”( I really put a lot of thought into that one).....

John made one and named him
“Rambo Hitler”. Two of our children got inspired and went wild....and now we get to
look at “Teddy Borden”(imagine Teddy Roosevelt meets Lizzy’s Dad).

And now for the really fun part. I have been giving classes. I really should change my
name to “TEACHES HOW TO HAVE FUN---WILL TRAVEL”
We had so much fun in Dallas the other day. I spent the day with some new friends-they
learned how to do “wool applique”.....we had a blast. I am planning on giving some
classes at my place and I might even come to yours....call/email me...

With all of that in mind, I will just add that I believe that you should enjoy life..........
I am really trying.......its so easy........i can help......sounds like a song......maybe I am a
dadgum songwriter.........still not gonna quit my day job............if I had one...........
.........hmmm........dolores Storm

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog #11 or Back on the Trail

2011-09-07T18:57:00.000-05:00

Down on the Lakadaisies Blog #11 or Back on the Trail

Hey, I fell asleep for a bit. Well, we are back on the Quilt Show Trail. We are headed to Houston for the Quilt Guild of Greater Houston show at Stafford on the 9th and 10th, and in Longmont, Colorado at Quilt-a- Fair on the 23rd and 24th. Both of those are in September, of course. I am looking forward to some very cool weather in Colorado, hope I am not dissappointed. We will be at the guild show in Canton Tx. , on the 14th and 15th of October. I haven’t decided on the Festival in Houston yet......... I am procastinating. I am having big sales most weekends at my shop outside of Lampasas, hoping to downsize and be able to put our place on the market. We still have lots of antiques left, and some of my originals will be on the market as well. So......if you have nothing to do and want to pick up some bargains....Come on down, or up..... which ever the case may be......Call first, just in case.

Quinn is here , telling me he is hungry......so I will be back in a few minutes....He can get pretty loud.... Well, that’s done... poor baby was starving. Maggie is finishing off his leftovers..... Now he wants a cookie. I am thinking he is a little bit spoiled..oh well they are just babies for a little while.....We went to Austin yesterday, had lunch and a movie with our daughter ,Ginny and our son, Josh. It was a quiet affair, Ginny lost her voice..... We stopped by a very cute shop in Georgetown, "Blends" close to Austin and I bought a sweater......That will come in handy......nothing like 100 degree plus weather to send me sweater shopping.....just kind of thinking...if I buy it, the cold weather will come....Well, one thing is for certain.....It couldn’t hurt. Life is what you make of it.....so, with that in mind......enjoy life...dolores Storm

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog #10

2011-08-15T10:13:00.001-05:00

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog # 10

This has been a slow week at the Lakadaisies Farm. We shipped out some wholesale orders and I tried to work on new projects.....But then, out of the blue skies we are so used to seeing came some thunderstorms. So, we just stopped and watched the rain. I forgot how much I enjoyed just listening to the sound of rain on the tin roof. You can’t beat the simple joys of life. Quinn and Maggie had forgotten what rain looked like.... They were as fascinated as we were and stood at the front door just soaking it in.....until the thunder scooted them closer to Mom and Dad.

Yes indeed, we got three tenths of an inch. Life is good.....Now, we have humidity to go with the 100 plus heat.

My week is over and I enjoyed a visit from my daughter and grandpuppy today...Short, only an hour or two....We talked about the trip she is planning for her birthday in December. She is going to Ireland. All by herself....I am beside myself, but she is determined....I know she is a big girl, but still.....Ireland? She asked her brother to go with her, but he turned her down...I may have to have a talk with him. She gets lost getting off an elevator some time.... Maybe I can talk her into Disney World instead.....

Well, they can’t stay in your pocket forever....

Enjoy Life

dolores Storm

oh, I forgot, my daughter found the cutest rug for me..... Just perfect...sometimes a picture......says it all.....

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog #9 or Fun Fun Fun

2011-08-07T21:30:00.000-05:00

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog # 9 or "Fun Fun Fun"
Hi everybody. Hope you are staying cool. We are still waiting on Summer here.....I don’t think that it has been 110° in the shade-yet.....
Anyway, I just got back home from my weekend in Carrollton at my good friend Susan Meyer’s house. I stayed with her, and taught a class hosted by her shop "The Silver Star Mercantile". The class was at Sandy Calvert’s house,...a very good friend of Susan’s....I must say, I have never met a more gracious host and hostess. Sandy’s husband went above and beyond, as did Sandy. Can you imagine the horror of turning your house over to 8 women with scissors, paper, needles and wool.... I had so much fun...I hope everyone had just as much. Here are a few pictures.......

Sandy has a sewing room out by the pool, that I hope to move into...just kidding Sandy.....not
A special thanks to all my willing students...and a big fat A for all your hard work . I look forward to our next class, just let me know and I will be there.
Susan and her husband Raymond were so wonderful.......Her house is decorated better than her shop, if you can believe that....She brought me home as far as Hamilton and we took a few moments to stop by the Homestead in Hico.........A must see if you haven’t.........
My babies were so happy to see Mom, I am sure John did not feed them at all while I was gone. I am pretty sure Quinn will be down to 180 lbs. Poor baby, skin and bones.....and Maggie....pitiful......
Well, I hope everyone finishes their project and remember to send pictures and call me if you get stuck and need help....Hope to see you for the next class....watercolor? and Thank you so much....
Remember to enjoy life, take tiny stitches and eat lots of chocolate
d. Storm

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog #8 or "Blue Skies"

2011-08-03T18:32:00.002-05:00

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog #8 or "Blue Skies"

Hello All. I hope that you and yours are fine.

Well, yesterday I was working on wool kits for my class this weekend with Silver Star Mercantile in Carrollton , Tx. We will be doing a new wool applique design Bittersweet Harvest. Here’s hopeing that everyone enjoys the class and is happy with the results.

I am actually hand coloring the background on them. The top being the blue sky and the bottom being the green grass. Then, just when my shoulder was screaming ouch....... My husband popped his head in out of the heat....and kindly offered to help.....not really... Okay, I told him I needed him and promptly put him to work handcoloring wool...It is very messy....This is why I am doing it...not making my students...... I would never make that kind of a mess in some one else’s home...Actually, I think he would have done anything to get out of the heat....What a wimp....it only got up to 107 °.

Anyway...back to what I was saying..John sat down a little hesitantly at the table and began the process. What fun..... He took to it like a duck to water....then, after a short while...My middle child, Josh showed up with my grandpuppy. So, I put him to work.......I mean play. Josh, not the puppy.....Soon, we were all three up to our elbows in blue skies, water, paint, and lots of fun....Actually we made a lot of progress and the background fabrics for my kits are finished. Yeah!!!!!!!!

So, then my oldest son showed up with my grandson and we retired to my new Tiki Hut (Green Gazebo) in the back yard...for a much needed respite. See pictures on my last blog....any way...that led to dinner and a movie.. I went to bed during that (the movie) and I have no idea what they did next.....

TWO WORDS........EAR PLUGS !!!

Well, looks like it’s gazebo time again for me

--- always remember------enjoy life ds

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog #7 or My "Green Gazebo"

2011-07-26T20:57:00.000-05:00

Down on the Farm Blog #7
All I needed was 15 days...and a little Johnny Rivers ( Realization Album)..... and I am back... I have been painting the room that I have been moving the workshop out of... It is now a bedroom.. I still need to hang some pictures...... Tomorrow.... I also painted my bedroom... I know..... once I get started with a paint can there is no stopping me....unfortunately, the days when I could paint and decorate it all, in one day are long gone.

As you may have heard we are having a little heat wave in Texas....so it is cramping my style a little.... I like the outdoors, but not at 105....Quinn and Maggie are suffering in the heat, but they are troopers and came out to see me and John work on my new "Green Gazebo". Did I not mention that? Well, I like to dabble in wood every once in a while.....I have no idea what I am doing, but I know what I want it to look like...drives John crazy........any way.....I convinced John to help me build this gazebo using what we had ......old window screens, boards, and a little pixie dust and, it all came together.....It only took one week.......I like it....

We have decided to put our place on the market......I can almost feel the ocean breezes...So...We are working on closing the shop and selling off excess stuff. I can not believe how much stuff I have... it needs to be condensed dramatically in order to fit into a small Winnebego...That is my goal.....me , my babies and I guess John....traveling around from beach to beach....Quilt shows and just having fun.....I am so ready.....Wish you could join me...I wish everyone could....Life is so short and I am tired of being a conventional girl..We only get one life and I am sure I can sew on the road......Oh, I almost forgot...here is a picture of my new gazebo...let me know what you think....

as always

enjoy life ds

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog #6

2011-07-10T16:57:00.001-05:00

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog #6

Hello

Another hot one on the Farm. But, we just keep on ticking. Here is the finished picture of the scarecrow that we will be doing in the August 6th class with the Silver Star Mercantile in Carrollton, Texas. It will be lots of fun and hopefully it will help to hasten in the fall weather we so desperately need. So if you haven’t signed up yet, or for more information contact Susan at 972 242 4490 or via email at silverstarmercantile@yahoo.com and she will be glad to help you.

Enjoy life ds

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog #5

2011-07-09T10:17:00.003-05:00

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog #5

Well, discovering old things is great, but they have the worst habit of getting me off track. Old fabric speaks to me. The fabric I took from an old quilt the other night just would not be quiet, so.....I took a break and did my version of an old sampler. I had to. It spoke to me.... What fun! Quinny is speaking to me now....he wants a cookie.. Okay, he has his cookie now.... So what was I saying ? Oh yeah, my sampler...It is not quite finished, but I will show you a picture....

So, what to do today ? Finish sampler or workshop? I’ll ask Quinn after he finishes his cookie. Yesterday, Quinny wanted a bath. He went to the bathtub when I asked him and stood there looking. So, after telling him to get in...you must act on these sensitive things quickly...I called John and one hour and a small lake on the floor later....A clean Quinny. Maggie of course realized she was next and decided.... No Thank You .... So, pulling her to the edge of the tub, we convinced her to get in. Piece of Cake....Things went well until she decided she had been taking a bath long enough. She proceded to get out...We of course wanted her to stay in...It was kind of like ...Trying to put a wet elephant back in a tub...Maggie won..Bath over... Another lake to clean up. Maggie refused to speak to John for several hours. She forgave him after their walk last night. There is never a dull moment at Lakadaisies. Well, Quinn says I need to get back to work on the workshop space. I just know John put him up to saying that. So...I will sign off for now...

Remember to enjoy life... dolores

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog #4

2011-07-07T12:36:00.001-05:00

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog #4

We did not do much this year to celebrate the 4th of July. John spent most of the day in bed, with a bad back. His back must have been really hurting-not a word about Willie's Picnic....Ginny did come up Saturday with her brother (Josh) and one of our grandpuppies (Scout), but they went home to Austin on Sunday. Our grandson (Noah) is spending time away from home on the fourth. His Mom (Amanda) is so lost without
him. It is so hard to let your children go... if only for a little while. Our granddaughter (Becky) is working this summer at a snow cone stand.....So proud of her...

Me, .... I am still moving the workshop. I know..... it is taking a lot longer than I thought. I keep unearthing things that I have to play with, like this wonderful old dress that came from my Mother in Law. I don’t know if it was hers, or it might have been her Aunt Vera’s. Anyway, I convinced Ginny to try it on.......IT FIT! Of
course she said she couldn’t breathe, but it looked so cute I had to take a picture. We took it in the workshop, so you can get a sneak peek..

Oh, I nearly forgot...enjoy life
dolores Storm

2011-07-07T12:33:00.000-05:00

Strawberry Cake

2011-07-01T19:40:00.000-05:00

Our Daughter-In-Law said that we should take a picture of the cake. Dolores said No-she thought that it was too late (nearly half is gone) . So I snapped this one.
js

Down on the Lakadaisies Farm Blog #3

2011-07-01T09:31:00.001-05:00

Down on the Farm Blog #3

Good Morning .....I spent 2 hours last night taking apart an antique coverlet that had seen better days. It was 3 layers tied with thread. The second layer was feed sacks in new condition...yeah....bonus... that will help replenish my stash of vintage fabric for my miniture quilts. .it was getting low..I was getting worried... Most of it is thread bare and faded...My favorite kind...anyway...so I am slow getting started this morning....COFFEE...........

I am going to make a strawberry cake. Yepper, I know....but I am working it off. Still working on the workshop space.. It is looking pretty good..but,I need to stop work on that and go put the shop back together. I messed up all the displays for the Oklahoma Quilt Show. So- I am going to put it back together again ...I know...I will just shut the door when I am through. But, I promised it would look good when you drop by...What are friends for? Speaking of friends, Sandy Jenkins stopped by on her way to Dallas last week. For those of you who haven’t met Sandy, she is the Queen of Needlework. She has a shop in Fredricksburg and gives workshops there, when she is home. She travels a lot giving workshops and going to shows. Her husband, Rocky runs the shop when she is gone. So, if you are in the area stop by and see them. Here is a link to her website http://web.me.com/sandyjenkins2/Sandy_Jenkins_Designs/Welcome.html

The cake is out of the oven and waiting for the icing. Oh my stars but it smells good..Wish you were here to eat it with me..I love to cook, but hate to eat it all by myself. John of course will be forced to eat some, but strawberry cake is not his favorite. So I will make the big sacrifice and eat it. I am including the recipe so you can make one. No sense in me getting fat all by myself. Life is to short not to eat cake. Well, guess I better stop and get busy..

Enjoy Life ...dolores Storm

1- box of white cake mix
1- box strawberry jello
2- eggs
1- stick of butter, melted
1- cup water
1- cup sliced fresh strawberries
Bake at 350 till light brown...about 25 min.
Icing
3 to 4 cups powdered sugar
½ cups sliced strawberries
1 stick butter, softened
mix together and frost
This is so good cold on a hot summer day......

Down on the Farm Blog # 2

2011-06-29T17:06:00.000-05:00

Down on the Farm Blog #2

Oh my stars it is hot..... I am still moving my workshop. The room I am moving into is 3 times the size of my old room. I am not quite half through with the move, and I am amazed that I have run out of room! What kind of a crazy world do we live in..This is not supposed to happen... Maggie and Quinn come to the door and demand to come in to help. They proceed to lay right in the middle of what floor space I have left. Of course it is so easy to step over St. Bernards while juggling big boxes. They think it is great to be with Mom. I am sure the workshop will be finished before my classes start in September..Cross your fingers..If not I am sure we can muddle through. I have so many workstations set up I can work on at least 6 different things at once. I tend to work on at least 4 things at once now, so it will be great to have more projects going...Everyone does that though, right ?

Oh, there is one thing I forgot to tell you about John. He doesn’t have much to say and he doesn’t have much to say very often. So, when he handed me this and said that he had written it for the next blog, I was nearly speechless. So now, I will turn the blog over to him-at least for now...... enjoy life ds
　
You know after years of hearing things like:
I love the way that looks but I don’t know how. Or, I can’t do that. And especially, do you give classes? After years of begging and pleading, I finally talked "her" into letting the fun begin. Yes, friends and neighbors, Lakadaisies is now in the "teaching you how to have fun" business. What better way to learn how to do "redwork" than from the flyiwng fingers of the Maestro. She is so good with wool that sheep from around the world send her samples. I really do hate to brag, and I am sure that you get the idea-- so I will just quit.....so.......due to popular demand,-- presenting

Lakadaisies Workshops 2011
These workshops will be held at our new worshop/garage close to Lampasas, Texas. Hours will be 10AM till 5 PM, with a break for lunch, Kit and lunch are provided, unless otherwise noted. Call/email for details...

August 20 . You will be learning how to use watercolor paints to dye cotton and wool for wall hangings. We will be doing a wool appliqued scarecrow. We will be doing the actual dyed background for the scarecrow.You will be able to use this technique in any design.
It will add that little extra touch to your work. .....yeah..... 10 students....... $125.00

October 8 . We will be working on two projects--REDWORK-- including matting and framing, and
MIXED MEDIA COLLAGES.......................................... 15 students....... $125.00
　
October 22 We will be working on Christmas. This includes mixed media collages, wreaths, and a Christmas Memory Board....And if time allows...some gift wrapping projects with recycled paper.
(Word from the horse’s mouth--Fun Stuff is promised)..........15 students........ $150.00

November 12 Again, the focus is on Christmas. We will be working on mixed media collages, Christmas Memory Boards, and gifts made from recycled materials that you will love to give as presents.....
You do not want to miss this workshop. We will have lots of fun...15 students $150.00
　
If you have a group of fifteen or more and would like to schedule a workshop in your area, we do worshops for Redwork Embroidery, Mixed Media Art Quilts or Collages, and Wool Applique... Please call for details/availability.
　
js
　
PS I nearly forgot...

August 5 & 6 Wool Applique (Scarecrow)....Fun Time with Susan from Silver Star Mercantile in Carrollton, Texas...Kits will be included..class size is limited...call 972 242 4490 for more info-save your spot

Down on the Farm Blog # 1

2011-06-26T12:02:00.000-05:00

Down on the Farm   Blog #1

The Lakadaisies Farm, that is. We don't really have a farm-just a few acres. We are out in the country though, and we do have a large garden. I like to think of it as an idea farm-where ideas grow. I don't mean political or anything like that. I mean ideas like decorating ideas. Ideas for Redwork and Folk Art and Quilts and stuff like that. Sometimes they just come to me and I can just see them in my head... Anyway, I am going to call it the Lakadaisies Farm, and we are back on it. It always feel good to get home-sleep in your own bed-yeah-yeah-yeah. My babies (my puppies) were awfully happy too...I really do hate to leave them.  Our two sons, our daughter, and especially our daughter-in-law and grandson, really do take good care of them when we are gone--that makes it bearable. But, I really do miss them and they miss me. I hope that we can figure out a way to take them with us.

So, I think I finally get it. This Blogging thing is kinda like keeping a diary and letting everyone read it. Just not sure what to do with the "juicy spots" yet. I guess that I will know when I get to one....           I think I can--I think I can--I think I can.....

Yes, it is nice to have some Texas sand between my toes...that Florida sand is still calling me home...oh well...maybe someday.......

Oh, John also said not to worry about spelling (which is a good thing because I noticed I misspelled a word or two on the last one) or jumping around. I think he means changing subjects (which is also a good thing because I tend to do that). I tend to be a
perfectionist--but-- I am trying to get over it.

So, we had a good second day at OKC. It seems that friendly people abound in Oklahoma. We ran out of a few patterns which is a good thing. John only printed 100 copies of a paper telling about our classes and we ran out of them on Friday, so we went to a copy place and did some more. He set the package on top of the truck to put the suitcases in Saturday morning. Of course, he couldn’t find them when we got to the show. He said that he was going to go find them. It was really windy and I said “no way”. Well, some people have all the luck-he found them still in the package and it only looked like they had been run over a time or two. Most of them were still good and the others were still usable. On his way back to the show, he found an estate sale and bought me three beautiful wool blankets and a few pieces of lace. So, I guess that I am the “lucky one”.

I will close on that. I do need to get something done. Just now sure what yet.
Just remember---

Enjoy Life
dolores Storm

Oklahoma City Quilt Show

2011-06-25T07:19:00.000-05:00

Greetings from Oklahoma City

Yes, we are in the Capitol City and have a booth at the Central Oklahoma Quilters Guild, Inc. Quilt Show. They call it A Celebration Of Quilts 2011 FROM HEART AND HANDS. It is at the State Fair Park and is a two day show ending Saturday (today). Let me tell you, these people really know how to party. Join us if you can. for more information here is a link to their website.
http://www.centralokquilters.org/QuiltShow.aspx

I have to tell you. I am trying to learn how to do this blogging thing. It is new to me, but I am trying. John says that you, just want to know what I am doing and that I just need to visit with you. He claims to have talked to several people and that I need to do it every day or at least every other day. He says not to worry about the puncuation and that it should become easy to do after a few times. Well I don't know about that, but I am going to give it a try.

Enough about that. Yes, we had a wonderful day Friday. I must say that we met some of the nicest people that I have ever met. I do not intend to offend anyone, and I have met a lot of really nice people all over our United States. It seems that Quilters as a general rule are just "great" and I am proud that you girls/guys have allowed me be to become a member of your group....

More about that later. right now I have got to get ready for the show. After this show ends today we are southbound-John is such a slavedriver. (I have got to finish putting the final touches on my workshop and be ready for my new classes. I have got them scheduled
now and will tell you more about them real soon)

Hey, that wasn't so bad...I think I like it already!! John thinks (he is always thinking something) that I should have a little closing saying-like Walter Cronkite or Paul Harvey. Like a motto, so I will use his.

Enjoy Life
dolores Storm

First Blog

2011-06-13T19:07:00.000-05:00

This is my first blog...ever....I can't believe it.....but, you are reading the proof.. We went to Quilt Market in Salt Lake City, then went on to Montana...We got caught in floods and fires on our way back to Texas...Wow... What a ride.. We got orders filled and I decided to move my workshop from my house to my garage . Good idea, but first I had to talk my hubby into it....Not so easy, as he hates to move or clean anything. Well....I won this battle and we just finished painting the floor today...Yepper, we had to do it and yes some of the paint hit the fan..but it was totally worth it. Now the fun stuff starts tomorrow.. Moving stuff I can't live without and decorating......

I have decided to hold workshops there...have some fun for a change..you are welcome to join me....my first workshop will be in August in Carrollton, Texas with the Silver Star Mercantile. however....It will be a wool applique that I am almost finished with. I am going to show you a sneak peak.....Call the Silver Star for more details...Gotta go for now, Maggie and Quinn want their walk and John has to save this...I haven't learned to do that yet..

dolores storm

2011-06-03T16:17:00.011-05:00

Testing

2011-06-02T18:59:00.024-05:00