Embroidered Engagement Card

This is a picture of the pattern I made for an embroidered card. I gave it to my sister last night at her engagement party. I really meant to take a picture of the finished card so I could show you how it came out, but I forgot before I sealed up the card. Then I forgot again after she had opened it last night.

The dress was white with one strand of pink embroidered in for a touch of color, and the tuxedo was black, white and gray. I'm hoping she'll snap a little pic to share with me... then I can pass it on to you guys!

Now its back to my other 101 projects! Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

Memorial Day Recap

Update: I just wanted to tell you all how much I appreciate your comments! You all make me smile soooo big with every little note you send my way. And you're helping me have the confidence to start my own little Etsy shop. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I know, I know... it's the middle of the next week and I'm just now blogging about what we did over the holiday. What can I say, but I'm truly sorry for being overly side-tracked. I honestly can't believe it is almost Thursday!

The holiday weekend was so relaxing for me. Friday night Hubby, The Little Guy and me watched Mall Cop. Absolutely hilarious! We enjoyed it very much and highly recommend it...good for the whole family. And, I got started making crocheted dish towels for Trey's teachers. I thought I had picked a pretty easy project that I could knock out easily.
Actually these things took me a long time. (The red one is folded in half.) Each one took about three and a half hours to make, and I made four. But, I'm pleased with how they came out. And, I heard that at least one of the teachers loved hers. I'm now in the process of making one for myself so I can test them out. They are supposed to be very absorbent since they are 100% cotton. And they're very soft and thick.

We didn't get to put our tent up on Sunday since the rain wouldn't stop, but we did break out the camping stove and made some smores! Talk about delicious!

Saturday we made it up to Oklahoma to visit one of my best friends and her family. It was a nice road trip. We stopped in Marietta, Oklahoma at a place called Robertson's and picked up some very tasty beef jerky. The three of us managed to polish the small sized package off in about 30 minutes. We are going to order some online so we can take it camping at the end of June.

Finally, I would like to say a big thank you to all of our military personnel and veterans (those with us person and in spirit) around the world for providing us with this past holiday weekend. Without their honorable service we wouldn't be as free as we are now to have had the wonderful extra day to celebrate. Our American flag flies in front of our house everyday.

Happy Holiday Weekend to YOU!

What are your plans for this weekend? Anything big? Do you have to work on Monday?

Fortunately, I have Monday off, which I am soooo excited about! We actually have a lot planned, which I am also excited about! Tonight, we are chilling at mi hacienda with The Little Guy and are going to watch Mall Cop. All three of us are really looking forward to that. I have some serious crocheting and quilting to accomplish this weekend, so I'm hoping the guys won't make too much fun of me while I sit with my tools in hand as we lounge.

Saturday we are driving about 100 miles to see one of my oldest friends and her family. The visit will be short, just a couple of hours most likely, but we haven't seen them in about two years and I can't wait! When we get back to town on Saturday, The Little Guy has an overnight bday party to attend for one of his best buds from baseball, and Hubby and I will be dining at P.F. Chang's. That's quite a treat for us so we can't wait! We want to plant flowers this weekend and camp out in the backyard (barring any rain on Sunday), so it should be a weekend of just enough activity to celebrate the holiday, but hopefully with lots of relaxing down time, too.

One thing is for sure.... I'm sleeping in through Monday!!! I hope you have a fabulously safe holiday weekend!

Communication Skills

As I reflect back on today I can't help but think of a problem at work that's literally been going on for years. It's between two men who've known each other for over four years and started out as friends. Even lunch buddies. Something went wrong about three years ago and they've never been the same since.

One reports to the other one. And they both wish that their jobs didn't overlap at all. Those of us on the outskirts of their relationship see similarities in them... they both are prideful, they both aren't good at apologizing, they both don't want to be confrontational, they both don't feel the need to communicate effectively. Thus the pot stirs and their working relationship deteriorates further each month. They both blame each other for tasks that are left undone or misunderstood.

Several people have tried to intervene. Now its up to their direct boss as to what their fates will be. Counseling sessions have not worked. Advice has not been acted on, perhaps because it wasn't fully understood due to the emotional constraints these gentlemen have. Or maybe the advice was not taken just out of pride.

I don't know.

It's just a sad situation.

I wish both of these gentlemen would get a bit of professional guidance, see what they could improve on within themselves, and then see if they can turn the other cheek and move forward positively for the betterment of our company. If they don't figure it out one of them might end up losing their job. None of us want to see that happen.

Their situation reminds me of situations I've had where communication broke down. When things were left unsaid but resentments kept building. When I didn't try to "talk it out" then eventually I erupted. That left a few relationships broken. It wasn't always a one-sided argument. Lots of times more than just me was at fault. But, I've learned that its better to try to confront a negative situation with the intent of working things out than to just let it stew. Even if I haven't succeeded at least I can move forward with the knowledge that I tried.

New fave blog!

You've got to check this cool cat out! Her name is Kandee and she's a make up artist in Hollywood. She's got the best tutorials and posts about make up, teeth whitening, hair styling, clothes & accessories... but mainly about make up and hair. I stumbled across some of her videos on Youtube last week when I was searching for pin up girl make up techniques. Kandee's instructions helped me out quite a bit!

I literally sat with Hubby's laptop stuck to my legs while I watched her videos until the battery ran low. I was THAT entertained!!! Granted, I love make up, especially MAC make up, and Kandee is a MAC Pro...so she had some favor coming from me right off the bat. Plus, she's got a very hip rocker style that I adore. Then, I spied her video on how to look like Megan Fox. Loved it!!! I haven't quite mastered the application of the make up tips (since I haven't exactly practiced) so that I can look like Megan Fox and totally titlate Hubby, but it's on my "to do" list, I promise!

Not only does Kandee provide everyone with tips on how to look like a celebrity if you have a hankerin' to do so, on what colors and types of stuff will work wonders for us, and just give us basic ideas on how to play with make up and have fun, she is so freakin' nice and friendly she makes me feel like she's been a best bud for about six years. (Don't ask me why I said six years...) Her smile is contagious, too! And it's beautifully white (which she shares how to get such a sparkly white set of teeth) which makes me want to read her blog even more!

So, check her out. I'm confident you'll become a follower, too. What gal doesn't want a make up mentor???

M.D. Update

Do you remember the Mother's Day stuff I made for mi mamasita? I was a bit curious if Mom would actually like my little handmade production. She can be quite a picky gal sometimes, and it doesn't help that she already owns everything under the sun. Gift giving to her can be a tricky thing...

The bottom line today is that I don't think she liked the stuff at all. The first clue was that she didn't tell me when she got the gift. By the end of Sunday I called to ask if she had received my package, even though I tracked it through the USPS and knew she got it a few days earlier. Her response? "Oh yes! Those were so cute! So cute! They are just too cute for me to use. I'm going to have to use them for something else."

Hmmmm....

I think I'll just stick with one of her favorite Origins products next time. I'm confident I'll get a better response.

LL Bean Tent

Friday afternoon our new tent from L.L.Bean arrived. We finally had some time to set it up in the backyard on Sunday afternoon to test it out. We love it and we can't wait for our summer camping trip at the end of next month. See the little screened in porch that it has? I think that is just so handy dandy! And, it is tall enough for all of us to stand up in. That's certainly a plus in my book. I'm not a fan of having to crawl around every time I need to get in and out of a tent.

One problem we had with our last tent was that it leaked really bad. This one is sealed at all the seams, and had a "footprint" tarp that is also sealed. It was pretty easy to set up with color coded loops and straps. We were impressed with all the detail the designers included. We'll give it an official Shorty Family Review after our trip, but if you are interested in more detail before then, click on the LLBean link and read the reviews posted on their site. They're pretty good!

A trip back in time...Chevy style!

Yesterday we went to Dallas for a Hot Rods & Heels show. We were invited to accompany a good friend of Hubby's and ride along in a 1953 Chevy Bel Air with a local car club. As we pulled out of the parking lot where the car club's "shop" was I looked out the back window. I felt like I was in a movie! It was such a cool feeling to see a line of classic cars behind us all ready to make the trip to Dallas. We stayed in a line as we cruised along the highways, turning heads the entire time. The show was ok, but riding in this car, and hanging out along side of the other cars in the club, was amazing. Hubby and I have the restoration itch... again!

Miele Vacuum

I know this is going to be kind of a nerdy post, but I'm excited about the subject matter so I just can't help myself! Yesterday, Hubby and I purchased a new vacuum cleaner! And, it wasn't the garden variety Hoover, I'm happy to report. It was this little German model... A Miele (pronounced meela).
Our previous vacuum, which honestly I can't remember exactly what brand it was since I've never liked it... some blue contraption we picked up at Lowe's a couple of years ago, died on us a couple of days ago. It kept making horrible noises that got louder and louder, and finally it decided to start smoking and melting. Well, that's a fire hazard! Machine must go into trash immediately and swiftly purchase new appliance!!!

This Miele has a seven year warranty that covers everything but the cord! Considering we've gone through two other vacuums in a five year time frame that warranty sounded great to us. As I tested it out last night when we got it home I quickly realized, tho, that vacuuming still isn't very fun and exciting. I'm happy that we'll have a more efficient tool to keep the house cleaner, but I'm still not a huge fan of chores. Ahh, the life of a commoner!

Happy Birthday to Hubby!

Today Hubby is the big three-o !!!

Welcome to the third decade, my love! Where things start to droop and spots start to emerge, more grays pop out on your head than you can count, and the creaks, pops and aches become a tad bit more familiar. But, it's all good! As the decade rolls on you'll become more wise and more mellow! And, being the competitive guy that I know you are, you'll try and beat out all of these 30-something-downward-spiral traits that I've listed. I expect nothing less!

Happy Birthday to you, my uber handsome, sexy stud of a man! I hope you have a wonderful day! (and, don't you dare touch those presents on the kitchen table... i'm not finished yet!)

I love you!

Weekend Recap

Happy Belated Mother's Day to everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful day of feeling honored and special. The guys at my house certainly made me feel good. They worked on making me a beautiful hanger for my apron collection in the kitchen, and one for our towels in the master bathroom. Plus, I now have fresh rosemary & basil growing in my kitchen windowsill along with a beautiful Christmas cactus that is blooming. I'll try to snap some pics tonight to share with you.

The quilting continued throughout the weekend. I quilted for about two hours straight while The Little Guy was at baseball practice and I was looking on from the car. It also gave me the opportunity to listen to NPR and catch some good radio shows, one of them being This American Life, which I love. Then I quilted a bit more when I got home that afternoon, but I took Sunday off. My hands are sore! I miss my little crochet projects and am ready to get back to one, but I'm determined to finish this quilt first!

Hubby and I ordered a new tent today from LL Bean that we're pretty excited about. We have a camping trip coming up next month with The Little Guy, and our leaky tent from Academy just won't cut it for a week long excursion. I can't wait to have it delivered. Perhaps we can give it a whirl in the backyard just to test it out!

I've created a monster!

I don't know what I was thinking when I started hand quilting this project, but my lovely quilt is turning into a monster. Since I'm quilting it by hand I was thinking that I didn't just want to quilt in the ditch (quilt along the seams of the strips of fabric), I wanted it to look more complicated than that.Complicated is exactly what I gave myself.

I'm going to have to quilt the other blocks a bit differently or I'll never finish! My instructor is waiting on me to finish this step so she can show me how to properly attach the binding.
(If you're reading this Ms. S, please know I haven't blown you off... I'm still trying to be a studious pupil. I guess I'm just not the sharpest pin in the cushion!)

I need a new plan!

This is just the first block out of nine, plus the border, that has to be quilted. I've easily spent five hours on this and these pictures show just how far I've gotten.

Not far enough...

You know what's kind of funny? When I first started seeing my stitches and the pattern that was forming I thought, oh look! it resembles a Van Gogh... the fields of wheat! I'm not still thinking that about my pattern. I'm just wishing I was stitching in the ditch. Kind of...

Book Order

Well, I broke down and ordered this book...

I've read about it on several different blogs in the past two months. I've been tempted to buy it each and every time. So, finally I did it!

I know, I know... I still have quilts to finish and a purse to make, right? Baby caps to crochet and amigurumi toys to make. But there are lots of quick and easy projects in this book that I can make and actually wear this summer! That's my rationale...

Feeling Friendly

Alicia at Murry Mayhem has greatly flattered me with a very sweet award... The Let's Be Friends Award. I must admit I've been eyeballing this award on other blogs for months and am so proud to have received my own. Alicia, thank you very much for thinking of me. You'll have to stop by her amazingly cute blog. It's one that I read all the time and truly enjoy.
This award stands for ...

These blogs are exceedingly charming.
These kind of bloggers aim to find and be friends.
They are not interested in self-aggrandizement.
Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated.
Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers.

I would like to pass on this award to Christina, Maggie, Kris, Trina, Kelly Kelly, Jennifer, The Kearns Cafe, and Milltini.

Crochet & Quilt Update

As the weekend is drawing to a close I wanted to share some updates with you. It's been a great weekend for us... The Little Guy turned 11 today! This morning began with frosting his cake, sharing a nice breakfast then opening his gifts and slicing into the delicious dessert. He asked for an almond cake, which is really a regular home-made white cake with white frosting, I just substitute almond extract for vanilla extract. I did this by mistake one year and it has become a favorite in my household. Give it a shot sometime...you just might like it as much as we do!I finished up the gift for my mom for Mother's Day. Tomorrow I can get it shipped to her. I made her card with a bit of stitching on my sewing machine, which is the first time I've tried this. I like how it came out. The other items are some crocheted face scrubbies and dish scrubbies. The green and white ones are 100% cotton yarn, while the solid green face scrubbie is made from acrylic yarn. I made some of these for myself, too, so I'm anxious to give them a whirl and see if they are good gentle exfoliaters. If I like how they've turned out this might just be what I start my etsy shop with.
And, last but not least, here is my finished quilt top. I've got it completely basted so I can start using my hoop to hand quilt it. I can't wait to finish this step so I can add the binding and be done! More to come...

Blog Award!

What a great start to a Friday! Karen at A Peek at Karen's World bestowed upon me a most wondrous gift... The Adorable Blog Award. Thank you, Karen! I must admit that receiving a blog award makes me feel warm and fuzzy! Check out Karen's site for her great posts and funny commentary.

The rules for this award are:

* Include the award logo in your blog or post.
* Nominate as many blogs which you like.
* Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
* Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
* Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

I'm sharing this award with the following bloggers (links to them are in my sidebar, please check them out) whose sites bring me tons of joy and creative inspiration every week:

* Belle at Belle & Burger
* Angry Chicken
* Allsorts
* Cinderberry Stitches
* Little Birdie Secrets
* Maya*made
* Old Red Barn
* Simple Beans
* Tizzalicious Crafts & Cuteness

Thanks again to Karen for the wonderful acknowledgment! You made me smile so big today!

I'll be back with a quilt update this weekend and share some crochet stuff I've been working on. Hope you all have a wonderful Friday and fantastic weekend!