Karla's Cottage – Page 258

A rare treasure

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Etsy Goodies, flowers, paintings, Sugarwings, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / August 11, 2008

You were all so thoughtful in cheering me up, thanks for your well wishes!

I am usually pretty upbeat, but I think I was suffering from vacation overload! I went from weeks of family and friends and travel to an abrupt stop and was feeling it. Isn’t that what makes blog friends so nice to have? They are always there to visit and company is only as far away as the keyboard.

Today’s sketches even went a bit better. Sometimes, sitting at my desk to work on my latest project can cure any worry or ill, but other days, it is just hopeless. And if it isn’t going well, I need to just walk away from the table and give it a break.

Yes, today was a good one, I was happy with the drawings, I heard from Fifi that the story Carol, Diane and I worked on turned out well and is set for the next issue of Romantic Country. Of course, she hadn’t given me any reason to think they wouldn’t use the article, but I am always reassured when the type is set and the magazine is final. Things get shuffled sometimes and it is good to know this didn’t.

Then, I heard from Jo Pakham that she could be interested in my studio for "Where Women Create". Of course, nothing is settled, it was only an inquiry, but I was flattered to be asked. I’ve heard a lot of positive buzz about this new publication, and I am honored to be considered.

I’ll spend part of next week taking a shovel to the room to make way for some sample photos!

I also kept to my deal with myself and listed more on Etsy today, another altered fairy and some flocked paper packs.

As if today wasn’t already a nice day, look what I found when I went out to do some yard work-

Surprise lillies everywhere! I adore these pink blooms that pop up over night sometime mid-August.

The fragrance outside my studio door caught my attention before I even saw the flowers. I picked an armful to bring in and scent my home too.

But there is more- Sugarwing’s Daddy came by to visit, just to hang out and talk. As close as we are, that just doesn’t happen as often as it used to, grown sons hanging out, one on one, just for the fun of it, is a rare treasure!

grumpy

Books, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Etsy Goodies, fairies, paintings

By Karla Nathan / August 11, 2008

My birthday book for Sugarwings is not going well today. Very little got finished this afternoon.

The tea party page is done as well as the text page to go next to it.

I painted a light background, scanned it, and then printed it with the words on it.

I’m sure that if I knew how to do digital scrapbook techniques, or just plain old, how to add text to a picture, this part would be easier!

The plan is to scan each page, then print and glue and embellish and sparkle them all up after I make them into a book. That way I can make multiple copies, with no two exactly alike.

But on this page she looks way too grown up. It’s not good enough to use. Luckily, not much time went into this picture, that also might explain why it isn’t very good??

Since painting wasn’t going well today, I took a break to add some things to my Etsy shop.

I seem to have piles and piles of crap, I mean finished art, around the studio that needs to be moved out of here!

So, I listed a few, but never seem to get many listings done.

I wondered if it was because I take so long with the photos, but from the looks of this one, that can’t be it, I didn’t even bother to comb this poor fairy baby’s hair before I took her picture!

Two fairies got listed and are ready to go to new homes.

And I dithered on whether or not I wanted to sell this wallpaper journal. It seemed like it should be a keeper, it is made with such pretty, old papers. But, I can make more if I need one later on.

It could be a scrapbook, or a journal, it is all vintage pages (9" x 11") ready to be filled with whatever the new owner feels like doing. It also comes with a scrap pack of coordinating wallpapers to use for further embellishments.

And lastly, this 8" x 4" tag.

Five items, is that all I listed today???? Geez, I am really not getting much done. I have a goal of 100 items, but have trouble keeping it at 50. And even though sales are not bad (thank you very much!!) they are not the reason I can’t keep up.

It is because it would take me a solid week to list another 50 items to get it up to that point! And I get bored doing it.

Its so much more fun to make things than to try to sell things.

Leelee_book_010 Sorry about the whining. Too much time off coupled with not enough time to finish a project that isn’t going well can do that to a person.

And maybe I miss my buddies who were here all week? It is sad to see them fly back to Florida and California. We’ve been friends since we were 11. Here is a picture of Sandy and I in our 20s, looks like we were hanging out in a bar…. probably were.

Plus, today is my 23rd wedding anniversary, and even though we had a wonderful celebration early, I felt a little lonely today, with Rich out East and me here.

Here we are with the kids that day, and my, we look like kids ourselves!

Doesn’t Sugarwings look like her daddy, my youngest son?

Thanks for listening to me be down a bit. Blogging friends are good to have. I’ll cheer myself up by blog hopping around and seeing all the beautiful eye candy out there on my favorite sites!

Before I go, here are a couple things I added to the August giveaway. A pair of pink vintage earrings and a Victorian calling card to go along with the brooch with the blue stone.

More goodies to come, you deserve it after putting up with my wallowing in self pity tonight!

ps- thanks to all of your kind wishes for my fairy baby. She is doing much better now.

Gone by in a blur

fairies, paintings, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / August 9, 2008

A little bit of painting got done today, not nearly enough. I only have a few days to finish this book for Sugarwing’s 2nd birthday!

Her party is one week from today. Its hard to believe she will be 2 already, but on the other hand, I feel like I have known her forever and can’t even remember what life was like before she came along!

Instead of making more illustrations for her birthday book, I puttered about instead. I did little projects like hanging my rolls of ribbon from a ribbon on the spool shelf I store my supplies in on the desk.

The ribbon ties to the spindles and can untie to change spools. It really only took a couple of minutes to do, so I can’t say what happened to the rest of my afternoon. It was a blur of non-productivity!

On 8-8-08, Sugarwing’s Hippie Chick mommy had a Leo birthday party and I went to face paint for everyone.

I was a bit early, so the fairy grand baby helped me get set up and tried out the paints. She wasn’t quite herself, and I realized the poor thing had a fever, so I took her to my house for a sleepover and her parents got to stay and enjoy their party.

We cuddled in front of a movie, and every once in a while, she’d turn to me and say, "I sick". She just was not feeling well at all.

Maybe being up checking on a feverish baby throughout the night explains my lack of accomplishments today?

Oh, I have a thank you to mention- look at these pretty butterflies! A kind hearted reader, Caitlin, sent a rainbow full of them for me to use to make fairies.

I will be making some little sprites, but for now, I had to hang a few of the butterflies up to enjoy.

With company and trips and everything else going on for the last two weeks, I haven’t made up a prize for the August giveaway yet. Any suggestions?

There is one going, of course, all comments count.

We just don’t know what the prize is yet, except for this little vintage brooch with a blue stone.

Attack of the Seven Pound Monster

celebrations, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), fairies, family, Food and Drink, We're having a party, yorkies

By Karla Nathan / August 8, 2008

The house seems pretty quiet now that I have taken my childhood friends to the airport and their visit for our Fabulous Fifty Birthday Celebration has ended.

We had a lively week full of tiaras and champagne!

Because a good bottle of champagne can make any occasion special, even if it is just a dinner of egg salad.

It was a week of simple pleasures, like just sitting on the porch and talking.

Of course, we couldn’t leave the Dorkies out of the party.

Twinks just isn’t the type to let herself be left out of anything. Even though Sandy wasn’t exactly a dog person.

Twinkle couldn’t get it through her fuzzy little head that Sandy wasn’t crazy about her and she wouldn’t leave the poor woman alone all week.

But the dorkies got plenty of attention and even got to model some of the tiaras themselves.

We also did a bit of shopping downtown Lawrence. No luck on finding a prom dress to fit.

My pals aren’t the vintage type, but they were good sports about poking around the old dresses and helping me in and out of the ones I got stuck in.

It wasn’t the first or the last sticky situation these two have helped me with over the last 40 years.

After saying goodbye to my dearest friends, I came home to finish the scrapbook of Sugarwing’s second year. Her Hippy Chick Mommy’s birthday is this week and I wanted to give her a completed album of her baby’s adventures.

On Friday, 8-8-08, there is a big birthday party for all of the August babies. Sugarwings and her Hippy Chick Mommy are both Leos, as well as a few of their friends, so they are having a blow out party to celebrate.

I’ll be packing up my face paints and glitter and going off to join the kids tomorrow.

But the best part is, that Sugarwings and I will be leaving early and she will be staying all night with me. Now, that is something to look forward to, and to keep me from being too down about my child hood friends leaving today!

Fabulous 50 Celebration Reunion

We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / August 6, 2008

The Fabulous 50 Celebration Reunion is going so well! We are having a blast.

Debbie Kay flew in from Ft Lauderdale and Sandy is here from the Sonoma Valley. I’ve tried to make the trip special for them, since they came so far and from such interesting and beautiful places.

While we started with a bit of a heat wave, (101 degrees!) that only made the lake water even more inviting.

We’ve picnicked out on the water and watched the sunset while sipping wine that Sandy picked out for us from her wine shop back home. It’s wonderful to have a friend who loves wine and knows it well. I always learn something from her when she comes to visit.( her latest tip for a great value and high quality wine? Sbragia)

We’ve eaten lots of good food and even made a late night run to the store for fresh ingredients to make up a midnight snack to go along with our strawberry margaritas.

While the heat wave was at its worse, we spent time indoors at the movie theater and saw "Mama Mia", and had to stop at Target on the way home to buy the soundtrack, so it has been playing constantly in the background for the rest of the week.

What a perfect movie for a reunion of good friends! We definately identified with the ladies in the film.

And after the influence of the movie, I have been breaking out into spontaneous dance moves everywhere I go. And no, that is not just the margaritas and the wine making me dance, as ship captain out on the lake, I have been very responsible.

Today we are indulging ourselves in a special treat. Sugarwing’s Aunty Rae Rae is a massage therapist and she brought her table over to my house.

I fixed a French toast brunch, then everyone is taking turns soaking in the jacuzzi and getting the best massages ever from Aunty Rae Rae.

Debbie and Sandy have been great friends since we were in 6th grade together, and even though we haven’t lived in the same state since we were in our early 20s, my time with them always feels like I just saw them the day before.

Our get togethers aren’t as often as we would like, but that makes me appreciate and cherish them even more.

Party hats for party time!

We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / August 3, 2008

Another quick posting- I’m off to pick up my friends at the airport in a few minutes. Of course I am covered in glue and glitter and in my jammies- I decided to do a last minute project when I got up today!

The gift baskets are filled and ready to go, and birthday presents are wrapped.

But I realized I was missing something vital…. mmmmm… what did I need??

Party hats!!

On our 40th birthdays we all went to Mendocino and stayed at a B&B (and for our 50th- Kansas? Gee what happens when we turn 60? How can we top Kansas?) and after a day of wine tasting, we all put on glittery crowns I had made for us and packed for the trip.

I used pictures of us wearing our tiaras for these hats.

The photo of me at 40 in my crown with a bottle of port in my hand is not very flattering, but don’t I look like I am having fun?

We had a blast and I can’t wait for this visit to get started.

I made vegetarian lasagna and spaghetti squash casserole (with goods from my garden!), plus got the table set last night before bed, so we don’t have to do anything but have fun today.

Debbie Kay’s birthday was in February, so her hat has purple crystals to represent an amethyst birthstone.

Sandy and I are both May, so we got emerald green stones.

I added extra ribbons at the base of the hats to tie them on with, these beauties seem a bit top heavy with all the magic wands and fairies on the tops of them.

I’m off to the airport! Well, as soon as I get dressed, that is. I doubt if I’ll have time to get the glitter and glue off, but I doubt if they will mind.

Gifties Galore!

celebrations, family, give away, paintings

By Karla Nathan / August 1, 2008

edit- aparently there is a bug with Sitemeter now, and it is blocking all typepad blogs. I just deleted mine, I don’t use it anyway. Sorry if you tried to visit and weren’t allowed to!

Just a quickie here between family fun events. Everyone is out on the lake right now and I am taking a break to clean up and run some errands. Then I am picking up all the teenage types that are visiting and taking them to see the Batman movie this afternoon before we have another cookout tonight.

But now- time for giveaway prizes! I added a sweet little blue rose pin from my trip out to Karlapalooza.

For the July Garage Sale Bling Bargain Blowout Bag-

JEAN EAKIN

is the winner. Please email me with your address, Jean.

And the Christmas in July gift goes to:

Lolly

Whats up for a giveaway in August? I never plan ahead much, and kind of like to see how the month goes and what interests me. But, so far, I have decided to give this pretty brooch from Karlapalooza.

I’m sure more will be added later on.

And look here, I got a giftie too!

Lori Karla, one of my Karlapalooza buddies, sent me this adorable collage.

And as if that weren’t enough, she added MORE to the package of treats.

Lori had cut out this little girl picture and instead of using her in a project, I stuck her into a bingo thingy. What are these called anyway? The cage that the numbers go in to be spun around and then pulled out to call?

This baby might get some wings later, but I think she is pretty cute just hanging out in the thingy with some millinery flowers. (a 1 minute project, if that long!)

Lori also cut out this girl and sent her, along with the butterfly crocheted doilies.

As much as I like vintagey girl pictures, I like them even more CUT OUT already! Wow, they are snipped and ready to go into what ever project I want to do with them.

Heck, I think she looks pretty cute just on the table as she is with the doilies and the gift wrap ribbon!

But there’s more! Sweet Lori had sent me this rolled pack of papers with an earlier package (yep, she is a generous soul).

At Karlapalooza, I had asked her a about the buckle she uses on her packaging, I like the way all of her goodies come, wrapped up so pretty with old ribbon and a shiny buckle.

She sent me a handful of these buckles to use for my own outgoing packages too!

Boxes are starting to arrive on my doorstep filled with swap goodies from the Pre-Silver Bella Inspiration and Get Acquainted Swap that I am hosting.

And what pretties there are! How exciting that I get to get the first peek at all the special things first! Especially from this list of ladies:

1-Heather http://www.prettypetals.typepad.com/

2-Cheryl Dack http://roseyposeyconfections.blogspot.com/

3-jennifer hayslip http://sweeteyecandycreations.typepad.com/

4-Jessi Nagy http://www.scrappyjessi.blogspot.com/

5-Kim Caldwell http://www.artisticbliss.typepad.com/

6-Holly http://www.hollydoodledesigns.com/shop/

7-Natasha http://www.natashaburns.blogspot.com/

8-Analisa http://www.leesiebella.typepad.com/

9-Andrea http://velvetstrawberries.typepad.com/andreasingarella/

10-Cheryl Stoneham http://www.insidethebubble.typepad.com/

11- Tiffany www.shabbyscraps.typepad.com

12- Carol Spinski – http://raisedincotton.typepad.com/

Cheryl and Tiffany included totally unnecessary (but lovely) little hostess gifts.

I feel totally spoiled rotten this week, after my trip to Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, with all the dinners out and shopping and blog friend treats! Now, piles of goodies coming to my door? Wow.

I also won this FABULOUS tank from http://marvellousmousedesigns.blogspot.com/

Actually, some one else won the giveaway, but she is giving a second away, because she says she enjoys making people smile. How sweet is that? I like it so much, I am ordering a white tee shirt with pink crystals on it saying

"Karla Bella"

in what she calls a "swirly girly" script. How perfect will that be for Silver Bella??? (by the way, she does custom orders)

I have had NO time to work on anything since I got home, besides restocking the fridge and trying to find the stench that developed in my house while I was gone for a week (it was a potato gone bad- how can one potato make a whole house stink that much?)

But before I left VA, I had about 10 minutes as my husband was gathering up last minute details before we left to the airport and I added a dollop of color to one of the pages I am doing for Sugarwing’s birthday book. I’ll work on it more next week.

I won’t be posting much this week, there is a BIG BIRTHDAY BASH with my childhood friend starting Sunday!! Can’t wait.

Why that dress won’t zip

antiques/junking, celebrations, Food and Drink, Moving to DC

By Karla Nathan / July 31, 2008

I still have a few of my little watercolor simple sketches available for $10 each, including postage (US). Thanks to all of you who bought one! shoe and little girl’s dress sold, thanks!

Today, we go back to Kansas, and it will feel good to get home. Its been a great week, but you know the famous line about Kansas— "THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME".

When I get there, I’ll have a morning to unpack, clean up, stock up the fridge, tend to the flowers, and get ready for guests! Family is coming for a couple days and I will be feeding about 20 people tomorrow night.

As soon as family house guests leave, I need to get ready for my childhood friends to arrive for 5 days of non-stop birthday celebrating. We all turned 50 this year, although I don’t think Sandy will admit to it. So, please forgive me, if I don’t answer emails and comments, I will be happily swamped for a while!

This has been a wonderful, pampering week! Beautiful country clubs to visit, and great food, as well as getting to see blog friends and shop.

This is the view from Treesdale country club’s deck, where my husband took me for our 23rd anniversary celebration.

The dinner was prepared by a former White House Chef, Walter Scheib, who has a book out now about his time serving the Clintons and Bushes. I bought an autographed copy of the book, can’t wait to get time to sit and read it!

He told the BEST stories.

And he made the BEST food!

That guy was a charmer. Cute as can be and funny too.

Chef Walter had a story about each dish and the White House family member who inspired it.

My favorite was Chelsea Clinton’s sweet potato soup. Hilary had asked him to teach Chelsea how to cook before she went away to college so she wouldn’t eat in restaurants all the time and this is a recipe that they worked on together.

This specialty ice cream had a hint of honey and fresh lavender in it. Maybe it was even better than the soup….

There are plenty of reasons right here at this table for me to not be able to zip that dress in the last post!

We ate at Treesdale another night too, and I had Chilean Sea Bass with a truffle infusion. With Key Lime Pie for dessert. I’ve had dessert every night this week, including TWICE on Sunday when Heather served cheesecake for lunch, then I had apple pie after dinner that night.

It will be a huge change for me to go from being fed gourmet meals to cooking for 20 tomorrow night!

And I don’t think I ever want to break this dessert habit that I have gotten into!

The shopping habit and the dessert habit really should be put to an end.

But how could I resist going to Lucketts while I was in Virginia?

Eventually, I am going to have to get out and explore some other towns, I always head straight to Leesburg when I am in the area. Next time I come to our apartment outside of DC, I should try to visit somewhere else.

I was pretty proud of myself for resisting these cute crowns. They were only $12 each, but I thought I had spent enough.

Sightseeing without even buying much is fun at a place like Lucketts.

I’m doing a delayed post for this, writing it Wednesday morning before we head back to home, so it should post on Thursday while I am preparing for guests.

I will be away from the computer for a bit, busily entertaining, snuggling up to Sugarwings, and having a good time, but will pop back in to announce the Christmas in July and the regular August giveaway.

Why I most likely will not be wearing a prom dress to Silver Bella

antiques/junking, fairies, family, Moving to DC, paintings, Silver Bella, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / July 30, 2008

You might have heard that at Silver Bella this coming November, there will be a vintage prom night.

Well, I saw this pretty pink confection at Lucketts today, for a bargain price, and thought, just maybe this one would work for a ‘more mature’ prom princess.

It wasn’t quite as frothy as most of the 50s dresses I’ve seen, and had a bodice that seemed a bit easier to wear for someone who didn’t have the shoulders of a 15 year old.

I also thought it didn’t look quite as tiny as most of the vintage gowns out there.

oops, I was wrong.

Not only am I past having the shoulders of a 15 year old, my waist and butt aren’t anywhere near that age group either.

But I bought it anyway! It might be right for another Bella, if not, it will look nice on my dress form and I can use it to display the jewelry I make and plan to sell at Silver Bella.

I also found these hand made, old Barbie prom dresses, 3 lamp shades for 40% off, and a hat loaded with scrumptious pink blooms.

I spent a total of $38 today. Which really isn’t much for how much I got, but is quite a bit if you look back at all of my recent posts and see just how much shopping I have been doing lately….

This Jack and Jill book from 1948 has the sweetest fairy illustrations and was only a dollar, and I got a bag of velvet ribbons for $2, but these pictured are the prettiest of the colors. (I don’t care for the oranges and bright blues, but will find a use for them, I’m sure)

To stop myself from buying more, I came back to our apartment in Centreville and worked on Sugarwing’s birthday book.

I started a tea party sketch, here is a rough draft.

Then I started to refine it a bit, and add ink. Later, I’ll do watercolor tints to the picture too.

This page will say:

"When there is a tea party, Sugarwings and Twinkle serve delicious, pretend treats. Twinkle doesn’t understand why she can’t see or taste the cookies that her sister is eating, but would really like to have one." Luncheon

Speaking of tea parties, here is Heather’s dining room set up for our luncheon on Sunday.

Everywhere you look in her house, there is something pretty, and sometimes it is looking right back at you, like this birdie!

Or the pretty porcelain ladies that she has scattered about.

If you read her blog, you already know about her sense of style. Everything there is pretty, just like her name says, "Pretty Petals".

I had some trouble viewing her site from the hotel lobby computer! It was blocked due to "adult content"???? I wrote her and said I was afraid she was one of those Internet predators my husband is sure I will run into at any moment.

So, I told her that if she picked me up Sunday morning in a big white van like serial killers always drive, or was wearing a trench coat, I was not going with her!

But all was well, she didn’t try to kill me, and we had a lovely day at Karlapalooza, and a great time at her house afterward.

I’m just a girl who can’t say no to sparkles!

antiques/junking, Etsy Goodies, fairies, family, paintings, Sugarwings, Travel

By Karla Nathan / July 29, 2008

More from Karlapalooza- here is a picture Heather took of me, buying- what else?? Gems! Sparkling gems. I was like a magpie that day, constantly stopping for every sparkle I saw out of the corner of my eye.

This guy had piles of boxes of jewels and I couldn’t leave his booth. No prices were on them, he said they ranged from $1 to $7. I told him I’d make a pile and if anything was over a dollar, he could pull it out.

At first, I was trying to be polite and not hog all the good stuff from my friends, but they made their choices and moved on, so I piled it high!

He actually charged me much less than $1 each, because I bought so much. I ended up spending $35 there, not all of this is from that booth. But I didn’t spend over a dollar on anything here but that crystal stoppered bottle, it was $6.

I bought a few baggies of jewels for $3 a bag, and picked out the ones I wouldn’t use. We went to a friend’s house for a cook out last night and I knew his little girls would love to have some jewelry to play dress up with. I promised to bring them more next time I come too.

Heather Karlawski made the most lovely tussie mussie for me, and I thought that was just another example of how much we had in common, since I brought a tussie to her too!

And Kitty Karla had rolled up and decorated pretty vintage papers for us. I haven’t been able to bring myself to unroll it yet, it is too pretty as it is!

And yes– I found some hats! I pulled the flowers off of them and kept the flowers, leaving a couple of the naked hats behind for Heather to work her magic on and foof up. Have you ever seen how pretty Heather makes her hats?? Wow, they are beautiful.

I also bought old calling cards- notice the "Bella" card? I foresee many Silver Bella projects with that image!! And the two dolly dresses are for Sugarwing’s babies. I think that all of her toys at her Grammie Karkie’s house should vintage.

My favorite find of the day was the cake plate all these pretty purchases are sitting on.

It is a metal cake plate music box. When you wind it up, the plate turns and it plays "Happy Birthday"- plus it has roses on it and was only $4!

Sugarwings calls every cake a "happy" since they are often served with a serenade of "Happy Birthday".

She has her 2nd birthday coming up and I can’t wait to bake a cake with her and set it on this cake plate so we can sing along.

I miss my little fairy grand baby!!

I decided that for her birthday on August 16th, I would make a book to give her.

Here is my first sketch and this is the text that will be on the page:

"Sugarwings has a best friend, named Twinkle. Twinks is actually a dog, and Sugarwings is a little fairy girl, but these two think they are sisters. Isn’t it nice when your sister is your best friend?

Of course the two do fuss and argue sometimes. Often they want the same cookie or toy, but they have learned to share."

I have plans for paintings of them at a tea party, with Twink’s head cocked at an angle because she doesn’t understand why the baby is eating pretend cookies and is wondering where the real cookie is. And another page of the the puppy getting Sugarwing’s toes. A total of 6 illustrations and 6 pages of text. Not a big book, but just right for a two year old.

I didn’t take as many photos at the flea market as I should have. We were enjoying the day too much and didn’t stop for photo ops often. Here is Heather and Lori admiring some cute dolls.

I did take LOTS of

pictures of Heather’s home- and by the way, it is even prettier in person. When you walk in, you just feel tranquil, with all the soft colors and pretty things around.

I’ll show more next time!

And remember my TWO giveaways end in a few days, and it is not too late to enter. I will add a piece of the jewelry I bought at Karlapalooza to the prize pack of summertime bright color jewels I have wrapped up for the August giveaway.

And if you are interested in any of the little watercolor sketches from the previous post, the two pink cupcakes and the dove are spoken for. Thanks, Amy, Ruby, and Bobbi!