Thursday, July 31, 2008

Card Trick

The kids didn't want to go to the pool today. I think that is always a sure sign that school is only a few weeks away. Nathan was excited because the library book he ordered was in: The Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He loves this book. He doesn't love many books so I'm always thrilled when he finds one he enjoys. We picked it up from the library after lunch. This isn't exactly what I'd call literature but what the heck. Nolan is deep into the newest Warriors book. Now that he's at the end of the series I guess we need to find a new series for him to devour. You have some idea why I asked for favorite books.....Anyway, after the boys and I played some Frisbee and football in the backyard (I'm trying to work on some boy skills) they were deep into their books and I took the time to make a pillow for the couch. I've wanted to make a card trick patch ever since I saw this quilt. I saved this fabric for just that purpose. The pillow turned out ok. My points aren't so swift. I just can't seem to get those things accurate! Anyway. I like the way the fabrics go together and the pillow is an old one that is stuffed with wool so it is nice and soft.

A few more peeks

I am thrilled with the responses from you all! I haven't had a moment to sit down and peek at all your blogs but plan to do so soon. Maybe tomorrow morning since I don't work on Fridays. I'm also going to see if I can find some of the books you are mentioning. There are a few that I'm not familiar with and I'm going to do my best to find them! Thanks. My favorite thing to read is still what makes you smile. Because what makes you smile, makes me smile!

Here is a little reproduction feedsack love for you. When I saw this fabric I knew I had to have it. Click here and here to see what I used it for. There are several pieces for you in the box.
I participated in a coaster swap some time ago and my coasters had this fabric on one side. When I was shopping one day I found the fabric and since I love the coasters I thought I'd have to have some of this. I think its Robert Kauffman but I can't remember off hand.
Finally, a little fun. My husband's cousins had babies last year and I made them each a blanket backed with some of this soft minky fabric. The left overs are all yours. I think this fabric would make some great softies.I think I'll pick the winner on Saturday. Again, it has been great to hear all your comments. Keep them coming!

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Heather Bailey

I am overwhelmed with all the comments! Thank you for sharing a wee bit of your life with me. I am always looking for books to share with my boys (hey, could you ask your husbands what books they loved?) and I love to know what makes others happy, so #3 and 4 on the required comment list are my favorites to read. I can't wait to have a minute (or several hours) to look through everyone's blog!Here is another little peek at some of the goodies in the box. I adore Heather Bailey's Freshcut line of fabric. I have to say these are some small scraps but since most of you are quilters, I know you can find a place for them. If you are just checking in, click here for the rules of the give-away. Thanks again for all the wonderful comments. Thanks as well to Michele of Quilting Gallery for posting about my give-away. I know there wouldn't be so many commenters if it wasn't for that link.

Also, a few of you commented that you don't want to be added to the contest because you already have too much fabric. If any of you are looking for a way to help someone else, send some fabric or quilting books to Iowa quilters who lost everything in the flood. Here is the link to Gadrun's post about donating.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Marble Magic

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you'll already know that I'm a huge fan of Moda's Marbles fabric. It comes in so many wonderful colors and lots of shades of each color. I've always been able to match anything I've attempted with this fabric. Needless to say, the winner of the big box of fabric will be blessed with some Marbles fabric scraps. Remember the rules:

Comment to any post this week with the following:
1.Tell me what you think you'll do with the fabric...be as specific as you can.
2.Why do you read my blog? If you read only because someone told you about my give-away....that's ok!
3.Name one book you enjoyed reading as a child.
4. What made you smile today
?

Monday, July 28, 2008

Big Box Give Away

Well, here it is. The give away. I've been wracking my brain trying to figure out the best way to give away my fabric stash. I wanted to give away lots of little packages but the shipping was going to kill me. Fabric weighs too much. So here's what I've decided. I went through my entire stash and put all the fabric in this moving box. No, I'm not giving away everything but I am giving away a whole lot. I know I am going to have to put my sewing aside for awhile and if I haven't used this fabric someone should.

So this week I'll be posting some pictures of what is inside the box. If you are interested in winning this entire box full of fabric comment on this or any post after this one. I want you to work for it though. 1.Tell me what you think you'll do with the fabric...be as specific as you can. 2.Tell me why you read my blog. If you read only because someone told you about my give-away....that's ok! 3.I also want to know what book you enjoyed reading as a child. 4. What made you smile today. Ok, that's it. I have no idea how I'll pick the winner. It could be random, it could be specific. I may let my kids pick. You never know.

Lastly, please encourage others to stop by and enter. I love to hear from people and to meet new bloggers.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Charity and Thanksgiving

I'm feeling a little guilty about this charity. Really, I'm cleaning house. I checked off another item from my list by picking up my sewing from Cafe on Main. The following items will be donated to our Parish Carnival. Ok, NOT the table runner they are sitting on but everything else. So if you see something you like, truck on down to the St. Mary's Carnival in September. Don't live in the area? Stay tuned for some mailable giveaways in the upcoming posts. I really mean it....I'm cleaning house. Well, mostly I'm cleaning my stash.Now for the thanksgiving part. I went to the most wonderful family learning conference yesterday. I'm not going to call it a homeschooling conference because that will make you think my children are not going to school. They are. I have the school supplies to prove it. However, my children will ALWAYS be home educated. Just because they are in school doesn't mean we no longer learn at home! I hope my boys will learn all the most important lessons here, with Mom and Dad. They learn to get along with each other in a not-too-big-house. To become independent by helping maintain the house through cooking, laundry and cleaning. They visit with their Nana in the Rehab center. And most importantly, they learn to live by following the teachings of Christ. So I'll always consider my boys "homeschooled" no matter where they are attending school.

I am so thankful for the wonderful speakers yesterday. They really made me think about what I am doing with my family and where I need to be more purposeful. My boys will both be training to be altar servers in September and so I wanted to give them some extra knowledge prior to the training. Some of the books and materials I bought are below. I love books and love to learn and have a hard time staying away from those vendor tables! The adult books were all 1/2 price so I got them all for $16. A bargain. We are going to attempt to write our own Bible School this year and I want to be prepared.

Finally, I was thankful for the time spent with some lovely women who I am so grateful to call my friends. It was much needed time for me. So thank you Michele for putting this on and for all who helped you make this day happen.

Friday, July 25, 2008

Toward the end of the list...

It has been a busy week. Mike's 92 year old grandmother has been in the hospital. It appears that she has been having mini strokes over the past few weeks/months and is having seizures because of them. She is very weak but doing much better. Needless to say, we've been at the hospital a lot. We're still not sure what the plan is for her but I'm guessing we will know over the next few days.I've been working slowly on my living room curtains. I really love the fabric I chose, little leaves on white. The yellow matches our walls wonderfully and the blue really helps the flow into the dinning room. I'm not actually finished with these yet but was wanting a break from the hemming and ironing so I thought I'd show you some pictures. This fabric wrinkles fairly easily but it has a great feel: a little like linen with a loose weave but not too much so as to fray terribly. I have some extra pieces and think I might make some pillows or a throw quilt for the room.Please excuse the messy living room. The coffee table is always crowded. I have the mantle stuffed too with things that need to go other places. You can see a brand new bottle of Pledge on the desk....I will get this house clean someday!

I should also mention that I have officially accepted a full time job as a one-on-one aide for a teen with Autism for this school year. The job comes with medical benefits (yeah....we've paid out way too much over the past two years.....) and will still allow me to be home when the kids are home. I think I may have the opportunity to take some classes as well. I've been thinking about getting my Special Ed certification. I'm still thinking. We have a lot of new transitions this year that will be time consuming.

What does this mean for you? Well......I'm thinking of a big stash give away. I don't have a ton of fabric but I have enough that has been laying around for quite awhile. There are so many of you out there who will do more with the stash than I will and I'm thinking of sharing. Keep checking back for more on this.

For now I have to get back to hemming.....

Monday, July 21, 2008

Hangin' Out

I like but don't love this little mini. I think the reason is because it doesn't match up quite perfectly. I love wonky when it is obviously supposed to be wonky. I hate wonky when it is just laziness. This is really laziness. It looks ok from afar so I may just leave it hanging in the sun room for now. When we first looked through the house, Mrs. Woods had bird houses all over the sun room. There are lots and lots of hooks and I keep thinking about what to hang on them. I'm sure I'll find things over time that I love. So for now, I'll keep this little stained glass quilt. I've been feeling the urge to paint my sewing room so I can hang my minis. Can you tell I really don't want to make those living room curtains?

Mini Stash Buster

After finishing the curtains I needed something that was quick and fun. I've had the fabric piled up to make a mini quilt for a few days and to continue participating in the Summer Stash Challenge. Initially I was planning on making this quilt so I didn't worry about cutting or sewing very accurately. After I laid out the blocks, I started playing around with them and decided I liked it a different way. Now, I wish I had taken more care in my cutting and sewing but it is too late now. I really should start working on the living room curtains but I just can't seem to get started. Definitely after this little project is finished.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Smoking through the list...

I finished them last night. I'm very pleased with the way the tabs came out. I wasn't 100% sure I would like it with all the stripes. I do have to say that striped curtains are very easy to make because I just followed the stripe when I was ironing the long side hems. This fabric is called Pick Up Sticks. Nathan and Nolan picked it out and I think they did a great job. I mentioned before that I bought it from bee square fabrics. She was great to buy from and gave me a good deal.

In other news, I have been searching for a bread recipe (not actively searching but quietly searching) and I found one in the oddest place....on The Simple Dollar! Click here if you want the recipe. I can't bear to try it today as it is too hot (although I guess it is the kind of weather bread likes). The Simple Dollar is a great financial blog. I highly recommend it.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Red Love

Look what came in the mail for me!!! Wow it felt like Christmas. AmandaJean and I agreed to a fabric trade. I told her that I love red and look at all the red goodness she sent me! Big pieces, too. The card is hand made and also delicious. Makes me think of fruit at market. AmandaJean I am IN LOVE (appropriate that the fabric is red, isn't it???). Thank you, thank you. I have been keeping it on the dining room table so that I can just look at it every time I walk by. Your package is in the mail. I hope you don't mind some scrappy pieces but there are some larger ones too.Today my friend Paulette took me to LadyFingers Sewing Studio. It was fun and there was so much goodness to look at. They have the cutest Eric Carle Very Hungry Caterpillar Fabric. I stuck to my plan and only spent $3.71. Paulette always takes me to great fabric stores. I found these fun blacks to go with the reds from AmandaJean. Now I just have to think about what to make with them...In other news, I keep working down my to-do list. That little list has really motivated me. I have the boys curtains hung so I can measure for the hemming. I really like the way they turned out. The material feels like a sheet to me. I've not had any cotton quite like it. The down side is that it wrinkles fairly easily. The wrinkled look definitely "goes" with their room decor (early modern destruction). Hopefully I'll have pictures by Monday.

Check one off the list!

I did it. I'm so proud of myself. I just took the bull by the horns and went for it. The machine quilting is finished and the quilted table runner is too. Yesterday morning I was motivated to sew but didn't want to wake my hubby who had worked late the night before. It was nice and cool in the sun room and hot and muggy in the sewing room so I did what any quilter obsessed with finishing her list would do....I moved my sewing room to the sun room. They both start with the letter s, right? Actually I love sewing in the sun room so much, I doubt I'll move my sewing machine back upstairs until it is too cold to be in the sun room.Enough about me moving the furniture....back to the quilt. I did a second practice appliqué to get my machine tension correct and the zig zag width just perfect and to really figure out how to get around the corners. I think one thing that confused me in all of this was the terminology. I kept seeing satin stitch and button hole stitch. When I really took a look at some machine applique on the web, it didn't look like those stitches to me. Looked more like zig zag (and don't you just love saying zig zag? I think that would make a great name for a cat.). So I went with the zig zag and it came out great. Ok, I don't think this is the best machine appliqué ever but I'm pleased with how it turned out. I was so worried about this because I really loved the way the rest of the quilt runner looked. If you'd like to try this one yourself click here. If you want to see what some other people have done, click here. For the appliqué I used a book called Row By Row Seasonal Quilts. I also used this book for some of the appliqué on this quilt. I needle turned those blocks.
Since I began making this quilt for the summer stash challenge I am happy to report that the only think I bought was the Heat and Bond, orange thread and 1/4 yard of pink for the trim. Everything else was from my stash.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Fun Friday

It's fun for a few reasons. The first is that I don't work on Fridays and since swim season is over for Nolan (he chose to end a bit early) we don't have anywhere that we HAVE to go. I love that. It would be perfect if my hubby were home too, but you can't have it all.

I began chipping away at the list last night. I cut the curtain fabric (all 20 yards of it) and ironed it. Let me tell you I needed a shower after that project was finished! Using the steam
setting in 95 degree heat and PA humidity is a lesson in dehydration! But it is finished and I feel great about it. I've decided to finish my quilted table runner first. It is lying over my sewing table and really taking up space. Since it is almost finished and it will spruce up the sun room I thought this was a good plan. I bought new needles and thread yesterday and am determined to get that machine appliqué mastered. I hope to have a picture of the finished project to show you by Monday.

Second I'm going to make the boys' curtains. They shouldn't be too hard. After that I'm not clear but I do think I'm going to put the hand quilting aside for a little while. This may turn into a winter evening project. I just can't bear to have a quilt on my lap right now.


Now for the other part of fun Friday. Here are a few things I've found this morning that I
thought you might like:

The little nest made this gorgeous summer nature table along with a wonderful needle felted doll. Click the link to see the doll's hair-do. Her little boy is so lucky to have this experience.
The Angry Chicken shows us how to make the 5 minute skirt. I love this idea as it is simple and is really a flattering style for most people. I don't actually wear skirts all that much anymore but this one tempted me to change that...

I discovered a new blog that my kids may like. It's called Thinking Outside the Recipe. My boys like to cook and we're always looking for new ideas. She has a post about campfire cooking. Nathan is very excited for our annual trip to Cape Henlopen, DE in August. It is probably my favorite place to go. Tents, campfires and the beach all in one spot. Now maybe some new recipe's to boot.

Well, that's all for today. I think I'm going to drag my Heat and Bond down to the sun room and start tracing those candy patterns for my second go round. Wish me luck!

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

To Do List

I've noticed things piling up. It has begun to feel more like summer around here (temperature wise, I mean) and I don't always feel like sewing when it's hot. I just can't bring myself to put in more air conditioners. I wouldn't go outside all summer if I was in air conditioning too much. Anyway, I need a list to remind me what MUST get done. I'm in the process of finding a fairly full time-ish job for the fall and know that my sewing will probably get packed up for awhile. I need a reminder of things that should be finished by then:
  • Living room curtains (I'm still trying to decide exactly how I want to make them). 12 yards of fabric always makes me a little nervous. I want to cut it before I wash it so it will be easier to handle but I don't know how much it will shrink and I don't want to end up with a piece that is way too long or way too short so I've been putting the whole thing off.
  • Boys' room curtains. The fabric arrived today and it is GORGEOUS! This is the softest cotton I've felt. I think I'm going to make tab tops for them. I have a really nice curtain rod with blue glass balls on either side and matching side pull back thingies (I can't think this morning) that I took from our old house. If it fits I'll use it on the one window and try to find another one for the second window. I purchased the fabric from bee square fabrics. She was great to order from and has lots of fun fabrics. The boys picked Two Young Street Pick Up Sticks. I LOVE this fabric and wish I could have convinced them to use the rocket pattern. I guess they are getting a little too old but I love it all the same.
  • Applique and binding for Mimi's quilt along table runner. I did a little more research and reading last night and think I have the applique figured out. I'll keep practicing.
  • Hand quilting and binding on Amanda Jeans first quilt along. I have 9 blocks quilted and still have a lot to do as there are all the sashing pieces and the borders to quilt. I started watching Lawrence of Arabia last night while quilting. I know this isn't Jane Austin but I never saw this movie and it appealed to me.
  • Pick up projects from Cafe on Main. I think I sold a few things. The money might cover about 1/4 of all the curtain fabric I bought recently. The left over items are going to our church's old fashioned carnival.
  • Send out Amanda Jean's stash. She and I are doing a little trade. I went through and picked out quite a few things. I can't wait to feel a little lighter and see what she sews up with my extras!
Well, I think that's everything. Of course I want to make a quilt for our bed and I have another mini quilt in my head. I am going to a new quilting store with a good friend on Saturday but I'm going to try really hard not to buy anything. I'm going to try. Really hard. Well, kind of hard. Ok, I'll just try.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Practice Makes Perfect (or at least that's what my Mother always said)

I have been practicing my machine applique' this evening. I want to applique candy wrappers onto my table runner. I usually needle turn as I enjoy it and as I've always been horrible at machine applique. I read this wonderful tutorial on Sew, Momma, Sew by Elizabeth and thought I'd try to work on this skill. Of course my table runner is to be using up my stash and I have to say the entire thing so far was from my stash but I didn't have any light heat and bond or any stabilizer to do the machine quilting. Since I REALLY like this table runner, I want the applique to be really nice. So I bought what I needed. Tonight I made two little coasters to practice my applique. I knew this was probably going to bomb so I used a different color bobbin until the thread ran out. No sense wasting anything (wait, except the entire thing will go in the trash until I work it all out!!!!). So on the picture you can see where I changed the bobbin thread to match. I'm using embroidery thread which is very silky and thin and it kept breaking. I don't think I'm using the correct needle for the thread (one more thing to buy, LOL!). I like the look of the thread, though. I also have no idea how to go around the corners. Maybe my stitches are too wide, too? I've got to go back and study that tutorial some more. I'm too frustrated to work on it any more tonight.
The other problem I am having is the lighting in my sewing room. The room is very small, maybe 5x8? But the lighting (here's the picture) is terrible (not to mention TOTALLY NOT my style). I do have a little desk lamp on my sewing table and that helps but I really need some better lighting. I guess task lighting is what would be perfect but there is only one outlet in the room and I'm already taxing the outlet. We do have a great electrician......
I'm reading Rose Cottage by Mary Stewart. I picked it up at the library after reading a post here. I didn't know much about the author and thought the book was from the 1950's for some reason. No, it was published in 1997! This novel is so charming that I thought it couldn't possibly be recent. It is a mystery set in England soon after WWII. Click here for a brief synopsis. I think I like the book because it seems like a true to life mystery and it shows the character getting to really know herself by going back to her roots and trying to discover where she really belongs and who she really is. Of course descriptions of cottages and flowers and talk of gypsies and parsons and the HALL all make me giddy. I'm not finished with it yet but it has been keeping me from my sewing.....

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Mimi's quilt along stash buster


Mimi's quilt along
Originally uploaded by simplysewn
Well folks, I've got too many projects in my house. So what do I do? Order more fabric for another one. Actually, the boys picked fabric for their curtains (yes, their room is painted and de-rosed). I had a little trouble finding enough yardage but was able to order it off of etsy. I'll show it to you when it arrives.

I just finished the table runner top that I blogged about yesterday. I am loving this so much. The pattern shows appliquéd cherries but I knew that wouldn't work with this color combination. I thought and thought and did some internet searching and then finally realized this fabric reminds me of candy. So I've decided to appliqué wrapped candy into the centers. I spent some time trying to find a free pattern on the internet when I remembered that I had a book of appliqué that I bought for something like 50 cents when Hancock Fabrics went out of business. Sure enough, there are candy patterns. I'm trying to decide how to appliqué. There is an amazing machine appliqué tutorial on Sew, Momma, Sew which makes me want to give it a try. I think I'll have to do a little practicing first.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Saturday Sewing

I love Saturday mornings. I am usually awake a few hours before everyone else. It is just so lovely to feel like I can do something for myself without feeling too guilty. I have been hand quilting every day which I really love but it will take quite a while to get the whole quilt finished. I think I have quilted about eight of the squares so far. I've decided to see just how many Jane Austin movies it takes to quilt this baby. So far I've watched Emma and I'm almost through Pride and Prejudice. I like to quilt while watching something I've seen many times that way I don't really have to look at the screen. It's more like listening to a movie.So I made the coffee and did some Internet searching (I'm looking for a paper pieced rose pattern that I've seen SOMEWHERE but I can't seem to find it) and then decided to start on my Summer Stash Challenge. I am making this table runner although I may use a different applique than the one in the pattern. I'm using up my Moda Marble fabric. I think this is my most favorite fabric of all time. The colors are so vibrant and they have so many to choose from. My favorite quilt store has a whole wall dedicated to it.

I got all the pieces cut (as you can see from the picture) and I've sewn the first stage together. I'll probably get the top together today as I'm really excited about it. I love when a project comes together quickly. Our cat Jaws (we didn't name him) loves my sewing room rug. I think my sewing room may be the hottest in the house but this cat insists on sleeping in there (it probably accounts for all the cat hair on my fabric). He looked like he was having a great snooze and since I've noticed that cats and quilters seem to go together, I thought I'd share his little picture.

I'm off to weed and do laundry before Nolan's last swim meet of the season. Then later....more quilting!

Thursday, July 10, 2008

All About Mike (almost)

Remember when I told you about all the really great nooks and crannies (I feel like a Thomas' English Muffin comercial) in our house? Well here's one that Mike loves. As most of you may know, my wonderful husband is an amazing musician. He has TALENT. The most amazing part of his talent is his humility. When his band was interviewed on NPR he chose not to talk. He prefers to be in the background. He never tells people he's recorded many, many CD's and toured the country and can play any 1960's or 1970's TV theme song at the drop of a hat. (actually most of our friends know he can do this and thus this is one fun party sing-along!)

Well, anyway, when the kids and I arrived home after the swim meet tonight we found Mike using the work bench as I'm sure no one else has used it since 1950. The work bench is for guitars. It is the perfect height and the perfect length. I really think someone built this house just for us.

If you want to hear some wonderful music...click here.

Now for the not about Mike part. I've been thinking about my stash busting quilt and remembered a pattern from the Happy Zombie. I think I'll try this first. I'm also a member of the flickr group, the doll quilt challange and may try my hand at a few of those ideas. Of course, my back yard needs weeded and we have a swim meet on Saturday. I should be hand quiting and working on those curtains. Why is it that I always want to start a new project before the old ones are finished? Do you think it is part of my ADHD?

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Thoughts

I am sitting in our basement chewing on some Sun Chips (seems more nutritious than regular chips), having just returned from the grocery store. I used my bags for the first time. The bagger (who was a 70 year old lady AT LEAST) did NOT look happy about them. The cashier (who was about 17) said they were "neat". They held up excellently and held a lot. The only thing I will do differently when I make the rest is to ditch the ties. The reality is that I'm not going to roll these babies up in a nice bundle everytime I unpack the groceries. They folded nicely and I just stuck them inside one of the bags. The tie sort of gets in the way of the groceries. It isn't a bad thing, just not something I think I'll use. Otherwise, the bags are GREAT!In other news....here is the picture of the fabric I bought for my living room curtains. It is so hot that I doubt I'll make them until fall but you never know. We only have air conditioning in our bedrooms since I'm convinced that the more we live in air conditioning, we're ruining our bodies thermostat. My family isn't thrilled about this theory of mine but it also saves on the electric bill. Finally, I discovered this site. I'm late in joining but thought it might be motivating for the summer. This is my tiny scraps stash. I think I've mentioned in the past about how I HATE having these scraps but just can't throw them away. I'm planning on trying to make some mini quilts out of them to hang on my sewing room walls after we paint (who knows when that will be!)

Monday, July 7, 2008

OOPS

I wrote yesterdays post very hastily and thought I'd better go back and read it again today. I noticed that I said I made the "paper" bag. No, no, no....the pictures are of the "PLASTIC" bag! I've made about five so far. My goal is to crank out one per day. I went to my favorite fabric store today and got 12 yards of fabric for the living room curtains. I'll post a picture soon. The above picture are the fireworks the boys intend to set off. Notice they are arranged in order from most boring to most exciting, also the way they will be set off.


Sunday, July 6, 2008

Use it Up and Useful

I don't think I've ever paid $10 for a pattern until last week. I have wanted to make my own reusable grocery bags for a while but didn't really have a pattern in mind. I have enjoyed the Oh Fransson blog for quite some time. Her sewing is so professional and so are her patterns. She has lots of downloadable patterns that are free and recently she made a paper or plastic pattern for sale on her etsy site. Since I had some money sitting in my paypal account I thought I'd buy this pattern. I am happy to report that the pattern instructions and pictures are fantastic and the end product for the "paper" bag is wonderful. I've been making them all this 4th of July holiday. My goal is to make 10. I think that should get me through my grocery shopping trips. My second goal is to use up the large pieces of fabric that have been sitting in my stash for years. Much of it is fabric I wouldn't use otherwise and so I feel like I'm being responsible in so many ways! The other really nice thing about these bags is that you can fold them and tie them to store. I plan on making a tote that will hold all the bags (and hang from my grocery cart) and just store them in the car. I'm really thrilled with the pattern and feel it was worth the $10. I'm happy to pay a real live person what she is owed instead of some mega corporation.

In other news, I'm still working on that hand quilting. I'm almost finished with the 2nd block. I may finish it before the end of summer and just use it in the house this winter!

Saturday, July 5, 2008

It's the Simple Things...

...that make me happy. Like finally picking a spot for the pencil sharpener and screwing it into the wall.Seeing Nolan busy with a fun dot to dot book and thinking it's fun and not something for little kids. Last night we were at a friend's house who have boys around Nolan and Nathan's age. Nolan came upstairs from the basement and asked if it was ok for him to watch them play a teen rated video game. It was one we approved of so he went downstairs happy. I found out today he told the boys he and Nathan weren't allowed to watch the Halo video games and explained why. The boys honored this without fuss and changed to Guitar Hero. This makes me joyful and proud on so many levels.Seeing Nathan make his own breakfast. Although there are times I miss the toddler phase, I'm so happy to have this pre-teen phase where they are independent but yet still want us around (well, most of the time).
Hand quilting in the mornings in the sun room. I bought a large hoop yesterday so I don't have to keep moving the hoop so much and it was a disaster. It was too big for my lap and arms. Back to the old tried and true little hoop. I find hand quilting so soothing.Pulling some new fabric out of the dryer for a fun and fast project. I'll keep you in the dark about this one for now. Look for a post in the next few days. I'm really excited about it.And finally, some pictures from the back yard. Our flower beds need a LOT of work and it bothers me every time I look out the window but I'm trying to be patient. I can't afford to buy all the flowers right now and I have the rest of my life to work on this yard. I just love to see color and right now there isn't a whole lot of it where I want it. As my mother always said...."patience is a virtue." So I must remember that I do have some really lovely plants in bloom, tomatoes ripening on the vine and some seed pods preparing for next year.



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