We ALL need some fun in our lives!

Ladies....if you can go to the Back Gate Garden show today, then DO IT. Details on Granny Bee's blog (see side bar) or on my blog a couple of posts back.

I had SO MUCH FUN yesterday and I laughed till I cried. (and no one told me I had mascara under my eye - btw) I'm gonna share my day with you here...but it's just not the same as being there. If you can't go, go get some coffee or tea and sit back and enjoy this post.

First things first...I wasn't there two minutes when I realized I had to get a bee for my bonnet (or garden hat) like Jeannie.

She made a bunch of these in four different sizes. I think this is the largest size. I bought the smallest size for only $3.95! So cute on a garden hat!

These ladies are sitting on the porch visiting and doing their hand work.
Deb is on the right hand quilting.

As we walk on down the driveway we see Leslie, teaching a class on needle felting. (Isn't Leslie a lovely lady? I enjoy her company even if she doesn't have time for blogging and blogs and such. She probably won't even read this. We go way back...so far back that she can't remember to call me by my correct last name! She keeps using my ex's name, except for this weekend, she got it right...FINALLY!)

I journey on to the back yard and find Marilyn sitting there minding the Granny Bee booth with all of the hand stitcheries for sale, including the bee for my bonnet that I was in search of.

Marilyn does excellent hand stitcheries. This is some of her stuff.

And see this bag? It was featured in Green Craft magazine! No, I am not kidding.We have a celeb in our group! And this bag is for sale! Her blog is on my side bar...Grandma Peden's Porch. (this post is taking me forever, I'm not bothering with links that are on my side bar-sorry) As I'm getting my bee for my bonnet I look into the garden....WHAT THE.......!!!!!!!!!!! Is that RJ? Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle (where'd that come from? I have no idea...)

It is Reality Jayne (see side bar for blog) in the garden... painting. Not only does she crochet all kinds of cool stuff....Did you all know she's an artist?
She is....

Can you guess what she's painting?

Here is some of her artwork.

This painting is for sale blogettes, if it's still there, and I think she only wants $150.00 for it. It's an oil painting and probably 18x24 in size...something like that.

This painting...

Not for sale

OK let's journey on...

There are lots of goods for sale in the cabin too, which I forgot to get a picture of - darnit.

Carol's wood work and primitive painting

One of Carol's students...yes Carol will teach YOU how to paint like her.

Michelle at All Wooled Up working on a purse.

And now we're back to Leslie's needle felting class.

These little beauties are what they are making. AAAdorable!

This is my unruly class....I taught how to make your own laundry detergent.

And Maggie, on the left, taught us how to dye wool with copper. That's Marilyn, on the right, checking out the wool in the pot.

Copper dyeing turns the wool into a lovely shade of blue/green.

Maggie has the most gorgeous white/cream wool for sale and I had to buy a bit of it from her. She was also selling these jars full of the liquid you need to dye the wool for $5.00.

I can't wait to try it.

I went back to check on RJ....

Did you guess what she was painting?

An allium...one of the first plants to bloom in the spring and a member of the onion family. I just happened to take some pics of my own alium the other day...but more on that later. I don't have a picture of her finished project because she stopped painting for a spell...We decided to take an applique' journal cover class from Jeannie.

It should have been a sign....her paper got wet and her pattern got all blurry first thing. (you can't see it in the pic, but it was a mess) But she trudged on....doing a good job stitching I might add....

telling us how she used to do embroidery....and how she has just been trudging along in crumble town but now she feels like she finally has found her hive....get it?....we're the Granny Bee stitchery group....I know, blogettes, dorky, but she was all emotional about it...(LOL!) as she stitched away.....

What's this....

a little bit of rain....but RJ and I are going to finish our project dog-gone-it, we're staying put. I, for one, do not want or need one more WIP.

Oh dear...it's raining harder.....we're still gonna finish....not moving from our seats and the only two left out there, we continue to stitch away....

And as I tell her about the time I was living in my upstairs apartment with no air con, and I had a window peeper....

and I was nekky, because I was getting ready for work, and it was so hot, ....and I saw a shadow in my window, so I went over and looked out the window and there was his face right next to mine with only a pane of glass between us.....

RJ continued stitching and "Shit" she says as she realized she stitched her back cover to her appliqued flower....I was laughing SO HARD my stomach hurt....

I was laughing about as hard as it was raining...and Travis (on the left said it would only last five minutes.....whatever Travis....liar!)

We stitched on....

This is my stitchery so far....Everyone is on the front porch while RJ and I stayed out under the tent stitching away.....and she finished before me, even though she had to undo part of hers. You know....when you're stitching you get used to hearing words like, dangit...ouch....crap.....shoot... because let's face it....it's hand work...it's not perfect...and we make mistakes....but then...

I heard it....and I hear shuffling in the seat next to me...and she's up out of her chair....What the????

yes blogettes....IT was said.

The mother of all curse words....

the BIG KAHUNA

The Grand Slam

The Whopper of all Whoppers!

Which could only mean one thing....something seriously went wrong...

OK in all fairness she didn't actually make the "CK" sound....The exact words were "Mother Effin" and I look up.......and I cannot stop laughing....LOUD....not able to breathe....stomach hurtin'...tears in my eyes.....LAUGHING....and the "bees" on the porch lean over to find out what is so funny.....

Blogettes.....she sewed her entire journal cover UPSIDE DOWN!

In our hearts.....well at least in mine....I felt sorry for her....but I could not stop laughing....it hurt...it really did.....

And Jeannie - the teacher - says....I think I can fix it.....but the bees said, "noooo don't fix it, it's your first project." Poor RJ....

They couldn't stop laughing either.....and last night in bed....my Shug says, "What are you giggling about, I'm trying to sleep?"

Cindy Bee

PS - The Scribe ( on side bar) and I had our one year anniversary! We met in person one year ago Friday at this event, and THEN discovered we were both bloggers. RJ is friends with The Scribe. I met them through the Granny Bees, and Blogging, and folks, let me just say, WE NEED WOMEN IN OUR LIVES! We do. We need each other. We NEED to laugh. I love these women. Every one of them. I do. When I was stitching my back was hurting in that chair and by the time I quit laughing my back did not hurt. My stomach did, but it was a good hurt! Now I have to get out to our house and work, My Shug is waiting, but shoot...I'd prefer to be at the Back Gate Garden show with my friends...laughing.