I spoke too soon!

Well, it was a great holiday until the night of my last post. My sis ended up getting some sort of virus and was very, very sick all night and into the next day. The following day my mom had to go to the ER for tingling and numbness on her left side. Needless to say I spent a bit of time taking care of both of them. I'm not complaining... I felt horrible for both of them since it was still their Christmas holiday, too. I'm glad I got to help take care of them. Now they are both better and getting back to regular life.

That brings me to the saddest part....being in the middle of our regular lives means that the three of us don't get to see each other very much. Mom lives in another state, Sis lives in another town, and all three of us are full of our familial and personal obligations. I'm hoping the three of us can schedule a little get away weekend and make up for the time we lost the last couple of days of this Christmas break. There's just nothing like girl time with my mom and sissy! I miss them a ton already!

What a great holiday!

Christmas has officially come and gone, but what a great holiday I had with my family! My mom and step-dad came to town, my sister stayed a couple of nights with us, and we exchanged a ton of gifts. I did get the fabulous dress that I asked for, however it didn't fit me well at all. It was perfect in the waist, but it looked like the top half, shoulders and all, were made for a woman two times bigger than me. Not to worry...the Shabby Apple site has plenty of dresses for me to exchange this one with.

I got a wonderful book, The Mother In Me, that I asked for that was a fundraiser for the Nie Recovery Fund, and I can't wait to dive into it. I also got a new David Sedaris book, Dress Your Family in Couderoy and Denim, that I'm excited to dig into. And, I got my beautiful little Sublime Stitching starter kit complete with the tattoo alphabet and an apron to get started with!!! What am I doing sitting here blogging? I need to be stitching!

My son loved his camo fleece blanket, thank goodness! He says he can't wait to cozy up in it, but it's been 70 degrees in Texas the past few days. No freezing temps in site just yet. Oh well, the blanket is ready for him when he gets cold.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, and if you are like us are recovering from all of the dessert indulgence. Mom and I delivered a box of cookies to family today so that Hubby and I won't stuff our faces anymore with them. We still have half a pumpkin pie, an entire pecan pie and some red velvet cake balls to devour, so the more we give away the better! I've got to get back to the gym!!!

Finished Fleece!

Yeah!!! The camo fleece blanket project/gift is complete! I finally finished all of my blanket stitches this morning. I decided to go with a red embroidery yarn since it was a nice contrast to the camo print and the light gray backing. I must warn you....it doesn't scream professional. But, it does scream homemade....by Mom....with love, right? I'm sure the little guy will just love having it to snuggle up with. I'm hoping that my hand stitchery will improve with time. My little Sushi Bear had to check it out just as soon as I set it on the floor.

I was in need of a better needle, but didn't drag myself into the right store to get one. The times that I have ventured out into the hustle and bustle I've just picked up exactly what I needed and didn't veer off my mandatory course. So, I trudged through the blanket with a needle that was a bit too fat for the fleece, but it's over now. Lived and learned for the next project.

I'm glad I added the stitches, even though they aren't the most beautiful. I think it added a nice touch to the blanket. Now I just have an ornament to make for my son to place in his stocking. It will be made from a scrap of flame fabric, which he accidentally saw already. He doesn't know what its for, but he knows its for him. He brought it out to me after he found it laying out on my sewing table and asked, "So, what's this for?" I didn't exactly respond with a complete sentence, just a "Go put that back, please."

That's the second time one of us has seen something we weren't supposed to around here. The first instance was when I saw a receipt my husband left laying out from a store that has a dress I asked for. I didn't read the receipt, but unless Hubby just went out on a limb and picked out a different one, then I know I'm getting the dress I asked for. It's absolutely fabulous, don't ya think! Love the pin up style!

Frosty

As we are preparing for Christmas this week I thought I would share with you one of my favorite holiday decorations. My son made this in Fourth Grade. Since his necktie covered the mouth area we decided to name him Frosty the Snow Hostage. Our Doberman Axel has taken a liking to Frosty, too, and I've had to repair him a few times this year. We decided to move Frosty up to the mantle. Since he's a hostage we figured he'd had enough torture for a lifetime and didn't need anymore from a dog.

Have a wonderful week as you prepare for Christmas!!!

camo fleece update

The camo fleece blanket is now stitched together (by my sewing machine), but I didn't do the blanket stitch around the edges. It's a bigger blanket than I thought so I'm not sure if I can get all the blanket stitches completed before Christmas. Trey will be with me all weekend so I don't know if I can sneak in any more sewing time until Monday evening when he goes back to his dad's. I'm going to try, tho. The blanket looks so plain with just a raw edge. So, my apologies for this boring little post, but I'll update it with a picture once I'm truly finished.

I must say that I was so excited when I arrived home yesterday to find a little pile of presents wrapped just for me from Hubby and the little guy. I got in trouble for shaking and feeling of the packages. And, no hints were given. I'm so bad at waiting for surprises! I'm not bad enough to dig through the paper or anything, but I love messing with the shape of the packaging and giving things a jiggle so I can try to figure out what's in there!!! I'm still such a kid when it comes to gifts!

I'm hoping to find an embroidery stitching starter kit from Sublime Stitching (there's a link to the left) in there, some earrings that I picked out a while back, a dress that I absolutely adored.... You know, to be quite honest I'm not even sure what all I've asked for. I didn't write it all down in list format, just sent emails to Hubby as I would think of things or find pics online to show him. He and the little guy are pretty good at coming up with ideas of their own, too, so who knows what I'm getting.

I can't wait for Christmas to get here!!!

What today holds....

Today I have to leave work a bit early so that I can meet with the little guy's teachers. Yep, its Parent Teacher Conference Day. I'm a little anxious about what will be discussed. It is my little pride and joy they'll be discussing after all. His grades are good for the most part, his attitude is good, he is respectful to his teachers. But, I know they'll talk about room for improvement. He's definitely no overachiever, that's for sure!

I'm hoping to work on his camo fleece blanket after that since it's one of his Christmas gifts, but I'll have to wait and see how long the meeting goes. If it goes too long then he'll be coming home with me and I won't be able to work on the secret project. I'm thinking of using a blanket stitch like this one to join the two pieces of fleece together. How original is that?

Seven weird little things....

Once again, I've been inspired by a fellow blogger..... Ms. Rambler!

A big thanks to Rambler for the idea of posting about some of my natural weirdness. I bet you didn't realize that you wanted to know seven weird little things about me! So, here goes...

1. I love wearing Moccasins around the house...even when it's hot. I have a pair from Santa Fe, they are kind of a yellowish color, natural leather, with some beading over the toes. They have just the perfect amount of squish under my feet when I walk! I can't wait to put them on when I get home from work!!!
   
2. I have a very perverted sense of humor. Sometimes the grossest things to most people make me laugh extremely hard. I can't help it! I've been that way as long as I can remember!
3. Right now, because of the holiday nut supply at the grocery store, I'm in the middle of a nut fetish! I can't crack enough! Almonds, walnuts, hazel nuts, Brazil nuts... you name it and I'm munching on them. I haven't found any chestnuts yet this season. Hopefully I'll find some very soon!
4. I'm a very bipolar driver. Some days I'm very friendly and wave people on in front of me, smile at passing drivers, don't tail gate, do the friendly chuckle as someone almost pulls out in front of me.... But, other days I'm pretty much psycho. I talk under my breath at everyone who passes, make snarly faces as I pass by people who've just irritated me, zoom around slow drivers... all while making inappropriate comments. Then, sometimes in the very same day, I go right back to being the Nice Princess. Go figure.
5. Sometimes I feel like there are spirits around me. I don't talk to them or anything...just have the feeling sometimes of there being something else in the room when I'm all alone. That's usually when I HAVE to turn on the music or the tv to side track myself, otherwise I get very skeered and want to turn on all the lights and not let my feet linger by the bottom of any bed in the house.
6. I have big green eyes and used to scare myself in the bathroom mirror when I was a kid. I would bug them out and tilt my head downwards as if I was about to attack. Then I would have to run out of the room. I must admit I've recently tried to do this again when I was near a mirror. It didn't have the same effect, but I sure can look creepy when I want to!
7. I pick my cuticles. It's a horrible habit. I love having beautiful nails, but I'm constantly digging at the skin around them. I'll go through phases where I'll leave my hands alone, but more often than not Hubby has to tell me to stop picking my fingers. It's gross...I know.

Now it's your turn. Enquiring minds want to know! (remember that commercial?)

Advent Calendar

I know I'm a bit late to bring up the topic of an Advent Calendar, but that's been on my mind as a project to make for next year. We don't have an Advent Calendar, but we talk about getting one each time Christmas approaches. We just haven't found one that we really like.

I got an idea in November from my friend at Simple Beans on making one, and I think it's worth checking out and trying! I wish that I had made the time to create one of these for my family this year, but I didn't. So....it's on my "to do" list for next Christmas!!!

What about you and your family...do you guys use an Advent Calendar? If so, what kind do you have?

Tagged for Interrogation!

Well, what d'ya know...I've been tagged by my friend Keith at Keith's Space to answer the following questions...

1. Where is your cell phone? desk
2. Where is your significant other? home
3. What's your hair color? brown
4. Your mother? Las Vegas
5. Your father? Heaven
6. Your favorite thing? loving
7. Your dream last night? negotiating
8. Your goal? success
9. The room you're in? office
10. Your hobby? creating
11. Your fear? death
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? moved
13. Where were you last night? home
14. What you're not? crazy
15. One of your wish list items? dress
16. Where you grew up? Oklahoma
17. The last thing you did? drive
18. What are you wearing? slacks
19. Your TV? off
20. Your pet? dogs
21. Your computer? Mac
22. Your mood? content
23. Missing someone? Mom
24. Your car? Hybrid
25. Something you're not wearing? socks
26. Favorite store? Banana
27. Your summer? fleeting
28. Love someone? amazingly!
29. Your favorite color? green
30. When is the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? - yesterday
32. Are you a b*tch? sometimes
33. Favorite position? leader
34. Favorite past time? crafting
35. Are you a hater or a lover? lover
36. Are you genuine or fake? genuine
37. Any vices? coffee
38. Pro-life or wire hanger? pro-adoption
39. McCain or Obama? both
40. Pro-plastic or natural? depends
41. Dream job? motivational

Ok, I'm supposed to tag seven more bloggers to keep this going. However, it's too hard for me to pick that sort of thing because I tend to pick the same bloggers over and over. So, if you are interested, please answer the questions on your blog and place a link in my comments section so we can all check out your responses. Thanks for playing!!!!

Thanks for tagging me, Keith! I enjoyed reading your answers. Have a great rest of the week!

Christmas Ornaments

Last month I came across a design for ornaments that I really liked. It's called a quilted ornament. It doesn't require any sewing, just folding and pinning fabric squares in a pattern, and I think it makes the cutest little decorations! Here are some pics of one of my recent projects. If you are interested in purchasing a pattern to make these ornaments visit Simple Beans through my link(s) to the left. It takes about an hour to complete one after you get the hang of it, and I find it to be totally relaxing!

Thinking and Driving

I commute about 40 minutes each weekday morning and afternoon to work. I listen to NPR most of the time, sometimes listening to music if there is something specific I am in the mood for. But a lot of the time I catch myself totally zoning out thinking of completely random things. I thought I would see if you are in the same boat while you drive.

Things that go through my mind as I drive...

1. I notice I'm not fully paying attention to the report I'm finding interesting on the radio and wonder if I'll misquote the statistics later to someone, hence starting a new chain of misinformation.
2. I say a few random prayers for friends, family and some blogger friend needs I've read about...always making sure I say, "Thank you God for this day and all of the blessings you've given me." I feel extremely guilty if I just start listing my prayers without saying thanks to God first...not sure if He's bothered by how I start my prayers, just my anal habit.
3. I replay bits of conversations I've had with my family and/or friends, analyzing tone and content, then play out different outcomes in my head.
4. I wonder about my mom's life and what's going on at her house.
5. I think about tattoo ideas.
6. I think about finding a church and how I would really like to find a good church home....I miss that aspect of life. Then I feel a bit guilty for not having my son in an active youth group and remember the fun I had when I was involved, which was never regularly, but fun nonetheless.
7. I think about homeless people and wonder how they ended up that way. I wonder if they have children with them and if they are hungry and cold. I wonder about their safety.
8. I think about fabrics and what I could make with them.
9. I wonder why I even have the radio on since I'm having so many fleeting thoughts of randomness!
10. Oh, crap! Did I almost just broadside that vehicle? Geeze....I must be very deep in thought!
    

What do you think about while you drive?

Anthro Sunday!

For those of you who are fans of Anthropologie I wanted to show you a great event that I was able to attend this evening with my sister. She was invited to a Cardi Party and asked me to tag along. We were asked to bring in an old sweater that we would like to spruce up, and they would have all of the adornments that we would need.

We each brought a button down sweater... mine (the top pic) a very boring cardigan from Ann Taylor that I've had for a few years, and my sister brought white cable knit sweater (the second pic) our mom had given her. You can't really see the detail on my sleeves, but I also stitched a bit of brown thread around the sleeves. Sorry the pictures don't show more detail... but if you click on each picture it should show you a larger image to zoom in on.

The ladies at Anthropologie had so much there for us to work with. I'm talking other sweaters that we could take apart, buttons galore, embroidery thread, glue, ribbons, scraps... you name it!

Hubby found them both to be quite grannyish, but we had an absolute blast sipping hot cider and letting our creativity flow!

I highly recommend having a Cardi Party of your own.... all of the ladies there had a great time! And, it's so much fun to bring some life into an old sweater that you don't wear anymore!

it's an honor to just be nominated!

I received a rather unique award today...from my bloggin' buddy the Rambler. The only thing is I'm not so sure what to do with this award. It didn't come with any rules. And, at first I thought... Heck yes! I don't have to stop and pick only five people to forward it to and worry about someone feeling left out! But, then I began my usual over analysis of how to proceed.

Then I began to over analyze the award image. Ok, it's got "Captain Dumbass" written on it. Am I really that psyched to receive an award with such a lovely tag name on it? I mean I know I have C.D.A. moments, but a captain of the D.A. world I certainly won't admit to being!
So, before I go into a form of pyschosis from all of this mental bantering back and forth in my brain, let me just say a big thank you....no, really I'm serious.... to Rambler for thinking enough of me to send an award my way. I find her blogging to be quite entertaining and really enjoy reading her comments on my posts so I'm truly flattered.

My FINAL anaylsis of this award has revealed that the honor simply means that my blog is one heck of a treasure! That's my story and I'm stickin' to it! (I know... overused line from blogger hell....) Or, how about... And, that's the way the cookie crumbles! ok, I'll stop now. Time for sleep!

Epiphany!

I heard a report (probably from NPR) that womens desks were usually more germ-ridden than mens because women tend to eat at their desks more often. I thought, Well...yeah, I eat at my desk throughout every work day but I'm not messy about it! Then today happened. The epiphany that I've been deluding myself and in denial of what might really be lurking on my desktop and keyboard!

I'm sitting here eating my lunch, answering phone calls and checking messages and decide to open my yogurt/dessert. I was staring at my computer screen while taking off the foil lid so I didn't pay any attention to how laden with yogurt it was...I just pulled the thing right off. And, yogurt went up my arm, on part of my keyboard and flecked the top of my desk.

So much for not being a messy eater at my desk! I instantly thought of all the germs I was most likely spreading with my live cultured treat. Guess I better go retrieve the Lysol and get to spraying... and own up to the fact that yes, my desk is probably more germy than the guy next door. Yuck!

what I've been working on

Let me start by telling my blogger buddy The Rambler that I'm still working on getting mi hermana (my sister) and mi mamasita (my mom) to answer my little questionnaire that I came up with based on some of your recent posts. I found my questions very entertaining, however my family hasn't responded with their answers yet. What's up with that? Doesn't everybody in my family just want to think about me???

Since I'm waiting to finish my other blog post, I thought I would share with you the quilt project that I've been working on (off and on, that is) for the past couple of weeks. Please keep in mind that I began this project over eight years ago, and I was working with scrap pieces. Back then I was still in my infancy as far as putting together quilt blocks go so this pattern is very simple. The polka dotted binding (edging) I just added last weekend so that's new, and the material (little red stars and plain muslin) on the back is new. All in all it's a very Plain Jane piece of work. But, it's my goal to finish this project before I even attempt to tackle any new quilt projects. I think I might add some decorative hand stitching to the top to liven it up a bit, but the rest of the hand quilting will just be muslin colored stitches that you really won't be able to see. I'll keep you posted with how the finished quilt turns out.

You can see my little puppies making sure their heads are visible. (Sushi is the Chihuahua and Axel is the Doberman but you can only see part of the back of his head.) They follow us around no matter what we're up to. They just love being involved!

I keep forgetting to take the date off my camera! And, I'm sorry I'm too lazy to crop it out when I've posted pics recently. Does that annoy you? It certainly bugs me!

Another update, we put up most of our exterior Christmas lights tonight! Yeah!!! We still have some lights to add to our bushes and tree so I'll take an undated picture once we're finished.

who wants something free?

Ok, I know you love free things, right? Well stop by this place today and see how you can win a free $100 giftcard for Target. Just in time for Christmas!!!