Sunday, April 25, 2010

Mother's Day Special

Mother's Day is only 2 weeks away!  Have you found a special gift for your mother or that wonderful woman in your life?...or, maybe you just need to treat yourself to something in honor of Mother's Day!!!

Perhaps I can help....I'm offering a 20% off sale in my Etsy shop through April 30th, 2010!

Yup - you heard me!  20% off EVERYTHING!!  Just mention my blog in your final purchase notes to receive the discount!

How about an apron...

or, even a quilt for Mom?

Perhaps you know a new mom....how about some sweet baby clothes?

Pocketbooks are nice gifts, too!

So, if you've seen something you like in the shop or on a previous post, just take 20% off!  Refunds given via paypal once final purchase is complete.  Click here to visit my shop!

Playing in the Dirt and Making Pinwheels


Yep - I finally got the chance made time to get out in my garden!!


It didn't take too long to pull all the weeds and break up the surface as we've had some rain recently.


Then I spread those 6 bags of manure around and Bill came outside to help a bit.  By lunchtime, I had my jalapeno plant and 9 banana pepper plants stuck in the ground!!


I even found a nice little toad house!


I've set my tomato seedlings outside to start acclimating them for the transition and in several days I'll probably put them in the garden.  I'll have 10 big tomato plants and 10 Roma tomato plants.


The bell pepper plants are still too small, I think, so they'll stay on the laundry room windowsill for a while longer.


But the best news of the day was this discovery.

I've had this hydrangea plant for at least 10 years now and it has NEVER bloomed.


Upon close examination this afternoon, it has buds on every tip!!!!  I was truly beside myself with joy!!!


I also caught up on my Pinwheel Party that Anina with Twiddletails is so generously hosting!  Naturally, I plan on configuring my blocks into a quillow.


So, all in all, it's been a great day today!

Back to plumbing tomorrow.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Sixth Picture Posted Game

My Blogger friend Trish over at Homemade Quilts by Granny invited me to participate in an interesting little bit of blogging fun. The task is to go back in time and select the sixth ever photo published in my blog, and then “re-purpose it”, i.e. bring it current, bring it forward with perhaps a little splash of new ideas…

Hmmm....this could definitely be a challenge!   Let's see....I just now realized from "digging back" in past posts, that I started blogging in September 2009...for some reason I thought it was June, but stand sit corrected.

Okay - here it is!



Egads!  How boring!!!!  I wanted so badly to cheat and pick something else, but that wouldn't be fair, now would it!  :)

Anyway, this is a picture of a dress in the making - for myself!!!!  I wanted something new to wear to a wedding last July.

Little did I know that these were the colors of the bridal party!  My son was in the wedding and I had my picture taken with him....we match!!!!!


I haven't worn the dress since - it just didn't fit comfortably and I had to suck my poochy belly in the whole time!

But, I am glad I got this wonderful picture of my handsome boy!!  Isn't he gorgeous!!!!???

Now the rest of the game involves inviting 10 of my blogging buddies to participate.
This is simply an invite and although I'd love for you to play along so I can see what your 6th photo ever posted turns out to be, I will understand if you would prefer to 'pass' or have already received an invite!

  1. Red Shoes for Rwanda
  2. ...i have to say
  3. Jane's Fabrics and Quilts
  4. Sew Many Ways
  5. Cutie Pinwheel
  6. Sunshine Yellow
  7. Welcome to my World
  8. a little bit of everything
  9. Pokeydot Quilting
  10. Karen's Crafty World

Happy Hump Day!

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Weekend Joys

Wow!  It's simply a beautiful Sunday morning!
The weather is just right so we can sleep with our bedroom windows open, tucked under our quilt with the cool breezes flowing through the room.  Ahhhhhh!  I love Spring!

Woke up this morning to my roses blooming at the front porch!  I'm surprised they look so good because I am terrible at pruning and cultivating them.  I did spray some bug repellent on them about a week ago becuase the aphids were settling in for a nice big meal on all the buds, and luckily, that nipped it in the bud! (ha ha)

I wish I had more time to play in my gardens.  My tomato and pepper seedlings are coming along nicely.

The pepper plants came up much later than the tomatoes

I've bought some manure/organic humus to turn into the bed out back and need to find time to at least get that area ready for transplant.  Bill was a little surprised when I announced to him last week that I had six bags of poop in the back of my car and would he kindly remove them for me!  :)  I know, I'm gross!


We had a heart-to-heart about the construction project on Friday and he's really feeling some anxiety about getting it done in the time allotted.  He has taught me plumbing and electrical and I really need to make time to be there helping him with these items as much as possible.  So, I'm definitely going to have to shelve the sewing for several weeks.  Plumbing and electrical are not too hard - at least compared to framing, which we just finished.  So, I am thankful for that and will try again to maintain a positive attitude.

We had a wonderful time at a craft show yesterday.  It was a rather small show and we've been there for 3 years in a row, but I think this was one of the slowest years.  No one seemed to be buying anything from anyone.  It's always held around the second weekend of April, which is right after tax day, and I realized yesterday that perhaps that is why it is always a 'slow' show....folks just had to send off their tax payments!!!

But, despite the lack of sales, we had a wonderful time!  We always do!  The mood always starts out soggy as we have to get up pretty early after grudgingly loading the truck the night before.  But, by the time we get our booth set up and settle into meeting our fellow vendors, the fun begins!  It was a sunny day, and not too hot but we both got nice farmer's tans!

They had carriage rides this year and as soon as Bill saw the horse and groomsman arrive, he was reminded of the Seinfeld episode where Kramer takes on a job as a groomsman, carting people around New York City in his horse and carriage.  Bill jokingly wondered if this groomsman had fed his horse Beef-a-rinos or if the horse's name was Rusty.  Before I knew it, he had stood up and walked over to him and did just that!!! He has no shame and no concept of embarrassment!!!  What a hoot!

Nope - the man had never seen that episode, but they did get a chuckle out of it!

The horse was gorgeous, though.  I think someone said it was a Belgian Drafthorse.

It's always fun to watch Bill interact with people at craft shows - especially the children.  He has a little finger puppet that he plays with and people (children AND adults) often think it is real!


This little girl was so sweet and she loved petting the little bear!  She couldn't decide if it was real, though.


He also had fun playing hand games with the children while they waited for a ride on the train.




This little fellow was sporting an antique buggy.  His grandfather found it in an old barn and restored it for him....original color, too!  I got him to pose for me, although we couldn't get him to wave.


So today, since I won't be able to do much sewing this weekend, I thought I might make myself something out of one of these charm packs I bought recently....but which one????  Any votes??


Frankie let his choice be known quickly.


Confirming his decision by sitting on it


Or was he just vying for my affections?


I think so!


Have a great Sunday afternoon!!


Friday, April 16, 2010

Apron Fever?

I've had a bit of apron fever lately

....can't seem to stop making aprons or wanting to make aprons or even putting together color and pattern combinations for aprons out of my stash.

Yes.  You heard me - Stash!  I haven't bought new fabric in a few weeks and I'm trying to pull as much as possible from my stash.

Speaking of stash, I re-organized my fabric closets once again yesterday.
The OLD arrangement

I don't know why I didn't think of this before, but I was sick and tired of finding the bolt I wanted at the bottom of the stack or in the stack behind the stack in front.  Actually I was cutting fabric for a customer and wishing I had a shop to sell my fabric out of, when it hit me - why don't I just stack my fabric like they do in the fabric shops - on end!!!  DUH!!
New, improved arrangement!

So, now it is much easier to select a bolt!
I've still got to do my other closets, though...not to mention the stacks of tumbling scraps and pieces....a never ending chore!


Anyway, back to the aprons.....

I've gone crazy and I believe I have 19 aprons for sale in my Etsy shop!!!  Yesterday it was 20 but a customer purchased a lovely yellow and gray one for her mother - in Tokyo!!!

Maybe it's not apron fever and I'm just getting ready for Mother's Day!!!  Yeah - that's it!  It is only 3 weeks away, you know!

Take a peek and see if you like something!

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