Dreaming in Color

Colors of Kona Cotton that is! I have a table runner pattern that I want to make in a bad way, but I could never find a floral patterned fabric that came in 4 different background colors (that's what the pattern called for). Then last night it hit me as I was going to bed, just do the entire project in solid colors better yet in the bright colors of Kona Cotton going along with the colors of my Fiesta-ware.

Okay I wake up and I have those same thoughts still very fresh in my head but with a twist. That I could make the blocks smaller and instead of a large 6x6 block of solid color that the 6x6 block would contain four 3x3 blocks of color. So the size of the finished project will be the same but the squares would be smaller and more of them. Needless to say I'm absolutely stoked on the idea of making this table runner! But being that it IS so early in the morning the quilt/fabric stores are not open this early, LOL! I've already got fat quarters in several different colors of Kona Cotton but am looking to have at least 12 different colors and all I need is 1/8 yard of each color...so if the fabric is about $5 a yard and all I need is 4½ inches of it which would cost me roughly 63¢ per color...oh yeah this is going to be FUN! I love buying little bits of fabric to make a quick project. It's funny how I woke up feeling so very excited about my idea of changing the block size and adding in more color to my little project. Now for me to check out which colors I have in my stash and to make a list of ones I want to buy to use on my project :D (that smile is me with me big grin).

The Corvette is back home

I can't believe that I never mentioned what happened to my husbands new car, he had owned it for a total of 5 days when someone hit it in the parking lot at work. Someone who did not look where they were going hit his car, at least they did the right thing and came into the building looking for him. It's been in the shop for 2 weeks, that's over twice as long as he's had the car. The sickening part is that my man hasn't even made a payment on the thing and yet it's been involved in an accident-ugh!

This weekend is a Corvette rally, the group is driving up to Faith, South Dakota to see "Sue" the T-Rex that is on exhibit. I've been wanting to take the kids up there (it's about a 2½ hour drive one way) to go see the exhibit, but with my foot being the way it is, I'm afraid that I'd get tired of driving for so long. So when my husband asked me if I'd like to go, I jumped at the opportunity! You see, I just LOVE dinosaurs and anything prehistoric! I'll be sure to bring my camera and get many pictures, I am after all a Scrapbooker!

Obama in Rapid City

I'm not a political person or at least I don't see myself as being one. I didn't mention it in my blog when the Clinton's were here- it did matter to me in the least. But today Mr. Obama is in Rapid City for a "town hall" meeting. Just click on the link and it'll give you the time and place of the meeting. I'm sure that the people in Obama's office must have looked at my husband in an odd way dressed in his flight suit fresh from work. So what's our interest in Obama? You see, our son Andrew has been following all of this political stuff in earnest and would like to see Mr. Obama so we took this opportunity to get tickets to this event so he can listen to Mr. Obama talk about why he wants to become president of the United States of America.

Quote of the day

'When we do the best that we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another'.
`Helen Keller

My quest for knowledge

Have you ever wanted to know the Origins of something in particular? You know the "why and How it got started...my quest for knowledge took me to this website and it's all about Toile fabric...pretty cool stuff I dare say! Please check out this website Quilters Muse for cool stuff and follow this link for information on the origins of Toile de Jouy. Enjoy!

1 word answers- a blog challenge

I grabbed this little trivia from Gabrielle's blog. What a total crack up! This really isn't all that easy to do. Change the answers to suit your personal needs and pass it on. Good luck and remember... use one word answers!

1. Where is your cell phone? bedroom
2. Your significant other? work
3. Your hair? messy
4. Your mother? alive
5. Your father? in-care
6. Your favorite thing? sewing
7. Your dream last night? funny
8. Your favorite drink? COFFEE
9. Your dream/goal? archaeologist
10. The room you're in? office
11. Your hobby? scrapbooking
12. Your fear? cancer
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Nantucket
14. Where were you last night? home
15. What you're not? false
16. Muffins? Yum!
17. One of your wish list items? knives
18. Where you grew up? California
19. The last thing you did? type
20. What are you wearing? jammies
21. Your TV? big
22. Your pets? alive
23. Your computer? working
24. Your life? decent
25. Your mood? sarcastic
27. Your car? works
28. Something you're not wearing? make-up
29. Favorite store? Williams-Sonoma
30. Your summer? windy
31. Like someone? maybe
32. Your favorite color? pink
33. When is the last time you laughed? now
34. Last time you cried? yesterday
35. Who will do this? questionable

Let me know if you post this on your blog...or you can answer them in comments. Give it a try!

1st week of summer vacation

School has been out for a week and it's officially 2 weeks since my foot surgery. I still have stitches in my foot (see post labeled "stitches"). I'm trying to keep my kids interested in keeping their minds (and bodies) busy. For my math genius daughter, it's an easy task for me- I'm having her adapt sewing patterns to larger sizes, I'm working on color theory with her (I still find it hard to believe that this does not come natural to most people). Hannah did great at the quilt shop the other day. She's picked out a pattern from the "Quilts and Totes" book and her assignment was to pick out fabric and ALL of the notions that coordinated with her fabric choices. Since the fabric used in the book was black, red and white plaid and toile in the colors of black & white - I knew that Hannah would never go for it, LOL! I was surprised to see her main print for the project- it's a rather large paisley design, lovely colors but it being paisley kind of surprised me. It totally takes me back to when I was her age, paisleys were very popular in the 1970's and my mom was totally crazy in love with paisley prints and since she was the "seamstress" in the house, needless to say my sister and I wore a lot of paisley.

So to go on... I had Hannah find 2 other colors in her first fabric choice to play off of. I was curious to see what she chose, she came back with a lovely pink on pink print that had a feather motif to it and a charming green on green that was a medium sized to large size rose with vine pattern to it- utterly charming! She had to hunt down all of the notions- which took us to 2 different stores. By then she was truly getting excited about her project and she wanted very much to get working on her project ASAP. The fabric has been washed and prepped and it ready to be cut :-) So much for keeping Hannah interested, now for me to work some more on Andrew...wish me luck!

Quote of the day

'A love of books, of holding a book, turning its pages, looking at its pictures, and living its fascinating stories goes hand in hand with a love of learning.'
-Laura Bush

My Hawaiian Themed quilted tote bag

The day my husband bought me the beautiful sewing cabinet I also picked up a couple of pattern books (but I'm only going to talk about one of them right now). "Quilted Bags and Totes" by Denise Clason - what a fantastic book! I'm an organizing junkie and tote bags are one of my all time FAVORITE things. My Motto "a place for everything and everything in it's place". So once I saw this book I thought to myself- "how fantastic". This pattern is the first one in the book and I feel head over heels in love with it! This is also the pattern of tote bag that I'm going to make for my m-i-l to use as her knitting tote :-)


Here it is without handles. I went to bed early last night after completing the outer shell. I woke up in the middle of the night from a horrible nightmare and could not get back to sleep. So I started working on the lining. I cut the fabric, pinned, sewed, ironed and ironed some more and sewed some more. I cut and made binding for the top edge, sewed it on and then did the finishing edge with hand sewing.
Here is the lining with pockets. I changed the pocket sizes from the ones used in the pattern as I'm giving this to my girlfriend to use as a diaper bag.
And this is it...the finished product!

Stitches

I forgot to show you what the stitches in my foot look like. My foot is healing slowly and has a bit more to heal before the stitches can come out. Hannah snapped this picture last week. Keep in mind that there are many layers of stitches underneath of these, it's no wonder why I feel that burning, itching, pins and needles feeling on my heel with all of that healing going on under all of the gauze and wraps that the Doctor has my foot covered in.

Crafting Crazy!

When I get into working on a particular project, I usually go full throttle until I'm done. My latest project is just such and example. I just have the handles left to put on my latest project, a quilted and lined tote bag, it's got pockets in the liner and it is seriously CUTE! I made this tote bag in a daring Hawaiian themed hibiscus flower print fabric that is in shades of green, yellow and orange. I deem this a "perfect" bag for my friend Kim is we all know is moving to Hawaii in just a couple of weeks. Now for me to get on with making the handles for this bag and getting them attached :-)

Quote of the day

Of all noises, I think music is the least disagreeable.
Samuel Johnson (1709 - 1784)

Taking a Blog Walk

Hold on, let me get some coffee....alright I'm ready to write :-)

This morning I've been taking what I refer to as a "blog walk". Going through and ready my friends recent blog postings. You can see my blog links on the side of my blog- follow any link they're all good reading!

Peg's got the most beautiful trees covered in blossoms over at her ranch. She lives in Box Elder South Dakota a few miles away from me and is a terrific source of inspiration for me (she makes the most beautiful cards).

Brandy survived the tornadoes and readying her blog really opened my eyes to the up close and personal of the devastation a tornado can bring. Brandy is also getting ready to be a surrogate mom-again.

Kate makes me smile- bun bun is "her" pet now, like anyone who is a Mom can't relate to her story. Over the years I've "inherited" many pets, currently I have a fish and a cat. Check out that cute baby sweater that she knitted...too sweet!

Cindy hasn't posted to her 3SB blog since February (she's never been that good at posting regularly, LOL) but wait she has another...Life as I see it it's about photography. Her photographs are amazing! Once our schedules chime up I'm going to have Cindy take our family and individual portraits. She has the best web site for those that love to play with paper 3 Scrappy Boys, she's got such a eye for putting together awesome scrapbooking kits! And her exclusive stamp line is simply YUMMY!

Susan- is sarcastic as hell, hates where she lives (Minot AFB or as she calls it Mind Rot) and has her own issues to deal with, the first one being a military wife, LOL! She and her husband found out about 6 months ago that their youngest child is Autistic and she's just trying to cope with it and is doing what she can to get him the best help possible.

Hillary is a busy scrapbooker/knitter and home schooling mom in New York City, I love reading her blog and she posts about all kinds of daily life stuff and about working over at NYC Scraps.

Annie's blog is all about Quilting- love it! Just scroll through her posts- the Starr Tote bags are just too cute! I love the one that was made using batik fabrics, those rich bright colors just make me smile!

Last but not least is Gabrielle, she's started a little jewelry line (very cute stuff go check it out) and is a scrapbooking life loving mom and wife.

So there is it, that's what I've been doing this morning on this dreary rainy day in May. Now I should get dressed and get a real start on my day. But first more coffee, LOL!

Quote of the day

"We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future".
Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882 - 1945)

Snow in the Black Hills

I'm beside myself, on our outing today Hannah and I found out that it was snowing by Reptile Gardens, that's like 16 miles from our house. Snow, this late in the month, that's just plain wrong! Then I get home to find out that it was snowing in Blackhawk (next city up the highway from Rapid City). Our weather forecast says rain all week long-ugh! I'll never be able to get my flower garden planted with all of this crummy weather! I had to have my son bring in all of the plants for my flower garden because the temperatures are dipping into the low 30's tonight. I was afraid of the plants freezing since they are not planted in the ground yet.

The other strange thing...I had to turn on the heater and wear a sweater. What is up with the wacky weather???

About my Sewing Furniture

I've been asked by quite a few friends who the manufacturer of my sewing table is and I can't believe that I never said who it was made by (silly me)- it's from a company called "Unique Sewing Furniture" click on their name and it will take you to their web site. My sewing cabinet is the medium cabinet 452L in Oak with a light stain- but that natural Maple looks pretty nice too. That sewing cabinet is one SOLID piece of furniture and worth every cent we paid for it too! I see this making it through our next move with flying colors! As for a sewing chair, for now I'm using one of my dining room chairs (don't worry, it's a comfortable chair). I don't foresee myself buying a sewing chair while I've got 6 perfectly good chairs in the room already, LOL! But I sure did like those sewing chairs from Unique Sewing furniture , they've got great storage potential :-)

Quote of the day

"Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity".
~Louis Pasteur (1822 - 1895)

Organizing my quilting/sewing corner

Okay I know, I'm an organizing junkie- always have been always will be. So here I have done the deed and it's here in all it's glory (I'll also be putting pictures on on my webshots site).


Here it is, my sewing cabinet with the extension up...isn't it huge? It's such an awesome working area!
My top drawer with little odds and ends
Here you see the top and bottom portions of the armoiré. My fabric stash neatly folded and grouped by color family and theme. My fat quarters are kept neat and tidy in clear plastic containers. I popped some threads on the wooden rack and stuck them to hide a large bare spot in the armoiré (oh how silly of me). The other plastic containers on the top shelf have cut pieces ready to be sewn together for 3 different baby quilts (I'm one of those anal organized people, I can't help it). And if you don't think I'm anal let me show you that I am...all of the fabric you see has been washed, dried and ironed and is ready to be cut and made into various quilting and sewing projects. The lower area top shelf has projects packaged together with fabric and patterns that need to be cut and sewn. First box on the bottom shelf- quilt top ready to be quilted, 2nd box fabric for clothing (I'm going to be making skirts in the next couple of weeks) and the 3nd box has more quilt batting (see top shelf for even MORE quilt batting). I also can put my quilting rulers on the lower shelf. I don't have as much fabric as many quilters do, but it's enough for me to play with and have fun with. For me its not about amassing a huge fabric stash but to actually make stuff with my fabric. Which reminds me...time to finish sewing on another quilting label on another finished project!

Real Sewing Rooms

I've been searching the internet for pictures of "sewing rooms, sewing studios, quilting studios, and quilting corners". I've come across some great links here's one from A Prairie Home Quilts and another link from Real Sewing Rooms. These two sites have done an excellent job at putting together oodles of links to various sewing rooms across the USA and even in some other countries, please check them out. But I'll tell ya right now, some of the links are nice and give good storage and organizational ideas and others will freak you out at how someone could ever work in such a huge disorganized mess let alone film and or take pictures of it and put it on the internet for everyone to see. There it is, my honest opinion- for whatever it's worth.

Some women (sorry the links I saw did not have any male quilters) have amassed huge quantities of fabric. I see this sort of thing with scrapbookers- having collected more product than they could every use in 3 lifetimes. I thought that I had a pretty healthy little stash and have no desire to purchase so much that I have to have an entire 14x14 room in which to house it all. Now maybe if I was doing some professional sewing ...maybe I could see myself with a bit more But much of this was just so overwhelming. Walls covered in spools of thread were pretty but how much can you use? I saw one room where the woman stored her fat quarters in dresser drawers (which is a great idea), she mentioned that one drawer held 250 fat quarters, then her next picture showed more drawers and she mentions that she has 8 drawers stuffed with fat quarters...that's 2000 fat quarters. Which leaves me with the though of "How many do you really need"? Fat Quarters sell for an average price of $2.50 making her fat quarter stash valued at $5,000. I wonder if she has an insurance rider for all of her fabric. Which makes me think that none of these ladies has thought to add in the value of the fabric or sewing machines to their insurance policies. That right there would be the first thing I did!

I don't mean to insult anyone but seriously is collecting product what it's all about? It's making me think about the way scrapbookers are always having to have the latest tools, papers and embellishments and not really doing much with it but saving it for that "special layout". IS that what some of these ladies are doing? Saving the fabric for that "special quilt"? Or is it about impressing others with their "stash"? I've seen that a lot in scrapbooking too- it's all about showing off what you've got. I'm not envious of any persons amassed stash of product, what impresses me is seeing it being used to create something from the heart.

Quote of the day

Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but instantly set about remedying them - every day begin the task anew.
Saint Francis de Sales (1567 - 1622)

Quote of the day

The best way to keep children home is to make the home atmosphere pleasant--and let the air out of the tires.
Dorothy Parker (1893 - 1967)

It's 5 am-why am I awake?

Why I'm the only one in this family who just can not for any reason "sleep in" is beyond me! I'm envious of anyone who can sleep past 6 am. Ever since the birth of our son, I've been unable to as they say "sleep in". So here I am, up at the crack of dawn with my cat to keep me company.

The creek that runs on the property behind our subdivision is really full, this is the first time I've seen the water this high, 3 days of rain will do that. I'm sure that the wild deer, turkey, geese and ducks are happy with the availability of plentiful drinking water. I feel for anyone who lives off of a gravel road, the rain has made everything a virtual muddy mess! My heart goes out to those new home owners in our subdivision who don't have lawns in yet, as the constant rain over the past few days is washing away the nutrient rich top soil. The rain is both a blessing and a curse. But we need to look at it this way...at least it isn't snowing!

Now for some more coffee, one must have coffee to enjoy while contemplating what to do with the rest of the day!

Making Progress....

I've made a great deal of progress on my own today but by 10am I had to stop, I was getting pretty exhausted from moving all of that stuff around on my own. All of my fabric stash is now upstairs and neatly tucked into the armoiré. I've got some more scrapbook albums to move back downstairs into the scrapbook nook and some dishware needs to be moved into the closet in the guest room/home office. Only 1 more shelf in the armoiré to clear off, but that will just have to wait until later on today or even tomorrow when I can have someone else do it for me- it's too tall for me to reach and I can not get up on the step-stool. But regardless of how much more I have to do, I'm proud of the work that I was able to get done on my own this morning!

Getting Organized

My want and/or desire to organize my "quilting corner" has it's repercussions... What it means is that I have to re-organize two other spaces besides the one I really want to organize. My darling husband bought another shelf for the office/guest room closet, I/we need to pull some stuff out/move around in there to put the shelf unit in place. Since I'm unable to jot up and down stairs with any kind of ease, I need some "elves" to help me today. Yesterday was spent doing other things like changing oil in the kid mobile (aka my minivan), doctor appointment, thread shopping, going to the court house to get my temporary handicap parking permit, lunch, going to Menard's and spending time with my family watching a movie or two, LOL!

Now with our son going off with some friends to go hiking today (oh are they going to be wet and miserable) that leaves me with Hannah and Lucien. I wonder how much work I'm going to be able to get out of them. Usually those two like to be glued to their computers on Saturdays or glued to the television watching HGTV. It's raining cats and dogs for the 3rd straight day and it's just too darn muddy for them to work in my flower garden. They did manage to get a beautiful brick path put in before all of this torrential rain started. The down side of having my husband and daughter helping me is that then they will both know how much sewing and scrapbooking stuff I really do own...hmmmm. Oh to heck with it, Lucien already knows how much scrapbooking stuff I have from our move last year and I know that he has a pretty good idea of how much fabric I have now. I just want to have everything centrally located and I need their help. Sometimes I just have to suck it up, admit that I need help and just let them rag on me a bit for acquiring some much "stuff". But they know all too well that when they need something like a special tool or a certain kind of glue that chances are that I have it in my scrapbook nook. When my husband was installing the back splash in the kitchen he had to admit that my huge Olfa cutting mat came in very handy in helping him to do that project.

Since my two elves are still sleeping, I'll have to get started with some little stuff up stairs. I'll start by taking the "Before" pictures :-)

Quote of the day

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work".
~Thomas A. Edison (1847 - 1931)

Handicap Parking

How do people do the crutches thing and not kill themselves in the process? I'm telling you, I could be dead in a parking lot somewhere just from the sheer exhaustion of having to heave myself on these crutches! Oh my gosh, I about died the other day after having to crutch myself in from my parking space out in BFE, heaven forbid that I have to shop at Wal-Mart during the next 6 weeks I have to be using these darn crutches! Thank goodness I asked my regular doctor about getting a temporary handicap parking permit because my podiatrist never mentioned a damn thing about it!

Yesterday I had all of the paperwork in order for my temporary handicap parking permit and my husband was even off for the day (that's a huge surprise) so we took the paper work to the court house...and now I have my parking permit! No more heart attacks in the parking lot for me!

Organizing my Quilting Corner

Ever since my husband put the idea in my head, I've been thinking about how I'm going to go about getting my quilting corner organized. Being that I have stitches in my left foot and can not stand on it AT ALL makes it a little difficult to go up and down stairs never mind standing or walking across a room with an arm full of "stuff" from the armoiré.

The funny thing about all of this is that I took things out of my scrapbook nook and brought them upstairs to store IN the armoiré (before my foot surgery) as so I could make room for my sewing supplies and projects. Now that I have my sewing cabinet and how my darling husband suggested that I use the armoiré to house all of my sewing supplies...well it seems that it's all I can think about now. I need to get some packing paper today as so I can wrap up my china tea cups and tea pots and other decorative items and get them properly stored away. I started taking out all of my scrapbooks from the armoiré and have them ready to be taken back down stairs to my scrapbook nook. This does give me a bit of a laugh as I just moved them ALL upstairs a couple of days before my surgery and now I'm going to have to move them all back downstairs, LOL! I do want to have everything in a central location, it just makes good sense to do that. I'm going to make a skirt for the table that the Doll House is perched upon - yes so I can hide things under neath of it, things like my Serger and Hannah's sewing machine and my two containers of quilt batting. Now for me to get my little elves motivated to help me :-) I'll be taking pictures of my progress and show you how I've organized it all.

Rain and lots of it!

Our weather has been odd, take yesterdays rain. It rain all day long, only stopping for a brief moment here and there. I had a feeling the worst of it had not arrived and I was right. As I was in bed the rain was pounding against the windows. All I could think of was my poor flowering plants sitting out there against the fence in their little post, being pummeled by the rain. There was nothing I could do but to hope that they survived the storm. We needed the rain, but all that much at one time? The creek down behind our home is swollen almost to it's banks with water. We've been in our home a little over a year and I know that I've never seen it as full as it is right now. We're pretty high up and we don't have to worry about being affected by the rising water in the creek bed.



I stepped out onto our deck and took some pictures...

Quote of the day

Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.
Epicurus (341 BC - 270 BC)

making your own clothes

I can honestly say that the last time I made myself any type of apparel was when we were stationed in Virginia. I made dresses for me and Hannah for Mother's Day (I don't remember which year it was). Since then I've made oodles of other things such as window treatments, kids Halloween costumes, obviously some quilting projects but as for clothing I've not done much. I recently bought some pattern books and plan to teach Hannah how to sew- she will be making pajama pants, I on the other hand will be making a skirt, one for myself and one for my daughter.

For the most part I think that making ones own clothing is something that is falling by the wayside. It's actually less expensive to buy ready made clothing- the downside is that you usually have to wait for a clearance sale and cross your fingers and hope for something decent looking to be available in your size. The up side to making ones own clothing is that you're actually making something you want style wise in a fabric that YOU personally picked out- not something that you "settled" upon. I have some great fabric that I bought for quilting, but once I washed, dried and ironed it I found it to be too light weight for quilting but thought to myself that it would be great fabric to make a skirt out of :-) So here I am setting myself up with another fun sewing project!

It's the last day of school!

My kids are excited about today being the last day of school but they are not thrilled that it's raining and will be raining off and on all day long. The rain doesn't bother me, as far as I'm concerned, it's free water for our lawn, trees and our other garden plants:-) But I do see where this puts a cramp in their plans for wearing summer type clothing to school. Knowing my children, I still see them wearing summer clothes but also sporting their zip up hoodie sweatshirts.

Now for me to prepare myself for having them around me 24/7 until August when school starts up again. Where's my coffee? I need more coffee!

Quote of the day

For myself I am an optimist - it does not seem to be much use being anything else.
Sir Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965), speech at the Lord Mayor's banquet, London, November 9, 1954

My Creative Corner

Here's my "Creative Corner". Here you see the area that my sewing cabinet will be situated in. It's next to the large window in the formal dining room. It's so pretty! I love it! And it's solid Oak, so it'll be able to handle a move across country!
The doors to the cabinet slide inwards and out of the way. Here you see my Janome sewing machine on the lift that hides it away when not in use.
The top view shows the cut away area that can pop out and where the sewing machine comes up on the lift. By putting this piece in place makes this look very much like a cabinet. I plan on making a table runner wide enough to cover to top so no one will know what really is inside.With the top portion removed you can see my machine hiding inside.
The clear acrylic extension table is on order. By having that piece I'll be able to work on my sewing with the machine at table level and not as it looks now- on top of the table. It'll make for much easier sewing of quilts and clothing. Can you tell what this project is?
How about now? It's a free quilting pattern that I got from the internet from www.freepatterns.com, it's called Hospitality Pineapple and you can find it in the wall hanging section with many other terrific FREE quilting patterns.
This little wall hanging is chuck full of triangles and I found it challenging. If you really look at this piece you can tell I need more practice in piecing and sewing triangles. I love it with all of it's imperfections.
My next little project is what I call a "quick fix" :-) All it takes to make this is 2 fat quarters and 3/8 yard of heavyweight nonfusible interfacing. This is another one of my FREE patterns that I found on the internet. This one is called "holiday gift bag" and can be found at the site www.allpeoplequilt.com. Imagine making these little bags for friends and having little goodies tucked inside- I know that any one of my girlfriends would squeal with excitement at receiving a gift bag like this one! This bag is the perfect size to use as a gift bag or lunch tote. Just tuck some handmade cards or stationary inside, a pretty ink pen and a book of stamps and there you have it- the perfect going away gift!

News from the Scrapbook Nook

There are a great many things that give me joy, but nothing gives me more joy than being able to create something with my own hands. Be it sewing, scrapbooking, needlework, cooking, baking, making greeting cards or working in my garden- being able to create something with ones own hands has to be the ultimate high.

I'm moving my sewing machines out of the scrapbook nook and into an area I'm going to call my "Creative Corner". The lovely armoiré that my husband made for me back in 2001 to house my scrapbooking goodies will now house my fabric stash, thread and patterns. By re-purposing my armoiré, I'll be able to have all of my sewing goodies in a central location. I'm packing up the china and all of my tea cups and tea pots and am putting them into permanent storage. Until I am able to properly display them in a cabinet or hutch they will need to be packed away and stored in a safe manner. So with my plans in hand for getting my creative corner organized- I'm hindered by the fact that I'm on crutches and have stitches in my foot, LOL! Where oh where are those Keebler Elves when you need them?

Quote of the day

I feel like a tiny bird with a big song!
Jerry Van Amerongen, Ballard Street, 08-18-05

2 more days left of school

Our children only have 2 more days until school is out and I'm finding that my 2 children have 2 different views on the event. My son has taken on a bad attitude and has altogether stopped trying to have decent grades where as my daughter is striving for all A+'s on this next report card. There you have it, two different children with two very different views of the world. There are days where I want to sing from the rooftop about how proud I am of them and other times where I just shake my head and wonder at what makes them tick.

Quote of the day

Assert your right to make a few mistakes. If people can't accept your imperfections, that's their fault.
Dr. David M. Burns

Having been on crutches for just a handful of days I can say that I'm quite tired of them! Yesterday I went out with my husband and daughter to Menard's to look at some paving stones. It was 82º and very humid in the lawn and garden section. I found myself getting exhausted rather quickly. Hannah and Lucien wanted me to come along so they could show me the different paving stones for my little flower garden walkway. I never said it, but I had wished that they would have gone on their own. I couldn't take another step, that's how tired I was. My hands and arms are sore today, I like to compare it (my aching muscles) to an upper body workout.

My new sewing machine cabinet is arriving today! I can hardly wait to get it set up with my sewing machine :-)

I have my first post-op appointment today, Dr. Conrad will be changing the bandages and re-wrapping my foot. I'm bringing the camera along to take some pictures of the incision on my foot.

Quote of the day

"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources"
~Albert Einstein

Quote of the day

It's funny how dogs and cats know the inside of folks better than other folks do, isn't it?
Eleanor H. Porter (1868 - 1920), Pollyanna, 1912

Can you say Honu?

When we vacationed in Hawaii a couple of years ago our daughter Hannah feel in love with the Honu- green Hawaiian sea turtle. So where am I going with this right? I bought a quilt pattern that has 3-d turtles on it. When I was in the little quilt shop in Spearfish they had this batik fabric that has the petroglyphic Honu all over it. I've been hemming and hawing about that fabric. The quilting store Quilt Corral Too in Rapid city has the MOST batik fabrics I've ever seen in one location but alas they do not have the one with the petroglyphic Honu batik. I've been thinking about calling the store and having them ship it to me (it's a hour trip 1 way). And with the price of gas these days, it'll be cheaper to just ship it to me than for me to drive up there and back.

So you're wondering what's up with the Sea Turtle quilt, well I want to use it as a wall hanging. I have a bare area in the formal dining room that would be perfect for displaying lap quilts. And I've been thinking about making some in different themes to go with the month of season. I get giddy with excitement just thinking about my idea of displaying a different quilted wall hanging for every season or month.

Once my sewing machine cabinet arrives I'll be able to take some of my sewing stuffs out of my Scrapbook Nook. Then I can get back into some serious hard core scrapbooking sessions without having to relocate my sewing machines. The new cabinet arrives tomorrow, I can hardly wait!

Stir Crazy

I thought that I could handle being home and vegging out for 2 or 3 days, no way! 24 hours was all I could take! At first I was going to send my husband on a task to get me some serger thread at the sewing center but then I changed my mind and had My DH take me into town. You see, he was already going into town to take our son to a graduation party. So I had him take the minivan so we could all go together. I was able to get my thread and look at sewing machine tables/cabinets. After we dropped Andrew off at Canyon Lake Park (that's where the graduation party was being held) we went out to lunch at a new yummy Mexican Restaurant and I asked my DH if he wouldn't mind going back and looking at sewing machine cabinets again with me. My intention was to motivate him to make me a sewing table/cabinet. He's quite the woodworker, he designed and made Andrew's work desk and he built my lovely Armoiré both are Oak. So when we were looking at the various sewing machine cabinets and trust me we looked at ALL of them at least 3 times. And to my great surprise my husband bought me one! Again my intention was to get him motivated to make one for me. So I'm spending part of our economic stimulus package and doing what we should be doing with the money...stimulating the economy. It'll be here tomorrow afternoon, Woohoo!

Scrapbooking store in Roseville CA closing it's doors...

As I get up this morning to check my e-mail (only 70 some odd e-mails) I saw an e-mail from one of my favorite Scrapbooking Stores in CA. The store is "Mad About Scrapbooks" and they used to be located in Citrus Heights not 3 miles from my parents home. I loved shopping in there as they had some of the latest ad greatest scrapbooking items...ones I was unable to find locally. It's hard in an economy where gas prices are soaring to over $4.00 a gallon (in parts of CA it's already over $4) and people are cutting back on what they consider to be luxury purchases, things like scrapbooking, rubber stamping and from home parties such as Longaberger, Stampin Up, Close to my Heart, Southern Living at Home and Pampered Chef to name a few.

So here's the e-mail...


Mad About Scrapbooks Celebrate the Everyday970 Sunrise Ave., Suite 135 Roseville, CA 95661916-787-1700916-787-1756http://www.MadAboutScrapbooks.com & www.CelebrateTheEveryday.invitations.cominfo@madaboutscrapbooks.com
Inventory Liquidation Sale 50% off on everything!
We’re so disappointed! We were sure that cutting back staff, expenses and moving back to a smaller location would give us the necessary edge to withstand the economic downturn. If only, diversifying our product lines to include invitations and stationary and advertising to new audiences would have been enough to make a difference. If only...Now, we find ourselves facing the fact that we must liquidate inventory. We know that we have given 110% and almost nine years to this business and we’re proud of the successes achieved over the years but we’re disappointed by having to liquidate inventory. We know that we are not alone, everyone of us has known the sadness that comes when disappointment cuts so close to our sweetest dreams that we find it difficult to sort through the swirling emotions. At times like this, we try to remember that disappointments are inevitable in life, but discouragement is a choice. We don’t have to be the victim of our feelings and hang on to the, “if only.” Jim and I still have hope and real joy knowing that God has a unique plan for our lives and that it hasn’t changed according to unexpected circumstances. God holds our future in His hands, and we will never lose by looking forward to what He has in store for us. For the next ten days, stop by the store to take advantage of our liquidation sale. Everything in the store is 50% off the original price. Lots of albums, adhesives, cardstock, papers and a whole lot more. May God bless you, Jim and Denise Miller

Quote of the day

Family isn't about whose blood you have. It's about who you care about.
~Trey Parker and Matt Stone, South Park, Ike's Wee Wee, 1998

About my surgery...

Can I say it? Will it be considered bragging? I don't feel sick! I'm always horribly sick to my stomach each and every time I have ever had any kind of a surgery and this time is the first time ever that I feel OK, as a matter of fact I feel terrific! I did have surgery in my foot and it doesn't hurt and I don't feel sick, it's a true miracle!

The tread on these surgical shoes are much like the tread on my Chaco Sandals, heavy duty! And about and below are glamour shots of my left foot. And no, I do not have jaundice, it's betadine all over my foot and toes making it look at ghastly shade of yellow-yuck!

I must have been at the Surgery Center to the rich and famous because this place was first class! The artwork on display was beautiful and the painted walls made the artwork pop and the furniture in the place pulled it all together. Open leaving the surgical center I received a yellow rose and a small box of chocolate truffles- talk about NICE! And you know who those surgical places always have you out your things in a plastic bag, not this place, I used a large canvas tote bag which they let me keep, not to shabby. Of course it says Black Hills Surgical center on it but I can use my crafty goodness to create something nifty to sew over it :-)

Oh the funnier side of life, I'm trying to master crutches. I'm hear to tell you that it is not as easy as it looks. I'm keeping my foot elevated and am trying to stay in bed, but alas it's hot in our bedroom. The Outside temperature has reached 80º's today with winds blowing steady at 37 mph and gusts to 45 mph, note a day where I'd really want to be out of doors putting plants in the ground. So alas, I'm in the house vegging out watching HGTV getting some awesome idea on what I want to do to this house and our next house :-)

Quote of the day

Humor is our way of defending ourselves from life's absurdities by thinking absurdly about them.
Lewis Mumford (1895 - 1990)

Surgery Day!

I'm excited but also a little scared. It's the crack of dawn and I'm getting ready to leave my house...I'll report later on how it all went.

24 hours and counting...

In 24 hours I'll be hanging out in the waiting room of the surgical center, doing just that waiting, waiting to have surgery on my foot.

Today will be spent tidying up a few things, organizing a few more little projects to do while I'm on bed rest after the surgery. I'm sure that I'll be going stir crazy is a day or two. I've never really been one to stay in bed very long.

While at my pre-op appointment yesterday I got my crutches- yuck are they ever UGLY! I want to spray one lime green and the other hot pink, maybe if I sprayed the lower half one color and the upper half another color and made some pretty pad covers I'd feel better about using them. It's also time to change over to my backpack purse, because that will be the only kind of handbag that I'll be able to use while having to hobble around on crutches. I just want them to look less industrial.

Quote of the day

Pain (any pain--emotional, physical, mental) has a message. The information it has about our life can be remarkably specific, but it usually falls into one of two categories: "We would be more alive if we did more of this," and, "Life would be more lovely if we did less of that." Once we get the pain's message, and follow its advice, the pain goes away.
Peter McWilliams, Life 101

the OSC Scholarship Banquet

Today's quote has "me" written all over it! It's something that I believe in with my whole heart.

Last night's OSC Scholarship Banquet was small but nice (about 75 attendees). As it was also 2 of the local High Schools Scholarship and Awards nights. I really enjoyed our 3 speaks, Col. VanderHamm really hit home when he spoke of what the Officers Spouses Club is about and how we give to our local community. Kim Greenlee spoke so eloquently of how we (OSC) strive to make the world a better place through our community service. And Kristi Hullings brought it all home when she spoke of how we (OSC) made these scholarships possible by having an yearly auction- one where we brought in our community to help us not only through their generous donations buy also in purchasing many of our items at the auction. Last and certainly not least Kristi thanked everyone who worked on auction committee, had those who worked on the auction to stand up and be recognized. I wish that Cindy and Dannie could have been there because they were both spoke very highly of and it was said many times that we could not be giving away these funds without those two wonderful ladies (and their husbands) putting in countless hours into making our auction the huge success that it was. I actually had a family come over to me to shake my hand and to thank me personally for all of the work I have done through OSC, that was a very nice thing they did (and it made me feel special). Being on Auction and Scholarship committee is the best part of OSC, having a way to give to your community through such an organization make me feel good inside.

By the way, we were able to give out a little over $16,000 in scholarships to dependants of military members due funds raised at our OSC Auction Last November.

Quote of the day

"I've come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that's as unique as a fingerprint - and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you".
~Oprah Winfrey (1954 - ), O Magazine, September 2002

How are your manners?

You Have Good Manners 90% of the Time

You manners are perfect. You always carry yourself with class. You know how to be considerate toward everyone - even if they aren't considerate to you.

How Are Your Manners?

Blog challenge

I got this from Susan's blog and it cracked me up so I took the quiz...here's my answer

You Have Not Been Ruined by American Culture

You're nothing like the typical American. In fact, you may not be American at all. You have a broad view of the world, and you're very well informed. And while you certainly have been influenced by American culture (who hasn't?), it's not your primary influence. You take a more global philosophy with your politics, taste, and life. And you're always expanding and revising what you believe.

Has American Culture Ruined You?

Quilt Pink

Have you heard of Quilt Pink? This is a group that has made some lovely quilts that are up for auction on e-bay and the funds go to the Susan G. Komen foundation for the cure. I've seen the quilts and they are works of art! It makes me want to have one...time for me to place some bids on e-bay! Please check it out and spread the news!

Count down to surgery day!

I'm VERY excited about my foot surgery- it's this Friday :-) When asked I let friends know when my surgery date is and I keep hearing the same remarks "Eeew, that's going to be painful". My reply "Let me tell ya something, it couldn't be half so painful as it is right now!" Oh my word several times yesterday I was near to tears with the pain. To think that an end is near, that in its self gives me some comfort. The best part of my day yesterday was being with friends and laughing ourselves silly at craft group. Peggy has some great card designs for us to make and we all laughed at ourselves. The laughing we do during our time together, it's the best therapy one could ever have! The next time we get together won't be until June 23rd...eeek! I'm going to miss them all terribly!

I'm getting all of my ducks in a row or should I say that I'm getting my crafting projects lined up. I've gone though my stash of fabric that I'm going to use for backing quilts and have been washing them like a crazy woman. I don't want to have to deal with it after my surgery, so I might as well get it done now. Heaven knows that I don't want deal with formaldehyde flaking off of the fabric while I'm handling it while I have stitches in my foot, not to mention that I don't want to be breathing that stuff, YUCK! I want to have crafts that I can do while I'm on bed rest. My m-i-l sent me a new book to read "Pillars of the Earth", oh my word it's a thick book with tiny print, just looking at it gives me eye strain, LOL! She guarantees me that it's a really good book (and worth the eye strain). So I have a new book but will also have my flour sack dishtowels to embroider while having to be confined to my bedroom. I've been holding off on working on them until my surgery, I wanted to be sure that I had stuff to do with my hands since I won't be able to sit at the sewing machine for a while-unless my foot is propped up and doesn't that sound rather uncomfortable, LOL!

Now off to the Scrapbook Nook for a creative session. I've got the board made for tonight's Scholarship banquet, but one part refuses to stick to the foam core board...I'm going to get tough with it and MAKE it stick (insert evil laugh here). This is the last OSC function for a few months and I do plan on attending it since I am on the Scholarship committee et all. I need to hunt up the camera...I'm sure it's off somewhere in the garage with pictures of car parts on it, you know...engines, wheels, dashboards etc. LOL!

Quote of the day

"Once you can accept the universe as matter expanding into nothing that is something, wearing stripes with plaid comes easy."
~Albert Einstein

Fabric and Formaldehyde

Maybe it's a blessing or is it more of a curse but I'm an information junkie! When there's something I want to know more about I do some digging on the subject. Take my latest thing...a few weeks back I had heard that a lot of manufacturers of fabric use formaldehyde to fend off mildew occurring on the fabric, it's especially prevalent in manufacturers in Asian Countries that ship these fabrics to the US (nice huh?). I don't know how you feel about it but I think it's NASTY! I won't buy fabric that smells like it's been bathed in chemicals and neither should you!
In my search for more information I can across dozens of websites that mention formaldehyde usage in everything from cosmetics to toothpaste to fabric and even fabric softeners. I try to wash everything as soon as I get it home, but if I'm unable to get to it I then put it in a large clear container (with a lid) labeled unwashed fabric. The chemicals used to stiffen fabric can and often do flake off-causing skin irritation and breathing problems in the elderly, children and those with autoimmune issues. Here in my household we have enough skin irritation and breathing problems from allergies already so I do not feel the need to add to them. So I say wash wash wash that new fabric ASAP!

People and Language Trivia

The world's population grows by some 100 million each year.
Some 950 million people in the world are malnourished.
***
The average male adult is 5'9'' tall and weighs 155 pounds.
The average female adult is 5'3'' tall and weighs 125 pounds.
***
There are 106 boys born for every 100 girls.
***
Como se' huh?
There are more than 2,700 languages in the world. In addition
, there are more than 7,000 dialects. A dialect is a
regional variety of a language that has a different pronunciation
, vocabulary, or meaning.
***
B-A-S-Q-U-E
The most difficult language to learn is Basque, which is
spoken in northwestern Spain and southwestern France. It
is not related to any other language in the world. It has
an extremely complicated word structure and vocabulary.
***
Click-Click-Clack
More than 1,000 different languages are spoken on the
continent of Africa. Many languages in Africa include a
"click" sound that is pronounced at the same time as
other sounds.

The South Dakota Wind

There's nothing like waking up at 3:30 am to...WIND! I've lived pretty much all over the continental United States and I can tell ya the wind here is ever present as in unending and never ceasing. The first thing I thought of was my pretty flowering plants that I set out yesterday to make our front porch look pretty for Mother's Day. I thought "oh crap, they're all going to be frozen and blown to bits". So I hobble out of bed (trust me the first steps in the morning are killer on my left foot). I go into the dining room to find out that the back door had been left open (screen door was closed though). I rescued my pretty hydrangea plants as they had been blown over by the wind. I was surprised to find it relatively warm, in the 50º range, but windy as all get out! The plants on the front porch look okay but will be in desperate need of a drink of water later on - you know, once the sun rises.

Today is going to be one of those days where my hair will look frazzled and freaked out no matter what I do to it. So I might as well surrender and braid it and just be done with it!

Quote of the day

"Don't reserve your best behavior for special occasions. You can't have two sets of manners, two social codes - one for those you admire and want to impress, another for those whom you consider unimportant. You must be the same to all people".
~Lillian Eichler Watson

Our Little Red Car

Here's our Little Red Car, it's been a well loved member of our family. This is the last picture we'll be taking of it in our driveway...my husband has traded it in for another automobile. We bought it while we were stationed in Texas and it's been a good little car. So while I was at the Quilt Shop participating in a Quilters Show and Tell, my husband drove to Colorado and bought a new car. The weather being the strange and fickle thing that it has lately made for a rather blustery day as it snowed during most of his trip.

Here my husband is introducing the Miata to it's replacement...the new and improved Little Red Car , a Corvette

My happy husband and the two little red cars together
And here it is, the NEW Little Red Car, my husbands dream car...a Red Corvette

Quote of the day

okay now for the real quote of the day...


This is part of the essence of motherhood, watching your kid grow into her own person and not being able to do anything about it. Otherwise children would be nothing more than pets.
Heather Armstrong

Happy Mother's Day!

I love Mother's Day- it's a day that's devoted to the one person who does it all...dear ole Mom! And speaking of Mom, both my mom and my m-i-l received their Mother's Day gifts yesterday. I have to say it, I'm impressed with the USPS, I was wondering if the packages would get to them in time and they did- hats off to the United Postal Service!

Yesterday was a total BLAST! The Trunk show (a grown-up version of Show and Tell) at the quilt store was awesome! The talented group of women with whom I had the pleasure to sit amongst was simply amazing! Each of the ladies was so talented and they gladly tell you how they made it or what pattern they used. The one woman who totally designed her quilt stunned us all. It's designed to be a wall hanging for her brother and it had us all with our mouths wide open, LOL! My favorite (and I'm such a flower person) was the one wall hanging quilt with the bluebird and the hollyhocks. I could actually see that one hanging in my home. Then came mine turn for "Show and Tell". Joan (the shop owner) had me stand up and introduce myself to the group, I told them who I am that my husband was stationed at the base and that I'm a total newbie to quilting and that I've not been quilting for very long- just 2 months. Meanwhile Joan and Anne were holding up my Chocolate Dreams quilt top (that I had just finished the night before).
(insert picture here)
Then one of the ladies in the crowd asked "how long did you say you've been quilting?" I replied "2 months" then Joan replies "Sandie is an enthusiastic over achiever she says she new to quilting but she's a very fast learner". I honestly felt myself blush. Here I am sitting amongst all of these VERY talented quilters and me a newcomer to this craft and I'm blushing because I've been given words of praise by someone so much more accomplished than myself. Another quilter who totally wowed me (and the entire crowd) was the lady who designed and made these two gorgeous quilted handbags from batik fabrics. Several of the ladies wanted to know where they could get the pattern then the woman admits to "copying" her favorite purse. She took her old purse and traced it out piece by piece and recreated it into a lovely handbag, Again many of us could be seen with mouths hanging wide open and having a very amazed look on our faces, those handbags were beautiful to say the least!

After the trunk show I do some errands and I felt the urge to stop by the sewing center to pick up some thread...serger thread. I did it and I swear within the hour of getting home there was a knock upon my front door and there they were, 2 boxes each with a little sewing machine inside. I honestly thought that they wouldn't get here until Monday or Tuesday. Hannah and I played on our sewing machines all afternoon and into the evening:-)

Quote of the day

Mission
Of
Madness

Sewing Thread

So much going on today...there's the Mother's Day Tea and Trunk Show over at The Quilt Connection, I'm going to participate. Hey there's a 25% all purchases today today for participating so what the heck I'm up for it!

One thing I did learn about with my "sewing machine" event was about thread...Robinson-Anton thread. I had never heard of that brand before that day. I went to The Sewing Center yesterday as I had some sewing machine questions, while there we talked about thread. The sales woman who was extremely helpful gave me insight about the various thread brands...WOW was she ever EXTREEMLY helpful! I can honestly say that I've not got that much information on thread from any of the quilting shops. While talking with the sales woman at the sewing machine store I found out why some of my squares and rectangles are "off" when I'm sewing them into quilting squares even though I measured them and they were the same size...all because of the "type of thread" I was using while putting it together. I don't think that I would have been able to figure that one out on my own. It's amazing how much one little thing like using the wrong weight of thread can have such an adverse effect on a project. I've corrected that problem and now I'm hopefully off to better sewing :-) So now that leaves me with another question- why don't the Quilt Shops talk to beginners about things like "Thread"? I know that I would have been hanging on every word and taking tons of notes! So now I know that there IS a big difference in the level of quality from brand to brand. That there are some brand that you use to sew you quilt blocks together, others for the actual quilting process and yet another type for when you do "hand quilting". That's a lot of information that would have been be nice to know about when I first started this journey. But with all of that said and done, it's like any other craft- there are things that just have to be learned along the way.

Quote of the day

America has never been united by blood or birth or soil. We are bound by ideals that move us beyond our backgrounds, lift us above our interests and teach us what it means to be citizens.
George W. Bush (1946 - ), Inaugural address, 2001

Snow?

I'm sorry but no day in May should start with a snow storm! So here it is, a week since the "Blizzard" and what's going on? More Snow! I'm tired of having to pull sweaters out of my sweater box! I had the kids pull my sweaters boxes out from the storage area underneath the stairs and they've been sitting in the family room. Not the optimal place to store that boxes, but alas I don't plan on dragging them back upstairs again.

Military Spouse Day

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
Military spouses embody the courage, nobility of duty, and love of country that inspire every American. On Military Spouse Day, we pay tribute to the husbands and wives who support their spouses in America's Armed Forces during times of war and peace.
The legacy of military spouses began when colonial Americans were fighting for independence. Martha Washington boosted the morale of her husband's troops by visiting battlefields and tending to the wounded.
Since then, members of our Armed Forces have served our Nation accompanied by the steadfast love and support of their spouses and families.
While our men and women in uniform are protecting our country's founding ideals of liberty, democracy, and justice, their spouses live with uncommon challenges, endure sleepless nights, and spend long periods raising children alone. Many military spouses are also committed volunteers, serving other military families and local communities. Our Nation benefits from the sacrifices of our military families, and we are inspired by their courage, strength, and leadership.
On Military Spouse Day and throughout the year, we honor the commitment spouses have made to freedom's cause. To learn about ways to support our troops and their spouses and families, I encourage all Americans to visit www.americasupportsyou.mil.


NOW, THEREFORE, I,
GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 9, 2008, as Military Spouse Day. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities and by expressing their gratitude to the husbands and wives of those serving in the United States Armed Forces.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-second.
GEORGE W. BUSH

AFJROTC Rocks!

I find that children can amaze you, especially when you least expect it :-)

That was very true of our son last night at the AFJROTC banquet. He looked so sharp in his uniform (reminded me of his dad). He was on color guard duty and the group of 4 teenagers truly took this "duty" to heart- they preformed their duties as well as many adults I've seen do color guard. The biggest surprise of the night for us was when he was awarded the Scottish Rite's award for Scholastic Excellence and American Patriotism- WOW! Any parent could not be more proud of their child than at that ceremony. You got to hear about all of the community service that this group of 63 teenagers preformed, which came out to an average of 150 hours per JROTC student, now that's really saying something! From canned food drives, to coat drives and clothing drives, these kids excelled in everything they did. Our son walked away with several awards and has even earned his "letter" for a Letterman jacket :-) Way to go Andrew!

Quote of the day

There's the country of America, which you have to defend, but there's also the idea of America. America is more than just a country, it's an idea. An idea that's supposed to be contagious.
Bono (1960 - ), Oprah Winfrey Show, 2002

Laughter is the best medicine

When getting together with friends it's a MUST that you laugh at everything!

I shared my experience at the quilt shop with the ladies in my crafting group. I made them laugh, they made me laugh...it was a great time! Now I didn't get much done because I was running out of time- from the over time at the quilt shop and the fact that I had to also squeeze in some grocery shopping, but I did manage to take pictures of the pages I wanted to recreate. They're just quick and easy 6x6 pages done with Stampin Up kits to go into a quick little flip the page kind of book. Sometimes the best things ARE the simplest things.

We all had funny stories to share and Donna's story about the cat she gave her mother was THE funniest! I've come to truly admire the women that make up our crafting group. They're genuine true to life people, no falsities no trying to one up anyone...just honest to goodness ladies (in a true sense of the word) I've got the pleasure of calling... my friends.

Things that make me laugh!

Yesterday was the day for laughing at the silly things in life. You see, I had thought that I had signed up for some sort of sewing machine test drive...where you get to see and experience the features of various machines first hand. That could not have been further from the truth. In the end, it seems that I spent 4 hours and 40 minutes listening to a sales pitch for an $8000 sewing machine. I'm sorry, but my sewing/quilting abilities are no where near that level of excellence which in my opinion would constitute the need of such a machine, LOL! The funny thing about that is when thinking about the cost, well to be perfectly honest- we didn't pay half that much for Andrew's used car and our the ride on lawn mower combined! I'd like to know what makes anyone want to pay that for a sewing machine?

Did this machine have all the bells and whistles? Yes, complete with a computer interface network- eeek! This machine had so many features (more than I would use in a lifetime) that I found it extremely overwhelming trying to digest all of the information. Trying to keep up with what the sales lady/demonstrator was talking about was a major challenge as she was talking quite fast. And if I'm saying that someone was talking fast they had to be talking really fast. I don't want to have an extra rider on my insurance policy to cover the possible theft of or damage to an $8000 sewing machine. Maybe I'm vain but if I was to spend $8000 on something could it be a diamond tennis bracelet and some BIG diamond stud earrings? You know, something I could show off to my girlfriends and make them envious instead of scratching their heads and saying "you paid what??? For a sewing machine???? And asking me is I was insane, LOL!

The part that really killed me was the cross stitching a picture...granted it looked pretty but why would you want a machine to do it? So I said to the sales lady "why would anyone want to do this?" (talking about cross stitching) Oh to save time of course, I let her know that I enjoy doing counted cross stitching and considered what I do as to making and creating heirlooms...her reply made me ill, "Well with this machine you wouldn't need to "waste" you time doing such tedious work. I was really bothered with her flippant attitude about "wasting time" in what I consider to be creating an heirloom. There's the other thing...the way she talked about men and cars her analogies were so spiteful, made me wonder if she didn't go through a bitter divorce. The way she went on and on about how men have to have things like GPS, XM radio and quality car stereos and the tire and wheel package when buying a car...I felt like raising my hand and saying "uh-um excuse me but that last statement you made is wrong- I was the one wanting all of those things in our last car purchase". Or how she went on and on about how men waste money buying tools that they never use, excuse me but that's not the case in my home. I think about all of the tools my husband had bought over the years and not once did he buy something that he just had to have for the sake of having it. So as I sat there thinking to myself "why am I here", the rest of the cattle (women) are sitting there nodding their heads as if this woman had some insight into their soul.

Did I like the machine? Sure but there's no chance in hell I'm going to spend that kind of money on a sewing machine now Diamond Jewelry is a different story all together, LOL!