Thrifting Haul, and Bilbo's 10 Month Photo Shoot-- In Which He Never Holds Still

Hermione and I just ha d a nice browse through our Goodwill for an hour. We got some great things!

I like shopping for her, but I can only do that when the dear almost-teen is with me, nowadays. It was fun! I found that tank dress, with beautiful color blocks and a hi-lo hem. Yes, we are going a bit trendy with this one. I will see if I can get her to pose in it...
 Also, I found her trying on fun high heels and other crazy shoes. And these adorable purple ankle boots. Which I bought her for her birthday. They were $10, which is big bucks for me to spend in Goodwill. They look awesome on, and I am kind of proud of her having such a strong sense of her own style.
I also got her these pointy-toed black flats. Cuz she's going into seventh grade and I want to help her be prepared for her new school, so I.... buy her shoes? Anyway, they are a staple!

All in absolutely brand new condition!

 And on the way to the checkout I found this book. We got a son The Dangerous Book for Boys, which is great. I had heard of this one as well. I looked through the table of contents and read a few pages. This is a really cool book! The Daring Book for Girls. Two bucks, baby.

For me, I scored these camo capris. 50% off, yeah! I gave away a camo skirt to Goodwill last year because it was just not the right fit, and I have been looking for another camo item since. And yay me! Gap size 8 fits me. I also got this cool t shirt. 100% cotton, cuz that's my rule. I am a fabric snob.

Is it being a snob to insist on quality, non- sweaty fabrics?

And the part of this post really worth looking at....

Baby Bilbo Photo Shoot!

Crocheted Rag Rugs; The Lazy Frugal Woman's Braided Rug!

I have claimed, over there on the right, to make braided rugs from thrifted sheets. Wanna see evidence?
I started learning a little about crocheting last year. And I got the idea, being a frugal, lazy homemaker who loves beautiful, handmade things, that crocheting might be a faster way to make a braided rag rug! I was not wrong. I was not the first one to think of this, either. There are dozens of tutorials on youtube. I liked this youtube tutorial best. You rip up some cool sheets from your fave thrift store, get a big huge crochet hook, and take it away! It is much quicker than braiding, because the chain is created and attached to the previous row all at once with crochet. To braid, you have to make three long strips, braid them, and then sew the braid in a huge coil! And, as far as crochet goes, this working in the round this way is super easy and forgiving, because you don't have to count or line up rows. I have found that, with my state in life, I have to leave perfectionism behind. If I can get a decent result that makes me happy and blesses my family, I will use the simplest, quickest method I can, even if it would not pass the inspection of more scrupulous homemakers.
Here's the first crochet rug I made:

I learned a few things about the width of sheet strips I prefer and the type of rag texture that works best. This one has sheets, as well as a cool woven tablecloth. I should have made the tablecloth strips more narrow, since the weave was significantly thicker than a sheet. Also, cheap, cotton-poly blend material is not so good to use. There is a princess sheet in here made of such a blend, and the texture is really not as nice as the pure cotton.

Still, thick and soft and cute in my little girls' room.

I started another. Because, I am wierd about buying beautiful material at Goodwill. I had quite a few sheets to put to good use! This one I planned to use in a public area of the house. I put my new knowledge to use, making big torn sheet yarn balls of the right thickness.

Here's the rug in progress:

My foot may not be so helpful for scale; I wear size 11.

 I learned more things. Like the fact that tearing vintage sheets creates dusty little cotton fibers! And apparently I get a bit allergic to cotton shreds. So I delayed a bit. But then a brilliant child of mine (jokingly) suggested I wear a respirator to finish the rug. Great idea!! I grabbed my mask from my tool bag and finished off the ball of rags I had. It helps a lot to keep it on a flat surface, though it gets more unwieldy as it grows.

There is nothing odd here.

Here it is! About 16 in diameter. I can add to it. I probably will, because it needs some red/orange/pink tones, and it wouldn't hurt to have it a bit bigger.

But it looks nice in the entry area, I think.

And here's a sweet mommy-baby selfie. Because this post needs some baby adorableness.

Successful Family Vacation! Potato Creek Cabin, 2014--

--Which means the parents got a break and the kids had fun!

Not pictured, almost-thirteen year old daughter who spent her free time reading The Fellowship of the Ring...More photos soon.

My Sainted Aunt: Sr. Cely

Sr. Cely 

Dec. 4 1927- July 9 2014

Here is the link to the wonderful sharing about her by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, read aloud at her wake.

My great aunt Sr. Cecilia Ann, or to the family "Sr. Cely", was a tall, gentle, intelligent, patient woman of art and faith. I was lucky to know her a bit when I was in college at St. Mary's. I worked in the art department for my work study, and was sometimes asked to help move large or awkward items for her classes. She loved to construct huge, complex 'still life's with all kinds of crazy and beautiful objects. My freshman roommate had "Sr. Kelly's" drawing class and loved it. By the time I knew her, Sr. Cecilia, tall and broad shouldered, had back pain that affected her ability to stand for long periods or do heavy lifting. Yet she was committed to continuing to teach, and very humble and patient for one so talented.

It was fun to meet and greet people at the wake in the Church of Loretto, including Terrie Ann, Tom Michel, Aunt Margaret, Uncle Ed, Aunt Alice, my parents Paul and Patty and others. I made diagrams later on in the evening when we were socializing at Tom's house, trying to map out where we all fell in the family. I just say 'cousins' sometimes; we are all descendants of the same two people! (Folks, if you read this, email me your pics from the evening, so I can put some here for the clan!)

The wake was simple and respectful, not too somber. I was very moved by this prayer we all read together while a frail looking little nun moved over to the coffin and sprinkled Sr. Cely all over with holy water:
God dwells in the temple of the heavens, yet abides in our midst.
Since in baptism Sister Cecilia Ann became God's temple
and the Spirit of God lived in her,
We reverently bless her mortal body. 

At Sr. Cely's wake, a middle aged nun from Sr. Cely's community came up to me, where I was seated with other members of the family, and shared with us. She said that Sr. Cely taught her an art class when she was 13 years old, (I guess at a high school where Sisters of Holy Cross were teaching) and that Sr. Cely was one of the reasons she later 'entered' and became a sister herself. And this little sister shared that she was herself about to celebrate her own 50th jubilee (anniversary as a sister of Holy Cross)!

Below is the obit published in the local paper:

Sister M. Cecilia Ann Kelly, C.S.C. Dec. 4, 1927 - July 9, 2014 NOTRE DAME - A Sister of the Holy Cross for 63 years, Sister M. Cecilia Ann died in peace at Saint Mary's Convent at the age of 86. She had two aunts who were Sisters of the Holy Cross who preceded her in death. She was born in Akron, Ohio, one of nine children, where her early education took place. She earned her B.A. from Saint Mary's College and then a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Utah. For over 50 years she was both and artist and art professor and the majority of those years were spent on the faculty of Saint Mary's College. Many of her beautiful art works hang on the walls here on Saint Mary's Campus. She valued her meeting with Salvador Dali in Spain and her friendship with Georgia O'Keefe. Through art, Sister Cecilia Ann felt blessed, knowing that her talent and her vocation in life as a religious had come together. Reception of the body and wake service on Sunday, July 13, 2014 at 4:00 p.m. with Mass of the Resurrection on Monday, July 14, 2014, at 10:30 a.m. All ceremonies in the Church of Our Lady of Loretto. Memorial contributions can be made to the Sisters of the Holy Cross, Ministry with the Poor, Saint Mary's, Notre Dame, IN 46556 or online at www.cscsisters.org. -