Bebeh Squirrel

The weather was quite nice yesterday late afternoon and DH and I decided to spend a little time enjoying our yard. We heard a shrill noise coming from one of our trees and could not quite put a finger on whether it was a bird or what. Walking around we figured out what tree it was coming from, a large oak near the back of the house. We were standing under it looking up and an object dropped on the grass under the tree in front of us and a large owl flew away. It was a baby squirrel, and it was what was making that shrill noise. The poor thing. I wasn't sure it would survive such a large drop and we stood there not quite knowing what to do. We thought about it for a while and could see the little guy was still breathing. We stepped away a ways to see if his mom was coming to get him but after several minutes, nothing happened. After a while DH picked it up and I hit the internet to see what to do. I immediately found a local site with a number to call for volunteers who take care of the little guys and called them and left a message. Meanwhile another site said what to do. DH opted to warm up the little guy in his hands while I made some homemade pedialyte and looked for a dropper to rehydrate him. I fed him a few droppers full and he perked up considerably, though he started rooting around DH's hand nibbling him trying to nurse.

I microwaved some small towels and put them in a box and then lined them with a soft kitchen towel and tucked him in. He fell asleep right away.

An hour later we got a call from the place and they took our location, an hour after that we heard back from a volunteer a few miles away where we took the little guy. The volunteer wondered whether we wanted to raise him ourselves, but I'd need to go get one or two others to raise with him so he wouldn't get too tame. At the end, I knew my boss would likely kill me if I brought baby squirrels to the office to feed, so we opted to just leave the little guy with other ones at the care of the volunteer. I hope he makes it, the volunteer coordinator who took him said he looked pretty good. :)
So that was our good deed of the day for yesterday: baby squirrel rescue. Considering how much squirrels love to dig up and kill my potted plants, well... but how could anyone resist such a cute little guy?

The Latest Doll Quilt

This one is called "Australian Dreams" and made for an exchange:

The recipient loves deep colors and aboriginal art, particularly from Australia. It is machine assembled, the kangaroo is hand embroidered and appliquéd (with a little wax colors added) and hand quilted, with traditional binding.

I am loving making these little quilts. I would love to do a little hexagon quilt, a little cathedral windows one, and a few other ideas using the scraps in my stash.

Illustration Friday: Clique

The fruit theme continues! Here is the latest oil on canvas (8x6"):

Yogurt Herb Loaf

I borrowed a copy of the Enchanted Broccoli Forest from the library and baked a loaf of their yogurt herb quick bread.


It turned out great! Tender and tangy, simply perfect! I must make this one again.

Mmmm, Chocolate

The most popular cake I make shouldn't even be called a cake, because it's incredibly dense and moist, more like a torte than a cake. It's chocolate cake with chocolate chips and chocolate icing, and has just made an appearance at the office potluck by request.


It's the Darn Good Chocolate Cake from the Cake Mix Doctor, except I usually substitute fat free sour cream (or yogurt), and add more chocolate chips than the recipe calls for and drizzle with melted chocolate icing, because you can never have too much chocolate. It's not completely made from scratch, but no one ever complains.

Another Doll Quilt!

I made this little doll quilt for another friend I was exchanging handmade things with. It's made from leftover scraps from a larger quilt I'd cut out a year an a half ago. I called it Hydrangea because the palette is based on the colors of hydrangeas.


It's machine assembled and hand quilted (stitch in the ditch) with traditional binding.

Back to Fruit

I'm back to my comfort zone and it shows! I was much happier painting yesterday's piece.

Oil painting, 8x8" canvas.

No Need to Knead

So I tried my hand as this no-knead bread thing and it worked! I of course substituted whole wheat flour for the regular flour it called for, but it turned out better than I expected!

Perfect with a little brie and a glass of wine!

Maybe I Should Stick to Fruit

Had a frustrating landscape painting day. I have admitted that landscape painting is not my forte, and this week's painting definitely shows it.


I told my instructor I'm taking a break from landscapes for now and going back to fruit next week.

Colorful Chickies

I am not into chickens or roosters, though I inherited a few hens and a rooster when I bought my first home years ago - the sellers even put them in the contract! It was quite the adventure figuring out how to care for them and watching all the chicken drama they got into. They each had their own personality. I wasn't all that good at country living and the chickens were left with the house's new owners when it was sold. I can't believe I actually miss having chickens sometimes, particularly after having been so dead set against them when I got that house.

I couldn't help but smile when I saw these little guys in the store. They were so colorful that I couldn't resist them, and I don't even like knickknacks or figurines (due to a strong aversion to dusting.) A lady walked by as I was picking them out (still surprised at myself that I liked them so much) and exclaimed, "Those chickens! I couldn't resist them either and had to get some last time I was here!" Well, at least I wasn't the only one!


Now they roost on the studio windowsill and make me smile every time I see them.

Palette Knife Love Continues Unabated

This week's painting was a little hair-raising because I didn't feel I was having the same beginner's luck I had the previous week, but I finished it regardless. I liked the way the sky turned out, it captured the fluffiness of the clouds the way they were.

Teeny Tiny Quilt

I haven't had much time to quilt lately, but I made this doll quilt for an exchange with a friend. I called it "Rain or Shine" because that is just the type of friend she is, there through it all.


It's made in her favorite colors. It's my first try at more traditional quilt binding, and only my second quilt (my first one was all hand stitched and hand quilted) this one is machine assembled, hand quilted, and the embroidery patches and yo-yo are hand appliquéd. I had never made a yo-yo but decided to give the heart-shaped one a try and it worked!

I am now a little bit hooked on these small quilts! I've already got a few others planned.

She's Here!

A new arrival was waiting in the mailbox after work yesterday!

Welcome home Rosalie!!!

Illustration Friday - Enough - Palette Knife Painting

Sometimes the shade of a tree on a hillside in a sunny day is enough.

One of the things I struggled with when I last painted oils was getting enough paint on the canvas. I preferred to paint in thin layers and build up color slowly. I always marveled at artists that could use impasto and expressive brush strokes, and wondered how they could get so much paint on the canvas with a brush. Turns out they were using palette knives all along.

We tried palette knife painting in the last painting session and I was fairly satisfied with my painting at the end of the day. I never thought I could paint like that! I think I'll be trying this technique again!

Enough, Oil on canvas, 8x6 inches.

Curiously, the cake decorating classes I took came in handy when trying this new technique!

Ripple Blanket - Coming Along

I am really enjoying watching the crocheted ripple blanket grow. I had originally planned on deciding the color sequence ahead of time but now I'm just adding whatever I think will look best. The pattern is easy and relaxing. I can't wait to see how it turns out!