Re-purposed!

So we finally got a flatscreen for the living room. YAY! We mounted it over the fireplace, which meant I could rearrange the room. But we still had the old stand from the old tv that had died. It was massive compared to the new one, and it's hard to believe it was about the same screen size. Anyway, since we never seem to have enough seats, and I hated to lose the storage capabilities of the stand, I decided to turn it into a bench. I figured if it was strong enough to hold that giant tv before, it should be plenty strong enough to hold a person. So I bought some 1 inch foam, which I doubled up to make it more comfy. Then I picked some fabric from my stash, a pretty green wool I got from my Nonna, and proceeded to sew a cover. Having a small child, I made the cover with an opening in the back like a sham, so I can take it off to wash it. Then I cut a piece of an old mattress pad to add a little extra fluff to the top. I stuffed the mattress pad piece and the 2 pieces of foam into the cover and voilà! A comfy seat with storage below. The pillow in the picture is from the couch, but I think I will have to make some nice pillows just for my bench. And if you're wondering, I did make the cushion slightly smaller than the stand on purpose. I left the end open so I'd have a place to set a drink down. Clever huh?!

Autumn Beauty

Our trees are rapidly losing their foliage. P seems to enjoy this very much. Especially since I taught him how to jump in a leaf pile. He has also started a leaf collection. Anyway, I just found this beautiful Bradford Pear leaf for him, and I had to take a picture. Just thought I'd share some beautiful fall color. Enjoy!

Pecan harvest has arrived!

I'm so happy! I actually managed to rescue some of our pecans from the squirrels this year! It's not much, maybe about 1 1/2 to 2 cups shelled. But I just love it when I can harvest edibles from around our house! I also got some good practice at shelling them. I think I've gotten pretty good at getting mostly whole or half nuts from the shells!

Now, what to make with them. Hubby would love a pie, but it's not enough for that. Maybe some pecan snickerdoodles. That sounds yummy!

Buzz Lightyear and Mama to the rescue!

I went to the fabric store today to get a few supplies, and what does my darling P find? Buzz Lightyear fabric, and he just has to have it! In fact, he needed it! Being a sucker for cute 3 year old faces and easy projects, I promised him a new pillowcase. There were several different prints, but this soft cotton flannel was his favorite. And it really is quite snuggly. So we bought a yard and brought it home. 30 minutes later, voila! An excellently executed pillowcase with french seams and a double stitched hem to seal in the edges. The best pillowcase I ever made! And I have a very happy little boy! If only it will encourage him to go to bed when I tell him to....

Yamaha 221 Bass Clarinet on Ebay

This is a download for a recording of my husband, Jeremiah, playing the Yamaha 221 Bass Clarinet we currently have for sale on ebay. The listing will end this Sunday, August 8th, so go check it out! If you prefer not to download the recording, use the player in my sidebar to stream it.

UPDATE: Bass Clarinet sold and was sent off to a very happy customer across the pond.

The Sailor's Sonata - New Music for Flute

This is a 3 movement sonata that I wrote for my Dad on Father's Day a few years ago. He has been saying for years that he would like to buy a boat (and has yet to do so), so I thought a sonata related to sailing would be appropriate.
The Sailor's Sonata is written for solo flute. It is my attempt to evoke feelings, emotions and scenes related to the ocean and sailing. The first movement is called "The Ship at Sea". The rolling flute lines should sound a bit like waves or the rocking of the ship. The second movement is called "The Waves are Calling" and is meant to evoke the torn emotion of a sailor trying to explain to his beloved why he must return to the ocean. The third movement is called "The Dancing Sailors" and is a theme and variations movement meant to evoke images of sailors trying to outdo each other while dancing.
Please see the media player in my sidebar to hear it, and I hope you enjoy listening to The Sailor's Sonata. If you are a flutist yourself, or you know one, and you would like to order a copy of the score, please visit my etsy shop Vividly Dreaming Blue for more details

No Christmas cards this year?

I feel so hmmmm...interesting today. With the rapid descent into the holidays, my family and I are in the midst of the busiest time of our year. Nov-Dec is really quite hectic for us.

It starts with the birthday of my SIL mid-Nov, followed by our dog's b-day (not a huge deal, but fun none the less), followed by Thanksgiving (which we celebrate at my parent's home), followed by my brother's b-day...And that's just the second half of Nov.

Dec brings several gigs for DH and I (both musicians), including my holiday orchestra concert and his 2 middle school band concerts. We also have to help our SIL move this month, go to a wedding, and celebrate my dad's b-day. Don't forget that we still have to shop for some gifts!

(Did I mention, we also have to squeeze in time to paint the room SIL is moving from and rearrange it for DS?)

Finally, we get to Christmas! I leave the Christmas prep to my mother, since we celebrate at their house...but that still leaves me with a very excited 3-year-old (who finally understands about presents and Santa) to deal with. Whew...I hope I haven't lost you yet, because we're not done yet! Then, after Christmas we get a minor lull for a couple days while we try to figure out what to do with all DS's new toys, and then we're off again for my DH's New Year's Eve gig, where I finally get a break with nothing to do, but read, knit, crochet, and listen to DS breathe while he sleeps. (Sigh of slight relief) But, the holidays are not over for us yet, because we have DH's b-day to celebrate, while squeezing in a dentist appt and eye doctor appts all in the first week of Jan.

So, I hope I will be forgiven if I don't send x-mas cards this year. I just don't think I'll have time to do it.