I LOVE October!

For the past 20 years, October has been our moving month... until this assignment. Now October has a new designation, it's now travel month for us! Going to school here in England has opened up new opportunities in vacationing. These school breaks are great times to get away for a trip to wheresoever your heart desires. There's a school break coming up this month and our daughter is going on the big school trip to...the USA. Sure we wish that the school was taking the kids to France or Poland somewhere other than the USA (only for our daughters sake). In the end, she's very happy to be going on the big trip with others from school even if she is the only American student going on the trip. She's going to see so many great places and have sooo much fun doing it too!

So what are we to do while our children are away? Hannah's on holiday with her classmates in the USA, Andrew is stateside attending University. What's this, Parents left home unsupervised? Oh say it isn't so, LOL! We've got our trip booked and paid for! For me, this will be the trip of a lifetime as I have wanted to go to Egypt for at least 30 years. I'm gathering things that we'll need on this trip- sunscreen, bug spray, summer clothes, sandals, hats etc. Oh to go somewhere warm during this time of year- woohoo! Now I have been reading up on some stuff and it seems that traveling to Egypt is much like when one travels to Mexico or Jamaica...don't drink the water! Okay you can but only if it comes bottled and is factory sealed! Now that's something that Hannah and the other kids from school won't have to contend with, LOL!!!

quote of the day

I can't think of anything that excites a great sense of childlike wonder than to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything.
~Bill Bryson

common sense or nonsense?

I hope that my story will make you laugh, when I discovered this I was beside myself first with disgust then laughter.

I enjoy internet shopping, who doesn't these days right? I like to look around at various websites to see what great pottery deals/finds are out there waiting to be discovered. But never in my life did I ever expect to be grossed out and laughing myself silly at the same time. I won't put the website on here because to point out stupidity to the masses is just plain mean (and it could hurt their business and I wouldn't want that) but I will tell you what I found...I found a Chamber Pot listed and being sold as a Soup Tureen! I almost spewed tea at my computer monitor! I had a good hard laugh at the thought of some silly person not knowing the difference between a chamber pot and a soup tureen buying this thing and serving soup out of it at a dinner party!

I made a miscalculation

It's NOT seven months until retirement as I had said before, it's SIX! No need to panic, just move my time frame up one month. Good thing I started now with the cataloging right?

Now for me to make a list of the places I want to go to (that means shop at) before we leave. I dare say that a trip to Stoke on Trent is a MUST! Burleigh and Portmeirion are #1 and #2 on my list!

quote of the day

Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense.
- Gertrude Stein

Paper Crafts and Quilting- oh the Crafty Goodness!

I love paper crafting and quilting and here's where paper crafting meets quilting in the most fun way! My Friend Peg has made a quilt using a Big Shots die, here's a link to see Peg's Quilt. I know that I have this flower die and it makes me want to make one of these adorable quilts! What a quick baby shower present this would make eh? Okay well minus the part of having to get it professionally quilted. But seriously, I'm itching to make one of these!

Taking Inventory

There always seems to be TONS of stuff to do in order to get ready for a move. I like to be prepared and well organized before the big day arrives and believe me it will be here in a few short months. For some 7 months may be far away and for others it will be here sooner than we think.

I start my inventory process first by photographing items and then by making a written inventory. I put it all on a flash drive and bring it with me when I move. It's quite painless really, but you do have to be devoted to getting this done early or it will seem like quite the daunting task if you wait until the last minute. I've been there, I know how overwhelming it all can be. The thought here is that the early bird doesn't get an ulcer and suffer through sleepless nights worrying about their belongings not making it through the move.

My scrapbooking stash has slowly reduced in size due to me making cards and card kits for a spouses group function and of course there's Hannah's art class projects and her paper crafting projects in general. My quilting stash has reduced -well kind of but only because It's been transforming it into other things...aprons, dishtowels, table runners, tote bags and quilt tops. I did buy a bit of fabric while I was in California in August, but it was all for a purpose, I wasn't buying yardage just to have as 'stash". I've put together quilting/sewing projects (kits per-say) for me to work on. I've got more than 2 dozen so called "kits" put together for me to have on hand for "something to do". There's no chance of me getting bored around here, none what so ever! I've got several baby quilts to put together, a couple of tote bags, some purses,at least 6 table runners and more aprons! There are these cute little 'wine jackets" I've got to start cutting and sewing and of course the camera straps and well a couple of quilt tops and a couple of fancy schmancy pillow cases. That should keep me buy for the next few months right?

So now for me to get back to work on the written inventory and picture taking. I've got it half way done- the British pottery part anyway, LOL!

Quote of the day

"May the Lord keep watch
between you and me when
we are away from each other."
Genesis 31:49




What an awesome verse! Perfect for those that are geographically separated from their loved ones.

Is it too early to get ready for...

♥ Our vacation
♥ Halloween
♥ Christmas Break
♥ Christmas
♥ Easter Break
♥ My husbands retirement from the Air Force
♥Job hunting
♥ Our move back to the USA
♥ House Hunting

Quote of the day

Shopping is a woman thing. It's a contact sport like football. Women enjoy the scrimmage, the noisy crowds, the danger of being trampled to death, and the ecstasy of the purchase.
~Erma Bombeck

Quote of the day

If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it.
~Mary Engelbreit

My British Goodies!

I have loved Royal Albert's Old Country Roses China since before I was married. My mother-in-law has this pattern and when I saw it I knew that THIS was the china pattern for me! Did I get this as my wedding china? No. Would I have liked this as my wedding china? You know it! So I made up for lost time and bought this pieces a little at a time on e-bay UK. There's no way I would pay the awful high prices back in the states for something made in Malaysia when all I want is the real deal that was made in England! I found a couple of pieces (cups and saucers) in antique shops but I was wanting more than teacups and saucers, I was in want of a dinner service! I bought a little here and there and now I have the china service of my dreams! Granted the only so called extra pieces I have are the teapot, creamer and sugar bowl and a cake/sandwich plate- but I'm fine with that. Platters and bowls- well I have plenty of those in other patterns!

Here we go with other things...Lilliput Lane houses. I got my first one back in 1992 the year our son was born. My husband was on tdy (an acronym for military business trip) to England. He brought my back "Penny Sweets". I was in love! Over the years he would bring me back one whenever he went to England. The rest I've managed to find here and there in Antique shops, Charity shops or have bought at the BX at RAF Lakenheath.

Now the Curio cabinet- we bought this yesterday at our favorite Antique Shop, The Brackley Antique Cellar. We've been looking for a curio cabinet for years, never found one that we really liked. So we've waited. I saw this on Friday and hoped and prayed that it would still be there on Sunday when I could take my husband in to see it (and check it over). It's got claw and ball feet and a skeleton key that lock it closed, how cool is that?!! We plan on add lighting to the cabinet once we get state side.

Burleigh Pottery- I thought that I was immune to the Blue & White pottery phenomenon that is after all, a very British thing to collect and display and I was for the most part since I'm not into the Asiatic Pheasant or the Oriental Blue Willow designs (and that's what seems to be most prevalent out here). Then I went to the Burleigh factory and saw all of the blue and white (and other colors too) that were all out on display before me and then I knew...THIS is the Blue & White pottery for Me! I'm standing there looking at all of the different flower prints and I could not make up my mind, I liked them all- okay I liked most of them (dark blue and red). The pale blue prints aren't really for me, it was dark blue that really caught my eye! I started small, only a few teacups and dessert plates and I worked my way up from there. The cow creamers are adorable! Seriously, who can resist buying at least one? I don't have it all out on display, I have some more pieces tucked away in my sideboard. I even own a piece of green Burleigh (a serving bowl in the retired pomegranate print- which is apparently a pretty rare piece). I've got pitchers, soups bowls, cake plates, a sandwich tray and my cool little canister that holds my loose tea. The Burleigh teapots are awesome because they don't dribble, not at all!

My new to me Sideboard was a stumble upon find at the antique store yesterday. As my husband and I were poking around in what I call "spooky corner" (it's the part of the store where there's so much furniture china and stuff piled up that if it fell on you, you'd never be found alive). Well... as were in spooky corner waiting for the sales staff to dig out a path to take the Curio cabinet up to the check out desk were looking around at "things" and as I see my spouse looking at stuff it's then that I realize that I'm standing right in front of a really neat Sideboard. We start looking at it and I of course look at the price tag, I couldn't believe my eyes- the price was seriously reasonable, so much so that I first thought that it must have been a misprint because other Sideboards in this place were priced MUCH higher, at least £100 or more higher! I also felt the same way with the Curio cabinet. The spouse and I check the Sideboard over from top to bottom, it's in great shape minus a little ding or scratch from normal wear. He looks at me I look at him and we know that we've got another great find! I would have been stupid not to get this piece. I've been looking for a sideboard ever since we got here and I've never found one at this price! It's in great condition and it's the size that I wanted!

All this happened as I was about to give up hope that we would ever find a piece of Antique British-Made furniture to take back with us when we move state side. Many of my friends have found furniture pieces that they like and enjoy and all I've found up to this point were books, shoes, clothes and of course pottery. Now I have real conversation pieces!

WOW! What a weekend!

You know how some weekends can go by so quickly it all seems like a blur? Not for me, not this one! I can recall and savor each and every sweet moment!

Saturday's trip took us to London where we saw Buckingham Palace, The Royal Mews and Westminster Cathedral. The weather was a little on the brisk side but not so cold that one needed a heavy jacket, for me a blazer and a silk scarf was enough.

The Royal Mews- what a neat place! This is the livery area, where the horses, carriages and cars are kept (in plain terms, the transportation area). The carriages were really something to see- my favorite being the glass coach as it wasn't too ornate (like something out of Cinderella). Each carriage was lovely to look at and I took pictures of all of them! This is the glass carriage below.

There was a 2 hour or so break between our tour of The Royal Mews and Buckingham Palace so we went walking around for a bit. It's a short walk over to Westminster Cathedral. I loved the pedestrian signs, here's a picture of one of them.

Westminster Cathedral- it's the most beautiful church I've been in to date! The tile mosaics were amazing! I didn't take any pictures in the inside as my husband misread the no photography signs. No photography while Mass is in session, not NO Photography. So again I bought a tourist type guide books that tells about about the history of the place AND a book on the mosaic tile work. We went to the top of the bell tower and took photos of the surrounding area- the view from up there absolutely breath taking!

While walking Through Buckingham Palace all I could think of was "wow, it must have been something for the royal children to have grown up in a house this size" - talk about not having a real perspective on how everyone else around you lives. Of course "NO PHOTO'S signs were everywhere and obviously I didn't take any pictures indoors. There were many rooms that I wished to take snapshots and learn the history of, so I did the next best thing- I bought the tourist guide!

We walked through a park that was near the Palace and saw some interesting things...

Love the monogrammed gates!

These gates are quite impressive!

A view from the park of the palace

This water feature is a Canadian memorial, I especially love the leaf design in the concrete.

above- Princess Diana Memorial walk

below-an extra circle added for the Canadian Memorial

There were so many lovely things to see and experience that day. What ever you do, make sure to wear comfortable shoes and dress in layers!

quote of the day

I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have one hell of a good time. Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult.
- E. B. White

you know that this is my motto right?

It's the little things...

As I was going through some Rubbermaid bins looking for my seasonal valances , yes I change out the valances in my formal dining room for the season/holiday- you all knew that right? Anyway, I came across a handful quilting kits and patterns that I had tucked away for a rainy day. All of my new found treasures came from the last Quilt Fair that I attended in Rapid City, the one that was right before our move here to England.

MY oh my are these things ever cute! There's a couple of kits for making little tote bags for crayons, (my 5 year old nephew needs one of these for Christmas) there's a quilt kit that my Hannah HAD to have! I remember how badly Hannah wanted me to buy this quilt kit, she was wanting it in a major way! I usually don't buy quilt kits as I prefer to put my own spin on the fabrics used to make a quilt but this one was special and have a lot of very unique fabrics in it -not to mention that the price included the fancy backing fabric and binding! And look, here it is a year later and I've still not made it- shame on me!

I showed the quilt kit to Hannah last night and we both agreed, this is my next project! Okay as soon as I clean up my mess from my last quilting session :-D

quote of the day

But some emotions don't make a lot of noise. It's hard to hear pride. Caring is real faint - like a heartbeat. And pure love why, some days it's so quiet, you don't even know it's there.
- Erma Bombeck

Inspired and Rejuvenated

For my neighbors- I'm not a recluse, really I'm not! I've just been keeping busy that's all!

My trip to to the various quilt shops in my little neck of the woods in California left me inspired and rejuvenated. Granted the trip it's self was for not so good reasons BUT my little escapes to the various quilt shops around the area renewed my passion for quilting and sewing. It's been almost non-stop sewing for me since coming back. First it was the valances for the made over guest room and sewing corner.

Next it was this table runner (the Christmas one). I actually made a mistake with this BUT fixed it and no one is the wiser- well until now. What happened? It's one of these twisty turning pattern things where someone thinks they're being smart and giving you a newfangled way to make something simple and I ended up cutting the wrong part apart- so now I have TWO holiday table runners instead of one very wide runner...oh well! I added a border and it's just fine! One for me and one to give away as a gift! My mistake is someone elses surprise gift!
This is the table runner that I finished sewing up yesterday (still need to quilt it though). The harvest fruits table runner will look great on my Thanksgiving table.
Here is my tribute to Autumn- this is something I out together today- it's along the line of a stacked coin design. I figure that I need to start making a dent in my stash of fabrics. The fabric I used as my anchor piece was left over from a pair of valances that I made a while ago. I'm going to change out the valances in my formal dining room and put my Autumn leaves valances up.

This is the Wild Chickens quilt top that I finished the other day. I laughed every time I looked at it. What a crack up! The backing fabric for this lap quilt looks like chicken wire- I'm looking forward to finishing it up soon.

quote of the day

Thou shall sit on a cushion &

sew a fine seam & feed upon

strawberries, sugar & cream.

-Anonymous

planning a holiday

I'm thrilled to even say it...I'm going to Egypt! Tickets bought and I'm ready!

quote of the day

Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints
his own nature into his pictures.
--Henry Ward Beecher

Monday is creeping into my Tuesday

Today's weird and wacky thing is...all of a sudden my mobile phone has a pop up saying that my phone has an unregistered sim card...how can that be? I've had this same phone for over a year now. UGH!

quote of the day

“Language shapes the way we think, and determines what we can think about.”
--Benjamin Lee Whorf.

My Monday

This picture says it all. This was my house key- it broke while IN the lock. Nice huh?

quote of the day

The aim of life is self-development. To realize one's nature perfectly- that is what each of us is here for.
--Oscar Wilde

Color- bringing the outdoors in

I love living where there are 4 separate and distinct seasons. Where you can feel the temperature change, and see the effects of the season upon the plants and trees. You know when Autumn is on it's way, it's when it starts to feel a little brisk in the evenings but not cold.

Moving time has always been in the Autumn for us, it was when my husband and I got to decorate our first place together. I love the bright colors of Spring and Summer and the cool crispness of Winter colors but Autumn holds a very special place in my heart. The richness of color from the fall foliage, and the warmth that it brings to a room is amazing! I'm looking at quilt patterns and all of the new rich Autumn hues the fabrics are now available. I saw a quilt pattern for an Acorn wall hanging- I am drawn to this thing like a moth to a flame! I think that I better order before I regret not getting it for myself!

One of my favorite pictures of my of children is of them in these beautiful hand-knitted sweaters (made by my mother-in-law) sitting in a pile of just raked leaves in my parents from yard. This of course is before I went digital and I will have to look through my thousands of filed negatives to find it so I can blow it up to a larger size so I can hang it on the wall of my next house. I did make a layout with this photo- I should dig it up and post it here.

One of my other favorites is a series of close up photos of the rich hues in the leaves while still on the trees. I took the pictures in 1990 while we lived in Maine- it was my first Autumn and winter up there and the seasons were nothing less than spectacular! And yes I also have these photo's in a layout.

* note to self- go through scrapbooks and locate these layouts and post them here to my blog.

You better start taking pictures now of the changing colors of the leaves on the trees- the colors can change so quickly! Hurry before the leaves start falling off!

quote of the day

Sooner or later we all discover that the important moments in life are not the advertised ones, not the birthdays, the graduations, the weddings, not the great goals achieved. The real milestones are less prepossessing. They come to the door of memory unannounced, stray dogs that amble in, sniff around a bit and simply never leave. Our lives are measured by these.
--Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) American reformer

Quote of the day

As each day comes to us refreshed and anew, so does my gratitude renew itself daily. The breaking of the sun over the horizon is my grateful heart dawning upon a blessed world.
--Terri Guillemets

things that are in storage

It's be a story I've repeated at least a thousand times since moving here to the UK- "it's in storage". You have no idea how tired I am of saying this! Things being in storage that were not supposed to be in storage and things arriving here that were supposed to be in storage- it's VERY frustrating to say the least! Why the moving folks put several of my quilted table runners and wall hangings into storage is beyond me!

NOTE- While looking for something in the garage I found these 2 table runners! So not all hope is lost in my decorating for Autumn around here!

The Art of making people happy

This is my friend Alisha and she's modeling the custom apron that I made just for her.




It's the little things we do for others that shows how much we truly care about them.

Quote of the day

I have long since come to believe that people never mean half of what they say, and that it is best to disregard their talk and judge only their actions.
--Dorothy Day

Remembering 9/11

I still can't bring myself to turn on the TV today. I'd rather keep it off and not have to listen or see the gruesome events that took place on this day. I know where I was and I think about it and am ever so thankful that my husband was not at the Pentagon that day. I still grieve for the lives that were tragically cut short and for the families who lost loved ones.

Instead of being angry about what happened do something to honor those that are gone. Don't wait for an opportunity to help someone, make one happen! have an elderly neighbor? Mow their lawn, or rake their leaves or even take their trash cans down/up to the curb for them. Know of a single mom on your street that's always busy with the kids and work? You could do the same for her too! What I'm talking about is called "Being Neighborly". Try it, you'll be hooked!

Quote of the day

Change has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the fearful it is threatening because it means that things may get worse. To the hopeful it is encouraging because things may get better. To the confident it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better.
-King Whitney Jr.

The things that drive you to create art

Art as defined by Wikipedia

Traditionally, the term art was used to refer to any skill or mastery. This conception changed during the Romantic period, when art came to be seen as "a special faculty of the human mind to be classified with religion and science".Generally, art is made with the intention of stimulating thoughts and emotions.

There's more to this definition- please use the hyper link to read more.

For me lately it's been the seasons that have driven my desire to create. I've got Autumn on the brain right now. The emotions evoked when looking at the Autumn splendor of Maple trees changing colors in Autumn- there is nothing like it in the world! For this fact alone I miss living in New England. It's these colors that I most desire to work with. From creating greeting cards, scrapbook layouts, quilting projects and more! I find myself working with the color Orange this week and frankly I don't know why I haven't made something with orange as the focus color before. It's not a hard color to work with, it's a cheerful happy one. So go out there and embrace the season and let it drive you to create something fun- you might be pleasantly surprised with what you come up with!

quote of the day

Art is not a thing; it is a way.
-Elbert Hubbard

Alone but not lonely

With school officially underway for our daughter here in England, our son away attending University in South Dakota and my husband at work I find myself all alone for the very first time in weeks. I might be alone but I am not lonely, not by a long shot!

I think of my Dad and the things that he loved...hot coffee (the hotter the better was his motto), his love of nature, chocolate cake and of course ice cream! That man was crazy about ice cream! I know which flowers were his favorites and we will be planting them in my next flower garden. I plan on getting a plaque made honoring my parents and their love for one another. I'll have it in my garden at my next house.

Today will be filled with me doing fun stuff like running errands, going to the post office to ship some packages, and of course a stop by the dry cleaners to pick up those trousers I dropped off a week ago (ooops- meant to get them sooner).

I'm to meet a girlfriend here at my house later so I can measure her for a custom apron that I'm making for her. It's not only custom in color and design but in size. I'll have pictures of it once it's finished. So far I've made some subtle but must needed changes to the pattern adding the D rings was a must to make the neckline adjustable. I added length to the ties as I felt that they were rather short. Now I will adjust the size of the apron it's self to better fit my friend. Stay tuned to see what I've made for her in her favorite color!

quote of the day

My formula for living is quite simple. I get up in the morning and I go to bed at night. In between, I occupy myself as best I can.
-Cary Grant

The Death of my Dad

It's on a sad note that I announce the death of my dad. He was a kind soul who was always there for his family and friends. He was the neighbor who was always there to lend you a helping hand when you were putting in a new lawn, fixing a broken fence post or putting on a new roof. He loved ice cream, hamburgers, chocolate chip cookies, a frosty mug of beer on a hot day and a steamy hot mug of coffee every day!

He died this past Sunday, September 5th, 2010 in his sleep. I like to think that he's in heaven taking a walk in a garden, no longer trapped in his body able to express his thoughts. That he is having a conversation with Jesus about fruit trees (he loved his fruit trees) and how best we can go about to feed the hungry of the world.

Quote of the Day

Death is no more than passing from one room into another. But there's a difference for me, you know. Because in that other room I shall be able to see.
--Helen Keller

In my element!

Where would I be without coffee? Still in bed with a terrible headache I suppose.

So what have I been doing since I got back from my trip to California? Well besides getting that newly vacated "spare" bedroom re-purposed into a guest room/sewing corner, getting the kids bathroom done up to reflect it's new ownership belonging solely to our teenage daughter, designing and making a set of 2 new valances for said guest room, working on completing my sheep themed counted cross stitching project...I've also managed to make 2 Christmas themed table runners (I still need to do the quilting process on them), I'm currently preparing fabrics for a new lap quilt for my daughter, about to make a fancy apron for a dear friend in her favorite colors, AND I'm about to whip out a quick Autumn themed table runner for myself!

So stand back as I make myself another steamy hot mug of coffee and get to sewing!

quote of the day

One yard of fabric, like one cookie, is Never enough!

-United Notions (a quilt shop in Dallas TX)

quote of the day

One out of every four people in this country is mentally imbalanced. Think of your three closest friends- and if they seem okay, then you're the one.
-Ann Launders

The guest room/sewing room

Looking down at my newly aquired sewing table (it's the computer desk that my husband built for our son about 9 years ago). I put a big cutting mat and my sewing machine sits on top of the key board matt to protect the desk top.

The shelf that once held all kinds of books and miscellaneous crap that belonged to our son now holds quilting magazines and books, a basket of sewing notions, a jar of quilt bindings and fabric for future sewing and quilting adventures.

Miss Kitty staking out HER Territory!

Our son's desk now my sewing and cutting area - I had my husband take the arms off of the desk chair and it's now perfect for me!

My 3 layered window treatment- valance designed and made by yours truly, long blue checked panel by Waverly and a white on white Swiss dot sheer by Martha Stewart.

The bedside table with our son's Eagle collection.

The window above the bed

quote of the day

Risk more than others think is safe. Care more than others think is wise. Dream more than others think is practical. Expect more than others think is possible.
--Cadet Maxim

My latest observations

Some days I feel like Erma Bombeck- seeing things how they really are and able to write about them in a manner which makes people laugh at the obvious. I loved her writing style and her witty sense of humor just makes you smile. Was her wit based on sarcasm? To a certain degree sure, but it was focused on the obvious.

As many of us with children are looking at this time of year as "back to school" there are those of us (myself included) that are saying "finally, a break from the kids- woo hoo!". I've always wondered why so many mothers are sad at seeing their children grow up and start that new part of their lives, in their gaining their independence we get ours back! Me? I'm doing the happy dance! I've got one off in a state side University and one here at home- perfect!

No more hen pecking my eldest to clean up his pigsty- it's clean, smells fresh and is loaded with beautiful fabrics and all kids of creative things! I've taken time to turn our son's old room into our new guest room/sewing room. I've chosen an Americana theme and I hope that the guests don't get too cosy because I plan on sewing even with guest staying here-HA!

Seriously though, I know so many mothers that make their kids old room into some sort of shrine once they leave the house (my own old bedroom at my parents house is pretty much just that). Do you really want them back? I don't think so! It's YOUR space, turn it into something that YOU can use! Get rid of that crap that your teen had on the walls, paint the walls, ring up your kids and give them the opportunity to take the stuff with then that they want and just donate the rest to a charity shop (or simply toss the rubbish into a wheelie bin). Granted with our son living in America and us living here in England, well his stuff just gets boxed up and put into storage until we move state side ourselves in a few months. But seriously- empower yourself! Take over that empty space and make it over into a room that you'll be proud to show off to your friends! I'll let our son stay in that room for his holiday break but only after he signs an agreement not to make it a pigsty while he is here "visiting".

quote of the day

The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right place but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.
- Dorothy Nevill

quote of the day

We have so much time and so little to do. Strike that, reverse it.
- Roald Dahl

quote of the day

In business, I've discovered that my purpose is to do my best to my utmost ability every day. That's my standard. I learned early in my life that I had high standards.
--Donald Trump

more on the guest room transformation

So no plan is a simple as you first think, or maybe it is and that it's just that it's not that way for me.

♥The more I looked at the windows the more I want to layer the look. Now for me to find spring tension rods for the sheers (I thought that I had some hanging out around here somewhere). OOh just thought of where they could be, I'll be right back- Yup got them! Now to get the wrinkles out of those sheers; they are white Swiss Dot sheers that I used once upon a time in our daughter's bedroom. These are perfect for the look I'm trying to achieve! Now for the top layer, The blue check was getting to be a little much to look at, it needed something more...a top valance. So taking that in mind I started pulling together ideas of past window treatments that I've made- a couple of these ideas bounced around in my head and it wasn't until I looked at an Americana themed pillow case that I had made where my true inspiration came from. Now I've got my idea, my inspiration now to see is I have the fabric.

Quilters always have a fabric stash, but will I have enough yardage to be able to make the design idea that been brewing my head since 2 am? I went through my fabric stash and my questions have been answered and it s a big YES! Now for me to set up my ironing board, grab a can or 2 of spray sizing, my rotary cutter, cutting mat, quiting ruler and to get to work! Okay so first I need more coffee, probably should get out of my jammies and get dressed or people might think that I've the creative eccentric type.

You've no idea how exciting this is for me- to have these ideas once again flowing through my little gray cells and into my hands!

quote of the day

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others".
-Cicero

Room Transformation

I back only a few days and I'm ready to get back to work in our sons "old" bedroom (old being a relative term). He's off to college now and his room is now our "new" guest room. I started tackeling his room the day he left (July 26th) but as you know I had to leave suddenly myself on the 28th-which meant the bulk of the cleaning out of our son's pigstye of a room was left to my husband. I'm happy to say that my husband got the rest of the rubbish cleared out of there, got things cleaned up leaving me a blank canvas in which to work with. So, after airing out the room for 3 weeks, it's time to dress it up!

Now where to start? Hmmmm...

♥I started with the decorator table, put a floor length tale cloth on it- looks fab!

♥Lets move on to the windows- took down the room darkening drapes and out up these new Waverly window treatments that I bought while out in California, they're a pretty blue check and they are floor length. If you want to get some great looking window treatmens try Lowe's. I can't make window treatments for less than what I can get them for at Lowe's. I'll pull them back with the ivory colored curtain tie backs that I bought at the Laura Ashely store last year (Laura Ashely has awesome sales).

♥Now to the bed- remember that Americana quilt that I made for the guest room for our house in South Dakota? Well it's now got a bed to call home. Fresh clean sheets, pillows, some fancy handmade pillow cases by yours truly and now an awesome quilt! The bed looks great!

♥The walls- being that our son chose not to hang anything on them for his time here I've decided to change that! I'm going to hang a few things up and make it a real guest room.

♥Additional closet space- oh yeah! Now this is a real treat! I'm storing all of our extra bed linens on the shelves in his closet along with a few other items and maybe some of our clothes, LOL!!!

Look for pictures soon!

quote of the day

The nice part about being a pessimist is that you are constantly being either proven right or pleasantly surprised.
- George F. Will

London Theater

Last night we went to see The Lion King-talk about fantastic! The costumes were great, the music was awesome and a wonderful evening spent in the company of friends...Priceless! We took our daughter Hannah with us, it was her first theatrical production in London and she loved it! I can't begin to tell you what a treat it was to see this...but let me give you warning- it's not cheap, not by any means! It was $270 for the 3 of us to see the production and then add on the cost of dinner and well the evening out for 2 adults and 1 teenager was into $300 range! It's was what it was supposed to be- a special night out with our daughter and friends. It was a night to remember that was especially nice because our friends also brought their children.

Quote of the day

I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.
- Thomas A. Edison

Home is where your heart is

I've been back in the UK for 24 hours, have had 3 naps and now am starting my day only to find that my husband and daughter didn't think to get the coffee addicted me any fresh half and half (insert some laughter here). The half and half in the fridge expired back on July 29th...as tempting as that night be, I think that I'll pass on that, LOL! Thank goodness for my "in case of emergencies" powdered Coffee Mate!

There's no rest for me, just like when I arrived here a little over a year ago there are places to go and events to attend. I start off with a trip to London's theater district to see "The Lion King". I bought these tickets back in May when I first heard about the ITT office getting tickets for that show. The Lion King was the first ever movie that we took our son Andrew to see (he was 2 at the time) and it's only fitting that it be the first Theater Production that we take our Daughter Hannah to go see. I hope this inspires her to develop a life long love of theater as our son LOVES going to the cinema!

Now for me to pick out my dress and to get ready for our outing tonight (it picks us up in a couple of hours) as our ticket price also includes transportation :-D

My parents are doing well. Granted the heat out there in Northern California is normal for this time of year, but it was wiping me out! My poor mom was being frozen daily with me opening ALL of the windows of the house early in the morning when it was cool and a delicious 60º. The having the air conditioning blast in the rental car and down to 75º in the house. I hung out at the local library because they had the best a/c (yes, it was cooler there than at the local Starbucks plus there was always an open seat for me at the library which was not always true at Starbucks.

It feels strange that I was gone for 3 weeks- so much has happened out here. I have new neighbors and now all of the houses are filled on our street and just in our entire neighborhood for that matter! School starts soon for our daughter and now sooner am I home then my husband is scheduled for a stateside TDy. Life is back to "normal" here for me :-)

Quote of the Day

Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means you've decided to look past the imperfections.
-Unknown

Things are looking up

My Dad is hanging in there- he's one tough Marine! Granted he will never be 100% but the antibiotics are really doing their thing and his lungs are healing. My Mom is in better spirits which is also a good thing. I feel good leaving my parents on an upnote. So here i am, hnging out at the Sacramento International Airport waiting for my flight to Denver then on to London.
I miss my husband and daughter and yes I also miss my son but that's another story all together. I look forward to the cooler temperatures of England, the 100 degree weather here was jut a bit too much for me. There' nothing like a 40 degree temperature hike and n 8 hour time change to really throw your body out of whack. I am coming back with a tan- I'm living proof that it IS possible to get a tan just from geting in and out of the car!

Happy is a relative term

Although we are thousands of miles apart, I want to wish a very Happy 20th wedding anniversary to the love of my life!

Things are pretty much on hold here in CA. My dad is hanging in there but his helth is declining. The doctors who said he'd be dead withn a handful of days are dumbfounded as to how he could being hanging on for this long. It just goes to show you that no one can really predict when someone will die. I leave it all in the hands of God, it's up to him when he will call my dad home.

So I'm just playing it by ear, taking my mom to see my dad every day, going out and doing errands here and there. I've met up with some old friends from high school (what a crack up that was). I'm working away on my counted cross stitching project that I brought with me. And just to make it perectly clear- I am not on a vacation. Vacations are relaing get aways...this is anything but relaxing!

quote of the day

Before I met my husband, I've never fallen in love. I'd stepped in it a few times.
-Rita Rudner

just things....

The worst part of this trip is the fact that it was/is one that I made as an emergency. I'm appreciate the time I get to spend with my mother, the brief moments that we share that aren't filled with sadness are a true blessing.
Things that I don't miss about living in California...the heat, the crowds of people everywhere, did I mention the heat? Yesterday it was 105...way too hot for me! I love love love the huge variety of fresh produce out here along with just having a selection of things I'm used to buying.

My Dad is hanging in there. Hospice called today and is giving him medication to make him more comfortable. Every time the phone rings my Mom and I jump. We don't know if this will the "the call", it's not a pleasant feeling to say the least.

I try to get my Mom out of the house but this damn heat is making us both pretty darn misserable. Went to a fabric store today- we were both in fabric heaven. I feel a renewal in my desire to quilt and sew, so does my Mom. I think that I'll make tea cozy from some groovey new fabric when I get back home.

Leaving for California

So in a few short hours I will be on the first leg of my journey to California. Part of me looks forward to the journey and the other part of me looks on it with dread. I hope and pray that Mother Theresa is with me on this trip and never leaves my side.

Quote of the Day

When the heart weeps for what it has lost,
the soul laughs for what it has found.
--Sufi aphorism

My emotional roller-coaster ride

It seems to me that when it rains it pours and today is no different. Through an odd series of events I've been informed that my Dad had been hospitalized and he's dying. I've been working on getting plane tickets to get me out of here ASAP that won't cost me thousands of pounds. As always my BT land-line has let me down and I can't reach my mom in California to let her know that I'm coming out. Of course my mom doesn't have internet...why would she, she's never bother to have cable TV.

So to add more to this today is my Hannah's birthday (Happy B-day Sweetheart).

So I saw my son off to the airport yesterday morning knowing that I won't see him again until December, last night spoke with my dad's doctor and she told me that he is gravely ill and that his death is imminent. I've been trying to call my mom repeatedly and I still am unable to get through-- I've about had it with BT!

Meanwhile I feel like a crap parent as nothing is going right for my Hannah's B-day. And I know that God doesn't give you more than you can handle but right now I'm at the edge. Please keep us in your prayers.

Quote of the Day

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
-Robert Frost

Quote of the Day

Both the cockroach and the bird would get along very well without us, although the cockroach would miss us most.
- Joseph Wood Krutch

9 months and counting

Let me start off by saying NO I'm NOT pregnant, LOL! Nine months is the time that I have let in this wonderful little country. What we first thought was a 2 year assignment was a dream come true- an overseas assignment! Then we found out that it was a 3 year assignment and we said "hmmm" moving with a teenager (again) the summer before her senior year- not a good thing. And now that my husband has put in his retirement paperwork, this will be once again a 2 year assignment for us.

I have been going through a roller coaster of emotions these past few weeks. Retire or not retire, son leaving a month early to bum around South Dakota with his friends before he starts college, living in a house that's making me crazy, making some wonderful new friends, thinking about my family and all of the things we'll have going on in the next months. To leave our daughter in boarding school for 2 months while she finishes up school. Yup I've got a lot on my plate right now!

I want to get this blog back to being a crafty blog alas, my life seems to keep getting in the way. I want to craft and create and be creative but worries and stress seem to keep my mind otherwise occupied at present. I've picked up a couple of counted cross stitch kits by The Historical Sampler Company and will be working on one shortly. Here's a picture of the one I'm starting now (it's for fun), the sampler is called "Baa Baa Black Sheep" and with my growing collection of lambs and sheep, well it was a must have kind of thing for me!







I love classic samplers and have bought the Autumn themed one to work on and will be getting the rest of these samplers before I leave England. To me, these samplers are fine examples of classic British needlework design at it's best!

Quote of the Day

Don't give up! I believe in you all.
A person's a person, no matter how small!
Dr Seuss- "Horton hears a Who"

Quote of the Day

All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts...
-William Shakespeare, "As You Like It", Act 2 scene 7

Life in the Air Force

Since moving here a little over a year ago, I knew that I would be doing 2 moves within one year. This year is my "easy year"- no moves involved. Next year brings with it another move (no joke). Spring 2011 we will be moving back to the USA and enjoying retirement. That's right you read that correctly, my husband after 20 plus years in the Air Force will be retiring. So what does that mean for me? Well my brain is once again on "clear it out mode". I know that we have at least 9 more months here but as it is, I want to be prepared to be able to make this a smooth transition for us. Reduce, reuse, recycle and my favorite...just plain donate!

I'll have time for at least one more trip to Stoke on Trent to rake up on some more great Made in England pottery, not to mention to get in some more trips around England in general. There are loads of places that Hannah and I want to see while we're here and we're going to try our best to see them all!

Quote of the Day

A celebrity is a person who works hard all his life to become well known, then wears dark glasses to avoid being recognized.
- Fred Allen

Scrapbooking the "every day things"

I'm a scrapbooker who is also a military wife. We move around every few years and that means a new to you house with a new view out the windows. Currently I am living in England. There are everyday kinds of things about my life here that I want to document...things like the light switches which are something we take for granted or my tiny microwave that I named Tivo simply because it looks like the Tivo character to Ken and Barbie- my very small but efficient washer and dryer. It's the little things that we take for granted that we tend to forget. There's the ever so small fireplace in the living room or as the British call it "the Lounge"- that would never fit a full sized log, you can even forget getting a half of a log in there. There's the entry way that is only a couple of inches wider than the front door and the fact that some of the walls are about 18 inches or more thick or the back door that opens outward. I want to document the flower beds that we worked so hard, we started with nothing but dirt and have turned them into something beautiful to look at.

Some scrapbookers feel as if they should only be scrapbooking major events such as birthday, Halloween and Christmas. Not me, I've always wanted to take notice of the little things. How we really lived, what we really did and what we were really like. I hope to be able to capture this is some of the photographs that I take.

Quote of the Day

“May those who love us, love us; and those who don't love us, may God turn their hearts; and if He doesn't turn their hearts, may he turn their ankles so we'll know them by their limping.” ~Irish Blessings

I saw this quote on a friend facebook page and well, it gave me quite the little smirk-enjoy!

Storage Space or the lack of it

I know what I'm going to do after we retire from the Air Force (yes it's a "we thing")...it's to design closet organizing systems and help people to organize their storage spaces. Oh am I feeling more like ME again! All I need is a little challenge and I'm all over having something organized and working well!

When you move as much as military families do, you need something that you can take with you to help you stay on course and stay organized. I've decided that I'm going to design something to help us frequent movers to stay focused and keep our belongings more organized. I've got great ideas now to put pen to paper and to get them out of my head and onto something that I can look at. I love a new challenge and I'm giving myself one!

Quote of the Day

There comes a time in life when you walk away from all the pointless drama and people who create it, and surround yourself with people who make you laugh so hard that you forget the bad and focus on the good. Life is too short to be anything but happy!
author unknown

Holy Catfish- am I ever busy this week!

Just another week of go go go and go faster for yours truly. Some days it's just non-stop stuff and others it's not "as busy". I'm not trying to ignore my blog it's just that my time and days are so divided that I start something but can never get around to finishing it.

I plan on bringing my camera to RIAT and taking pictures. Apparently there will be some people there that we know from the bomber world- hopefully I'll have time to say hello -alas, my day is already preplanned for me (courtesy of the USAF protocol office).

It's been drizzling off and on for a couple of days now. I wish that we could have a good ole heavy downpour with thunder and lightening like we used to have in Texas and South Dakota, believe it or not but I miss that kind of weather.

Quote of the Day

I have found that if you love life, life will love you back.
-Arthur Rubinstein

Quote of the Day

We are the people our parents warned us about.
- Jimmy Buffett

"manly" thank you cards?

The thing I don't get is why my husband and son are having such a cow of a few little flowers on a thank you card. All I'm asking is to have a manly thank you card- says the husband, LOL! Manly? What's this "manly" thing? Does that mean less flowers? Or is it no flowers? I made the cards in shades of blue with little flowers, but apparently they guys want it with NO flowers :-( I'm a flower lover, I'm surrounded by them how can I not put flowers on anything? So all I did was to hunt up a thank you stamp and use the same design that I did for the graduation cards and turned those into thank you cards. There- are those manly enough? Yes they were- now for me to move on to something else...Men!

Quote of the Day

for man with no forgiveness in heart,
life worse punishment than death.
-Mr. Miyagi

Greeting Cards

Alright I know that this is supposed to be my scrapbooking/paper crafting blog...so do I ever do paper crafts any more? Yes I do! Here are some examples...

Friendship cards-one can never have too many of these hanging around! I finally used up the rest of that striped Susan Branch paper that I've had in my stash for YEARS!!!!
Get Well - copied this card layout from an old card idea book. Please forgive me for not remembering which one it came from. This certainly is a cute get well card!

Congratulations- This little gem is my own design! I was getting frustrated at the poor selection of graduation cards at our BX- okay so it was more like our BX had NONE to speak of! So out of desperation I created this one! LOVE how handy my Quickutz dies are! The Graduation cap is a 2 piece die set, and now I can say that I finally got to use it!

Visiting my favorite place in England

Everyone has a favorite place that they enjoy visiting, mine hands down has to be Jane Hathaway's house in Stratford upon Avon. The flower gardens there are impeccable! I based my English flower garden in South Dakota off of hers! It was full of flowers in bloom and the Sweet Peas were delightful! Many different colors of them all on display for our enjoyment :-) The tour of the house was the same as it was 4 years ago- charming and delightful! For me, it's the gardens that captured my heart! From the willow hut (which I want to recreate in our own backyard) to the lovely flower beds full of color! I want to be able to bring a bit of Shakespeare's Britain home with me. The weather was perfect! It was in the lower 80's with a slight breeze, which is just fine for me!




Here's my Hannah being a goof as I was attempting to take a picture of the house.
A picture of me with my children...of the 10 attempts at a decent photo, this one turned out the best. The rest was a series of us laughing or looking in other directions.

LOVE this Willow Hut! Talk about simply too cool! We'll make one of these in our backyard when we retire. It's going to take a while (years perhaps) for the plants to cover. This is something that our future grandchildren will enjoy.

The diagnosis is...

Yes friends, it's broken! I'm glad that I have a removable splint versus a non-removable cast. As least this way I can get through airport security and not worry about getting a full body scan or a body pat down/frisk search, LOL! Now because I am an adult, the Doctor trusts me to keep this on (silly man). What's the alternative of not keeping it on while it heals? Oh I already know that one- it's extreme pain! It's amazing how wearing this for a couple of days has already helped to reduce the amount of pain I've been suffering from- now that's just plain weird! But then again I can't bend or twist my wrist and forearm what so ever so there it is. Which bone are you thinking is broken? It's the long skinny one on the under side of your forearm, the Ulna. So it's not a broken wrist it's a broken forearm-ugh! How on earth did I do that? That's the weird question that I can't seem to pin point really. I have a broken bone in my left arm and I don't know how on earth it happened!

Quote of the Day

In a country as big as the United States, you can find fifty examples of anything.
- Jeffery F. Chamberlain

Quote of the Day

I don't understand the sizes anymore. There's a size zero, which I didn't even know that they had. It must stand for: 'Ohhh my God, you're thin.'
- Ellen DeGeneres

Busy Military Spouse Syndrome

Being the ever so busy wife and mother that I am, I do tend to neglect myself from time to time. This time being that I have hurt my wrist and it hurts A LOT!
I hurt my wrist last week, and to be honest with all what I had going on, I never really had time to attend to it. It hurts to touch it or move it.I've been bullied by my daughter all weekend long to make an appointment to have it checked out. So today I do have an appointment to have it attended to and I will let you know what's up with it after my appointment this afternoon.

Yup this is what you get with Busy Military Spouse Syndrome-it's self neglect. You don't take time out for yourself and you end up 'squeezing in" a doctor appointment only because after a week and the pain is getting more intense you're afraid it might be a broken bone. I did this a couple of years May 2008 (check out the blog postings on my foot surgery) with my foot- ended up being a MAJOR thing wrong and having to have surgery to repair the damage. So everyone, please keep me in your prayers that the doctor can assess what it wrong with my wrist and that I get the proper medical treatment needed for swift healing.

A side note- I'm just wondering what a broken wrist feels like because if this is what it is...well can I get some better pain medication please? Because Motrin is simply NOT cutting it!

Quote of the Day

Most people would rather be certain they're miserable than risk being happy.
- Robert Anthony

I survived the weekend!

It's hard to spend quality time with family friends when you're always running around. This past weekend was a busy one! From the Independence Day Celebration at the base on Friday to Speech Day at Kingham Hill School on Saturday and the Graduation party on Saturday night. Lets not forget the running around I did during the week in preparation for all of these things. I had once again made meatballs for the masses which is rather time consuming.


Now for pictures- I did take some, I promise to upload them.

Quote of the Day

They certainly give very strange names to diseases.
- Plato

Quote of the Day

Privacy and security are those things you give up when you show the world what makes you extraordinary.
--Margaret Cho