more Halloween trivia

HERE ARE SOME FUN FACTS ABOUT HALLOWEEN:

It's not just for kids! Halloween While 82 percent of children take part in Halloween festivities, a surprising
67 percent of adults also join in the fun.
Candy corn, anyone? With an estimated $ 1.93 billion in candy sales, Halloween is the sweetest holiday of the year, beating out Easter, Valentine's Day, and Christmas. In fact, one quarter of all the candy sold each year is purchased between September 15 and November 10.
U.S. consumers spend as much as $ 1.5 billion on costumes each year, and more than $ 2.5 billion on other Halloween paraphernalia, such as decorations and crafts — more than $ 100 million of which is spent online.
The first Halloween card was made in the early 1900s. These days, U.S. consumers spend about $ 50 million on Halloween greetings.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween is finally here! At the request of mt husband and daughter, I made around 40 little ghosts to hang from our trees- all from fabric and quilt batting scraps and a bit of crochet thread Ü Halloween brings out the kid in my husband (probably the reason he bought the Monkees greatest hits Cd the other day) and he and our daughter really bond with this holiday.

I realized last night that I never left the house yesterday. Sure I took out some trash, but the garbage can is located in our garage. I got so involved working on piecing together 4 table runners that I never realized that I never once stepped out of doors. Now what I was working on was... one large table runner (as in extra long) for our sofa table and the other 3 table runners were of the Autumn/ Pumpkin variety. I'm going to cut out some leaves and do some applique work today. I feel that the leaves are needed to add some extra pizzazz to those table runners.

I must have restless body syndrome as I'm always doing something when it comes to being creative that's for sure. I can't stand being idle, I'm serious I even hate sitting in church as I feel as if I should be doing something other than just listening. I see myself bringing in some cross stitching or crocheting with me to work on while the sermon is going on, LOL!!! Oh I know that's bad, but it's really how I feel.

I'm off to get working on some leaf appliques.

Pumpkin Trivia

The name pumpkin orginated from "pepon" – the Greek word for "large melon."
***
The top pumpkin production states are Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and California.
***
Pumpkins are fruits. A pumpkin is a type of squash and is a member of the gourd family (Cucurbitacae), which include squash, cucumbers, gherkins, and melons.
***
Pumpkin seeds should be planted between the last week of May and the middle of June. They take between 90 and 120 days to grow and are picked in October when they are bright orange in color. Their seeds can be saved to grow new pumpkins the next year.
***
The largest pumpkin pie ever made was over five feet in diameter and weighed over 350 pounds. It used 80 pounds of cooked pumpkin, 36 pounds of sugar, 12 dozen eggs and took six hours to bake.
***
Colonists sliced off pumpkin tops; removed seeds and filled the insides with milk, spices and honey. This was baked in hot ashes and is the origin of pumpkin pie.

Quote of the Day

"Nothing on Earth so beautiful as the final haul on Halloween night".
~Steve Almond

I'm rolling my eyes

Today's quote has to do with my husband...you see, he bought something that has me rolling my eyes and laughing out loud! Of all the Cd's he could buy from Amazon, my husband chose to purchase...The Monkees greatest hits. I can hear the laughter now. Our children now think that their dad is insane.

Quote of the Day

"Boys will be boys, and so will a lot of middle-aged men".
~Kin Hubbard

If you want to laugh...

You will have to go check out Susan's latest rant on health care, the election, socialism and schools. I laughed so hard milk shot out my nose! The link to her blog is in my blogs of note section- Beware, this will make you pee yourself!

Mission of Madness

There are days that I'm busy from dawn until dusk, this is one of those kind of days. It should be illegal to be this busy! Run run run, go go go....that's the tune I'm singing today. Is it just me or does everyone seem to have something that they need me to do for them and what's worse, it's that I've got things that I need to get done. You know what Mom stands for don't you? It's Mission of Madness, oh yeah!

I still haven't made it over to Sam's Club, but I did manage to get the other things on my list done. Plus I managed to make an Autumn themed table runner and am working on another Halloween themed table runner. I figure that by making smaller quilted pieces such as table runners that I'll get better at piecing triangles and better at the quilting process in general.

Now I'm off to my Scrapbook Nook, it needs to get tidied up before my new wireless mouse and keyboard arrive, WhooHoo!

Quote of the Day

"That which we persist in doing becomes easier, not that the task itself has become easier, but that our ability to perform it has improved".
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Tuesday's to-do list

Mondays are always such go go go days for me. Some weeks I have more errands to run than others. I sent my Mom a Halloween table runner- starting early on her year of quilted table runners. It's always a challenge for me as to what to give my Mom or Mother-in-law for Christmas and quilted table runners seem to what I'm drawn to this year...so that's what they're going to get, different ones for the various holidays and seasons . More over, it's a challenge in general to find so many different table runner patterns (especially ones that appeal to me), and then to get the fabric. But it's a challenge that I look forward to, one to help me grown as a quilter. And who doesn't like to have something pretty on their dining table?

On my To Do list today-
*cut out the backing fabric and quilt batting and get to work on the table runners

*run out to Sam's Club and pick up onions and cream cheese

*call refuse company have them empty the cardboard recycle bin

*cut 2½ strips for strip quilt project

*Iron fabric for November table runner

Dang I better get a move on eh?

Quote of the Day

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me
Philippians 4:13

Autumn and Creativity

Autumn is my favorite time of the year, granted I like summer a lot and am a summer baby but Autumn brings it all home for me. Leaves raked into piles -not here but in other states...here they've all been blown off of the trees yesterday and by now are all in Nebraska or Minnesota. Going out for walks in crisp Autumn air with the scent of wood burning in fire places. It makes me think of Sunday dinners where families get together and share the happenings of their week. I haven't had that in ages- this is the time of year when I really start to miss that sort of stuff.

Autumn is when my mojo really gets going and I create scrapbook pages like no one knows! There I am, tucked away in my cozy little scrapbook nook, looking out the window to see the leaves whirling around in the air. Feeling inspired to create pages from vacations and family outings. My darling husband did something for me that he's been saying for a while now...he put a computer in my scrapbook nook. So no more running up and down the stairs for pictures to be printed...I can do it all in one room! Life is indeed very good!

Christmas is right around the corner and I've got Christmas gift giving on my mind. I plan to make the majority of the gifts we'll be giving this year, be it stationary, note cards, my gourmet cheesecake, my gourmet triple chocolate brownies (these are hard to give away because they're lucky to make it past the entry to the kitchen) or a quilted item. I'm already half way there...I've got 14 table runner tops sewn and all they need it to be sandwiched and quilted- woohoo! I've got a few more card sets to create and some more stationary to make- these make wonderful last minute gifts for when friends stop by unexpectedly. I like to keep a handful of small items such as those under the tree for those unexpected occasions. I also like to keep plenty of mini cheesecakes in my freezer too!

The freezing temperatures and the 45 to 60 mph winds yesterday had me wanting to go through the storage area underneath of our stairs. It was a little disorganized but not much. I was able to get things put in their proper places, made the Christmas tree and the containers of Christmas decorations easier to access and the most important thing...I got my sweaters out from the storage area!

Even my daughter is feeling the Autumn air and the creativity it brings with it. I'm going to take a picture of her pumpkin and show you what she's made...this kid obviously has seen too many M. Night Shyamalan movies, LOL! I think that Mr. Shyamalan would be proud, LOL!

There's no school today but that doesn't mean that I'm not doing something. The Black Hills Quilters Guild is meeting today and is working on Project Warmth quilts-I want to go check that out. I plan on bringing Hannah with me, so she can meet these wonderful quilting ladies.

Quote of the Day

"Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all'.
~Sam Ewing

Winter is coming

I like to start my day with a steamy hot mug of coffee and some sort of plan on what I want to accomplish for the day. My first thoughts for today were just about keeping warm. Yesterday was such a lovely day, it got up to 74º and today we'll be lucky if it gets to 40. So break out the parkas because it's also going to be VERY windy! Expect winds from 35 to 50 mph with gusts over 50 mph...I just love weather like this- in case you didn't know I was being sarcastic.

Saturday afternoon was spent shopping with my daughter- she needed some winter apparel (we got it just in time too). We still need to venture to out again (to Kohl's this time) to find some leggings to go with the cute long sweater tops. This reminds me- I need to take some pictures of my little fashionista.

Frost is all over the windows and I don't dare venture out to the drive way this morning in my jammies to pick up our newspaper - something about it being 30 and the wind-chill making it feel like it's 15 outside makes me think that the newspaper can sit out there until the cows come home.

So my goal for today is to keep warm and of course to enjoy my time with my family.

Quote of the Day

"Let's assume that each person has an equal opportunity, not to become equal, but to become different. To realize whatever unique potential of body, mind and spirit he or she possesses".
~John Fischer

Shopping on the Internet

Of all the wonderful things we can buy on the Internet, I just bought fabric, LOL! This place came with a good reputation and I hope that it all lives up to it's name. When it arrives I'll post more about it. But for now I'm still surprised at myself for buying fabric sight unseen, this is so unlike me. But now I find myself looking at a 2nd web site that sells fabric and contemplating making a purchase there as well. I've become such a sewing fanatic, it must have something to do with the crisp Autumn air and the fact that Christmas is right around the corner.

Author Trivia

Children's book author Dr. Seuss's real name was Theodor
Geisel. His middle name was Seuss.
***
Beatrix Potter, author of Peter Rabbit, had a real pet
rabbit named "Peter". She put Peter on a leash and walked
him through her neighborhood in London.
***
Many of Agatha Christie's stories involved people getting
poisoned. She knew so much about chemicals because she
worked in a hospital laboratory during World War II.
***

Charles Dickens had two pet ravens, both known as Grip.
Upon Grip I's demise, Dickens had his beloved bird stuffed.
These days, Grip can be seen at the Free Library of
Philadelphia's Rare Books Department, where he stands guard
over the Poe and Dickens collections.
***
During World War I, Edith Wharton traveled to the Western
Front in France, both to write about the battlefields for
American publications and to help the Red Cross create
hostels and schools for those displaced by war.
***
Flannery O'Connor had a special fondness for peacocks,
which she often used in her fiction to represent Christ.
When she returned to live on the family farm as an adult,
she raised an unusually large flock of peacocks, which she
tended to until her death in 1964.

I've seen it all!

Part of what I like about paper crafting is that it's one of those things that you can take with you and work on just about anywhere. Now here's an item that has left me shaking my head...an electric big shot? Come On! What's next, the electric Quikutz or Cuttlebug? I start to feel rather tied down when I use my Cricut because I have to be near an electrical outlet. Add another tool that needs electricity and the portability factor goes right out the window! The jury is out on this one...I'll wait to see what others have to say about it. I can tell ya right now, this is not something that I'd even consider buying.

Patience

The challenge and the gift- for me it's all about being patient. For me... Needlework and Quilting are 100% about being patient and taking your time, there are things that can not be rushed and these are 2 of them. Scrapbooking and card making are my crafting "quick fix" and produce a completed project in a fast manner.

I'm starting to feel rather "zen" when I quilt. I organize my place before I start quilting and tidy up when I'm done for the day. I tend to do my best work when it's quite and no one is around me. Scrapbooking on the other hand, well it can be quite messy at time and leave a rather large mess (from all of the stuff I drag out). But either way I'm glad that I have become the well rounded crafter that I am today. When asked "Sandie, isn't there anything that you don't do?" Oh yeah there are lots of crafting things that I'm interested in but I for what ever reason, I don't DO them...Stained Glass, Knitting, Tatting, Oil Painting, Carpentry, Rug Making, and Basket Weaving to name a few, LOL!

I was talking with my friend Irene last night and she was telling me how she recently took a beading class (it was on Thursday, that's why she didn't make it to lunch with us) and she was telling me how expensive her beading hobby had become. Funny things about her beading hobby and my quilting hobby- first off the 2 shops are right next door to one another (no joke) and secondly hobbies in general they seem to take on a life of their own. We got a good laugh out of telling one another about how we started small with our hobbies and now we both look at items (me at fabric & thread and she at beads and bead like items) with a new eye. We can look at an item and see things that we want to create with said item. But it also take time to create (this is where patience is the key factor). Sit down and draw out the plans, taking ones time to bring those creative ideas out into the light. I had to laugh because I told Irene that at least beading take up a pretty small space- then she replied "go right ahead and think that" and she laughed. Apparently beading can become quite addictive and you find yourself buying oodles becase they are small and before you know it, you'll have an armoire filled with boxes and baggies full of beads of various colors, shapes and sizes. I'm happy to stick with fabrics and threads Ü

Quote of the day

"Challenge is a dragon with a gift in its mouth…Tame the dragon and the gift is yours".
~Noela Evans

A safe place

Last night was rather interesting to say the least... Around 9:30 last night our door bell rang, outside on the front porch was one of our sons friends and a policeman. Apparently there was some sort of altercation at this young mans house and the police took him away from "the situation" to spend the night at a "safe place", so the young man instructed the policeman to come here to our house. Of course we took the boy in without question. He never said a word about what went on but was obviously appreciative that we took him in. This morning at 6:30 there was a knock on the door and it was a girl here to pick the young man up- he needed to be at school early he said. Nothing more was said about what went on last night never the less, it's left my husband and I with a lot of questions. I'm thankful to the Lord that this child/young man was drawn to us and that our home is somewhere where he feels safe. I let him know before he left that he is welcome here at any time and that our doors will always be open to him. Please pray for this young man and that issues in his home will be resolved without violence of any kind.

Quote of the Day

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail".
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

learning from your children

There are many things parents can learn from their children. Take my lesson today on sending text messages- as my son lets me know that the # key puts a space between words, LOL! I but rarely send a text and lately that's ALL my kids do. Hannah the other day sent me a text asking me to pick her up from school...go figure, LOL! Ah the wonders of motherhood, will they ever cease? I hope not!

MAYBE MAXINE SHOULD BE PRESIDENT!

I'm not into polictal satire but thought that this pretty much nails it!

Sometimes I think Maxine should run for president.
She was right on with this one!
A lot of people have been concentrating on the problems we've been
having in this country lately: illegal immigration,
hurricane recovery, alligators attacking people in Florida ...

Not me. I concentrate on solutions for the problems. It's a win-win situation.

1) Dig a moat the length of the Mexican border.

2) Send the dirt to New Orleans to raise the level of the levies.

3) Put the Florida alligators in the moat along the Mexican border.

Any other problems you'd like for me to solve today? Yes!

Think about these:

1. Cows 2.

The Constitution

3. The Ten Commandments

C O W S...Is it just me, or does anyone else find it amazing that during the mad cow epidemic our government could track a single cow, born in Canada almost three years ago, right to the stall where she slept in the state of Washington ? And, they tracked her calves to their stalls. But they are unable to locate 11 million illegal aliens wandering around our country. Maybe we should give each of them a cow.

T H E C O N S T I T U T I O N...They keep talking about drafting a Constitution for Iraq .... Why don't we just give them ours? It was written by a lot of really smart guys, it has worked for over 200 years, and we're not using it anymore.

T H E T E N C O M M A N D M E N T S...The real reason that we can't have the Ten Commandments posted in a courthouse is this: You cannot post 'Thou Shalt Not Steal,' 'Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery,' and 'Thou Shall Not Lie' in a building full of lawyers, judges and politicians...It creates a hostile work environment.

PART OF THE PROBLEM Also, Think about this: If you don't want to forward this for fear of offending someone-- YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM! It is Time for America to Speak up! Yep, I passed it on!

Quote of the day

"The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own. You don't blame them on your mother, the ecology, or the President. You realize that you control your own destiny".
~Albert Ellis

Going on a fabric run...

It's "True Confessions" time here on my blog...I have to tell you that I just returned home from doing a "fabric run" and my mission was a success! If you don't know what this is, well it's where you dash out of the house to be the first person at the store because you are on a mission to pick up some more of what ever fabric it is that you need to complete a project (insert laughter here). I've done this many times before in relation to getting scrapbooking supplies...I needed just one or two more of a particular item to finish a layout. Oh the things I do for my creative habits, LOL! So yes, I've returned and I have what I set out for too! Now I do have to say that the darling Christmas Holly print fabric that I picked up yesterday is completely SOLD OUT! I feel VERY lucky to have bought it yesterday! WOW an entire bolt of fabric (that's 20 yards) sold out in 1 day, now that is AMAZING! When quilters see some fabric that catches their eye, they know not to hesitate on buying it because someone else will snatch it right up! I've learned this lesson the hard way, so I'm really happy that I bought that Holly fabric yesterday Ü

I'm off to keep warm and to make some holiday table runners...can you say Christmas presents? I can!

Scrapbooking and Quilting- the best of both worlds

I was asked a questions that gave me a chuckle- "Sandie, since you have a room just for scrapbooking, do you also have a room just for quilting and sewing?". My answer is yes and no...I have a corner in the formal dining room for my sewing cabinet and since we eat there but rarely (only when we have company) I can spread my projects out over the dining table. All of my supplies are stored in the Armoire. Heaven forbid if my fabric stash gets so big that it starts to spill out of it, there's no place for it to go.

I keep all of my paper crafting supplies located in my scrapbook nook. I love my Nook, it's such a wonderful happy place to create and be. In the future I'd like to have a larger place so I could house all of my crafting in one place. But that would take a child moving out and I don't see that happening for at least a couple more years. Now when Andrew goes off to college in 2 years- look out! LOL!

Stitch & Gab meets today, I have no idea if anyone is going to show up. I've got to vacuum, tidy up my Elves Workshop and make sure that there aren't any needles on the floor. Hannah was sewing barefoot yesterday and found two needles the old fashioned way- with the souls of her feet- ouch! Sorry Hannah!

Quote of the Day

Miracles: You do not have to look for them. They are there, 24-7, beaming like radio waves all around you. Put up the antenna, turn up the volume - snap... crackle... this just in, every person you talk to is a chance to change the world...
Hugh Elliott, Standing Room Only weblog, May 6, 2003

crafty ideas

Last night as I was stitching the binding on one of my Halloween themed table runners I decided to go ahead with something that I had on a back burner on simmer...to make a table runner of the month. Then it occurred to me that not only could I make monthly cute quilted table runners for my own home BUT that I could make a table runner of the month kit and sell it on Etsy. Hm mm, I've got to do more thinking on this. I could include patterns with detailed directions and fabrics to make the top and binding. It's an idea that I need to gather more information on as I'm unable to buy fabric whole sale and I really wouldn't want to have an entire bolt of any one print. Quilters are very much like scrapbookers as they are always looking for new and different patterned fabrics. They too want the latest and greatest items that come on the market. I have to do more research into this before I even attempt anything of the sort.

I'm on the tail end of this quilt top and then my husbands says to me...Honey I see that you didn't do the double inner border are you planning on adding as a single border? EEEK! I Thank the Lord every day for my husband! You see the pattern was for a lap quilt that I converted into a twin sized pattern and I had forgot that in my calculations that I had decided on putting in a double border- oops! But I like it better this way, with the solid border, then the pieced border and then another solid border then the binding. I figure that I better start adding pictures so you all will know what the heck I'm talking about.

Now for me to get to work and have another delicious mug of Dunkin Donuts Coffee, oh yeah! No Dunkin Donuts out here anywhere (I don't even know if there's one in the entire state) but we have their coffee...I'm sooooo happy!

Quote of the day

"Is there a rehab center for Coke drinkers? I drink six to eight cans a day".
~Carmen Electra

I secretly feel this way about coffee

Laughter is the best medicine!

My best days are ones spent in the company of friends. Our crafting group is a the best kind if therapy one could ever hope to have. We laugh, we shop we make stuff and laugh some more! I look forward to craft group every month. this month we've had it twice because Peggy is having knee surgery next month. We're now incorporating going out to lunch after craft group- what an excellent thing to do! So in case Peggy, Ellen, Sarah or Donna are reading this- Thanks! I had a blast and you are the BEST group of ladies to ever "do lunch" with! I came in feeling a bit frazzled and left laughing my socks off Ü, I feel like a million bucks!

And the crafts we made today- WOW! Peggy always has something fun and new to show us- I love it!

So now I'm off to work some more on Hannah's quilting project (I'm on the tail end of it now). Wouldn't it be something if I could have it finished before Hannah got home? I better quite typing and get back to work!

Quilting and Crafting

It would be safe to say that I'm a crafting junkie. It seems as if I've always got to have some sort of quick crafting "fix", be it a card making project, small sewing project or a cooking project Ü.

Speaking of sewing projects...I'm on the tail end of Hannah's quilt! I'm sewing the 2nd border which consists of a lot of 2½ x 8½ inch rectangles. The corners are mitered and even though it might look as if it was easy to do, I'm here to tell you that it wasn't. I got through half of the quilt top's 2nd border. What a long process it is to sew hundreds of these narrow strips of fabric together. Once this quilt top is done I'll be sending it off to be professionally quilted! I want this quilt to have a professional looking finish and I've decided to use one of the members of the quilters guild who does long arm quilting (one who has been highly recommended).

Time to wake the family, get kids off to school, husband off to work and me out the door for a crafting group meet up and after that I've got some errands to get done.

Quote of the day

But the fact that some geniuses were laughed at does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses. They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.
Carl Sagan (1934 - 1996)

Quilting opens many doors

I met so many wonderful ladies at the guild coffee. These ladies were a total blast to be around! Their experience and insight was/is fantastic! I brought my simple straight forward quilting pieces for show and tell and then there were the pieces that they brought in for show and tell, all I can say was WOW! I got to sit with such a great group of experienced quilters and I felt very welcome there too. I don't know if I was the youngest person there but I certainly looked and felt like it, LOL! But seriously, everyone there was VERY nice and I did feel a true sense of being genuinely welcomed into the group. I was thrilled that I got to meet the sister in law of one of the ladies that I have craft group with. I met Donna's sister-in-law Carol-I can not say enough nice things about either of these women! And just as a little side note- not a single one of them asked me what my husband did or what his rank was, this is just as it should be. Come to think of it, not a single one of them talked about their spouses or children... just quilting!

I came home feeling seriously motivated and energized by just being around such talented quilters. I met up with a group of ladies at the Quilt Connection to see what they have left. You see, the store is moving to a new location (closer to the highway) and they are having a HUGE clearance sale so they won't have to move so many bolts of fabric. I bought some Fat Quarters, I've got some ideas for a great table runner and I needed some Autumn colors for it Ü. After I came home I right away started working some more on Hannah's quilt. The next 4 hours seemed to fly by and before I knew it, I was done with the top piece, I had cut the border strips cut am getting ready to sew it together. The next part is sewing together all of the 2½x8½ strip that will make the 2nd border and to miter the corner pieces-eek! I can't believe that I'm kicking this out so quickly!

Now trust me this has also been a mental workout in math and patience. No matter how evenly and accurately I think that I've cut and sewn a piece of fabric, there's been something on every row that has had to be taken apart with the seam ripper, trimmed and sewn back together (no joke). I have to go slow and be patient, getting mad at ones self serves no purpose here. The issues arising in my quilting was/ is nothing that I could have foreseen, I measured and sewn exactly as the directions in the pattern dictated. I've prayed for God to grant me patience and understanding a lot over the past 2½ to 3 years and each time the Lord has given me a situation or a physical thing to do that requires patience (sometimes it requires more stamina than actual patience). So not only do I get a great lesson in being patient, I also have something to show for it!

When you think of God and having him answering a prayer there are a lot of ways in which we as human beings can interpret things, as for me...I think that the Lord brought quilting into my life at the perfect point in time. He knew that the majority of my close friends will have moved away at some point this year and that I need to fill my heart and my time with something else that would not leave me feeling empty or lonely. I have to give this one to my new friend Carol, "To be with people that have the same interests is simply wonderful!".

Quote of the day

The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.
-Eleanor Roosevelt

Black Hills Quilters Guild

I'm attending the Coffee/Tea Social being given by the Black Hills Quilters Guild today. I attended one of these back in May when it was held at my favorite quilt shop. I look forward to seeing what these experienced quilters are bringing for show and tell. There were so many great quilts and quilted items at the last get together, I can only imagine what wonderful things these very talented ladies have made since May. Now the only thing I wish was that I was not going to this alone, but alas there's no one for me to go with...so it's just me and a couple of items for show and tell. I'll have fun by myself right? I need to see it for what it is, another opportunity for me to make new friends all of whom have similar interests in crafting and creating things with fabric :-)

Quote of the Day

"Creativity represents a miraculous coming together of the uninhibited energy of the child with its apparent opposite and enemy, the sense of order imposed on the disciplined adult intelligence".
~Norman Podhoretz

Recycling Trivia...

As you all already know, I'm big into recycling. So when I came across this bit of trivia I just HAD to share it with you!

It takes glass one million years to decompose, which means it can be recycled an infinite amount of times.
***
The first real recycling program was introduced in New York City in the 1890s.
***
One tree can filter up to 60 pounds of pollutants from the air each year.
***

Recycling plastic saves twice as much energy as burning it in an incinerator.
***
Since 1978, the weight of a soda bottle has been reduced by
29 percent.
***
Around 45% of the paper Americans use each year is recovered for recycling.

I've got crafting on my mind...

I'm itching to get back to work on any one of my sewing projects! Maybe I'll tuck one away with me when I head out to the change of command ceremony, heh heh heh.

So far I have 2 people willing to brave going out to lunch with me next week but alas no takers on the Stitch & Gab group-yet. Trying to get folks motivated to get out and do something while their husbands are deployed is tough! But I refuse to give up! I'll get these ladies pumped up to do 'something", maybe I'll offer a cooking class, LOL!

OSS Change of Command

I love attending change of command ceremonies and it's even better when you have assigned seats, LOL! But seriously, I've always enjoyed attending any change of command ceremony, you see the squadron or group commander giving thanks to his or her spouse and family for their years of devotion and dedication and they thank the people that they've worked with- it's all very touching to say the very least. So today I'll be dressed up in business attire and will soak up all of the military bravado.

Quote of the day

"I want to stay as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can't see from the center."
~ Kurt Vonnegut

The day that got away from me...

Working on the quilt top for Hannah's bed is a challenge in mathematics. I've had to alter or "adjust" a pattern from being a lap quilt to being a quilt to fit a twin sized bed. Then you sew...but you need to make sure all of the corner match up, that's not as easy as it sounds or looks. The title of my book (when I write it) will be "The seam ripper is my Friend", LOL! My other dear friend of the day was my rotary cutter. There's lots more to be done on the quilt and I am anxious to get back to working on it.

Time for me to hit the sheets! I've got quilting on the brain and all I want to do is to go to sleep!

Quote of the day

Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for - in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it.
- Ellen Goodman

Work is a 4 letter word!

I've been doing domestic work like no one knows! I like to call it "multi tasking", LOL! I've managed to make French Onion soup from scratch no less, I started stitching together Hannah's quilt top, and have load #2 in the washing machine PLUS I've sent out 2 different e-vites for the 2 different OSC groups I organize/manage (Lunch Bunch and Stitch & Gab). Now to go to the grocery store and get some of the essentials...bread, milk, ½&½, coffee, lunch meats etc.

I've got pictures to share of my latest card making and quilting projects. Stay tuned!

Coffee Trivia

Coffee, the brown liquid substance that makes me smile. Coffee adds to the deliciousness of desserts such as Tiramisu, Chocolate Cheesecake. Hot Chocolate, Jamoca Almond Fudge Ice Cream from Baskin-Robbins, Mocha which we know is coffee and chocolate. Oh how I just adore coffee!


Germany is the world's second largest consumer of coffee in terms of volume at 16 pounds per person.
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Over 53 countries grow coffee worldwide, but all of them lie along the equator between the tropic of Cancer and Capricorn.
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An acre of coffee trees can produce up to 10,000 pounds of coffee cherries. That amounts to approximately 2,000 pounds of beans after hulling or milling.
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The percolator was invented in 1827 by a French man. It would boil the coffee producing a bitter tasting brew. Today most people use the drip or filtered method to brew their coffee.
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Up until the 1870s most coffee was roasted at home in a frying pan over a charcoal fire. It wasn't until recent times that batch roasting became popular.
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Each year some seven million tons of green beans are produced world wide, most of which is hand picked.

Quote of the Day

"Among the numerous luxuries of the table...coffee may be considered as one of the most valuable. It excites cheerfulness without intoxication; and the pleasing flow of spirits which it occasions...is never followed by sadness, languor or debility."
~ Benjamin Franklin

busy busy busy

I've been meaning to post all day but have been so darn busy with "things" that time totally has gotten away from me.

Quote of the Day

"I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it."
~ Groucho Marx

Stampin with Peg

Peggy and the ladies that form our crafting group are coming over today. Usually we meet at the Box Elder Seniors Center but since I'm watching Amelia and it's so darn cold out, we're going to meet here at my home. We laugh a lot when we get together and today I'm prepared to laugh my socks off! I feel like a kid at Christmas time, I'm excited to see what cool things Peggy is bringing over for us to play with. To see what Peggy is up to, please check out her blog- she's listed in my Blogs of Note or click on her name.

Things to make you laugh...

When I came across that quote the other day I had to "save it" for just the right day...today is that day! I've never had a dog, only cats ( I'll probably become one of those crazy cat ladies when I'm 80 years old). I say that cats are pretty good friends with humans as well.

I have 2 large sized picture windows in the front of my house, one in the formal dining room and the other in my craft room- both has a clear view of the road and all that goes on around my house. So yesterday as I look up from all of my cutting of fabric I see a child riding a bike and hes all suited up like he's riding his bike on the Arctic Tundra. I had a good hard laugh, not at the child but at his determination to be outside riding his bike. The only thing I can possibly imagine a child wanting to be out of doors that badly is that it must have been a new bike to make a child want to suit up in every bit of winter gear he owns, LOL! The determination of a child- it is a wonderful thing!

Quote of the day

We are alone, absolutely alone on this chance planet: and, amid all the forms of life that surround us, not one, excepting the dog, has made an alliance with us.
- Maurice Maeterlinck

Starting a new project or two...

Snow does strange things to me...it has me rearranging furniture in various rooms in our house and wanting to do more home improvement projects. Trust me, I always have some sort of home improvement project in the back of my mind.

We're rearranged the furniture in the living room and I love it! It's made the room feel more cozy and intimate and not such a big open space. the way we had the furniture arranged before was not conducive to conversation- furniture on one side of the room TV on the other side-blah! Just a bit of changing how things are arranged gives one a whole new outlook.

How long does it take to cut over 300 rectangles and a couple of dozen squares for a large size quilting project? Just a little over 3 hours is how long! Oh my aching back! And I still haven't finished, I still need to cut the fabric for the borders, binding and backing-ugh! What I wouldn't give to get one of those fancy shamcy cutting tables like my Mom has in her sewing room! They're currently on sale over at Hancock Fabrics but knowing my luck they're probably made in China, LOL! And of course then I'm also left with a storage issue- where would I keep it when I wasn't using it?

I've been talking about getting started on the project for MONTHS and it's official, I've gone and cut the bulk of the fabric for the project. Man oh man are my back muscles aching and my elbow throbbing like I hit it with a hammer! Hunched over the dining room table for a few hours with a ruler and a rotary cutter will do that to anyone. I hope that Hannah appreciates all of the work that's going into this project, because it's going to be a long process getting all of it together. Now to lay out the squares and get sewing on all of those rectangles and turning them into squares. I've got to clean up the formal dining room as I'm hosting crafting group at my house...where oh where is that vacuum cleaner of ours gotten off to?

Is it Tea Time yet? I'm so hungry for scones, jam and tea it's not funny! I see that I'm going to have to break down and make some scones!

Rain

Albeit we could use the rain, it's taking me back to June when we had so much rain that we were having flooding issues here in our little town. And it's cold, a really bone chilling cold kind of rain that once it gets you wet you have a hard time warming up again.

I want to be able to get back to sleep but alas a few things have occurred as to make me wake up in the middle of the night;

*our daughter snuck into bed with me while I was sleeping- my husband came in and gave her the boot hence waking me up the first time.

*when my husband came to bed, he was cold! I mean meat locker cold! I told him that it should be illegal for anyone to get into bed and cuddle up next to their loved one and be that darn cold!

*the pounding rain and the wind. This is day #3 and frankly enough already! It's hard to get back to sleep when all you hear is rain beating against your house. And it doesn't help that there was a train going by at 3:15 am tooting it's horn ever so loudly, LOL! Most time I don't hear it but tonight it was so clear. I can only imagine how loud it must be for those folks that actually live in houses near the train tracks, the sound must be deafening.

So here I am, cold and wide awake when I had been warm and cozy in a deep blissful slumber. Something is just not right here...I can finally get some sleep and what happens? I'm rudely awakened by my freezing cold spouse, LOL! My eyes are too tired to even attempt to do some counted cross stitching or to work on the hand sewing that's required for stitching on the binding on to the 2 table runners I just finished quilting. I'll try reading, that always relaxes me enough to help me to get back to sleep. I really want to be asleep!

Quote of the Day

"If you can't sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there and worrying. It's the worry that gets you, not the loss of sleep".
~Dale Carnegie

Halloween Decorations

Apparently it managed to snow a wee bit around here during the night. Our first snow of the season. As for the weather during the day- it managed to rain and drizzle all day long. When I wasn't taking care of the baby I was sewing.

I took my Janome HT2008 sewing machine to the Sewing Center yesterday (I had no choice I had to take it in). I showed the repair guy the video that I had made and even he said that he's not seen anything like it. We shall see what is indeed wrong with this machine of mine. It could end up being the computer chip or just the foot pedal- who knows, LOL!

Even though I'm without my favorite sewing machine, I managed to quilt one of my Halloween themed table runners using my ¾ sized Janome Gem Gold 2. I'll be honest, I don't work with this machine nearly enough to truly appreciate what it can do. With my HT being in the shop, I'm now going to use my Jem Gold a lot more! Granted the Jem Gold 2 doesn't have all of the bells and whistles (fancy stitches and features) that my HT2008 has BUT it's one powerful little work horse! My first sewing machine (a White 1510) was simple like one yet very powerful and could sew through most anything and I sewed all of my projects with it for nearly 17 years :-) So working with something a little more basic will be just fine! After all, I'm only piecing and quilting items, not adding fancy borders and such, LOL!

So with more rain mixed with snow forecast for today, I'm ready do do some more quilting and sewing!

I enjoy making table runners as they are oodles of fun and quick to make- okay so for the most they fun and quick, LOL! I was having a hard time getting my points to line up correctly, but after a few tries I got it right and from then on it was smooth sailing!

Quote of the Day

America's present need is not heroics, but healing; not nostrums but normalcy; not revolution, but restoration.
Warren G. Harding (1865 - 1923), Speech in Boston, 1920

Snow?

It's cold today, more so than yesterday. I heard that the Black Hills area got 6 inches of snow last night- WOW! I was just Checking out the weather channel on line (again), and I see that we could get snow here in our town tonight. I'm not sure if I'm ready for snow yet. I see that it's time for me to retrieve my sweaters from storage and swap them out with my warm weather items. As it stands, it's 36º and we have windchill today so it feels like 28º Ooh I dare say it's rather nippy outside today!

Weather like what we're experiencing today will soon become the norm and warm sunny days will become a distant memory.

Reminder to self- take wool coats to the dry cleaners!

Sewing Machines

My sewing machine has a mind of it's own, and now I have proof! As I'm happily sewing away yesterday a strange thing happen. You see, there I was sewing together a couple of small table runner quilting projects. And all of a sudden my sewing machine starts to sew on it's own...yes again! But this time I ran and grabbed my digital camera and started filming my sewing machine sewing all on it's own. So this time when I take it in I'm bringing the film clip with me as proof as to what is going on with that possessed sewing machine of mine!

Quote of the Day

"Although our intellect always longs for clarity and certainty, our nature often finds uncertainty fascinating."
~ Carl von Clausewitz
(1780-1931), Prussian soldier, military historian and influential military theorist

Stray Sock Sewing

You've got to check this out over at My Craftivity Shop- this book is a laugh riot! The description of what is inside of this book is an absolute crack up and to be honest it makes me want to buy it all that much more! And who among us doesn't have a bag with stray socks in it? Heaven knows that I have about a dozen stray socks at the moment waiting patiently for me to locate their mates. Yea, like that's going to happen any time soon (insert smirk here).

The kitty on the front cover is just too darn adorable and it reminds me greatly of our little kitty Blackberry. I'm going to show this web site to my daughter Hannah and see what she says about it, LOL! This just makes me smile from ear to ear! I just had the neatest idea...wouldn't this make an excellent Christmas Gift? And I know just who it would be perfect for too! Heh heh heh!

I did it!

I'm been dragging it out for a while but now I can say it's done...I finished the Americana charm quilt! Whew, that's a load off of my shoulders! I finished it yesterday afternoon and now I feel as if I can get on with my next big project- Hannah's French Country Bedroom. Here's what is on my list;
*Valances (2)-done
*Bed-skirt
*Pillow Sham (1)
*Throw Pillows (3)
*Quilt (twin size)

Yes it's a bit of a project but I'm on it! I've ironed my 30 plus fat quarters (they are all different patterns and are in the muted shades of blue, green, yellow and cream/beige. I look at the fabric and smile. I needed to adjust the pattern as it's for a lap quilt and I want to make it into a twin size quilt. After some math calculations, I think that I've got it figured out (at least it looks good on paper). Valances are done and need to be hung up...this room is going to look oh so sweet when I am done!

Quote of the Day

If you aren’t going to say something directly to someone’s face, than don’t use online as an opportunity to say it. It is this sense of bravery that people get when they are anonymous that gives the blogosphere a bad reputation.
~Mena Trott, Times Online, 12-06-06

15,000

I wondered if it would ever happen... 15,000 hits on my little ole blog, WOW! Must be all of that scrapbooking related stuff I write about from time to time :-)

Creating the ultimate Scrapbook Room- flooring

What is the #1 things we over look when creating our scrapbooking space? Hands down it has to be the flooring! I don't know about you, but I'm a messy scrapper! Paper snip-it's all over the place and to be perfectly honest I drop things on the floor- more frequently then I'd like to admit. I do more than just scrapbook in my space, I sew, knit, crochet, do counted cross stitching, there's general paper crafting, painting of small to larger projects, there's also water color painting and a few other things. Needless to day the floor gets quite the work out!

I crack up when I see carpeting in 3 rooms- the kitchen, bathroom and a craft room. carpeting in any one of these rooms is a mistake! My friend Liz had carpeting in a house she and her husband rented when they were stationed in Oklahoma, the little base house we lived in before moving here (aka The Cottage) had carpeting in the kids bathroom- HUGE mistake! And when I used the formal living room as my scrapbooking area in our house in Virginia, it too had wall to wall carpeting. I found myself having to go into the kitchen and breakfast nook and do my stamping, inking and heat embossing.

When creating my latest scrapbook nook, I wanted a durable yet easy to clean up kind of flooring. My floor is a laminated wood flooring by Wilson Art, similar to Pergo - the only true difference it that it was less expensive :-) Since my room is on the ground floor, I wanted an insulated pad underneath of it- makes for a cushy walking surface and keeps out the cold. Clean up is a snap! If I drop and ink pad I get a baby wipe (which I keep on hand) and simply wipe up the ink! It's easy to keep clean, a quick swish of the broom or my floor vacuum and all of the paper snip-it's and blue tabs from my adhesive are quickly picked up. If I'm doing some heat embossing, I can get the blown off embossing powder off the floor with my swiffer duster or my swiffer wet mop quickly and easily. But don't think that you HAVE to get a laminated floor, there are many types of vinyl flooring or even tile flooring for that matter that are made to be long lasting to wear and tear, and to messy crafters such as myself this stuff is a blessing! LOL!

Can you imagine trying to get needles out of carpeting? I've dropped my container of sewing needles more than once on that floor! How about trying to pick up tiny eyelets and brads that have fallen on the carpet? Can you hum the tune to mission impossible? Or the worst- embossing powder and ink that's gotten on the carpet? Start crying now because because those things are almost impossible to get out!

Going with a nice washable flooring that has a good surface that's not textured is the way to go!

medical insurance-don't make me laugh!

I have a story to make you laugh, for those of you that are married to spouses who are serving in the US military it will leave you with a smirk on your face.

Okay here goes...I go downtown to the medical supply store to pick up my elbow brace but wait- they don't have it BUT they can order it and get it in about 4 to 6 weeks. Um, hello I kind of need it um, TODAY Please!!! It would have been nice that they told this to the Major who called them earlier that day and made arrangements for me to drive downtown and pick one up there. More on the place I was sent to- it's a little hole in the wall kind of place, right next to the train tracks through the center of town, lined with a few rickety old shelves with scattered stock. If you ask me, it looks rather fly by night. So this place sent me off to another place who "might" have what I'm looking for (did they call to see if they had the elbow brace before I went there- NO). As I'm on my way to this 2nd medical supply store who may or may not have what I need, I'm about to pass a Walgreen's store, a screech of the tires and I made a quick detour into the Walgreen's parking lot! I take my paper work and script for the brace and ask the pharmacist to help me. I got more help at a Walgreen's than I did from a medical supply store and I actually came home with what I needed! How stinking sad is that??? So much for having insurance that is supposed to pay for this brace- but then again I probably saved the government at least $100 by buying it myself! How much did it cost me? A mere $14, and if I had been able to get it at the medical supply store they probably would have bilked my insurance for at least $65, I'm sure of it!

Now as for the brace it's self, it's comfortable, machine washable and as you know- black goes with everything, LOL! Kudos and many thanks go to Walgreen's and their excellent customer service! They've got me coming back as a loyal customer!

Quote of the day

"Curious things, habits. People themselves never knew they had them".
~Agatha Christie (1890 - 1976)

my Scrapbooking injury, LOL!

A couple of weeks ago I finally put on that big wall rub-on that I bought from Stampin Up on my scrapbook nook wall. It was the large sized "create" definition and it took me a long time to get it on the wall (over an hour). I knew that I had strained my right elbow in the process. I've been trying to not use it a lot and well long story short I could no longer take the pain and made myself an appointment to see the doctor. I'm now on 800 milligrams of Motrin 3x's a day PLUS I get a nifty elbow brace to wear for the next 2 to 3 weeks- nice huh? I have to go downtown this afternoon to pick it up. I can only imagine what this thing will look like-ugh!

The funny part of this is that I consider this to be a scrapbooking related injury, LOL! Will I ever put up another one of those cool looking wall rub-ons? Yes I will but I'll be sure to take breaks and rest my arm.

Quote of the Day

"You can either hold yourself up to the unrealistic standards of others, or ignore them and concentrate on being happy with yourself as you are".
~Jeph Jacques

It's a go go go kind of Monday

It's a Monday and I hit the ground running! I've even managed to get a few things done this morning;
*dropped off daughter at middle school

*mailed some letter and got some postage at post office

*dropped off fabric left overs at a friends house -she home schools and is teaching a Home EC class on sewing

*totally cleaned the kitchen

*2 loads of laundry done... so far

*Ironed fabric for quilting project

*dropped off another load of books and other items at the Salvation Army

*wrote some letters to some friends- they are in the mail!

*and now I'm contemplating slicing the onions for French Onion soup or what my family calls "worm soup". Maybe I'll save that one for tomorrow. I think that I'll make myself a cup of tea and call it good!

Quote of the day

I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence, I can reach for; perfection is God's business.
Michael J. Fox, quoted by Lorne A. Adrain in 'The Most Important Thing I Know'

Sunday grocery shopping

Today is one of those Sundays where I wish that I would have stayed in bed. I went to church and then grocery shopping. The commissary was packed full of people today. The only other time I've seen it like this is just before Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and Super Bowl Sunday. The line for the check out stands wrapped back past the bread section and around the corner towards the cheese section- eek! Where are all of these people coming from??? I felt luck that I was able to get milk, ½&½ and bread and those items were just about gone when I got to the dairy products section.

Here I am taking a few moments to update my blog while my ingredients for my homemade chicken pies are bubbling away on the stove. I've got to get my chicken pies in the oven then I can get on to other more pressing issues...pressing the fabric for the Americana quilt I'm attempting to finish up.

Quote of the day

"You cannot make yourself feel something you do not feel, but you can make yourself do right in spite of your feelings."

Pearl S. Buck

Boo! It's October!

So what does that mean for my family? Halloween decorations! I wanted to go into town this morning to see if the Hobby Lobby had the batting I require for the twin quilt I've been puttering away on and procrastinating on finishing up. Unbeknownst to me, my husband and daughter had made plans of their own to go into town. Before I knew it, Hannah had called shotgun, my husband was in the drivers seat and I was stuck in the back seat of my own automobile! So off to town we go- me riding in the back of my own car...something just isn't right here, LOL!
I set out to buy Warm Co. 100% cotton batting, an entire bolt of it new in box! How much comes on a bolt? 20 yards! I used a 40% off coupon and I am one happy lady! Now I can make all of my Christmas presents and NOT have to drive back into town unless I really want to, LOL! I figure that I'm saving oodles on having to drive into town, hoping that the store has what I want in stock. The best the batting ever goes on sale for is 30% off and lets face it 40% off is much better no matter how you slice it! I've got quite a few quilting projects planned, 2 items that currently need to be quilted and I'm about to start on some more table runners. I plan on using my Sizzix machine and making an appliqued Turkey table runner- this will be a crack up to say the least!

Now for what my husband and daughter set out to buy- Halloween decorations what else, LOL! So what did they come home with? Okay first it's 2 packages of spider webbing for the front porch. Then we went to Sam's Club- I'm getting some food stuffs and checking out prices on Queen Size mattresses (we need to replace ours before our next move). Meanwhile those two are looking at other things...weird things. What do we come home with? An automated motion activated gargoyle, just what every home needs right? We are going to scare the crap out of kids this year (more chocolate candies for us right?). I'm from California and we we never got into Halloween like the folks in New England do. I've seen some of the most outrageously decorated front yards ever while in Massachusetts. That is a set of folks that take Halloween seriously, LOL! maybe it has something to do with the Salem Witch trials, who really knows? LOL!

Here I am contemplating dinner and the rest of my family takes off...going to the mall for what? More spooky stuff for the house for Halloween. I'm got to finish up my Halloween table runners while they're not around- it's a surprise! Hah! I can play too! Now to drag out the ironing board and get to work on pressing some fabric...I've got some crafting to do and quick!

Creating the ultimate Scrapbook Room- storage

Oh, is my scrapbook nook ever a mess! I've got "stuff" spread out across the my main work area and all over the smaller work area. It's obvious that I need to put my toys away after I'm done playing with them :-)

A place for everything and everything in it's place. That's where organization and storage come into play. You can't really become organized until you make a list of things you want to accomplish in your scrapbooking space. What all are you going to be "doing" in that space? It is just scrapbooking? Or is it more? If it's more than your room will have to accommodate more than one hobby. Not everyone has the same organizational needs, that's why I asked the question "what all are you going to be doing in your scrapbooking space? For me it's a bit of everything, the obvious is scrapbooking, there's card making and general paper crafting. As for my other hobbies; I store my needlework stuffs in the laundry room, my quilting & sewing stuffs have moved to the formal dining room (they are in plain view but hidden at the same time) and of course my cooking and baking are in the kitchen. But each area where my "crafting" takes place is organized, making it easy for me to find what I'm looking for at a moments glance.

P-Touch Label Maker- if you don't have one, get one! These are a MUST HAVE item in any household! I think that my husband and kids use it as much as I do!

Plastic Shoe Boxes- These are the back bone to organization! In my Scrapbook Nook I use them to contain my stamps, my collection of acrylic blocks, ink pads and embellishments. In my quilting corner I use them to contain my fat quarters, fat eighths, fabric scraps and patterns. They work for storing needlework projects and all kinds of embroidery flosses. Use that label maker to it's fullest potential and label that container!

Okay after all this talk on being organized, I better get down in my scrapbook nook and put my toys away!

Quote of the Day

"To make mistakes is human; to stumble is commonplace; to be able to laugh at yourself is maturity."

William Arthur Ward

I'm surrounded by books!

I'm going to hell, there's nothing more to say, LOL! I've found 6 more HEAVY boxes full of BOOKS!!! Oh my word how did I/we ever amass so many books??? I'm forcing myself to go through the boxes and get the books out of here by Monday! This is what happens when you down size and move into a smaller house and have no where to store your books...hence not being able to weed through them and donate them when you're done with them. Then you move to a larger house and just keep the books in the packing boxes-ugh! So now I'm bypassing working on projects from the crafting books and am just donating them! Kids books- well me kids are now teenagers so those are outta here with the exception of the Richard Scarry Books-those stay! Okay, so now I feel as if I'll be able to go to heaven because I'm donating the majority of them to worthy causes and am not throwing them in the trash bin.

On to going through yet another box of books...

Paper Crafting and coffee- 2 of my favorite things!

Here I am, up before the crack of dawn...again. When I wake up at 2 or 3 am, it's no wonder why I have to take a nap in the afternoon. I wonder if it's too early to start my pot of coffee and just get on with the start of my day OR should I make some attempt at getting back to sleep? I tried for nearly an hour to get back to sleep-obviously without much success.

So lets talk about Paper Crafts! I've been a card making Momma this past week or so. I've been making a wide range of cards too- from birthday to thank you and thinking of you to Halloween and a large number of "we've moved" cards. I'm feeling the need to "beef up" my stash of greeting cards. Recently, I've been feeling this overwhelming "urge" to make more greeting cards. Maybe it has to do with cleaning out my scrapbook nook of unused tools and supplies and the desire to get back into the groove of making stuff. I want to use my supplies and share them and what better way to accomplish both things than in making and sending greetings cards!

Now that I'm thinking about it, I need to make some get well cards. I'm down to having 3 of them on hand and with cold and flu season coming upon us quickly- I better get to work on them and fast! I also want to work on some more "welcome to the neighborhood" cards for new homeowners here in our subdivision.

If you make cards, what are the kinds of cards that you make? The most popular are birthday and Christmas cards. The wife of one of my husbands childhood friends sends us a lovely hand made Christmas card each year. And each year she incorporates a picture of her children into the card. I love it! Now if I could actually get my children to cooperate so I could get a picture of the 2 of them together... But that's where these little school photo's come into play, tuck those into a Holiday card and there you are!

Okay it's been over 2 hours and I'm still not sleepy, I might was well make that post of coffee and get on with my day.

Quote of the day

""There is one friend in the life of each of us who seems not a separate person, however dear and beloved, but an expansion, an interpretation, of one's self, the very meaning of one's soul."
~Edith Wharton

Art is in the eye of the beholder

http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/532854.html

Check out to see what one person did with a sharpie marker- it's amazing! Now if he could come over and decorate my family room, that would be so cool!

Quote of the day

"Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again".
~Franklin P. Jones

Oh Happy Day!

I've got a day off from my Nanny duties- woohoo! For those of you that didn't know, I'm a part time Nanny. I work a few days a month taking care of a (now) 4 month old infant.

Now for the part that has me giddy with excitement...I'm getting all of that stuff that I purged from my Scrapbook Nook, the storage room and our closets crammed into my minivan and it's outta here! I can't stand it any longer, it's got to go! I found myself pulling items out of there- what was I thinking? I smacked my hand and made myself put it back into the pile. I knew that if it was hanging around for too long that I'd be having second thoughts, that I'd go back and start taking things out of it. Bad Sandie, bad Sandie!

Purses, clothing, household goods, scrapbooking and card making goodies; it's ALL out of here today! Oh it's such a Happy Day!

Quote of the day

"A compliment is a gift, not to be thrown away carelessly, unless you want to hurt the giver".
~Eleanor Hamilton