Towns of Ireland

This town is Kilkenny and we visited twice. Family records were being researched here.

The roads are so narrow that only the "locals" drive through town. Visitors are strongly urged to park outside the downtown area and walk. That was no problem for us!

Women's Retreat

This was my first retreat experience and I definitely was NOT camping out....until I saw the "camp grounds". And the tent was super nice....so I said "yes" to a new experience! The night life was amazing with the calls, hoots, and chirps!!! The Oklahoma weather was just PERFECT! ! !

The retreat began Saturday at 1:00pm and ended Sunday afternoon. The time sounds like a short one....but I was so renewed.....an unbelievable experience that was shared with a super awesome group of women! ! !





The sunset was glorious....this was such a peaceful surrounding. I had forgotten just how being in the country away from the city buzz...you can actually hear yourself think!


The torches made the evening so magical. After the last person went to bed, our hostess blew out the torches but the night sky was so brilliant with the stars that you could clearly see so making a trip to the house was easy. (Of course, it was only about six feet away.) This is my new idea of camping!



The fire pit was such a terrific experience, too. We held our discussions in a circle around this fire pit which made for a cozy and warm gathering. Later we made smores! Oh, my!





Everyone appreciated the foot soaks and massages. The quiet time to read, take a walk, and/or meditate. And in between, we participated in projects together and shared delicious meals!







We had a special treat on Sunday morning with a Yoga instructor. Can you imagine how lovely it was doing the Yoga outside on the deck in our pj's?!

















Can you believe that I had a Henna? It lasts about fourteen days. My daughter free-handed this design on my chest. It's still wet...so don't touch yet! And NO....there was no alcohol served!






























Stay Tuned! There will be more about Ireland to come!

Tree Tunnels

What a delightful experience to drive through the "tree tunnels". The roads do not have shoulders and are very narrow. It makes driving on the left even more challenging!

The Witches' Stone

After touring the Blarney Castle and kissing the stone, we explored the garden paths and this was one of the things we found.














We left the grounds close to dusk...good thing, too!






Click on a the photo for a closer view which has the explanation!

Ireland's B&B's

After about five nights staying at different B&B's, my daughter Kimberly and I decided to rate them. Attitude, cleanliness, food, mattresses, water pressure, shower size, breakfast menu, etc. It was hilarious to make a rating system. After I have a chance to sort the photos, I am going to journal our final numbers...I will be making my own travel logs.

This is our first experience with staying at the B&B...this one was between Galway and the Aran Islands.

100% Irish

My adorable husband Bill enjoying a quick view while driving.
YIKES! KEEP LEFT ! ! !

Magical Ireland - Part I

Ireland was beyond my greatest expectation for a magical trip! I was overwhelmed with the beauty and history of Ireland, the places, and people. The photos I took are pale compared to the actual experience....but as the saying goes "A picture is worth a thousand words".




These photos are from our airplane window approaching Shannon airport. This land reminds me a bit of Iowa....but only from the window! The green color in Ireland is different...it's like a fresh spring green and different variations of that green. I could never tire of seeing their color of green!






This is Bunratty Castle....and it is located across the road from the hotel "Bunratty Castle". We had a great laugh when we realized that we were NOT staying in the old castle.


After touring the "real" Bunratty Castle, we so pleased to stay at the "hotel". This establishment is one of the nicest places I have ever stayed at!




This is our first experience at "pub grub"....which is the best food EVER!!!



I'll keep my comments short and sweet! Thank you for visiting and I hope one day soon you can take your own trip to Ireland. You'll absolutely fall in love with the land and people!

Stay tuned for day 2 in Ireland!

Gone to Ireland

Our daughter has graduated from the University of Tulsa School of Law with honors. The weekend after graduation she immediately began an intensive study for the bar exam. She said she was only going to take it once. The passing score won't be confirmed until mid-September. However, she's confident that she passed and has turned in her books. YEAH!

So our trip to Ireland is our gift to her. She studied a semester in Dublin and loved it. My husband's family is from Ireland and we plan on visiting many cousins while there. We don't have any set agenda.....just to have fun.

We all are traveling light because we've rented a car to sight-see on our own, staying at bed and breakfast establishments. The exception is that we stay our first night in a castle in Shannon and the last remaining three days in a castle in Dublin.

I have made a sketchbook with Arches Text Wove and taking a travel watercolor set and one pen. Mari Le Glatin Keis convinced me this was the best way to capture moments after I read her awesome book, The Art of Travel with a Sketchbook.

So I'll see you in a few weeks! (The typewriter idea came from Catherine's Blog)

Dad's Ties

My sister Annie made this quilt for mom as a birthday present in 2004. She had used Dad's ties to make the quilt.

After Mom passed away, Annie gave me this quilt! Mom used it as a "dresser" cover and I wanted to hang it. I very nervous about adding a pocket so I could hang it.....so I whined until Annie added it for me.

I finally hung it on the wall in the hall this past weekend. I think of Dad every time I walk past this quilt.



The physician sign is one we gave to my father-in-law when we were first married. After he passed away, it returned to us to enjoy. Now we have both fathers to think about when we are on the phone or just walking past.

The picture that was on the wall was donated a couple of weeks ago. I did not know what to replace it with. I just knew I was tired of the picture. Then when I was in the closet looking for something else is when I came across the quilt Annie had made.

It's perfect! Thank you Annie!

Charmed

I took a class in soldering and I learned a bunch...now I just need to practice...a lot!

I am going to set up a station to work safely on the back porch as soon as the hot weather breaks!

Art Project I'm Finishing

Ever have one of those projects that you begin in a workshop but is impossible to complete in one day? I took this awesome workshop from Rock, Paper, Scissors in St. Charles, Missouri last year. It was taught by a very cool artist, Denise who said that it is a project that will take you a while to complete. I learned all the techniques that I needed in the workshop, but it's the decision making process of putting it all together that takes time!

So each week.....I'd look at my box and think - "I should finish that" - but I have always been working on other art pieces. Yesterday, I decided that I would complete this project BEFORE beginning a new one. Once I made that decision, I have been having a great time putting it together. I will show my completed project SOON! I promise!

Jacob's Ladder Book

This is the Jacob's Ladder Book that is our latest exchange project with the art group I am involved with. Minori lives in Japan and I asked her what theme she would like her book to be. Since she said that she did not have any particular wishes, I decided to make a book about Oklahoma and Tulsa. (She already probably knows more about this state and the area of country I live in than I do but I could not resist)! The western theme goes well with Oklahoma. That's me at age three.....being the cowgirl.

The first stop I made was to the Lyon's Indian Store to purchase postcards. We have the Five Civilized Tribes here in Oklahoma, but they only had postcards for four tribes....darn! I may check back with them when their stock has been replenished before I send the book to Japan. But right now, there is one tribe missing.

The other aspect about Oklahoma is the number of horses we have in this state. Did you know that Oklahoma has more horses per capita than any other state in the U.S.? We have over 300,000 and the variety of sizes and colors of the horse population adds to the mosaic of the Oklahoma landscape. (This information was on the back of the postcard).

I decided to make a box to fit the book. My first thought was just have the postcards mounted on heavy cardstock and there would be enough weight to play with the book structure....but I was wrong. So I had to take the book structure apart and make matboard tiles to hold the postcards. The size of the book was dictated of course by the postcard size....so it is now very heavy - the complete opposite of what I started with!

I purchased a belt several years ago at a garage or estate sale to use later in my artwork. I completely took the belt apart and salvaged the parts that I thought I'd use "someday". Well, doesn't the closure for the box work perfectly with the rawhide strips - completely unaltered!

I really love my new western stamps, too. Stamp Diva has a great selection. So I will now show you the book structure and let you enjoy the photos without my comments.













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In My Studio

I have great morning light that streams through the drapes and casts light and shadows on my desk top. Oh wait...is that my desk top?


When I am working, I seem to have lots of stuff around me that I just might use - then I give my self this tiny little realestate to actually make art.

I think if I had a larger desk, I'd have more stuff on top of it!

1948 Singer Featherweight

I bought this Singer machine yesterday. I was on my way to Oklahoma City for a short shopping trip when my husband Bill called to tell me that he found this machine at an Estate Sale. I had been looking for one for a few years.

This is the cabinet that holds such a tiny little treasure called the Featherweight. The name fits as I can hardly believe that such a small beautiful machine does such unbelieveable stitching. This machine can make 30 stitches to the inch if selected!


This is the inside drawer. I was so lucky to have the instruction booklet and so many attachments. Included was also the two keys for the cabinet!

Isn't she awesome! This Singer just hums - it's music to my ears! Oh I am going to have so much fun sewing, but before I get started....I am taking it to an authorized dealer for service.

Summer Scenery

I so enjoy seeing the Red, White, and Blue....that I have our country's flag on display year round. The light over the garage illuminates it at night, so we don't take it down.

When the flag becomes frayed, then a new one is replaced and the old one is gently folded and presented to the local fire department for the proper disposing.

The Japanese maple in front of the flag turns a deep rich purple in the fall, and the view is never boring. I can sit on our porch and this is one of my sights.

Donation Pile

Since I spend most of my spare time in my art studio, needless to say, housework is so down on my list....wait - is it even on my list?

Kimberly who has been studying for the Bar Exam and right now who is not working, hence...no income.....asked if I would pay her to clean my house! Eureka!

I received a call when I was having a holiday in Iowa if I minded if she went through my house and made "suggestive" donations! Oh, I was so excited because it is easy to collect which can turn so quickly into clutter.

When we returned home....the house was shinning clean. But there is no amount of money on this planet to bribe her to clean my house again! It was way, way really bad! (Is that even a sentence....but you get the idea!)