“Did you know that when you type your fingers kinda look like they’re dancing?”
11:18 PM Dec 15th, 2009

“Not everyone has stinky farts! Some people have farts that smell like…like…morning blossoms!”
1:16 PM Dec 8th, 2009

“Mom, I drew this for you ‘cuz you love rain. I put colors in it because when the sun hits it, it makes a rainbow!”
2:32 PM Dec 5th, 2009

“I’m gonna need my sleeping bag, a shawl, my baby, and some hot cocoa.”
6:43 AM Dec 1st, 2009

“You never know when you might need a hanger.”
11:27 AM Nov 29th, 2009

“I REALLY miss Daddy. When I see him again, I’m gonna give him TEN-HUNDRED hugs & kisses, because I haven’t hugged or kissed him in weeks.”
9:57 AM Nov 28th, 2009

“I wish the world was made of chips. That way when I was hungry I could just take a bite of sidewalk, or the yummy yummy tree.”
1:19 PM Nov 26th, 2009

“If I ever see Chuck, I’m gonna say, ‘Can I have your autograph?’ Almost everyone likes Chuck, even little kids like me & Bug!”
1:51 AM Nov 26th, 2009

“Get ready for the one and only mix-a-roon-o batch of play-dough.”
4:13 PM Nov 25th, 2009

“This meat Miss Brenda made is SO tasty. She should be a famous cook!”
6:33 PM Nov 24th, 2009

“I just wanted you to know that I’m really enjoying my relaxation time.”
11:54 AM Nov 23rd, 2009

“This party is SO Barbie!”
4:22 PM Nov 21st, 2009

“I really need to try a tomato plain one of these days.”
5:47 PM Nov 18th, 2009

“Being a mom is a BIG responsibility. I sure am glad I’m not you!”
4:35 PM Nov 17th, 2009

“Sometimes when you drink hot chocolate, it can mess up your mind.”
1:06 AM Nov 17th, 2009

“I am the Queen of Pretending.”
9:07 PM Nov 13th, 2009

“I can’t believe all these years I wasted not eating pickles!”
10:20 AM Nov 12th, 2009

“I’m not really a kindergartner. I’m a Secret Agent Double-0-0! Like Casey and Sarah and Chuck.”
2:07 PM Nov 11th, 2009

“Can I get you a snack while I’m downstairs? Or a Diet Coke?”
2:34 PM Nov 10th, 2009

“Mama, you’re funny in some ways. Everyone in my family is funny in some kinda way!”
1:26 PM Nov 9th, 2009

“San Diego is warm all year round, ‘cuz it’s close to the heat radar…ya know, the line around the middle of earth?…Ohhh right, equator.”
9:01 PM Nov 6th, 2009

“I’m NEVER gonna hold onto a big bunch of balloons.”
11:31 AM Nov 5th, 2009

Singing, “If you stand up so proud and tall, you’ll find your true hidden talent that’s hi-i-iding under your skin! Oo-oo-ooh…”
11:50 AM Nov 4th, 2009

“This would be a great opportunity for you to get me some ice-cold water.”
2:25 PM Nov 3rd, 2009

“Yes, I tried a nacho. Actually, no, I didn’t try one. I will now….Mmmmm! These are delicious!”
12:35 PM Nov 3rd, 2009

(watching Chuck vs the Helicopter) “If you get shooted with a tranquilizer dart, it won’t kill you. It just makes you sleepy.”
7:48 PM Nov 1st, 2009

“It’s called the Southwest Air Loop-de-Loop Liner!”
9:45 AM Nov 1st, 2009

“I like to call my brain ‘Smarty.’”
6:37 PM Oct 27th, 2009

“Index cards…I need index cards.” 11:27 AM Oct 26th, 2009

“I just like doodling, because I’m really good at it. Oops, I broke my pencil again.”
2:45 PM Oct 18th, 2009

“I would like some entertainment.”
6:21 PM Oct 13th, 2009

“Hey, I *am* feeling better! Can I go swimming now?”
4:12 PM Oct 9th, 2009

“I’m so tired of being sick!”
8:21 AM Oct 9th, 2009

“I don’t like octopuses, because they’re too suction-cuppy.”
7:11 AM Oct 8th, 2009

“This taco is SO good, I can’t resist it!”
11:16 AM Oct 3rd, 2009

“It’s on my to-do list.”
12:28 PM Oct 2nd, 2009

“I don’t mean to interrupt, but…SHE’S IN TROUBLE!!! Can I have some more chocolate?”
11:54 AM Sep 24th, 2009

“I think I got more carrots than I meant to. But it’s okay. You can NEVER have too much of the good stuff!”
5:31 PM Sep 23rd, 2009

“This is my pet unicorn. I call her Grape, because her mane and tail are so shiny and purple.”
9:01 AM Sep 21st, 2009

I painted this with Katrina when I was in Omaha, on Day 1 of 7 Days last month. I had hoped that the colors would be even more muted, but oh well. I still like it. Michelle saw the photo on Flickr and she liked it too, so we met her in Encinitas for lunch.

Michelle has been one of my best Etsy customers for a long time, and she happens to live in SoCal. I suggested that she could save on the cost of shipping if we met for lunch and I just brought the mug to her, so that’s what we did. It was great to finally meet her!

Heather painted this mug when we all went painting when Lauren was in town, and I love how it turned out. It fascinates me how everyone’s dottery is unique. We’re all using the wrong end of the paintbrush, yet each person’s patterns are slightly different. Very cool how that works.

Okay, my inner geek is showing. The story behind this mug is kind of long. You can read more about it here; it helps if you’re a Star Trek: The Next Generation fan.

Captain Picard on ST:TNG used to order tea from the replicator all the time by barking out, “Tea, Earl Grey. Hot.” Wil Wheaton, who played Wesley Crusher on the show, is a famous blogger now and is selling mugs with this on them to promote a podcast he’s doing with commentaries/reviews of early ST:TNG episodes. Lauren told me about all this, and said she wanted to paint her own version of the mug. I thought it was a brilliant idea and wanted one too, except I hate Earl Grey tea. So I changed the last word on mine to “not.”

Here is the mug Lauren painted. I especially love the little Star Trek symbol she drew above her signature on the bottom.

I just realized I never got a photo of the first two dishes Lauren painted. Something was weird about the bisque or the glaze, and they turned a strange green color in the kiln. The pottery studio gave her a credit for the cost of the dishes and she painted these three to replace them. The one in the middle is for Lauren’s Japanese sister-in-law; I believe that’s her name on there. The other two are for Lauren and her mum.

Lauren had the idea for a mug that said, “I knit so I don’t kill people,” but she was so busy with her Earl Grey mug and the dotty dishes that she hadn’t even started painting it by the time Brenda finished her plate and had nothing to do. When she asked if anyone had something for her to do, Lauren asked if she wanted to paint this mug for her. Brenda painted all of it except the last part of the scarf. Her hand got tired so I finished the scarf, including painting it into the inside of the mug and adding the tassels.

Good thing I enjoyed crocheting all those rainballs for Bug’s party, because Claire H. saw them, remembered that she’d intended to order some snowballs from me last year, and asked if would like to crochet her some of each. I said I’d love to, since it gave me a reason to watch a few episodes of Dr. Who on Netflix Instant, both of which I’m loving. Thanks for that, Claire! Your snowballs and rainballs are in my shop whenever you’re ready