Catching Up

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!  I enjoyed having my family together on one day of the weekend and I got to keep my sweet granddaughter for a few days too!  Nothing makes me happier than spending time with this little girl!

When Shylee went to bed each night, I worked on a custom dish towel dress order.   The customer wanted one like the red one in my shop but in a peach color.  She also wanted the same herringbone patterned dish towel.  I found the fabric in orange, sent her a picture and she loved it.  I couldn't find another dish towel but found two napkins in the right color with a weave pattern.  I'm not an orange person but this is a pretty orange and I think it turned out beautifully.

I'm so excited to be going to NYC at the end of the week for a long weekend!  My daughter and I will take the train up and spend the weekend with my sister who is working there temporarily as a consultant.  The first time I went to NYC was at Christmas time and I fell in love with the city.  I'm not a city girl and wouldn't want to live there, but visiting at this time of the year is magical!

I want to let you know that prices in my Etsy shop now includes shipping to the US and Canada.  Everywhere else will be $5.00.

It's not too late to join the color challenge from My Life Under the Bus.  You have to go see another beautiful photo from Lesley Sico that has this challenge focused on tea!

Speaking of My Life Under the Bus, Patty has opened her Etsy shop and it's full of her wonderful and beautiful jewelry creations!  I'll have more on this in a later post, but in the meantime, please visit The Junquerie  and see what she has to offer!

I hope you have a terrific Tuesday!!!

A Most Un-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving

It was Thanksgiving of 1987.  We were living in Ft. Bliss, TX and had been there 2 months and would be leaving a month later.  The kids were two and three and I had a monstrous sinus infection that took three rounds of antibiotics to clear up.  Michael, being in the army, ended up having duty that day.  That meant he was manning the phones and checking on the troops.  In other words, he was not home!  He got to eat Thanksgiving dinner at the mess hall, and a nice soldier brought him a plate from her homemade meal.  The kids and I had a frozen pizza!  A Thanksgiving to remember!

What was one of your most memorable Thanksgivings?

Silent Sunday

My Annie girl just chillin'!!!

Have a wonderful Sunday!!!

Inspiration Challenge Reveal for Week 11/14

Moulin Rouge by lesleysico

This is the inspiration photo and color palette that Patty from My Life Under the Bus gave us for this week's challenge.  I love that photo...the colors, all the different shapes and details!   

Once again, I had nothing in my stash and had to head to the fabric store.  I picked out my fabric, and just like every challenge before, I had no idea what I was going to make.  While flipping through a quilting book, I spotted some really pretty potholders.  It gave me the idea to make coasters in a quilted fashion!

I'm not particularly happy with how these turned out, but I like the idea of them.  This little project was certainly a learning experience, and I think that with some practice and fabric I like better (!) these could be fun to make.

Go to My Life Under the Bus to see the other projects!

Objection, Your Honor!

When I came across these quotes, I knew I had to share!  These quotes were taken from official court records across the nation.  You can find more here.

Lawyer:  "Now, Mrs. Johnson, how was your first marriage terminated?
Witness:  "By death"
Lawyer:  "And by whose death was it terminated?"
 
Lawyer:  "What is your date of birth?"
Witness:  "July 15th"
Lawyer:  "What year?"
Witness:  "Every year"
 
Lawyer:  "Can you tell us what gear you were in at the moment of the impact?"
Witness:  "Gucci sweats and Reeboks"
 
Lawyer:  "How old is your son, the one who is living with you?"
Witness:  "Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can't remember which"
Lawyer:  "How long has he lived with you"
Witness:  Forty-five years"
 
Lawyer:  Did you blow your horn or anything?"
Witness:  "After the accident?"
Lawyer:  "Before the accident"
Witness:  "Sure, I played for ten years. I even went to school for it."



Lawyer:  "Have you lived in this town all your life?"
Witness:  "Not yet"

Lawyer:  "Do you know how far pregnant you are right now?"
Witness:  "I'll be 3 months on November 8th"
Lawyer:  "Apparently then, the date of conception was August 8th?
Witness:  "yes"
Lawyer:  "What were you doing at that time?"

Lawyer:  "And what did he do then?"
Witness:  "He came home and next morning he was dead"
Lawyer:  "So when he woke up the next morning, he was dead?"

Lawyer:  "Were you alone or by yourself?"

I hope that gave you a chuckle today!
I've started a new blog!   Hearing the Whispers is about my struggles with weight, food and diabetes.  I hope you will check it out and follow me if it's something you're interested in.

I hope you have a fabulous Friday!!!

A Rose Is A Rose

Last week, Michael surprised me with this beautiful bouquet of roses.  They were tight little buds and blossomed into these beautiful full blooms!  I took the pictures and then started playing around with the editing features on Picnik.  This is a free photo editing website that is very easy to use and very handy for people like me who just can't figure out photo shop!  These are just a few of the effects you can create.  Really, the possibilities are endless!

That's not all you can do.  You can also add text, make collages, create frames and so much more.

If you need help with making your photos the best they can be for your shop, blog or just for your personal enjoyment, give Picnik a try.  You can't beat FREE!! And of course for a small price, you can upgrade to their premium service and get even more features! 

There's a new inspiration challenge at My Life Under the Bus!  Go take a look and jump on board for the ride!

I hope you have a marvelous Monday!!!

Inspiration Challenge Reveal Week 11/7

Patty, at My Life Under the Bus, gave us a photo and color palette for inspiration to create whatever we wanted to.  Here is this week's inspiration

I immediately thought of a vintage hankie I had but what was I going to do with it?  I love batiks and found one with practically all the colors in it and it was a perfect backdrop for the hankie.  After much thought about what to make, I finally decided on another bag.  I used vintage buttons and put one on each corner of the hankie and a few in the empty spaces.  I made a braid for the handle and I'm really happy with how it turned out, although I would make it longer next time.  The lining I made was the wrong size, so I will finish that part later.  This was another good learning experience for me and I'm honestly loving these challenges!!

Go here to see the other inspired creations. 



What has inspired you lately?

A Lunch Cruise in Baltimore

We celebrated Michael's birthday a second time when we took a lunch cruise beginning at the Inner Harbor of Baltimore.  This was Michael's birthday present from our children and it was a fun way to spend an afternoon.  There was dining, dancing, entertainment and some incredible views!  The weather was cool and crisp and the sky was blue with abundant sunshine.  A perfect fall day.

When you look at the first photo, you can see a bride and groom on the top deck!  They had the ceremony before we left and the reception during the cruise! 

Ft. McHenry where Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner

View of Baltimore

State Flag

Baltimore is home to the hospital ship Comfort.  It goes anywhere in the world where it's needed.

If you're ever in the area, this is a fun way to spend an afternoon.  Even if you don't take the cruise, the Inner Harbor and downtown have enough to keep you busy for days!

I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday!!!

A Steampunk Family

It was a last minute decision to go to my daughter's last week on Halloween to see her family dressed up.  Erin had been working on costumes since May and I just couldn't not see them!  The handwork and details are stunning.   

I had a wonderful few days with them and I'm having such a hard time getting back in the swing of things.  It doesn't help that this time change throws me off!  By seven o'clock, it feels like it's bed time and I'm not motivated to do anything! 

If I do nothing else this week, I plan to work on the next challenge from My Life Under The Bus.  If you want to see the inspiration photo and color palette, go here and jump on board!  Hope to see you on the ride!

Have a teriffic Tuesday!!!