Loving our life!

a year of ufo's....

2012-01-08T22:41:00.000-05:00

I have decided that 2012 will be a year of ufo completion and projects that i already have the fabric for. stay tuned for pictures soon!,

Kyle's 10th Birthday!

2011-11-26T23:25:00.000-05:00

Kyle hit double digits this year!!!
He wanted to have his bday party at Skateworld!
On his actual birthday day we gave him the gifts from us :)

Then he had LOTS of friends and family at his bday party that Saturday!


Sissy licking the frosting! LOL!!

At the end of the night when everyone was out there in socks, Abuela decided to get her groove on! ;)

LOL! She ROCKS!!!!

Thanksgiving!

2011-11-26T22:36:00.000-05:00

What a wonderful Thanksgiving Day! Although I am never one to wait until Thanksgiving to be thankful, I was especially focused on being thankful today!

We were planning on heading to Vero Beach for Thanksgiving, but with Jimmy living here now, we wanted him to be a part of our day. So we stayed home and I cooked! Chris and his children also spent Thanksgiving day with us!

The menu was:
Turkey (of course)
stuffing~which I FORGOT to make!!!!
mashed potatoes with gravy from the turkey drippings
green bean casserole
corn
potato salad
sweet potato casserole
biscuits
pecan pie
pumpkin pie
apple crisp pie
banana pudding

We had a wonderfully relaxed day! I made the potato salad and pies the day before and cooked the turkey, mashed potatoes, corn and casseroles Thanksgiving day. The hilarious thing is that I forgot to bring out the potato salad until dessert time!!! Oh well! We ate lots of food and had a good time.
Afterwards we watched Miami play football.....and lose. lol.
I don't have any pictures! I was so busy enjoying the day that I never got my camera out!!

Halloween!

2011-11-15T10:04:00.000-05:00

We had a fun time this year for Halloween! Kyle wanted to be a NINJA...........Stephen decided he would be Kyle's side-kick And Alyssa was a pirate! It was a lot of fun!
Here are some pictures that I took...but you can see more over at my BFF's blog.

It's been 3 months since I last blogged!

2011-11-15T09:51:00.000-05:00

Wow! I have really missed it too.
I am just going to do what I always do when it's been a while since I last blogged. I'm gonna just jump right in at where I am at...

I finished my International Round Robin! It took almost a year for it to makes it's rounds but I am SO pleased with how my top turned out! Not only did the others love the borders I added to theirs but I LOVE LOVE LOVE mine!

Here it is! Isn't it great? It's not actually bubbly, that's just the way we have it laying. Everyone around the world did such a wonderful job!! I am so thrilled with it! It's a queen size, so it will go on my bed. I am thinking of having it professionally quilted.

Here is the quilt that I put the final border on and sent it home to its owner in Australia:


The border that I added to this quilt consisted of the skinny border under the diamonds, the diamond border (which was paper-pieced!) and then the wider, outer border to finish it off!

I have also been working on my postage stamp quilt! I am using a quarter in these two pictures to show you a reference to size. I cut them into 2" squares before sewing them together.


I am just about finished with this quilt top. Once I sew all of the blocks together that I have finished, I will have a nice-sized utility quilt.

Isn't she just darling? (I had to throw a pic of Patches in here) :)

Ronnie finally got my rod hung so that I can hang my quilts in the living room!!!

Here are some paper-pieced hearts I made for a Valentine's Day swap! I made six of them and I will send them in (to a lady in RENO, believe it or not!) and get 6 different blocks back.

For the first time ever, I dropped off a quilt top at a long-arm quilter to have it professionally quilted!! The quilt top that has the INSANELY tiny paper-pieced center that my dear friend Fran gave to me. I am having a medium sized design done on it, edge to edge of woodsy leaves. Here is a pic of the center that I sent off:

And here is the finished top, after several ladies added borders!

It will be about 4 weeks until it's finished at the long-arm quilters. I can't wait to see it!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

2011-08-05T22:54:00.000-04:00

FOR TODAY: Friday, August 5th 2011.

Outside my window...it's dark but we had LOTS of lightening earlier and a friend of mine told me her kids saw a tornado on Lake Eustis during those storms! whoa!!

I am thinking...that I want to make my Doll Quilt partner a different doll quilt. I'm not pleased with the HST one.

I am thankful...that God really is in control!

From the learning rooms...a few more weeks til school starts. Kyle is already asking for Math and Reading and Science...geesh...we'll start the day after Labor day as normal and of course...the first day of school is always a field trip!

In the kitchen...I made lasagna for dinner but we didn't eat it! About ten mins after I put it in Ronnie said "let's order pizza, I'm starving!" So we did...and we now have a cooked lasagna in the fridge to heat up for lunch tomorrow ;)

I am wearing...pj's! (I never really have to change this one, lol)

I am creating...a new doll quilt bc I don't like the one I made. I want to do a barn bc my partner this month likes farming. If it goes well and isn't too difficult I will throw together 6 more blocks of the barn and add them to the funky farm swap. I am thinking of finishing the quilting on the quilt I made earlier in the year for Grandma Ruth-John's Mom. (It was the pink and green one). I've quilted ALL of the pieced blocks but want to do some fancy stencil quilting in the solid squares.

I am going...nowhere tomorrow! It was supposed to be beach day but bc of the tropical storm, we had to cancel. Ronnie rented a Bobcat and we'll be doing the backyard tomorrow.

I am wondering...If I should sew tonight or just go to bed. I'm actually tired!

I am reading...I am onto story 2 in "The Knitting Diaries"by Debbie Macomber), "A Turn in the Road" also by Debbie Macomber and Lysa Terkeurst's "What Happens When Women Say Yes to God".

I am hoping...that Ronnie can get everything done tomorrow in the limited time he has :/

I am looking forward to...having the empty side of the pond filled in although Kyle and his buddies strongly disagree-that is their play/fort area ;)

I am hearing...Kyle and his friend (who is staying the night) exclaiming about some part of "Pirates of the Caribbean"...cute :)

Around the house...clearing and leveling the back yard and installing a sprinkler system. We also mulched the front beds and plan on trimming hedges this weekend!

I am pondering...whether I should go to bed after I type this...or if I should see if I can get into sewing.

One of my favorite things...My new rose bush. I am not typically a rose-y person I like wild flowers and gardenias and daisies and jasmine...but I LOVE my new rose bush!

A few plans for the rest of the week: Kyle and Ashton want to do laser tag...we'll see. If not then roller skating for them again for sure-they love it! Night 2 of Beach Bash is Wed pm. I have a chiro appt mon, wed and fri ;( and I am sure we'll end up at the movies or something friday night....maybe Fun SPot in Orlando.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...the barn I am wanting to make.

Sewing Up a Storm!

2011-08-01T23:45:00.000-04:00

I have had SEW much sewing time lately!! I am LOVING it!

I finished my funky farm blocks:

I also started ONE pig block to go along with the funky blocks I receive:

I have this to add still:

I also finished adding the border to the Round Robin that I'll be sending off to Australia:

I finished my Doll Quilt for the August swap! I did a traditionally pieced top this time.

I did add an appliqued flower to the backing because it needed a little something.

A couple of CUTIE PATOOTIE pics of Jacob and Jasmine (my BFF's cat that we are cat-sitting)

Jasmine

Jacob

SO CUTE!!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

2011-07-29T22:55:00.000-04:00

I'm almost missed it again this week!

FOR TODAY: Friday, July 29th 2011.

Outside my window...it's dark-almost 11pm (EST)

I am thinking...that I want to get a lot of sewing done tonight

I am thankful...for my Pastor and his wife, Candy-who are on vacation as of today!! ENJOY!!

From the learning rooms...Kyle is already missing school..I AM NOT! lol. He was asking if we could start math and reading ;) (I said "no")

In the kitchen...too hot for anything in the kitchen!

I am wearing...pj's!

I am creating...almost done, just have to sew on one last side for one of the Int'l Round Robin due out. Then I need to work on the next one that is due out August 15th! I am also making "funky farm" blocks for a swap, Fun and whimsical Holiday blocks for December, and a doll quilt for the August swap.

I am going...to sew all night tonight and sleep til noon tomorrow!

I am wondering...how much the Bobcat rental is going to be

I am reading..."The Knitting Diaries", "Small Town Christmas" (both by Debbie Macomber), "Sister's Choice", by Emilie Richards and "The Bible Jesus Read", by Philip Yancey

I am hoping...that we can do the beach theme skit at church Sunday, hee hee ;) "Righteous, dude".

I am looking forward to...sewing all night

I am hearing...blissful quiet

Around the house...re-arrange a tad, new fridge (LOVE the filtered water from it!), getting ready to take a Bobcat to part of the backyard and then fill in one side of the pond! New rose bush in the front! SO pretty!!

I am pondering...whether or not I can accomplish 6 funky sheep blocks in the next few days

One of my favorite things...the water from my fridge :) seriously.

A few plans for the rest of the week: hmmm...we went to the movies tonight to see the premier of SMURFS! Tomorrow we are going to pick up Kyle's bedroom furniture, Sunday is church, Monday I have a chiro appointment, Wednesday is church, next Saturday we are taking the church kids to the beach!! :)

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...ribbon, I love ribbon! Doesn't this picture just scream possibilities to you? Share them with me! please? ;)

Amazing Women Conference-July 2011

2011-07-29T22:39:00.000-04:00

So we went and stayed at the Altamonte Springs Hilton for the July "Amazing Women" conference (Angela Courte hosts these). It was a FUN time!
Myself, Val, my Mom and my friend Beth all went!! We were able to split the room FOUR ways! Combine that with the great discount that Angela was able to get....$21 per person to stay at the Hilton and attend the FREE women's conference! Yea!
The speaker Friday night was Cheryl Grayson and she was just SO anointed. Saturday was the main conference though and it was also very good. I look forward to going again in August!
Here are some pics!!

Val Russo

my Mom-Cheryl Chambers


Beth Cates

Bedtime!!

My mom HAD to have her bear, lol.

My son woke up (at home with Daddy at 6am Saturday morning throwing up and running a fever :((( Here is what I came home to:

My poor sweet angel.

Quilt Kit, luggage tag & more!

2011-07-29T13:59:00.000-04:00

As promised, here is the finished picture of the luggage tag I made--I decided to give it to sissy bc she REALLY wanted one after seeing Lisa's and there was not enough time before they left for Italy for Lisa to make her one.

Isn't she beautiful! ;)

This was right before Lisa and the kids left--we spent one last night sewing together!

I miss her so much already!!

Here is a quilt she is making for her brother, John who is in Afghanistan right now in the Air Force.

Very simple bc it either won't come back with him or it'll be in rags by the time it does.

On a happier note, did I show you all this yet?? I FELL in love and HAD to have this fleece fabric!!

Isn't it DARLING!?!?!?

Here is the kit that I bought a few months ago but have had packed away....

The applique patterns are already blown up to full-size templates! YAY!!
Here's a closer look at the fabrics-I LOVE them!

Fabulous!

Sewing/Quilting Progress Post!

2011-07-28T09:00:00.001-04:00

SO I got 3 of the sides made for this round robin and used 3 yards (!) of fabric making them! I ran out of fabric! I couldn't find the blue and was going all over the store, near panic when I finally looked (as a LAST resort) in the "red tag" fabric-sure enough it had been moved there! YAY!! $4/yard for the same fabric I had just paid $9.99 a yard for a week and a half earlier!
So here is the RR with three sides attached-I have the fourth done but haven't put it on yet.

I had to do solid squares in the corners bc I could NOT get the "ribbon" pattern to flow right and Lisa isn't here to help so I got frustrated and did solids..I am happy with it though :)

On the quilting board they are doing a "Funky Farm" swap! I really want in on this but there is only like 2 weeks to make the blocks! I tried out ONE fun sheep that I found, to gauge if I thought I could accomplish a set in the given time with my other commitments. (A set is 6 blocks).

Isn't he DARLING?!! I decided I could NOT do a set in the time allotted but posted the pic on the board to share anyways and they are all wanting me to join in! So---SIGH--I cut two more out and we'll see if I can get 6 done.

And here is a pic of the progress that Jacob (my cat) and Jasmine (my BFF's cat whom I am cat-sitting for a few months) are getting along!

This pic is a tad deceiving though bc right after I took this they got annoyed with each other. lol.

What's new!

2011-07-27T22:24:00.000-04:00

Lots has happened since my last post!! We had vacation bible school last week!! Pandamania was the theme!
Here are a few pics from that!

It was such an amazing experience. We had anywhere from 61-81 kids every one of the 5 nights!!
And 12 children gave their heart to the Lord for the very first time! Heaven was rejoicing!

I've also been working on the International Round Robin--here is the center I received:

I decided to do a "rick-rack" type border-here's some of the border pieces:

of course, we are only looking at the border pieces, the applique blocks are irrelevant, just happen to be on the design wall.
Here is my thought for attaching them-not sure on the 4 corners how that will work though........hmmmmmm

And I got new curtains in the living room & bedroom! Aren't they cute?!?

They are blue, green and cream plaid--I LOVE THEM!

These are cream with pink and green stripes!!

And I finally got the Family quilt hung that was a gift to me a few years ago-it's really cute, you slide pictures in the plastic slots!! Don't mind Ronnie's guitars in the way :)

I have Lisa's cat in my home while she is away! Here's a pic of Jasmine! She is a QUEEN in EVERY sense of the word! :)

Ta da! Talk with you soon!

Get Ready for the 2011 Pets On Quilts Show!!!

2011-07-19T11:37:00.000-04:00

I LOVE looking at all the entries that come in for this....so start snapping photos to get ther PERFECT one!

Mini wallet & luggage tag!!

2011-07-11T18:19:00.001-04:00

My bestie and I sewed until almost 3am last night!! (well, this morning, I should say). She is traveling to Italy over the summer and wanted a small lil wallet to take just her bare necessities in.
We tried a new pattern and here's my wallet. THIS is where we found the mini wallet tutorial!
Front:

The front has two pockets...the main inside of the wallet, which is where you would put $, etc.:

And the front slidey in thingy-I put a yellow card in there to show it, but it's where you would put your id or credit card, etc.:

Here's the back view:

Which also has a slidy thingy....

that's the back "pocket"/slidy thing opened. you could fit some folded cash in there but I put my license there.

This was our first one of this pattern and Lisa didn't work all the bugs out like she normally does before I try to make anything with a pattern...so...it's def NOT perfect...BUT...I have THREE more cut and ready to go!
Isn't it cute though!??!

We also made luggage tags...mine is not finished. Lisa's is done and it is SO ADORABLE! Here's mine...in progress. I just have to sew down the clear plastic with a cutesy ribbon ;) I'll post a finished pic once it's done!

You can see Lisa's finished luggage tag on her blog. It's SO cute!

And.....Lisa finished my Doll Quilt!! She purposely made it to match the 30's quilt I'm making!!! :o)
Front:

Back:

Here's the quilt I am making with the same fabrics:

I LOVE my doll quilt! Isn't it cute!

(I think Jacob approves too) ;)

The Simple Woman's Daybook

2011-07-08T11:51:00.001-04:00

I'm back at it! I have REALLY missed doing these posts!

FOR TODAY: Friday, July 8th 2011.

Outside my window...thick cloud covering

I am thinking...that I want this horrific headache to go away!!

I am thankful...for my husband and all he does for us.

From the learning rooms...Summer BREAK!

In the kitchen...too hot for anything in the kitchen!

I am wearing...pj's!

I am creating...not much creating lately, but lots of thinking about creating ;) I do need to get going on 2 round robins I have sitting here. I am also going to be starting a new quilt soon. And...I am ready to make another applique block!

I am going...to a meeting at church tonight for the tweens and teens.

I am wondering...if I will get the three more volunteers I need for VBS!

I am reading...The Cat Who Turned On & Off, The Bible Jesus Read and Serendipity

I am hoping...that we have lots of kids again this Sunday!

I am looking forward to...Ronnie being home the next two days-he wasn't off Thursday this week :(

I am hearing...Yiruma

Around the house...nothing much happening. We'll be closing on the house within the next month!

I am pondering...it's hard to ponder with this headache :(

One of my favorite things...my new quilty space!

A few plans for the rest of the week: roller-skating (I'll be watching), movies, church

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...totally content ;)

4th of July Weekend!!

2011-07-06T16:30:00.001-04:00

Saturday Dad came over to hang out with us...his other half was away in Miami...

The boys were SO wonderfully helpful since my back was out!

Then...........we watched the RACE!!

It was a nice, relaxing time!

On Sunday my children at church started the service by reading the preamble to the Constitution, stating that while we are the "land of the free" TRUE freedom comes from knowing Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, and singing "In God We Still Trust". IT WAS WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here are a few pics :)

They did SOOOOOOOOOOOO awesome! I'm so proud of them all!!

Monday, THE FOURTH OF JULY, we had Chris & Doreen over for a BBQ and to play in the pool.

She worked ALL day at making that "mud water"! lol.

And then we went downtown to watch the fireworks! We had a FABULOUS weekend!

New Quilt Project!!

2011-07-06T14:30:00.000-04:00

Don't you just LOVE starting a new quilt project?!?! I think that is why us quilters have SO many UFO's! We love the idea of a new quilt project!
Here is the quilt I will be starting soon.

I have already chosen all my fabrics for the top! Here they are!

Here's my Jacob...isn't he just the cutest!??!

I just saw this pic from when he was a kitten! SO DARNED ADORABLE!!!

My Quilty Space!

2011-07-06T00:11:00.000-04:00

So because the master bedroom is the warmest room in the evening, my hubby decided he wanted to swap my sewing room and the master bedroom! Isn't that GREAT!!!!!??!!!!!!!??!!!!
So...I FINALLY have enough room to actually be creatively functional! :o) SO THRILLED!

Here's my "new" quilty space!
This is my "main" sewing station.

My secondary sewing station-although it is cluttered up at the moment :)

The closet and one of the fabric dressers.........

This picture is special to me because my Ahma's best friend, Betty made it for her. She drew it and everything!

Here's the messy inside of the closet-but it's coming along! At least I can shut the door!! :)

I love having my full desk and computer in here!! I have LOUD speakers for my audio books or music and I can browse patterns/blogs online while in my room! Also since this is my fav room in the house...if I want to just be on the internet I can do it in MY space!

As we continue around the room....my bookcase......

Here is my FABULOUS cutting table and "design wall"!!!!!! (A flannel backed table cloth! It works every bit as well as a $50 "design wall")

Aren't my applique blocks BEAUTIFUL!!?? I love the quilt I am making with those!!

Here's the ironing area and more storage space!!

I LOVVVVVVVVVVE my new space!!!!

Our Family Meetings

2011-06-26T21:03:00.000-04:00

One of my friends asked me what we discuss at our family meetings other than deciding the family activity for the week...so I typed out a quick rundown and decided to share it on here in case there is anyone else wondering.

There are several different formats in the back of the accountable kids book, but the one we do though goes over the following things:

1. Accountable Kids: This basically just talks about the program...the progress for the week, any "bonus bucks" that need to be cashed in, and any areas that need work...oh and the progress on the "date" card is also acknowledged.

2. Schedules-I didn't think this would be relevant for us since our child is young and it's just the three of us, but it's really helped. We go over everything we have going on for the next week and see if there are any conflicts, etc.

For example-we had scheduled a day at Universal Studios with all three of us, our friend Dr Sweda and Jimmy for a particular Thursday a few weeks ago (Ronnie is off on Thursdays)...because we have our meetings on Sunday, Ronnie was able to hear that and say "wait a minute-I actually have to work this Thursday"...so we were able to call the other two and let them know right away--normally this would have been a night before revelation :)

3. Problems & Solutions: Any problems that need to be addressed. This is where I bring up a behavior or something that someone is doing that I can't live with. Rather than being reactive, it's addressed in a calm manner and a solution is normally easily worked out. This is also where Kyle expressed to Ronnie and I that a friend of his was treating him poorly. I quickly became a fan of family meetings once I saw how it opened the "table" for discussion.
This is also where we list things that are out of the ordinary that need to be done-for example...we were piling our recycling stuff on the floor in the kitchen next to our trash can and then once a day or so taking it out to the recycling bins. This was driving Ronnie NUTSO. So in one of our meeting he brought that up and we decided we would get a separate trash can in the kitchen for recycling--most of the time we have more recyclable items than non anyways...so I went to the store that week and got a trash can....first of all the expense was planned, not impulsive and it was a "problem" that we solved.

4. Family Rules-this is a time that the family rules can be questioned and discussed openly...meaning Ky won't get in trouble for questioning a rule...a lot of times he actually makes sense and has some great ideas. We decide if there are any rules that need added, removed or changed.

5. Finances. This can sometimes be very in depth...other times it's super quick. We go through anything we might need $ for for the week...i.e. family activity, cub scout activity, etc. And if it's an in depth night we will make a list of wants and needs and then categorize those lists into short term and long term. It really allows us to objectively look at what we may want to do and weigh the cost vs the benefit. It also teaches children to plan rather than be impulsive buyers.

6. Values & Virtues: We choose a value or virtue each week to focus on. Our first on was honor, another we did was courage. Kyle looks it up in the dictionary while Ronnie looks it up through scriptures in the bible. They both read them out loud and we talk about it and give some examples. We try to really go out of our way to show that value in our life that week and Kyle earns what are called "best behavior cards" when I see him genuinely showing that trait in his character. Best Behavior cards are not given if they are asked for.

That's it for ours!!
We write everything down on one of the forms in a 3 ring binder) and the following week we look back over what was discussed the previous week.-we will see if problems were solved and mark them off, etc.

Also we have a list called "Points to Discuss" that anyone can jot down at anytime something that they want to be discussed at the next meeting.

It might feel corny at first, but it builds a "team" feeling within the family unit. It's really awesome!!

This pic is really crummy because I snapped it with my phone and there wasn't much light....but you get the idea :)

Life....

2011-06-24T11:40:00.000-04:00

Life update:

SUMMER BREAK!
We are really enjoying our summer break! Along with implementing the Accountable Kids program, we have started doing weekly family activities! These are planned at our family meeting on Sundays-we choose what it is we are going to do and pick what day we will do it. The anticipation builds throughout the week while we await the day...IT's GREAT!!
We've gone to the movies, Wekiva Falls, Putt Putt golf, had dinner out and then walked around the mall, picnicked in the park.... It's a wonderful, FOCUSED time of hanging out together, doing something fun as a family. We really love it! It seems like such a simple concept but yet when it is made a priority, it changes the whole atmosphere in the home. It's great!!
Speaking of Accountable Kids....I LOVE IT!! It is still as fabulous as it was when we started! Kyle is just two days away from earning his "special date" card. The pre-determined outing this time around is Wet N Wild! It is supposed to be with one parent or the other but Kyle wants ALL of us to go :) I'm good with that! It's going to be such fun.

Recently I went to stay with my Ahma while my Aunt and Uncle took a break. They went to the Keys!!! Ronnie and I are planning a family vacation there ourselves...if you have any tips on where to stay/go/what to do...or the opposite (where NOT to go/stay/do) please let us know! All knowledge is warmly welcomed.
Ronnie came over on Sunday night. He was playing the guitar that my Uncle gave to him and singing and my Ahma was just enjoying the heck out of it! She had her foot tapping and her hands clapping :o)
Here are a couple pics :)

My Aunt & Uncle had a dove with TWO babies in a nest in their flower baskets!! SO NEAT!! (I didn't see the babies, just the Momma, but my Uncle told me afterwards that there were two babies in there!)

And this is what my plant looked like when I got home :( Ronnie forgot to water it, lol. I am glad to report that it made a full recovery in less than 48 hours though!!

VBS....Vacation Bible School is FAST approaching and this year is y first as the Director. Thankfully the Pastors wife, who has previously directed VBS is right there to help me each step of the way. Please be in prayer for the week of July 17-21st, as that is our VBS week. I am really excited about this b/c it is just an AMAZING theme! Pandamania...it's a Panda and jungle theme this year! And next years theme was recently revealed...SKY. It looks like SO much FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tonight is the training meeting for all our volunteers...and I have a terrible cold....so please pray for me to be well enough to speak without hacking up a lung ;)

WINGS....I am SUPER excited about this new ministry. A dear friend, Val is starting a new Women's ministry called WINGS-Women In God's Service. She has asked me to partner with her in this endeavor!! We will be launching soon and including a Children's ministry called "FLY"-we're still working on an acrostic for this...any ideas? I have thought of about 20 but haven't decided yet!
God is doing AMAZING things!! The more I lean on Him, the better my life is :)

Well....that's the update! I hope you all are doing well! Love ya lots!!
Lisa

Debbie Macomber comes to MY TOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-06-04T17:21:00.000-04:00

Most of you know that I LOVE Debbie Macomber!!!!!!!!!!! I was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited about her book signing event coming to Mount Dora, Fl. today.
I'll get right to the pics!

us in the car after we parked for the event!

waiting for it to start!

excited faces!!


waiting, waiting, waiting!

DEBBIE MACOMBER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Pronounced like "maycumber", btw---we asked!).

Raising my hand to ask her a question!! I asked her (since the Cedar Cove Series is ending this year---books 11 & 12 will be out this year and that's it for the Cedar Cove series) if she would consider basing her next series in MOUNT DORA, FLORIDA!!! (She said no, but I tried!!) :o)

Waiting in line for the book signing afterwards!

The fun ladies we were chatting with while waiting in line.


PART of the line. (We had fast passes, but still waiting a long while).

This lady was a couple of people ahead of us. Monday is her 84th birthday!! We sang to her!...but "dude"...check out her shoes!

THEY'RE AIRWALKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'M NEXT! I'M NEXT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!


The woman in front of me!!!!!

YAYYYYYY!!!!!!!! IT'S FINALLY MY TURN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


SOOO INCREDIBLY EXCITED-can ya tell? lol

Me explaining why I brought THIS particular book for her to sign!!!!!!

The reason is that THIS book's cover has inspired me to make a quilt using those SPECIFIC, unique colors!

Yippee!!

Me and Debbie Macomber


Another pic of ME and Debbie Macomber!!!! :o)

Lisa's TURN!!!!!! She was so nice to let me go first! :)))


Lisa with Debbie Macomber!!

Me and Lisa with Debbie!!


YAYYYYYYY! Thank you Debbie for coming to Mount Dora!!

2011-06-03T22:50:00.001-04:00

Test mobile blog post

Wow! Has it REALLY been 3 1/2 months???

2011-06-02T18:54:00.000-04:00

Unbelievable! I LOVE BLOGGING!! WHY have I not done more of it?
Well...I am just going to pick up where I am b/c if I try to make up for missed posts I'll just become discouraged.
I went to the FPEA Convention and am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO inspired! 3 main things stuck HUGE with me...
1. Accountable Kids-a system that is worth a million dollars in my opinon!
2. Nicholeen Peck-all I can say is WOW. The Power of Calm and Teaching Self-government-MUST hears (or reads).
3. Skill -VS- Will. Decide...is your child being willfully defiant? or are they daydreaming, etc and just need some more guidance/skill/help to refocus? Don't chastise them for a skill issue as if it was a will issue.

There's the summary! My life has changed SO much since convention...just because of the change inside of me that those three things inspired. I would HIGHLY recommend them ALL!!!!!!

Also...I am SUPERdeeDUper excited about next years homeschooling!! We are breaking out of the textbook mold a little! I CAN'T WAIT!!! We are going to be using Trailblazers and Progeny Press for reading, rather than a reading curriculum. And I'm dropping the Spelling curriculum...we'll pull a variety of words from across our subjects and use them for spelling-and we will still utilize Spelling City. I found a GREAT Science curriculum for next year too!! I am gong to HATE waiting through Summer to start! Prior to attending convention I could NOT WAIT for the school year to be done. But now...my batteries are recharged and I am ready to go! But........Kyle is ready for SUMMER! :)

Science Experiment gone awry!

2011-02-15T20:39:00.000-05:00

So we have been doing a Unit study on Oceans.....it is SO much fun!!! Here is one of our experiments: Is it easier to float in fresh water or in the ocean?
Kyle's hypothesis was that it is easier to float in fresh water. He explained that he made that educated guess b/c with the oceans currents and the waves it would be very difficult to float in the ocean. (I explained that the experiment is to test if both bodies of water were still...which would be easier to float in).

The procedure was to fill a glass with water and another with man-made ocean water (stated as 2tbsp of salt for 2 cups of water).

Then you put an egg in it and see which one it floats easier in.

Fresh water

salt water

...no floating!

So we decided that maybe we didn't have enough water! we upped it to 4 cups....

more water=more salt!

still nada...

hmmmmmmmmmmmm...sooooooooo...i thought....well maybe the salinity ratio is off...so i dumped a CRAP-TON of salt in the "ocean water"

....still no floating egg!

THENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN we re-read the procedure and question...easier to float in....EASIER TO float in....

We found that while stirring the water, the egg in the salt water had more buoyancy...it bounced and popped around while the one in fresh water just thudded to the bottom and stayed at the bottom easier.

The winner is..SALT!!

LMBO!!!!!!!!!!!! Kyle saying "SALTWATER WINS!!" boo-ya!

Quilt Fever 2011 Quilt Show Part 2!!

2011-01-28T21:49:00.000-05:00

Here are more photos of the quilt show in Orlando last weekend!!

I loved how they used yo-yo's to make these lil flowers in the pots!!! Such an adorable quilt!

This was a breath-taking piece of art. So much detail that you truly had to see it to believe it! Fabulous!!!! AMAZING! UNBELIEVABLE!

I thought this was a neat idea. Antique quilts in a glass case!

Never saw a sewing machine this small!!! You turn the crank to make it sew!! NEAT!

Another Bargello quilt!!!! This is the type I am thinking of doing for Ronnie.

Reflection quilting! You cut the same piece about 5 times and piece it so it forms a reflection!

Lisa and I bought the book to make this quilt last year! Another one on the "to do" list ;) It's called "Underground Railroad"

cute!

fun

Loved this one with all the white!

WOW!! red work...amazing...close-ups below!

Stayed tuned for more!!! I'll try to fit the rest on one post...if not I should def be able to do it in two ;)

Quilt Fever 2011 Quilt Show Part 1

2011-01-27T19:34:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday Lisa and I went to a quilt show!!! It was sponsored by the Florida Cabin Fever Quilters Guild! IT WAS AMAZING!!!!! This was my VERY first quilt show!!!
I will need to break these pics up into several posts, as I have hundreds of photos!

My bestie, Lisa collects tea pot fabrics! This was SO cute with the little hankies!

This piece was AMAZING! It has quite a bit of machine embroidery on it!

The center and paisleys are all embroidered and so they end up being raised.

I LOVED this miniature! I never would have thought to put that bright orange in there and those stem pieces are SO tiny!

LOVED this paper-pieced flamingo!! Reminded me of the recent DQ I did to represent the state of Fl!

SO pretty!

NEAT pumpkin!!

LOVED this!

Celtic...I don't particularly care for it, but Lisa does ;) This is made using bias strips.

Look at this Log Cabin!!!!!!!! WOW!! Lovely color values!

stunning!

such a simple pattern yet so beautiful!

one of the demos!

paper-pieced New York Beauty!

Loved the use of yo-yos!

I LOVE QUILT ART!!!

AMAZING! I <3 QUILT ART!!

This piece was simply unbelievable!!!!!!!!!

more Celtic

Stay posted for more!!

SO much to say!

2010-12-22T13:06:00.000-05:00

Well...it's been just over a month since I last posted.
I have been busy working on a quilt for Kyle. It is a surprise for him to open on Christmas morning!! I've done tons of custom quilting on this thing and i just LOVE it!

Here I quilted in the plateaus as well as around the horses and in the horses mane and tails and the brown grass.

You can't really see the quilting in the snake on this one, but I did all around the snake and around his eye and down his tongue. I also quilted in the mountains and the ground as well as the green plant.

I quilted all in the plateaus and around each mountain lion. I did all the plants too.

This one has quilting up and down all of the cacti, throughout the ground covering and each prairie dog is outlined.

I did lots in this one....around the turtle and around each bump on the turtle's shell. I quilted in the mountains and in the ground too.

up close of the turtle's shell

My favorite block on this quilt.

Up close of my fav block

I will post a full size pic of the quilt once I finish binding it. I have named this quilt "a memory of Nevada".

Here are the crayon quilt mats Kyle made for Christmas gifts to family this year. He calls this one the "Caramel Warrior"

Here are two more he made.

Finished product! He also made those ornaments for gifts :)

back of the mats

My thought for Valentine's Day.

Round Robin. I added the last border.

MY round robin. This was accidentally sent to me a round too early! But I LOVE it, so I am not wanting to send it on to the person who is supposed to add the 5th border ;)

Process Pledge Post

2010-11-18T18:43:00.000-05:00

OK, since it has been so long since I've posted about my quilting...I am going to just pick up where I am at...I'm sure eventually all of my WIP's will make it on here.

This week I have been working on my Nov/Dec Doll Quilt Swap.

I finished the top today. Here it is:

I have been loving making yo-yo's! I've been using the Clover yo-yo makers and they are great!

I've been making these while sitting at Kyle's baseball games and Cub Scout meetings.

Last month was my first month doing the Doll Quilt (DQ) swap on www.thequiltingboard.com. I really enjoyed making the miniature quilt and sending off to my swap partner. I made a birthday themed DQ for her b/c her bday was in early Nov. The pics I have are really bad but it's all I've got. I did a lot of embellishments on it and it was just adorable!

Friday Night Sew-In! Virtual style!!

2010-11-17T09:35:00.000-05:00

Join in on this fun online sew-in!

Click here to find out how to join in! It's super easy, fun and there will be PRIZES!!!

I can't wait! I have several projects to get finished up!

November so far!

2010-11-13T20:21:00.000-05:00

We have had an EXTREMELY eventful month so far! And it's not even mid-month!!!!

We went to the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse Museum Homeschool Day, then to the beach.

Cintas, the new company Ronnie is working for, had their Family Day at the Orlando Science Center.

Nov 6th was mine and Ronnie's 11 year wedding aniversary.

Nov 10th was Kyle's 9th birthday.

Kyle's been busy with Cub Scouts and baseball!

I hope you've enjoyed the update!
I will post a process post of my quilting and sewing soon!!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

2010-11-03T10:43:00.000-04:00

I have not blogged in SOOOOOOO long!
That's horrible, isn't it!!? I actually had to go back and look at what I last blogged about to remember all I haven't blogged about! Geesh...the BTS field day. I decided to start with "The Simple Woman's Daybook" post.

FOR TODAY: Tuesday, November 3, 2010

Outside my window...cloudy sky, with the sun peeking through here and there. I am hoping it is going to rain again today.

I am thinking...that I have an opportunity today to minister to several children.
I am thankful for...my pastor

From the learning rooms...ops-normal around here. School is more intense this year than previous years. Kyle's doing great with the larger work load though. Tomorrow we have a field trip to the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse Museum. I LOVE this homeschool day!
From the kitchen...ehhh...it's been too hot for me to really be in the mood to cook lately...but that will change this weekend!

I am wearing...pj's
I am creating...doll quilts, water bottle totes, aprons and dog scarves

I am reading..."Endless Chain" by Emile Richards. This is the second in a series of novels that have quilting woven throughout them. I am also listening to "1022 Evergreen Place", by Debbie Macomber on a DAD device. This is book 10 in the Cedar Cove Series that I love so much.I hope she comes out with book 11 soon! And...I am listening to the book on CD "Fancy Pants" by Cathy Marie Hake.

I am also doing a new bible study through Uniform Series. I am studying the book of Psalms. I just started this new study yesterday but I did about a week's worth of it and am really liking it so far. I am using my Max Lucado Bible for it. (I had forgotten I had that one until yesterday).
I am hoping...that I don't get too pooped out today, before the craft night tonight.

I am hearing...the fan and Kyle writing and erasing.

Around the house...I have church curriculum coming out my ears. I am in the process of going through it to sort it into the "we'll use this" pile or the "give this away pile". I can't wait to finish organizing it so I can get it on a shelf at the church.

One of my favorite things...the pretty flowers in my pond. Each day it's a surprise how many will be there. Each afternoon the close up and fall into the water until they arise the next morning. For some reason it is quite enthralling to me.

A few plans for the rest of the week...I am going up to help with the after school kids today from 1-5:30/6:00ish. Then we have Kids Craft Hour tonight from 7-8. Kyle is going to Lisa's today for swimming, hiking and a trip to the local art museum! (For those of you who are local...they took down the comic books and snacks exhibit and have a new one up!). Kyle has a baseball game tonight. Tomorrow is our field trip. Friday night Kyle has practice, Saturday he has a game. Saturday is also me and Ronnie's 11 year wedding anniversary!!!! ...and Sunday is church. Tada! that's our week!

Here is picture thought I am sharing...hmmmm...it was difficult to choose just one today! Here is one of the flowers I was talking about i the pond.

GIVEAWAY!!! ACCU-QUILT go!

2010-08-26T09:19:00.000-04:00

hEATHER IS GIVING AWAY AN aCCU-QUILT gO!!!
Enter here!!

Pets on Quilts SHOW!!

2010-08-16T20:30:00.000-04:00

Here is my entry for the "Pets on Quilts" show!

This is my fabric loving cat, Jacob. His all time fav fabric is...FLEECE!

He's napping on a fleece rag-top quilt in this picture!

Jacob is ALWAYS getting on my quilts, fabric and projects...I wish I could enter 50 pics b/c I def have them! :)

Want to enter a photo into the Pets on Quilts show?

Go HERE to join in! August 21st is the deadline!!

Back to School Field Day!

2010-08-16T19:00:00.000-04:00

We had 37 kids come out for our 1st Annual BTS Field Day!
What a BLAST we had!
We consumed almost 100 bottles of water and just under 70 hotdogs!
Our church was beyond generous in their donations for this event!
EVERY child left with a backpack filled with the school supplies! It was a wonderful outreach to our community!!
All the backpacks stuffed!

Tug o war!

Sack Races!!

Our pre-k & K's playing tug o war! (so cute!)

Crab walk!

Pre-k & k sack races!

Get ready for lunch!

Pre-k & k water balloon toss!

1st grade + water balloon toss

Ronnie got me with 5 or 6 water balloons....so I had the kids attack him :0)

What's a field day without KICK BALL!!

What an AMAZING day we had! Thank you EVERYONE for your generous donation!

MORE completed quilts!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-08-16T10:36:00.000-04:00

YAY!! What a roll I've been on!

Here's this one with the binding on!

Here is a flannel ispy quilt! This is for Project Linus also!

And here's a Cars quilt, also for Project Linus. I did some really neat quilting on this one!

I love it!

YAY!!

I have one last Project Linus to finish...It's a really neat, bright colored one. Pics to come soon. I already have it pinned..I just need to quilt and bind it and then I'll be shipping a box off to Nevada!

FINISHED quilts & Process Pledge Post

2010-08-10T12:05:00.000-04:00

I finished TWO quilts yesterday!!!
Ragged Squares Quilt:

This quilt is one where the top (wonky) squares are raw edged, laid on top and sewn down. I did a stitch in the ditch throughout the quilts main squares and then did zig-zag quilting around each of the two center squares. I hated this quilt when I started quilting it, but the zig zag really gave it dimension and now I LOVE it!

Here's the backing:

I also finished the baby quilt for Downy Quilts for Kids...this thing was LONG overdue!

Last week I finished the baby quilt for Janice, the girl in my church who is pregnant. Her theme was Classic Pooh. I quilted around each of the scenes in the fabric. The backing is flannel!

Here is a quilt that I am just about done with. I have to go get my red thread from Lisa's house to put the binding on it and then it's done! This one is for Project Linus. I did a ton of quilting on this thing! I love how the quilting around the bear, rainbow and clouds made them all puffed up. :)

Here's the backing...I love scrappy pieced backings!

And here's the binding I am going to use with it:

Lisa and I each purchased this kit on our shop hop!! I am SO excited about this quilt project!!! It's all applique and the fabric is packaged individually for each block! We will work on it as a BOM:

Process Pledge Post!

2010-08-09T12:52:00.000-04:00

Here's my latest update:
Here is the first round (the center) I received for the June-December RR. You can see the fabrics that I purchased to add to it.

I felt like with such a busy center it needed some solid borders....so here's what I did:

Here is some SCRUMPTIOUS yarn I found!!

The blue is called Aqua and the other is called "Goldfish"...I LOVE it!

I am crocheting a new pattern with it too!

Here is some fabric - Classic Pooh- that I got to make a baby quilt for a girl at church. I am just going to quilt around each scene. The yellow is the backing and is flannel. Isn't it just darling!

Here are two cuts of fleece I got to make tie blankets for Project Linus in Nevada. Fleece it TOO hot for Florida, but up there it is much cherished!

I finally finished my Cherry Spinners Quilt!!!!!! Yay!!

This is prior to washing, so you may still see some drawn quilt lines. I LOVE this quilt. It was my very first time working with pinwheels of this nature. Some of them are really messed up, but it was so much work at the time that I just LOVE it.

Here's the backing:

I finally broke down and purchased this strip cutter a few weeks ago.

I have to say that I do love it!

Where did July go???????

2010-08-02T11:30:00.000-04:00

Wow, it has been a SUPER busy month!
I have not blogged much this month and feel VERY behind! My brain keeps telling me that I have to do my posts in order of what happened...b/c, realistically, this probably just isn't going to happen, I am giving myself the green light to "blob" post about the many things that happened this month...here'goes!
This month entailed:
Super Kids Beach Day - we took the children from our church to the beach...WHAT A BLAST!
Kyle's baptism--wonderful! Lots of friends and family came out for this and we had a great time at the house afterwards!!
VBS!! WOWWWWWWWWWW--that's all I can say! What a week!! Next year I am directing our church's VBS...Pandamonium!! (It's theme is panda bears!)
Wednesday Night Whacky Worship service kicked off this month too...Ronnie and I started a mid week service for the children at our church...God is so good! The kids LOVE it!
The Shop Hop! (Which I've already posted about)
And I am sure there is more, but that is the jist of the month!!

Preparing for August:

Ronnie is currently planning a Back to School Field Day at out church for August 14th...he is going to do tug of war, sack races, water balloon contests, etc. and we are planning on giving away a back-pack filled with school supplies to every child who attends. This is our goal and so far God is opening door after door to make that happen! We are so excited...of course, Ronnie planning it means I am organizing it :)

August 23rd is our date to start school back up this year. Of course...the first day of school is ALWAYS a field trip for us! This will be an intense year of learning for Kyle. He is doing a lot of 4th grade work. We are starting a more traditional History curriculum this year and he will be learning cursive writing! I am thrilled and cannot wait to get back to school with him.....he on the other hand...........lol....he can't believe there's only about 3 weeks left of summer...already!

Fall Ball!!
Kyle has been waiting since LAST October to play baseball! We chose not to sign him up last Spring b/c Spring ball is so intense....we want him to learn in a more laid back atmosphere, which Fall ball is.
So....He starts baseball with the Mount Dora Little League in September! We are all excited and ready for the time that we will be committing to the ball fields. Go Ky!!!

QUILTING................
Another "OH SO IMPORTANT" part of my life! :) (no, never would've guessed, right?)
I should probably dedicate a whole other post to this....yes, that's what I'll do....look for another post soon with my quilting progress and new projects!!!!

Orange Blossom Dash! Shop Hop!

2010-07-23T17:42:00.000-04:00

Here are the pictures (FINALLY) from our shop hop!
OK, there were just 4 shops on this shop hop...but they were lots of fun! Two of them I had NEVER been to before!!
Here is Lisa and I in the Quilter's Dream store, in Leesburg, Fl.

Here are the earrings we found there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Aren't they ADORABLE!?!

Here is us at the Apopka Store...Material Girl Quilt Shop...one of our favs! The ladies in here are SOOOO sweet!

The quilt in the background is a BOM...It's The Underground Railroad.

Here are our kids playing while we shop!

(They're SO good!)

OK, day two was just me and Lisa!!

First we went to Clermont to a shop neither one of us had been to before!

Clermont Sewing and Quilting

I won their hourly drawing!!

yay!

I have been wanting to do some quilt art since last years shop hop in Nevada where I saw that elk quilt!

So...I took the plunge and purchased my first month of a BOM (or block of the quarter, most likely for me, lol) in a series!

Isn't it wonderful!!! I'll have to cut each little bitty piece anmd applique it on, but it is going to be WONDERFUL!! I will try to remember to ake a picture of the back of the pattern...it has a picture of all the blocks for the whole BOM.

The book you see in the background of that picture is actually a book I won (Lisa won a copy of it too!) and the store owner of the store in Deland is also the author!! So.....she autographed it for me!

Her shop is called The Quilt Shop of Deland. She was SOOOO nice and thoughtful!! Here's a picture of us with our books and the owner, Judy...and we're standing in front of the quilt that the patterns in the books we won makes!

Here's a better pic of the quilt itself!

We did an impromptu class while at t he shop! We learned how to make flowers and yoyos!

What a great time we had! Judy was SOOOOOOOOOOO generous! Look at ALL the goodies she gave out at her shop!

Here were the other three shops patterns that were given away for the shop hop!

We received one from each store.

Here are a couple of patterns I bought while on the shop hop!

The Christnas tree one is REALLY neat! It's a stack and slash pattern!!

Here's all the stuff I got for free on the shop hop ferom the other three stores!

Here is a fabric I have been wanting since last years shop hop!! I have BIG plans for this!

Here is a new BOM that Lisa and I joined! It's a snowman (or maybe it's overall Christmas themed, I'm not sure) applique one! I think it's called Snow Bound!

Here is the correlating fabric I got...

for the backing of this quilt:

Here's a panel I got! Isn't it ADORABLE!??!

Here's one of the flowers I made!!

Here's Judy! She's awesome!

Here's a pic of her shop! SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO inspiring!

Lisa won the basket from this shop!!!!! Here's all the goodies that were in it! She's splitting the WHOLE thing with me!!!!!!!!!!!!

WHOOOOOOO that was a LONG blog post! I have more pics, but I'll post them at another time!

Process Progress Post!!!

2010-07-13T15:19:00.000-04:00

***Shop Hop post soon coming!!

In the meantime, here is my latest progress!!!

Another Project Linus quilt! Isn't it adorable!

Here's what I am going to use for the main part of the backing. It isn't big enough on its own though so I will be adding some borders.

Here is my completed top for a Cafe Mom, "Quilting Mom's" Round Robin. Isn't it WONDERFUL!!

Two boomerang blocks!

Finished Project Linus quilt top!

Jacob giving his seal of approval!

This is just a left over part of a quilt I made a couple of years ago...I threw on a linen border and I plan on just quilting it into a table center piece / candlemat. Jacob again, giving that stamp of approval, lol.

He's so darn cute!

Next post should be the SHOP HOP pics!!! We won LOTS of goodies!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BOWLING!!

2010-07-08T19:00:00.000-04:00

We took the kids bowling today!

We told them to make "serious" faces...Kyle just COULDN'T do it! lol! :)

SO much fun!

Crazy Mom Quilts Birthday Giveaway!

2010-07-07T21:25:00.007-04:00

We have ALL been inspired by Crazy Mom Quilts...well, at least all of us quilters!! Lisa and I have found her site a constant source of inspiration and have even done one of her quilt alongs!
Well...........it's her birthday and she is celebrating by giving away..not one but TWO jelly rolls!!!
Enter HERE!!

Process Pledge Post

2010-07-07T09:24:00.000-04:00

Another process post....because I got a LOT done last night!!

This is a block I recieved from a boomerang partner:

And another!

And one more:

Here is the quilt top I sewed together from the flannel ISPY squares:

Here is the first border I did on the panel and the blue I was thinking about adding:

Here's what I decided to do with the blue:

And here's the finished top....I decided to add another green border:

Here's the fabric Crystal chose for her apron!!!!!!!!!!!

Process Pledge Post

2010-07-06T18:58:00.000-04:00

Here is some left over scraps from a quilt I made a couple of years ago...I decided to throw a botrder on it and I will probably just quilt it into a center piece for a table. Do you think I should put another border on it?

Here is what I did with the tuli block Lisa sent me a year or so ago. I have decided to make it into a table topper that I can use on both my dining room table and my coffee table!

I pinned it and started to wuilt but the walking foot broke, so I am going to have to seam rip (yuck!) and start aghain once I replace my walking foot.

Here are three bookmarks I made! Aren't they great!?! Lisa and I learned how to make these at a local quilt shop anniversary celebration!

Here is the most wonderful fabric in the world!! Do you remember why??????? I won't tell yet, but I will send a quilty surprise to the first person who comments the correct answer. Mom and Lisa....you don't count! SORRY! But I just told both of you today, so I HAVE to be fair ;) (xoxo)

Here are the flannel squares from the ISPY swap! I am sewing them together into a traditional top.

And here are all the ones I have to seam rip b/c my brain associates flannel with rag-top!

Here's some great trims that I picked up on clearance at Joann's to use as bookmarks in the book covers I like to make.

Here are some charm squares made into HST and sewn together...this is the start of another bag!

Here are some misc. blocks that I am unsure what to do with. I',m thinking candle mats...what do you think?

Here is the current Book I am listening to while quilting!!! These colors have SEW inspired me! I've decided that the next project I start will be a quilt with these EXACT colors in it! I LOVE THEM!! And they actually came out almost perfect in the picture.

Are any of you readers Debbie Macomber fans??

Boys will be boys!

2010-07-05T22:33:00.000-04:00

Today Ronnie went over to help my Dad for a while and then Dad came over here and helped Ronnie with some things.
Meanwhile Kyle caught 2 fish on a string on a hand line! (That pic is on my FB).

Afterwards we grilled out ....Dad is cracking up and taking a picture of Kyle's hamburger! He accidentally got WAY too much mustard on it! :) We fixed it for him ;)

and then.................................I caught them all in Kyle's room playing with TOYS!

This is Dad playing the Math game!! LOL! While ROnnie plays with the helicopter thingy.

Then you know Dad couldn't just let Ronnie play with it! It was his turn!!

(that thing in Ronnie's mouth is a whistle...seriously).

Dad landing the helo...he was super excited about this accomplishment!

Then Kyle wanted to show P-Pa his Webkinz...

And then Kyle wanted to show P-pa "just ONE more thing"....like 5 times, lol.

Too funny!

We had a great time hanging out with P-pa! So glad he could come visit!

xoxo!

Church Lock-In!

2010-07-03T18:37:00.000-04:00

So Ronnie and I put on a Lock In at church for the kids! We had SOOOOOOOOOO much fun! But are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO tired. Most of the pics came out blurry :(
But here are a few:

We ended up having 15 kids there! That was SO great! We thought we would only have 8!! What a great night of the kids making friends, having fun, winning prizes and eating junk food!

WARNING: This is a rant post. Do not read it if you don't want to hear me rant & rave

2010-06-18T00:13:00.000-04:00

I am normally completely oblivious to the news and I greatly prefer it that way. I don;t watch TV and I NEVER watch the news. I only get the newspaper on Sundays for coupons!....but I did know about the oil spill, just not the full extent of it. Ronnie made me watch videos and view pics and read articles on it tonight and I am FLOORED. I cannot believe it and I feel like there is going to be utter devastation. Only God is big enough to clean this mess up. I pray that He will step in b/c if not....wow...I don't even know. Did you know that the oil spill in Alaska that destroyed their coastline was 11 million gallons? TOTAL. Period, done. This thing is already at 70+ million gallons. See...this is why I avoid the news. I DON'T WANT TO KNOW! Call it ignorant, I'm ok with that...ignorance is bliss. My world is all happy and "warm fuzzy bunnies" ...I like my lil' bubble. But now I am all concerned over this disaster. I get so mad thinking about it. B/c it all boils down to money. The whole thing goes back to a corrupt govt and greedy politicians.URG>>>>I am going to shut up now....but, I must add...props to Obama for saying he wants to know whose a%$ to kick when this things doesn't work! NOW DO SOMETHING PEOPLE!!! Whoever the "people" are that know how/can do something! (END RANT)

Calling all quilters!! Or anyone inclined to creativity!

2010-06-17T11:57:00.000-04:00

My bestie is needing some feedback on which border she should use.
This is VERY important b/c it is the center block for an International Round Robin we are doing.
Please hop over to her blog and let her know what you think.
Thanks!!!!!!!!!!

Latest Process Pledge Update!

2010-06-16T14:58:00.000-04:00

Well, today I have been working on projects for the Expo show on the 26th.

Here is my progress / process pics:

Here is a child's apron:

Here is another one that I haven't finished yet:

And here is what I am thinking for the tie, although I may not have enough of this fabric to do just this:

Here is a table runner top that I completed. I still have to baste and quilt it:

And here is a candle mat. I did this one envelope style, so you can see the area that I still have to stitch closed. I also need to quilt it:

And here is a mini lil' decor pillow I made. (I am showing you both sides).

Pinwheel Quilt Along Week 1 blocks!

2010-06-15T22:26:00.000-04:00

Block 1, Pinwheel Quilt Along!!

Finished Quilt Tops

2010-06-15T20:43:00.000-04:00

Here is the completed quilt top I have been working on. This is a surprise quilt for Kyle, sort of as a remembrence of our time in the West :)

Here is a panel I am working on. This is when I laid it out to decide my plan of action. As you can see Jacob decided to help:

Here is the finished top. I added two borders and I just LOVE it! I think I will keep it for myself!!

And here are some of the baggies for the Pinwheel Quilt along!

And here is my very first block in progress:

I will post finished block pics as I go!

Pinwheel Quilt-along!

2010-06-15T20:17:00.000-04:00

Lisa and I have begun the p.s. i quilt pinwheel quilt along. Rachel's blog is wonderful! And I could just sit and listen to the music she bhas playing for hours :)

We spent Monday night cutting all the blocks out and outting them in labeled baggies. Tonight I am sewing Block 1!! (you make two of each block).
I have decided to use my 30's prints with bleached muslin (rather than white, to stay true to the time period).

I am EXCITED!!!

Check back for completed blocks 1!

WIP!! (Works in Progress)

2010-06-11T20:36:00.000-04:00

I am preparing to make several blue jean children's aprons!
I have completed to first phase....cutting!

Lisa & I are attending a Women's Expo at the Ocala Ballroom where we will have a vendor booth set up selling some items. These aprons will be there. Here is a sample of a finished one:

Here are the blocks I have received so far from my most recent F8 swap. I have yet to decide exactly how I am going to combine these.....sashing is a must, to be sure....don't you think?

Butterfly blocks:

Chicken blocks:

I also still need to find the "perfect" fabric to use as sashing on my cat blocks quilt form the last F8 swap. Here are the pics of the blocks:

So............lots of things in progress!

Here are some blocks I cut from a panel. It is called "Cat's Meow" from South Seas.
I am currently trying to locate the correlating fabric locally, so I don't have to pay shipping. I think these colors are just so fun!

That's just a few, there are 10 different blocks :)

Here is my bestie "in the process" of a quilty project! Hee Hee, she thought I was taking a pic of the quilt on the floor, lol. This is a flannel rag-top quilt!

Here are my leaders & enders.......a constant "in process":

And these...are waiting to be sewn :)

Process Update...........

2010-06-11T09:14:00.000-04:00

Well, here is my first process post!

I am working on a "pinks and greens" quilt. This is probably going to end up being a Project Linus quilt, but I haven't decided for sure yet. I like the lighter / shabby chic-ish pinks and greens and in the swap I am in, I have received a lot of these bright/vibrant pinks and greens..........so, I am thinking I will put them into a quilt of their own. Here are the blocks laid out:

I am thinking I will add sashing and then several borders.

Any thoughts would be great!!

Here is the panel I bought to make a quilt for my son :) I think it would be a great rememberence of our time in Nevada!

I purchased two panels that each had 6 squares. I decided to cut them into rows of three and I am thought I would put sashing between each row.

Here are my correlating fabrics:

And here is what I am going to use for the backing:

I went back and forth on exactly how to place the sashing on. I had a little help, as you can see, lol.

This is what I decided on for the horizontal sashing:

Whatdya think?? You can see the borders I am going to sew on.

Then I am thinking I am going to put a wide border on the outside of those thinner borders. Maybe a 5" or 6" of the cream correlating fabric.

I took the PROCESS PLEDGE!

2010-06-09T21:47:00.000-04:00

Well,
Here's the basic idea......we all post finished projects on our blogs. I always think to myself "no one wants to see my in-progress pics. Why would anyone care what lil 'ol me is in the process of making".
WRONG!!!! I LOVE to read blogs with lots of pictures of works in progress! How inspiring they are to me.
So.............I took the Process Pledge.

It states:
I, Lisa, pledge to talk more about my processes, even when I can’t quite put them in the in words or be sure I’m being totally clear. I’m going to put my thinking and my gut feelings out there.

If you are interested, click the picture below.

Happy Birthday, Happy Mother's Day, Happy Anniversary! What a busy weekend!

2010-05-10T08:38:00.000-04:00

We have had SUCH a busy, busy week!
May 8th was Ronnie's 32nd birthday, May 9th was MOther's Day and my best friend's 12 year wedding anniversary!
It's been fun though!
We spent Saturday around the house with Ronnie working on the pond most of the day.
Sunday we went to church and then to my Mom's house for Mother's Day. John's mom was also there and my mom's best friend and her children came also!
Then Sunday evening Lisa dropped Stephen and Alyssa off to stay the night!
The kids have had a BLAST playing together!
And....we ate fudge cake for breakfast this morning!! hee hee lol.
Here are a couple of pics of the children...and some of my pets enjoying their new home!

Pillow fight!

Building a roller coaster

Watching movies

building another roller coaster!

I love my peaceful backyard.

SEWWWWWWWWWWW behind!

2010-05-07T07:38:00.000-04:00

I have SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much to blog about....
Here is the condensed version:
We moved across country-back to Florida!!
-The trip was horrid, BUT....I can't complain b/c God's hand was in every situation. He kept us from accidents, tornados, etc....but at the time, it was just very very frustrating.
-I LOVE LOVE LOVE my new home. ROnnie and I are actually thinking of buying it! I love the area we are in....we're only a few blocks from downtown and it is so beautiful here! My backyard is like a little mini park. Lots of shade, a HUGE oak tree, a pond with a little bridge and a fountain. My back patio is dynamite. Neither the home nor the neighborhood leave anything to be desired. It's PERFECT!
-Boomerang 2.0 has started!
-We only have 13 teaching days of school left until we complete almost ALL of our curriculum!! I am SO glad that the move didn't put us behind! And....we are already into part 2 of Ky's 3rd grade Math....I am slowly getting over my annoyance at this....SLOWLY. (If you don't know what I mean...you can pm me and I will respond :) )
-It has been GREAT to see everyone here! All of our friends and family have come out of the woodwork! I love it! We have had dinner guests 3 out of 5 evenings this week!!!
-Ronnie's bday is tomorrow!! <3 <3
-I am takingover the children's ministry at my church and am SOOOOOO excited. I miss my kids from CCF in NV SOOOOOOOOOOOOO much!!! I can't wait!
-VBS here is the SAME as VBS in NV!! Yay for High Seas!!!!
-We are going on a picnic today down on the lakefront....at Gilbert Park!! Can't wait!
And.............. Lisa just called (it's 7:20 am here...I love that we can do this now!) her and Alyssa are coming over right now to birdwatch with me in the back yard!!
I will try to break down some of these bullet points into actual blogs with photos soon!
I have some incredible pictures from the road trip--and some not so incredible ones too, lol.
If you go over to Lisa's blog....she has posted somen photos already!! Her blog address is:
here. PLEASE let me know if this link does not work!
LOVE TO ALL!!!!!!!
P.S. I'm not spell checking this post, so I apologoze in advance for any errors!! ;)

Blessed beyond measure,

2010-05-07T07:16:00.000-04:00

We often-times read this verse in scripture and don't really stop to ponder it. We just kind of say "yea, I am or will be blessed beyond measure".
This verse came to mind on Wednesday while I was....being blessed beyind measure!

When we were preparing to move back to Florida I literally sold everything. We brought no furniture, no household items....nothing. The grand total of what we brought consisted of my sewing things, Ronnie's garage and Kyle's toys.

I did bring one set of pots and pans also. As soon as we arrived my best friend brought me over 4 plates, 4 forks, 4 spoons, etc and some spare plastic and glass cups, and a few other misc items. (yay!!)

I still needed to buy EVERYTHING for a household. everything! things you take for granted that you have....a shower curtain, cookware....I went to bake chicken and realized I have no bakeware!!!
suff like that.

So...here is how awesome God is..........
I got an email Wed from Lisa about a lady in our homeschool group who is having a HUGE moving sale. She's moving to NC and wants to take nothing but her furniture and essentials for the home.
Her husband is a chef!! so they have tons of kitchen items!
I called to talk with her and let her know that my husbands first paycheck won't be for two weeks but that if she had anything left at that point I would like to buy whatever household items she has.
.......................ready for this???........................
She called me back about an hour later and told me to come over THAT night and go through everything that they would be putting in their yard sale. Her and her husband had spoken and decided that they would rather see the stuff go to someone who actually needs it that someone who wants to haggle over a quarter!

I couldn't believe it! I got there and was completely and utterly overwhelmed with their generosity! She gave me a complete set of dishes, bakeware, tupperware, organizers for the home, food, bathroom items, homeschool items....boxes and boxes and boxes of things that we need!

We filled up the entire back of Ronnie's truck AND all of my Liberty!
Would you ever think this type of thing would happen???
I was almost in tears at the sheer thought of the blessing!!
It's like "here you go, Lisa....your needs are met".
UNBELIEVABLE.

GIVEAWAY!! Fabric & a quilt block!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-05-05T23:33:00.001-04:00

Here's then link!
http://homeschoolmomlisa.blogspot.com/2010/04/my-100th-post-giveaway.html
Hurry....it is still open!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

2010-04-06T20:13:00.000-04:00

FOR TODAY: Tuesday, April 6th, 2010

Outside my window...bright, blue, sunny skies. It was warm enough to lay out in the grass on a quilt today. WONDERFUL!

I am thinking...that I wish October was sooner!

I am thankful for...friends
From the learning rooms...Spring Break...I wasn't planning on taking it, but Kyle has been fighting a cold the past two days and I get to keep my niece and nephew ALL day Thursday!! So....I guess God planned for me to take Spring break after all ;)
From the kitchen...leftovers from Easter!!
I am wearing...Jeans and a shirt.
I am creating...blocks....2 left for my boomerang swap. A wall hanging for my home for Spring, my cat wall hanging, and a gift.

I am reading...still the same as last week...Snowfall at Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs, The Quilter's Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini and Arizona Embrace by Leigh Greenwood.
I am hoping...that Ronnie can fix our wireless router.

I am hearing...the vent fan above the stove

Around the house...getting rid of stuff!!

One of my favorite things...is knowing I'm going home soon!

A few plans for the rest of the week...Walking tomorrow (I joined a group), Hayleigh and Cody Thursday, then Project Linus, race track on Saturday.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...the quilting frame and mid arm at Fran's!!

ideas and plans.....

2010-04-05T12:01:00.000-04:00

Well, I've got BIG quilty goals for this week!!
I have two blocks left to make for my boomerang swap.
I need to make sets of 4.5" blocks in 30's prints with bleached muslin for the great big mini block swap.
I need to make my April block swap partner her block.
I need to finish my Spring wall hanging.
And....Lisa and I are starting new projects together.
I also want to get my fabric ready to go for 2.0!
FUN FUN!!
Will post pics...hopefully..soon!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

2010-03-30T19:28:00.000-04:00

FOR TODAY: Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Outside my window...bright blue skies with white puffy clouds...it wasn't like this a couple of hours ago though!
I am thinking...that I can't wait to devour some pancakes tonight!
I am thankful for...my women's bible study.

From the learning rooms...Things are going great!! we are almost halfway finished with 3rd grade math!! Yes, we did just start at the beginning of this month....however 384 pages into it, there were only 2 or 3 not previously taught lessons! Also, I just counted and we have 28 days of his English left!! So glad we're right on track!
From the kitchen...cutting carbs/starches/sugars from our diet. Luckily all three of us LOVE a huge variety of veggies!
I am wearing...Jeans and a shirt...but soon I'll be changing into pj's and slippers for Awana!!

I am creating...blocks....5 left for my boomerang swap. A wall hanging for my home for Spring, my cat wall hanging, and a gift.
I am reading...Snowfall at Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs, The Quilter's Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini and Arizona Embrace by Leigh Greenwood. Yes, all three at once. One is an audio book, the other two are regular books.
I am hoping...that Ronnie does GREAT Saturday!
I am hearing...nothing.. :)

Around the house...starting to sort and sell things. I sold my first item towards the move!

One of my favorite things...sesame rice crackers

A few plans for the rest of the week...Awana tonight, Project Linus on Thursday, race track on Saturday and probably nancy's for a bit, then Easter Sunday we have sunrise service at 6am, breakfast at church following that, then regular service at 9:45--in which I am teaching the children, so I plan on having an egg hunt and goodie bags!!! We will spend the day worshiping our Lord and Savior. Then Eddie and Nancy are coming over for dinner that evening!

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

Me and my Matter Moo's!

Design Wall Monday!

2010-03-29T14:36:00.000-04:00

Well, my design wall has three projects on it. One I cannot show you b/c it is a gift for someone!!!! <3
Then there is the wall hanging I am making for my sewing room. These are the three blocks Lisa sent to me...LOVE them!
Here is what I have done thus far:

Initially I was onnly going to add two borders, then decided to add the brown one again...now looking at it I am unsure if I am going to leave it or seam rip it off....what do yo think?

Here is the other thing on my design wall:

Spring wall hanging for my dining room.

What are you working on?????????

Happy Monday all!

Bringing you up to speed in my quilting world

2010-03-27T13:26:00.000-04:00

OK, so it's been TOO long since I've blogged..........
The fat 8, boomerang swap is winding down. Just a couple more weeks until deadline. I only have 5 blocks left to make...so I am happy about that!
2.0 Starts in April (I think) and I already have my fabric chosen and washed for that one. This has been such a FUN FUN swap that I definitely want to do it again!!!
OK...my OCD brain usually makes me list everything from oldest to newest vertically down the page but I just HAVE to show you what my bestie made for me!!

Aren't these the absolute CUTEST!!!???!!!

She appliqued all the adorable kitties AND even tried CURVED piecing! That is HUGE!!

Here's what I've done with them so far..I want it to be a wall hanging for my sewing room:

I haven't decided if I need to add a border before quilting and binding or not. Any suggestions or opinions?

ok...back on track.....

I bought a couple of machines....

I also re did my sewing room:

Block I made Nancy for the Spring block swap:

Blocks I received from the Spring block swap:

And here is a block from last years spring swap that I would like to put with some of this years blocks!

Here is my completed Winter Time Mini Quilt. I still have not received mine =(

Blocks I made for others:

Here are blocks I received for my "pink and green" quilt!

Here are blocks I received for my cat quilt!! These are from my fat 8ths!

Here are my flannel squares for the ispy swap I am entering in!

Here's a pillow I made for a friend for her birthday!!

Here's a Batik wall hanging I am making!!!

Here is a fleece rag-top I made for Project Linus!!

This was completely from scraps!!

And here is the Spring wall hanging I am making for my home!!

I LOVE IT!!

OK...I think you are brought up to speed now!!

IT'S OFFICIAL! WE'RE COMING BACK HOME!!

2010-03-27T11:58:00.000-04:00

We are moving back to Florida at the end of this year!!!!!!!!!!!!
We have SOOOOOOOOOOO enjoyed Nevada and plan on traveling back this way once Kyle is grown...but are just missing everyone there SOOOO much.
We will be selling EVERYTHING and coming back with just the bare minimums....of course the bare minimums includes all of my sewing and quilting stuff as well as all of Ronnie's garage stuff and race car.
Hmmm.
I feel like I haven't blogged in FOREVER...........so, I will have to see where I left off in my quilt block photos and bring ya'll up to date soon!
MUAH!

division......and other random things going on in our life

2010-03-04T12:46:00.000-05:00

division?...seriously? at 8??? Wow. Amazing. Kyle is so incredibly smart that it just boggles my mind!
Well, not much going on today...we have completed our 2nd grade math and are moving onto 3rd! He is very excited about this accomplishment! Naturally, so am I! Go Kyle!!

We have a field trip we'll be attending Wednesday to the Wilbur D Museum...for "Animal Grossology"...this one is going to be FANTASTIC! I love that Ronnie can attend all of these with us now. It's wonderful to have him along!
Monster Trucks on March 14th!!! Shhhh! This one is a surprise for Kyle. He LOVVVVVES monster trucks......and it doesn't hurt any that Daddy does too! =)

Well, we had to postpone our ski trip....now we're trying to figure out when we can go. The boys have decided that they want to do the snowboarding portion of the lesson, instead of skiing...I'm SCARED!!!

I picked up Kyle's portraits last night! These we did as a kind of less serious pose since his last ones were "school" pictures. I wanted him to be in his glasses, since the last ones were in contacts. He has a very mischievous look on his face....I just LOVE it! That's my Ky!

We are also in the second phase of planning our camping trip to Yosemite. We are VERY excited about this! We will be going sometime after July15th...not sure exactly when yet, as the park sells the campsites in blocks and the next set of 4 months doesn't open up for reservation until March 15th. They are completely sold out through July 15th and expect July 15th-October 15th to sell out all in the same day they open them up!! Crazy! We cannot wait to go though!!!!!

With spring coming we are planning to go visit the American River. It won't be like our last trip there though! Ronnie wants to take Kyle and I to experience this while it is at its most roaring, deafening state. He and Eddie went last year as the snow melt was pounding through and he described it as "absolutely crazy". The power in the water is amazing.

We are planning our garden...it's strange here though... I've been talking to local farmers and you can't plant most crops until May!! or even June some said. That's more like a summer garden to my Florida mind! We'll see...I have MUCH better soil here than we had up in the Highlands, so hopefully we'll have a nice, healthy, abundant garden ;) My niece is very excited to help with the garden this year again! Almost every time I see her she "reminds" me to call her when I am ready to start! lol...so cute! =)

FYI: We are tentatively looking at October for our next trip to Florida. Ronnie has chosen the month, which means it could change! ;) All three of us will be coming this time, THANK GOD! We plan on definitely going to the beach and Rock Springs! Who knows what else....we want to see all our family and friends and be able to spend some good, quality time with you all!

We are all three signed up for the Disney Give a Day, Get a Day volunteer program! We each have to make two blankets for children and then we receive Disney tickets! Ronnie told me that if he is going to make blankets that he wants to sew them...the tie ones are too easy he says...silly man! Kyle is sewing his Downy quilt for kids...so for this (which is completely seperate and independent of Downy) he wants to tie his two blankets....here's him working on one last night!

I love that he is WANTING to volunteer, it's not one of those "you have to do this" things. I went online and showed him pictures of children in the hospitals receiving quilts and blankets and read to him their situations. It's really teaching him empathy and thankfulness.

So...there's the update on our upcoming plans..how about you? What do you have planned? Or hope to get planned soon? Muah!! xoxo

Lisa

The Simple Woman's Daybook

2010-03-03T00:28:00.000-05:00

FOR TODAY: Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Outside my window...it's nightime now, but today it was very overcast. And there was a big rainbow this afternoon! It didn't look like any rainbow I've ever seen in Florida...strange.

I am thinking...that I want to finish my sewing room.

I am thankful for...having Jesus anchor my life. Thank GOD I don't have to rely on myself b/c I would fail miserably....every hour of every day I would fail. Thank you Lord for my salvation.

From the learning rooms...Kyle starts 3rd grade math this week!!!!!!!!!!! He's very excited and proud of himself!!
From the kitchen...Ronnie and Ky have been bugging me to bake a cake...so tomorrow I will. Tacos for dinner tomorrow night.

I am wearing...Jeans and a shirt

I am creating...TONS of swap blocks! Fleece rag-tops from scraps for Project Linus.

I am reading...still reading........Twenty Wishes by Debbie Macomber and Tender Rebel by someone else....can't remember at the moment, lol.
I am hoping...that we can reschedule our ski trip soon! Kyle was sick, so we did not go Sunday.
I am hearing...the TV (yuck!)

Around the house...everything is great...if I would have had to answer this yeserday though I would have said I'm ready to rip my hair out over the sewing room. Now I can say I am about 80% done with re-vamping it! YAY!!

One of my favorite things...right now, one of my fav things is that Kyle is feeling SO much better, He's 90% back to normal. I am SO thankful for all the prayers sent up on his behalf. I was really worried for a few days there.
A few plans for the rest of the week...Project Linus on Thursday. A trip to the used book store here in Fernley tomorrow. I have to go to the post office too...I accidentally mailed a quilt block to Canada without the customs form.
Here is picture thought I am sharing...my adorable Jacob! I think watching us work today exhausted him! lol.