Ringing in the New Year...

My house is empty once again and the holidays are almost past.  My husband and I will be celebrating New Year's Eve with a night on the town that involves shopping, dinner and a movie.  I get to go to the fabric store andy he gets to go to his favorite store - Lowe's!  Then, it's off to Longhorn Steakhouse and "True Grit" at the theatre...can't wait!!

Since finishing up all my holiday sewing orders, I've been itching to get back into some quilting and sewing to re-stock my etsy shop.

I have so many fabrics in my stash so I am really trying hard to resist the constant flow of emails advertising year end fabric clearance sales, and it is tough!

I've got a new patchwork quillow finished

A couple of new buttercup bags

and plenty of cute aprons

It's so nice to just shoot from the hip and make whatever I feel like making each day!!!

I only wish it would last, but as I've mentioned before, it's time to get back on the house project so we can close this puppy and get rid of it!!

We've been working on the tile floors

and installing cabinets

Here's hoping each and every one of you has a safe and happy new year's celebration!  Looking forward to lots of bloggy inspiration in 2011!
 

Flat on my back

I seem to have pushed myself a bit too far over the past few days.  Between hunching over my sewing machine and cutting table and then spending most of yesterday helping my husband up at the house project, I pulled a muscle in my lower back and now I'm stuck - flat on my back trying to heal somewhat before tomorrow.  I've got a lot of cooking to do tomorrow so I need to get better!  I also got an email from our oldest daughter yesterday asking for prayer as she has been very sick since 4:30 AM yesterday (the yukky stuff).  And my mom arrived yesterday with a chest cold, congestion and laryingitis.....looks like we'll probably be having a "sick" Christmas this year.

But, that's OK, because some people have it worse this year....think of those people in California that have a house full of mud!  Sometimes all it takes for me to get my priorities straight and realize how blessed I am, despite uncomfortable circumstances, is to be made aware of others who are really experiencing some tough times.

So, here I lay, with my mother and dear little brother, Frankie, next to me in my bed, watching a cooking show on PBS...it's not often I get to just do nothing, so I guess I can deal with it!

So, did you guess what I made for myself?

I think Pokey got it right when she guessed a robe!

It is so soft and so warm I hate taking it off!  I chose a light gray color since my last one was dark blue and it showed every one of the gray hairs I shed on a regular basis - this one will hide those hairs better!

Passing on a little Christmas cheer, here's a cute video...don't think Frankie would sit still thru this!

 

Something for me...

So, I have finally (holding breath) finished all my orders and shipped them off for the holiday.  It's time to make something for myself.  I consider this my Christmas present to myself.

Can you guess what it is??

 

Meanwhile, I've been admiring these lovely bolts of fabric that arrived in the mail last week. 

 Dying to play with them and dreaming up what to make first! 

Here's wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!God bless you!!  

 

Sewing Challenge

I've been trying to finish sewing up all my custom orders so I can tackle all my gift sewing, but every time I think I'm done, and I breathe a sigh of relief, another order comes down the pipe and, naturally, it is something I still have to make!  So glad I finally set a deadline for custom orders so that when another rolled in today I was able to 'just say no' to frantically throwing something together just to get it in the mail to please another customer.  Some things are just more important than business or income.

 

My niece is into cheerleading right now, as is typical for most 9-year-old girls, so, I thought, perhaps I can make her a cute little cheerleader outfit for Christmas.  She likes to dress up and she often has a girlfriend over so bravely I decided to make TWO outfits!

 

 

The hardest part was finding the right fabric in colors she would like.  I wanted something thicker than broadcloth and the typical fabrics used in cheerleading outfiits come in atrocious colors so I settled for some heavyweight cotton woven fabric, hoping my choices were somewhat fun colors.

 

 

This was really a challenge for me as I don't think I've ever made a more complicated skirt - it has pleats, a yoke and a zipper, not to mention the yards and yards of bias tape for the trimming.

 

 

I started them yesterday and just now finished.  Once I finished the first one, it was hard to go back and do the next one because by then I was tired of cheerleading outfits!!!!  I think the black one picked up every bit of lint, fuzz and dust in my sewing room!

 

 

I really hope she likes them.

 

They were fun to make but I don't think I'll be making any more of these for a long time....anyone want a used cheerleading outfit pattern???  :)

 

 

Destruction and Anticipation

Yesterday I had the chance to break away from my sewing machines and head to my beloved Wal-mart to collect some ingredients and goodies for our upcoming Christmas cookie baking day this coming Saturday.  Hard to believe it was my husband's idea that we spend the day together in our 'one-butt-kitchen' (actually it's about a one-and-a-half-butt kitchen) baking tons of Christmas cookies to give away to friends and family.

 

Ain't he cute with his little cream soda?

(p.s.  don't you DARE tell him I posted his pic on the internet -

our cookie baking adventure will be OVER in a heartbeat!)

It was really nice since it was a cold day, although the sun was shining (it's hard to have Christmas spirit when it's 80° in December here in the South) and I was listening to my local Christian radio station playing Christmas music while I drove back home with my 'booty'!  (I got fabric, too!)

 

I pulled into the garage (for some reason the driveway in front of the garage doors was extremely wet - lots of puddles although we haven't had any rain) and what to my wondering eyes should appear than this:

 

Water was pouring from the ceiling where a water pipe had frozen and broke.

It brought down the sheetrock and the insulation on top of that

Making a complete mess of the work area

We were storing brand new cabinets here for the house project uptown and PRAISE GOD they were salvaged!!!

ugh!

Luckily, if I had NOT gone shopping yesterday and come back when I did, the damage would have been greater because I would be in the house and the hubby at the jobsite and no one would have gone into the garage to notice this was going on....the water would have run all day!

Uncle Harold (remember "Jorge"?) and Bill jumped on the job and had it cleaned up in a matter of hours.  The insurance adjuster is coming today to assess the damages.

And onto brighter things.....here's what I have to look forward to this coming Saturday!

 

Most of you have probably seen this but I just have to re-post it - some rules to follow when you are baking Christmas cookies!

 

Christmas Cookie Rules

1. If you eat a Christmas cookie fresh from the oven, it has no calories because everyone knows that the first cookie is the Test Cookie and thus calorie free.

2. If you drink a diet soda after eating your second cookie, it also has no calories because the diet soda cancels out the cookie calories.

3. If a friend comes over while you're making your Christmas cookies and needs to sample, you must sample with your friend. Because your friend's first cookie is calories free, Rule No. 1 means that yours is too. It would be rude to let your friend sample alone and being the friend that you are, that makes your cookie calorie free.

4. Any cookie calories consumed while walking around will fall to your feet and eventually fall off as you move. This is due to gravity and the density of the caloric mass.

5. Any calories consumed during the frosting of the Christmas cookies will be used up because it takes many calories to lick excess frosting from a knife without cutting your tongue.

6. Cookies colored red or green have very few calories. Red ones have three and green ones have five - one calorie for each letter. Make more red ones!

7. Cookies eaten while watching "Miracle on 34th Street", "It's a Wonderful Life" and "A Christmas Story" have no calories because they are part of the entertainment package and not part of one's personal fuel.

8. As always, cookie pieces contain no calories because the process of breaking the cookie causes calorie leakage.

9. Any cookies consumed from someone else's plate have no calories since the calories rightfully belong to the other person and will cling to their plate. We all know how calories like to cling!

10. Any cookies consumed while feeling stressed have no calories because cookies used for medicinal purposes never have calories. It's the rule!

 

Shop Sale!

Hello blogland!!!

 

 

Just wanted to let you know that I'm offering a special sale to all my Life in Bonetown followers!

 

 

10% off your entire order from my Quillow Shop - ANY and ALL items!

 

This offer good thru Wednesday, December 15th! 

 

Quillows that are already made are marked "READY TO SHIP" and offered at an additional discounted price!!!  You'll get 10% off that, too!

 

Guaranteed delivery by Christmas!!

 

Bill's even offering his marshmallow shooters at this discounted price, too!

Shooters are $5 each and his custom design holsters are an additional $2 each....comes with starter pack of ammunition!  This is a great stocking stuffer and something fun for EVERYONE to play with on Christmas morning!

Just let me know what you're interested in and we can set up an order for you right away!!!

Sunday Funnies

We have a little game we play occasionally with the Sunday comics.  It's called "you're in the funny papers today."

 

So, my husband comes to me today and says the required phrase: "you're in the funny papers today."  Now, you're not supposed to tell that person exactly which comic they are portrayed in - it's their part of the game to find themselves amongst the colorful boxes.

 

This time it was easy to find as I was on the front page.

 

 

Remember my post the other day about the box of candy?

 

Well, just yesterday, we were finishing up that box (yep - we ate it all in a matter of about 2 or 3 days) and I had sequestered all his candies to the top layer and placed the ones I wanted on the bottom layer.  I was sure he had eaten all his by now and what was left would be mine....so, I bit into one and, lo and behold, it was raspberry - blech!!!  I tossed the half eaten piece back into the box right beside a caramel (obvious because of their square shape - can't eat those because of my teeth) and shoved the box at him to finish.  Undoubtedly he had eaten my pieces first!!

 

So, am I having a Charlie Brown Christmas this year or what!!?

 

 

 

 

I had no idea....

...that Rite Aid sells Charlie Brown Christmas Trees.

 

 

 

Unbelievable.

People pay good money for this???  $9.99.....on SALE!

Unbelievably RIDICULOUS!!

 

I suppose I'm the last to know about this...you're probably all saying, "yeah, we knew that...where ya been?"

 

AAAAAUUUUUUGGGHHH (in my best Charlie Brown voice)

 

Okay, okay....so maybe it can be useful to prompt us all to thinking more about the true meaning of Christmas instead of all the materialism and such, but, really....c'mon....and we're in a recession??

Guess I need to watch Charlie Brown Christmas again....sigh.

 

 

Sharing - redefined

My husband did a small home repair job for an older couple in our neighborhood, and as a treat they sent him home with this little box of chocolates.

 

 

I love chocolate.  Love, love, LOVE it!!!

 

Immediately I snagged the box and hid it, because if I allowed my husband to open it, he'd probably eat 90% of them in just one day.  I, on the other hand, know how to pace myself and savor each piece, making this little box last a couple of weeks.

 

Eventually I felt guilty for hoarding the entire box so I brought it out and decided to share.

I did lay down the law for him, though....

 

 

Now, I just hope he OBEYS!!  :)

 

 

I can see the light....

...at the end of the quillow tunnel, that is.

 

This stack of quillows is ready to be pinned and tied.

 

 

It's quite an interesting combination of themes and fabrics...I got pretty mixed up at one point and almost sewed the Longhorns pillow pocket onto the Bengals quilt!

 

 

 

I hope to pin them today and spend tomorrow tying them while watching movies!!  :)

 

Although, I really wish I could drag my feet on this, because once I am done (I currently don't have any more orders at this time) I have to suit up and head to this place to help my husband tackle the flooring, cabinets, painting, etc....

 

 

ugh....

 

 

Well, I still have some sewing to do for Christmas gifts and such so perhaps I'll be able to steal away for a day or so!