Back home - I made a bowl! I also made 2 messes - guess I got too cocky after my initial success. It was fun and messy. I learned that I should wear old sweatpants next time - comfy and no worries about getting clay all over them.
There are 12 of us in the class, only 4 are newbies - the rest have had at least one class. The teacher is a hoot. She’s going to be on TV this month - the interviewer was a name I recognized, but I’ve now forgotten, doggonnit. The place where it’s held - Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts - is the old Annapolis High School - old as in 30s vintage, I’m guessing. It’s a really cool looking building - tall windows, shiny brick walls inside - very much a school feeling. Nine of us were using electric wheels, and three were on the kick-wheel stations.
Anyway, I need to decide what I want to make in future classes. Today, I was just messing around, getting the feel of the clay and all. But I think I need to have a goal - like my husband’s suggestion of funeral urns for my sibs… but not that morbid. So, suggestions, anyone? I need to keep productive for 7 more classes.
hmmmm… what should FCM make in pottery class? Mugs for all the MMPers? Those little ceramic hot dog holders shaped like dachshunds? Ceramic white elephants? Great big urns with claw feet? Ceramic ducks? Any of these sound good so far?
I’m perusing the dope for a bit while quaffing a beer. ACBG and I spent about 4 hours today sprucing up each other’s yards. We started just before noon on my yard, which is bigger, finished it up and then did his yard. His was actually harder cause he has these big oak trees that drop limbs all over the place. Plus because his yard is so shaded there were a couple spots where it hadn’t dried up from all the rains of late so it was really hard to cut there. Anyways, we have nice, clean freshly mown yards now. It was a good afternoon to do it here. It’s really windy and the temp is 65F right now. Didn’t even break a sweat. He’s taking a nap right now. He looks so cute sprawled on the couch. AWWWWWWW! I’m gonna make up some hamburgers and grill em in a while. I’m in the mood for french fries so I’m gonna make some of those too. MMMMMMMM… homemade burgers and fries! I also need to make some cheese straws for a reception thingy tomorrow afternoon. A couple from my church is celebrating their 52nd wedding anniversary and it was requested that I make cheese straws, which, of course, I am honored to do. They had a big bash for their 50th and I made cheese straws then too. I make good cheese straws.
-swampbear (that has to be a world’s records for the term cheese straws being mentioned in a single post)
All hugs go out to Lissa - animals sneak into our hearts so easily - and it hurts when they are not feeling their best.
As for me, I want a FCM mug - I’d use it every day at work. I’d be the cool kid with the funky mug - purple! I want a purple mug - it’s my color!
I went out to dinner tonight with someone I shall call the Texas Gentleman (TG) for short. Or does that look too much like TB? I’ll have to think about it. We went over to Longhorn, and had a lovely meal. I had baby back ribs, and managed to not look like I took a bath in barbecue sauce - yay me! We then went over to the mall, and he got measured for a jacket. He has good style - but not overtly, metro-sexual good.
I’ve always wanted to do pottery. I think it would be fun. I’d most definitely use a special FCM mug. People would say, “What a cool mug!” and I would reply it was 'specially made for me by the ultra-cool **FCM. ** It would have to hold at least 16 ounces of coffee though. What? I like coffee and probably drink way too much of it. Straight, no foo-fooing it up for me.
Well, we went out and bought paint and painting stuff today. I think I picked some pretty nice colors and can’t wait to see them on the wall. I don’t actually mind the painting part; I just hate all the prep and clean up. Our entry way will pose quite a dilemna for us. I’m not looking forward to that part at all. It’s way, way, way high up there. Our neighbor has one of those bends to 50 different position ladders and I’m hoping we can use it. However, the height is still very imposing.
We start painting tomorrow, fueled by copious amounts of coffee. Y’all wanna come help? I’m sure you’re just all rushing to get here now. There will be plenty of coffee and soda. I’ll even spring for beer. Come on now…where are you? Hmmm, well I’m sure you’ll all be on my doorstep tomorrow morning, 'cause that’s just the kind of people you are.
Mugs…what a wonderful idea! (Weren’t we just talking about them the other day?). I think I’d like mine extra large, please, in fucshia, my signature color…(I’ve been trying to think of serious answers to your question, FCM, but they’re eluding me.)
I’m contemplating the fact that it’s an hour later than it should be. I hate this spring forward thing.
Spent yesterday at a gardener’s fair. Lots of good speakers, good vendors with pretty plants. Completely shielded from the outdoors, where it decided to snow 2 inches or so. Of course the snow was just about gone by the time I got home and seems to have been a figment of our imagination this morning because it’s looking decidedly spring-like out there.
Sleet last night walking home from work. Mr. Lissar came home to find me flat on the floor, with Attacks Things Husband giving me a backrub. He said. “Hi, Attacks. Oh, is Lissla under there somewhere?” I got one from Dishes Husband on Friday, too. I am a backrub slut or something.
Doing good backrubs is an important husbandly quality.
Got your eggs and chocolate, Bumba. scout, would you like some Coffee Crisp or something along with your cookies?
Actually, I think I may have decided - I’m thinking flower pots. I have a big bow window in the living room and my husband is going to make a mid-level shelf to fit in. Turns out it’s a perfect spot for african violets, among other things. So I got to thinking I could make a variety of pots to hold my plants. They wouldn’t all have to match, which is good, since I’m not good at duplicating stuff. And I just need to make them big enough to hold a generic flower pot - so if I over-water, the excess would be caught in the pot.
And if I decided to stick with the pottery thing, I might consider a designer line of MMP mugs. Hmmm, the** FCM Collection**… Possibilities…
Of course, once you’re done with the flowerpots, I’m pretty sure there will be demand for the mugs. And once you’re done with the FCM collection of MMP mugs, others will want mugs after having admired the originals in our homes worldwide, so maybe you should start working out a marketing deal with Bumba so that once the website is up all of our friends could order them and…voila…FCM Worldwide Ceramic Enterprises! OK, so Bumba’s name would have to be in there too. You’ve gotta admit it would go well with the gated community (gotta raise money somehow, y’know).
I do not like this spring forward thing…it should be an hour earlier, dammit!
We stayed up until 12:30 last night. I woke up at 5:00, then 6:00 and then 6:30, each time thinking I’m just gonna stay here and get a leeeeettle more sleep. Finally, I dragged my carcass out of bed at 8:30. No, wait, dammit it 9:30 because last night we had to “spring forward”. Ugh!
Well, I’m going to slurp some coffee down and spring into action and start painting. Hmmmm, I noticed that none of you are here. I’m sure Mr. Taters has you all hidden away in closets and is going to spring all of you on me at the last minute. Yeah, that’s the ticket, because I just know how much you looooove doing chores in other peoples’ homes.
I was talking to a fellow last night who lives in Cleveland and he said it was snowing and lightening at the same time. He also said there was 4 inches of snow on the ground. Whats wrong over there? It’s SPRING. Ya know, flowers, rain and all that jazz. NOT snow.
Well, I guess I need to start prepping to paint now…
Urr. The worst thing about Springing Forward this year is that Mr. Lissar is working 12 hour shifts, because it’s a weekend, and he got home at 1:30, and got to bed at 3, which used to be 2. And then had to get up at 9:00 old time to trot back to work for 12 more hours.
We’ve had the lightning, but with the traditional rain. Today was supposed to be cloudy and windy, but I just got back from running errands, and it’s raining. Tomorrow, they promise sun, tho. For a few days. Then more rain.
I just bought some flower and veggie seeds and a couple of trays of started pellet things - you water them and put in the seeds and cover them - like a mini-greenhouse. Then when they sprout, you plant them and soon harvest your goodies. So today, I’ll do the water and seed part. We’ll see how many tomatoes and cukes we have in a few months…
Hmmm, I notice that you are all still not here AND that you’re letting those hints about painting just sail out into the open air. Hmmmm…
It’s raining here too. We’ve got the primer coat on one of the walls. We’ve chosen “Estate Vineyard” and “Stone Brown”. I know it sounds weird, but it looks really good together. The wall with my very white fireplace surround will have the estate vineyard color and the rest of the walls will be stone brown. The wall opposite the fireplace wall way across in the kitchen will also be painted the estate vineyard color. Anyway, before we could put the vineyard color up, we have to put up a primer coat. When it’s all done I’ll snap pictures and try to find some way to get them up on site that you can look at.
Well, back to painting and cutting in. Somehow I got stuck w/all the cutting in stuff.
Sorry Taters, we were gonna come up, but we had to stay home and …ummm… reset all the clocks, yeah, that’s it.
FCM, we put out 35 bars of cherry soap last week and have about 15 left. I had to make another batch already. If I only had your new address.
Maybe you could make special soap dishes? What’s your wholesale price?
I’m glad some of you are around on the weekends for me to listen to.
Okay, that’s enough mushy stuff.
I was gonna mow the lawn today, but it rained last night (again) and our wimpy lawn mower can’t handle grass that isn’t bone dry. Actually the motor is big enough, but it clogs up. Bad design, I’m thinking. Unfortunately, the thing is apparently indistructable. I hate yard work.
I think I’ll play real estate agent and go look at some townhouses today. Then we need to go to the stores and go cut the soap we made yesterday, and clean up the shop.
I want a green mug. Or maybe a purple one. Green or purple. I’d like either one. Taters I’m imagining Estate Vineyard as being either green or purple. It just sounds like it should either be green or purple. The cheese straws were a hit. They all got et. Makes me proud. There were a lot of little munchie goodies at that reception but my favorite was these little sammiches that were cream cheese and some really spicy thin sliced deli roast beef mixed together. I ate enough of those little sammiches to make up three big sammiches, I think. The cookies that had whole pecans in the middle of em were good too. So was the champagne punch.
It’s sunny and kinda cool here, only about 65F. It’s supposed to be 80F or so by now all the time. I’m ready for the weird northwest wind to go away.
-swampbear (personally I think green and purple look good together)
Coffee Crisp are awesome. (Who am I kidding, any candy is awesome. It’s just that I’ve actually had the pleasure of eating a Coffee Crisp before - but I tend to like just about anything covered in chocolate!)
It was way too windy here today - luckily, I parked far away from other cars when I went shopping, because when I opened the car door, it was whipped out of my hand and would have clonked another car but good. I’ve actually had that happen to me. I had been picked up by an Enterprise agent to go get a rental car while my car was in being repaired - because it was rear-ended! Not my fault! Anyway, he parks, I open my car door - and it gets whipped out of my hand and goes whap into the door of the car next to us. Which happens to be the agents’ car. Oops. Their insurance took care of it, luckily.
Today was lazy day - and also Susan-gets-damned-to-Hell day, because I missed church. Shame! Shame! Anyway, woke up at 11, had a late breakfast (chocolate chip raspberry muffin!), and wandered over to the mall to see if I could get a dress for a special occasion which is coming up. Don’t want to be too specific about what it is - eyes may be watching! Anyway, I tried on a dress that I had liked before, but even standing still the skirt was sticking to itself, so that definitely would not work for me. I also was way tempted by a pair of shoes (linked to in the shoe thread), and may go back for them later.
TG and I went in to a bookstore last night after dinner - and I went through the cookbook section. Now I want to buy more cookbooks - but I am being good. I do cook from the ones I have, though, so I feel justified in getting more, because I will most likely use them. I want to get A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen and The Enchanted Broccoli Forest, because I’ve taken them out of the library before and loved them.
Forget spring - I want summer right now. I want fresh peaches and Jersey tomatoes. I have a cookbook of all peach (and other stone fruit) recipes, and I am dying to make my own salsa with good tomatoes.
I have a loaf of bread rising right now - smells nice and yeasty. I also made a batch of Italian Sausage Soup this afternoon - very simple, and very nice. Had the ingredients that I love best - tomatoes, white beans, spinach, and parmesan - so how could I not love it!
What…? Is it windy everywhere? It’s quite sunny here today, but the wind has been pretty annoying all day. I worked in the garden for a while earlier, and things kept trying to blow away. Also, I walked REALLY FAST to the grocery store a bit ago because the wind was making it pretty chilly.
Taters, I was wondering about Estate Vineyard, too. You’re going to post pictures of your lovely room once it’s painted, right? I thought so. (Sorry I didn’t show up to help paint; I was inconveniently stuck in Ohio, working in the garden.)
I suppose I should seek something else to do…Laundry? Dishes? Filing? Dinner? Did someone mention food? Well…food, it is…
