I just searched my picture collection and I don't have a new one to post today.

I'm getting ready for my birthday which is Thursday and I am planning the luncheon at the office for my co workers. I do like to feed people and am excited. The homemade spaghetti sauce and meatballs are in the freezer ready to be defrosted and put in the crock pots. On Wednesday, I'll make the Black Forest German cake. Soak the black cherry's in rum today so they will be ready to place on the cake. Yum. It's my mom's secret recipe but quite easy actually. Can't tell you.

After my Birthday, Spring is just around the corner. On March 13th I will be meeting with the Seniors and have them plant some marigold seeds in little pots. They can keep them on their window sill until May when it will be ready to plant them. Oh the Garden! I can't wait. It is always such a relaxing beautiful place. This was from 2009 when everything was in full growth. You can see the pole beans and red geraniums. I'm not going to plant the beans this year. They were out of control and tasted kind of woody.

This is a shop in Berlin. Look at the colors? Wow! I found this under a "handmade" shoe search. I'm always searching for creative shoes. I picked up a couple of library books yesterday on historical shoes. Wow - their were some super cool shoes. 7 inch stilettos. People could actually walk in them too.

Lots of bead work and great "Spectators". I think those are always my favorite. Black and white. I wear a lot of black and a pair of spectators in black and white would be wonderful.

My birthday is next week and I am making a huge pot of homemade tomato sauce with meatballs. It should be fun. There are only 14 here in the office so one pot should be enough. I'll cook the sauce this weekend and make the meatballs. Throw everything in the freezer then take it out the night before. We have a triple crock pot at the office - don't ask - so it will be great for warming everything up.

Have to go for now. I'm going to take some pictures of my work room soon to post.

A Baby Otter. So cute. I've always liked otters. They look as if they are always having fun. When I came across this little baby otter - I thought OHHH. How cute is that!

It's Wednesday and cold and same old Chicago weather here. I walked past my snowed in garden plot and had to stop and just fantasize about the spring weather coming soon. It's more than a month away but I have seedlings coming out under my growing lights. Little pepper plants and some flowers.

Isn't this funny? Bobby emailed it to me a couple of years ago for Valentines. It's coming up again. I need to make a heart pillow. I was at the train station in Chicago the other day and in this gift shop, they had beautiful heart shaped pillows made out of this cotton rag rug fabric. They were really cool.

I can't start a new project though until I finish one. I just finished knitting another wool bowl. You know. The felt bowls. I've made bowls to match the plain four that I never gave away. I think they need to be felted again and didn't want to give them as presents anyway. I want to put them on Etsy to sell. I think I'm almost ready. This is a long weekend coming up so I should be able to finish the white shoes and work on the pattern for the loafers.

I went to the Second Hand Store the other day and found a whole spool of canvas fabric for $5.00. I think It's about 10 yards. SCORE! It has different reds, blues, greens and cream colored yarns running through. I'm thinking shoe soles or even tote bags. Not sure yet.

Valentines day isn't or really hasn't been all that special a day for me. I mean it's nice and all but no big deal. I usually make a heart shaped cheese cake for Bobby and that's about it.

Another beautiful castle. Mespelbrunn. This is in Germany. Close to the town I lived in. We visited it many times. It has a moat all the way around that houses a trout fishery now. The place is magical. It's located in the Spessart Forrest in Bavaria. Beautiful inside and out.

I guess I'm feeling cabin fever again and want to travel. So I pull out photos that will take me away for a minute or two. A smell or scent will do that as well. The other morning, I was out pretty early running in the neighborhood. There is this little creek I passed that smelled just like the street my Grandmother lived on. The instant I smelled that wet morning dew smell, I was transported to her place. In my mind. It might sound nuts but it does happen. Maybe for a milli second but it does. Scent is powerful.

Anyway... I started to cut out some patterns again for another pair of slip ons. I think I'm afraid of the shoes and keep going back to the easy slippers. I guess the easy slippers could be the shoes I make a lot of pairs from. And not charge so much. Then the harder more detailed slippers can be the custom more costly pairs. Hmmm. Something to think about.

I'm going to the Opera again with my Mom tomorrow. Down to Chicago to see The Elixir of Love. Shy young farmer is in love with a powerful girl. I don't want to spoil it. My Mom loves the opera and I am her Chicago guide. We have a great time laughing and eating a nice lunch. I'll try and post a picture of her. Need to round it up and scan it first.

I feel this way today. My head is in the clouds.

I keep changing my ideas. I've been working on the slippers and finished a pair of slip-ons to match an apron. I like them and all but they are nothing special. I lost focus again and wanted to make something simple. Then, I researched about selling baked goods. I know I can't legally make and sell cookies from my condo kitchen but couldn't stop from searching. Of course, I can't sell anything from my kitchen and I know that. Waisted time again.

Need to get back on focus. Shoes. Shoes. Shoes.

They are a lot of work but I guess everything is. I should know this. Work is hard.

Enough venting and back to it. I have to master one pattern. Something special and worthy of posting to sell. I am a little of a perfectionist and can't sell it if it's not perfect. I've been sewing for years but not perfectly if you know what I mean. I make my own things and gifts so if they are little crooked or the seams are not so so, it was for me or my family. But Now - I have to take my time and be perfect. There lies the hard part. The work. I want it all done NOW! Patience will prevail. I know I know. I have the time. I just have too many things I like to do.

Thanks for reading.