The Blogess

Another blog I cannot get enough of is The Blogess. Author Jenny Lawson's audacity has generated many blog success stories and a book!

WARNING:  Her personality is addictive and outrageous. Snort-your-drink, wet-your-pants funny.

If I had a tiny fraction of her chutzpah I'd be a wealthy woman. She is brazen and cheeky and I love reading her posts.

Like this one:  Does this cat make me look fat?

Thank you, CrazyMom, for turning me on to this humdinger of a blog.

Jason. For the love of God

Posting a note to myself.  One of the first blogs I read regularly in 2006 (that wasn't a tatting blog) was this one.  It was called (you guessed it)  "Jason. For the love of God."  That Chick Over There regularly kept me in stitches with her thoughts, prose and rants.

Then came the sad, sad day when I noticed her RSS feed hadn't updated in awhile.  The while stretched longer and longer until I resigned myself that I would no longer get to read her thoughts on life. It was like a light had gone out in the world.

Fast forward to today. While making preparations for the July 1^st demise of Google Reader, I noticed a new (to me) post!  It directed readers to a new blog.... *drumroll*

That Chick Over There You might also know me as Stephanie Snowe. I'm a mom, a wife, a writer, and a blogger. Oh and people think I'm hilarious and they are right.

...now has her own domain: Stephanie Snowe: The Blog!

Oh how I have missed you, Chick.  Settling in for a leisurely read.  It is a good day.

UPDATE:
Carol Lawecki asked for information on what alternatives exist for Google Reader. Here is what I found:

• Flipboard -  lets you compose and share personalised magazines. It's very well done.
• Reeder -  available on the Mac, iPhone, and iPad. It takes your Google Reader subscriptions and presents them in a "clean and well-lighted" way.
• Digg Reader - ready to save power users from Google Reader shutdown
• Feedly - a highly customizable app, offered as an app on iOS and Android, and as extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari on your laptop or desktop.

MercuryNews.com has a nice graphic summarizing options:  Google Reader's going away, but...

Hope this helps!

♥ from Postie ♥

Ooh, it has been a good week for post. An unexpected parcel arrived from a northern cousin, she of the flying shuttles, the magnificent Fox! To what do I owe this good fortune?

Goodies from Fox

The note card caused a brief pause, as I didn't recall doing anything requiring a thank you note...

Fox was thanking me again for sending her a Pansy shuttle from La Cossette many moons ago. (Tat-ology 2011: So Blessed)

...enclosed was a pretty wisteria shuttle from La Cossette to add to my collection. Yippee!
That is not all. Cindy from A Happy Bluebird made a terrific felt needle book to pass along.

Fox's timing couldn't be better, as I am stitching my fingers raw with applique work on the Palmetto Tat Days fund-raiser wall hanging. Applique needles are sharp and having a case to keep them in is a life-saver.

Fox and Cindy, THANK YOU so much my friends!

Blue-eyed penguins for Tat Days charity fund raiser

Gettin' Grape-y with a Pineapple
When my stitching fingers need a break, I ply my shuttles toward a promised heart for JB.  Here is a sneak peek of her heart so far.

In progress:
Pineapple Split Ring Heart © 2004 Sherry Matthews
Tatting by IsDihara

Pineapple Split Ring Heart pattern can be found online at Needle Tatting Forum (registration required). It is also linked from Tatting Pattern Central.  (Registration is still required at Needle Tatting Forum to access the pattern, but once logged in, the link at Tatting Pattern Central opens right up.)

Arlene shared a photo of her two completed hearts back in 2008 on her blog: Arlene Tats and Knits: Sending out Hearts  Check out her blog to see a photo of her lovely hearts.

Time to confess...I improvised the pattern, substituting two joined rings for the clover at the bottom.

Red is de rigueur, but the soft purple shades of Lizbeth® 40 #165 Grape Splash add charm, n'est-ce pas? Once completed, this heart will be a milestone - my first pineapple pattern.

Hoping you have time to indulge in lace-making endeavors today and can also enjoy a summer cuppa.  See you next Tuesday for more communi-tea!