Molly Bee's Attic

Last week I had a pain in my belly, which developed into a lump, which was assumed to be a hernia. Over the weekend the lump tripled in size and became uber -painful convincing me that it was not a hernia but, in fact, one of those alien babies that bursts forth directly from your torso like in that movie that time. Frankly, I got kind of excited about it. I went to work on Monday morning and made the impending birth announcement via Facebook , 'cause I'm cutting edge that way (and cheap when it comes to postage). Friends rallied 'round with offers to loan me car seats and help me knit nine armed sweaters and craft clever, little tinfoil hats when the time came. I had a shopping cart all picked out over at WalMart to push it around in. But by 10:00 am, my excitement faded as nothing happened but the advent of more intense pain and the loss of my ability to stand up straight without saying words I wasn't even aware I knew . Stupid Alien Baby. Can't do anything right...

I took my first guitar lesson on Tuesday night. I've had a guitar, a gift from my parents, for years but have only fiddled with it, so when a guy at work started offering private lessons, I jumped at the chance. I was SO NERVOUS. When you're an adult, you lose that 'It's-OK-If-You-Make-Mistakes-When-You're-Learning' thing. Learning new things tends to be less about having fun and more about trying not to embarrass yourself. Once I got there, I made up my mind that I was just going to do my best and not expect to play Spanish guitar the first night out. Consequently, I had a ball! I made my teacher's eyes water a couple of times but he didn't fully burst out into a tears so I'm considering it a success. I left having learned how to form the A, G, E and D chords. I also left with no feeling in the pads of the fingers of my left hand, but I was happy. My teacher stressed only practicing for 10 minutes a day this week to build up tolerance; for both my ...

Yesterday I concluded my45th successful mission completely around the sun and I was truly overwhelmed by the embarrassment of riches, both physical and emotional, that cascaded my way! I lead a blessed life and am surrounded by the best family and friends. I kicked the successful mission celebration off by bringing a 4 layer pumpkin torte with caramel and candied pecans to work. I think my kids set a land speed eating record; I had the cleaned plate back in about 60 minutes! It got 15 sets of thumbs up! I was amazed at all of the online, mailed and spoken wishes through out the day and was touched by the gifts. Friends Rob and Joey remembered a story I told them about the wee Wade Wimsey hedgehog, that my grandmother got in a box of Red Rose Tea, and how I loved it when I was little and they gave me one of my very own! I cried. Don't tell them though. I went to Knit Night at The Ear and they were having their 10th anniversary bash so there were tons of people, and most importantl...

Just got back from this month's Knitting Guild meeting. What do all of these things have in common: uber -talented, artistic, intelligent, well-spoken, polite, down-to-earth, interesting, forward-thinking? They are all qualities that are wrapped up in the awesome, impossibly adorable little package that is Jared Flood, photographer, designer extraordinaire and author of Brooklyn Tweed , that's all! He was our guest speaker tonight and I was looking forward to seeing him. I've been impressed by his blog and his patterns. I've made his Koolhaus pattern a zillion times for chemo caps. It's an relatively easy but ingenious pattern and is soft and stretchy-perfect for sensitive skin. I also made his Noro Scarf pattern and loved the way the colors blended together. But after hearing him speak, I'm stunned at what a creative thinker he really is. His presentation tonight was about how he got started blogging and how it bloomed into a career in teaching and designin...

Took a break from my crazy work schedule and went to Mt. Horeb with friends Rob and Joey (above) on Saturday to their annual Fall festival. There was a little bit of everything, antiques, books, rope making, hay bale making, troll carving, carriage rides, crafts and good food. Here are some of the entries in the pumpkin decorating contest. See the four part Seadragon ? And I really liked this Artsy-Martha- Stewartesque Pumpkin. And this Mt Horeb Troll Eating Pumpkin Aside from work, I've been busy with my blogger celebrity status. They recently unveiled my new stamp Even the cast of Friends reunited to be there! But mostly I've just been hangin ' with my best bud! What have YOU been up to?

Faithful readers may have noticed that I name things; spinning wheels, slippers, chairs, dog toys. Everything has its name and it's place. It balances My Universe. Molly Bee Names aren't crafted over time, they are most often blurted out before I can stop them. I am as surprised as anyone at what pops out-sometimes more so . So there's this church down the road. The front lawn is a favorite of the local turkey tribe. 1 outta 3 times I drive by to get to town, there is a Tom and his bevy of beauties in the yard, doing their turkey thing-stuffing themselves on bugs I guess... stuffing themselves ....get it? Anyway, this to me is an unusual phenomenon, so of course, it's inevitable that said church will eventually get its own special 'Molly Bee Name'. It suddenly came up when someone was asking me yesterday where I live and I was trying to tell them, as I am wont to do, by landmarks rather than street names. I was confusing her more and more when I eventually menti...

I've been busy living life at 100mph lately so have been lax on the posting. I've accumulated pictures that don't really go with anything, not even each other. But it's a photo essay of my recent days so here goes. Beautiful sunrise outside the nest. Mr. Ben-Not a morning guy. Ben and his new buddy Sheldon Sheep. This is their normal perch when I work from home. Pretty yellow flowers in the prairie across the street I like that there's a fly in this picture. His name is Waldo. Can you find him? New Glarus Brewery I encourage you to tour the new site if you haven't already. The mums on my patio. I love the purpley -pink color. Told you none of it went together! In other news, I finished my self-designed-knit with-my-own- handspun -yarn mittens. As soon as I block them I'll post pictures. Judging by the weather forecast, I may need to wear them to Mt. Horeb Fall Fest on Saturday!

I just had an interesting interaction while trying to return a pair of shoes at a local big box store. (Yes, the one I abhor that rhymes with Schmallmart .) I bought them on Sunday. I tried them on in the store and they were comfy and looked pretty sharp too. All was well until I got home and put them on in the silence of the nest; step, squeak , step, squeak . Sigh. Now I have been down the ' I-Can-Break-Them-In-And-They'll-Stop-Squeaking' road many times, and I have a closet full of fully-broken-in-and-yet-still-squeaky shoes to prove it, so I knew they would have to go back from whence they came. Crap. I finally summoned up fortitude to go back today to do the deed. I was pleasantly surprised to see no other customers in The Return Line. Usually, at this store, you have to stand for at least 30 minutes before talking to anyone. (It's kind of like the doctor's office that way, but honestly, I'd rather have (insert procedure of your choice here) done a...

I was invited to participate in a Team Building event for work last week. We went to Shuster's Fun Time Farm in Deerfield to try our luck in the Corn Maze. It was a blast! A swanky limo showed up to ferry us to the farm. You can't see it here, but there was even a little sink in the thing! When we got there we had an opening ice breaker exercise and snacks in the round barn. What a beautiful building with the silo in the middle! You can see a bit of the outside of it in the background of this picture where one of our colleagues from Italy is taking a little rest in a very big chair! We participated in a wide variety of competitive activities. Like Pig Racing... And goose racing.... And the corn maze.... which was a little bit terrifying to be honest. This was taken from the top of a bridge above the maze....a vertically challenged person's nightmare....nothing but a sea of corn. AND the fact that we RAN it. I'z built for comfort, not for speed, I iz ! After t...

I've long suspected that a Superhero may live in my building. I've never actually met him, but occasionally , when turning a corner, I swear I hear the faint swish of a cape in the hallway. There's a huge crack in the parking garage wall quite possibly hides a lair of some kind. And sometimes I catch what can only be the blur of an incredibly fast individual out of the very corner of my eye. I've always wondered who it could be and I was finally able to prove my suspicion and identify our hero at the same time this weekend. Faster than a roaring Vespa ... Able to park by tall buildings in a single space.... It's a Bee? It's a Bat? No! It's BumbleBat Man! Apparently he forgot to engage the Invisibility Shield on the old BumbleBat mobile thus enabling evidence to be captured on film. He soon discovered his mistake because I haven't seen it since. But I know you're here BumbleBat Man....and I sleep just a little better at night.

Had a wonderful time with Miss Mary at the Sheep and Wool Fest yesterday. I marveled at her willpower when it came to keeping the purse strings tied up tight. I did pester her into buying some roving and borrowing my drop spindle in an effort to entice her over to the dark side when it comes to spinning. She fell for it hook, line and sinker, and bet she will be a formidable opponent at next year's buying spree! I had zero willpower. I was reasonable however and didn't go hog wild....sheep wild? Anyway, here is my loot: Kauni Yarn with ridiculously long repeats and more colors inside than you expected. I have a hard time finding this locally although I hear the Sow's Ear may be getting some in this fall! Kindred Threads-merino, alpaca and little shiny bits batt Coopsworth (which I've never spun before ) roving in 'Jelly Bean' colorway. Frabjous Fibers Hand Dyed Silky Cashmero roving. It says it's 70% superfine merino, 15% cashmere and 15% mulberry si...