You are currently browsing the monthly archive for August, 2007.
I signed up for the Missy’s Owl Swap at Crafty Carnival I don’t normally love owls but I remember having lots of owl things around me as I grew up. Funny story is that when my parents first got married my Grandma (my mom’s mother in law) gave my mom something with an owl on it. Not wanting to disappoint her or to act ungrateful my mom gushed how thankful she was. Well, hence that day she thought my mom collected owls and has proceeded over the last 30 years to give my mom anything she finds with an owl on it. So, my mom is the somewhat proud owner of owl jewely, towels, pictures, figurines and other little owl trinkets. So, whether my mom truly loved owls or not, they bring me a little smile thinking of my mom and all of her uninvited owl treasures. If my mom could deal with owls for thirty years then I guess there is hope that I can tolerate gifts that are less than loved by me, but instead I can appreciate the thought behind it.
Speaking of gifts, I am part of a quilting group that started over the summer and I dreaded seeing all of the precious fabric scraps get tossed so I started collecting them for unknown projects. I missed our last meeting and one of the girls saved her scraps for me and lo and behold there was vintage owl fabric! Hoot Hoot! There isn’t alot of it but it is awesome! I asked my friend where she got it and she said she remembers it from her moms fabric stash in the 70’s! I will post pics when I send my creation to my swap partner!
Three blog entries in one day! This is what happens when a normally very active and busy person gets a terrible headcold and pretty much can’t get out of bed. Thank God for laptops and TIVO. The tivo is for the princess who I am embarrassed to admit has been watching her favorite shows all day since mommy can’t play with her. We have read lots of books but laying in bed all day is no fun for a 3 year old. I rarely get sick so I hate to admit it but I have been a baby. I have called my mom twice and she has graciously listened to my whining and I have sent my hubby to the store for more medicine.
But, no matter how yucky I feel there is something magic in hot cocoa. I wish I could say that I used chocolate slowly melted and combined with warm milk, but heck…I am sick. I won’t lie nor am I embarrassed to say that my hot cocoa came out of a Land O’ Lakes packet and is butterscotch flavored and it was delicious! Hot cocoa feels like warm goodness going down a scratchy throat and with the combo of mini marshmallows slowly melting in your libation makes the whole experience almost worth being sick. Well, not really but it did take my mind of the congestion and coughing for a few minutes and that in itself seems like magic given how yucky I have felt today.
So, there is the magic of hot cocoa on a 90 degree day! Aren’t you glad I didn’t decide to do a dissertation on the magic of snot?
For the gift Alaina was given last night by her grandparents. Sigh…the newest member of my household, Big Boy.
Joel Dewberry Fabrics that is! From the minute I saw his designs online I knew I had to have it all! Well, my budget doesn’t let allow that but I did find a few bolts from his collection at my local quilt shop. I quickly had them cut a few yards and went to town that night on a new bag for myself. I love the bag I made for myself with the Michael Miller Carnival Bloom fabric that I had done with the tiny happy shoulder bag tutorial and a great tutorial is worth repeating so I did it again with Joel’s lovely damask fabric and lined it with his fabric as well.
But, I love this fabric and was inpired again so here is a glimpse of a work in progress of a new bag I am working on. I just quilted it and hopefully I will be ready to piece and assemble it a bit later on tonight.
Tears of joy and sadness. I am overwhelmed today with emotion. The kindness of others truly has moved me to tears. I recieved the first donation for Emily’s benefit today from Kara. It is a gorgeous bracelet and that vivid in color and the stones vary and shape. As I looked at the lovely bracelet and was typing her out a thank you, I became overwhelmed. That bracelet reminded me of friends and the community and all who are pulling together to help someone they don’t even know. Each of my blog friends who have donated their time to make things or pray are like the different and vivid colors of Kara’s bracelet. They represent the different views and talents each of you have that you so graciously share with the world with your blogs and your donations and the stones it represented to me the trials that not only Emily is facing while she battles cancer but the trials we all face every day and those that are loved ones battle. All of this was three strands and held togehter by a delicate clasp. It sounds silly but it just reminded me that although life throws us stones together we can hold hands and shine. Whether we are held together by the bonds of sharing our lives and loves through a blog or if we have had the pleasure to meet in person it is a delicate clasp that holds and keeps us together. I am honored to be a part of a crafting community that shines so bright and yet holds each other so dear when life gets tough.
See, I told you I was weepy over this! Now, for the good news on the benefit for Emily. It has grown beyond my wildest dreams already. So many people locally have offered their help and services and it looks like we will be able to host an amazing benefit to help Emily and her family out on November 2. More details will come as I get them, but thank you to each of you who commented here or emailed me on supporting my cause for Emily. Without you all I don’t think I would have had the courage to undergo such a huge event. Thank you for your support and donations. I can’t wait until Emily’s husband finishes his website about what she is going though so you can “meet” the amazing mom and friend that we are doing this for.
And in other crafty news, I did a little crafting of my own today! I made a purse with my new Joel Dewberry fabric that turned out amazing (if I do say so myself!)
Pictures to come this evening when I get home. I am at work now and had to blog while I had the inspiration.
Oh my poor neglected blog! I have wanted to write so many times in the last week but we got back from vacation this week and it has been a comedy of errors since we got home! But, first…Vacation was FABULOUS! Disneyworld was amazing and fun! To see it through Alaina’s eyes was wonderful. She was addressed by everyone there as “Princess” which made her feel incredibly special. As a mommy it is fun to see your kids get extra attention and Disney is wonderful about making all kids feel special. In case anyone thinks I am crazy for taking a 3 year old to disney, she was incredible! No complaining or crying, she dealt with the heat and the lines and she loved every character! It was a magical time that a week later she is still talking about and I hope she will remember for a long time to come!
On to the rest of the week, storms headed our way on Thursday and knocked out our power so crocheted by candlelight in which I thought would be an excellent blog post. But, crocheting in the dark was not all that I had hoped it would be and my little project in the daylight looked awful!
Yesterday, I sat down to my computer ready to write again and I heard an awful noise and it shut off. I can’t even get it to turn on now. I am just sick over everything that I lost. Thankfully, I had just printed out pictures not to long ago so many of my pictures are saved but there is about 2 months of pictures that are forever lost which breaks my heart. Secondly, my ebooks are gone! I have bought so many ebooks from www.youcanmakethis.com and they are all gone! I had no less than 25 ebooks and most of them I never even had a chance to try. I am just sick about it. All of that money down the drain.
Thankfully, my sweet husband has a laptop so we still have the internet but this pc gal struggles on a mac so hopefully I will get the hang of it soon and get back to blogging and crafting soon. I also have made some huge strides on a benefit for my friend Emily! I am excited to get this all together and to get the etsy shop stocked to help her family! If you are one that I have been in contact with about this Please please please send me another email since all of my emails prior to 2 pm yesterday are gone! I am still thrilled to work on this with each of you so please forgive me for losing our prior correpsondence.
That all being said, I don’t want to leave a long post on a sad note! So, I leave you with some of my favorite pictures from vacation.
Did you know that Minnie was a crafter?
My little Mermaid meets Ariel!
First of all, Sweet Kara of Inncocent Charm Chats has awared me the Nice Matters Award for This award will be awarded to those that are just nice people , good blog friends and those that inspire good feelings and inspiration! Those that care about others that are there to lend support or those that are just a positive influence in our blogging world! That is a lot to live up to but I am very flattered that she would share that title with me!
![[4.jpg]](http://bp0.blogger.com/_gdWZUOvc9Bs/RrZ7qbh3RjI/AAAAAAAAAtY/rg8HqvKT_B8/s1600/4.jpg)
Next, Erin of The Vintage Pearl, has tagged me for the Love of Four! Here are mine!
4 jobs I have had:
Cashier, Daycare Provider, Bill Collector (ICK!), Youth Minister
4 films I could watch over and over:
Sabrina, Can’t Hardly Wait, Goonies, My Best Friends Wedding
4 Places I have lived:
Ohio, Utah, Kentucky, Lexington, KY GO Wildcats J
4 Favorite TV shows:
Friends, The Office, How I met your Mother, Grey’s Anatomy
4 Favorite Foods:
Pizza (I really could eat it every day!), Chocolate, Coconut (especially when combined with chocolate!), Broccoli (I realize that seems strange given the list above but I have always LOVED broccoli!)
4 Websites I visit everyday:
eBay, Etsy, wordpress, A few message boards
4 Places I would love to be:
Disney World (I will be there later this week!), Hawaii, Somewhere in California on the beach, In the winter on the ski slopes in Utah
4 Favorite Colors:
turquoise, brown, pink, apple green
4 Names I love but would/could not use for my children:
Avonlea, Oliver, Aidan, Annabelle
Now, I am supposed to tag 4 others to do this so I choose: Jen, Corrine, Angela and Jaime
I look forward to this time every year when the longest yard sale essentially is a mile away from my house. There is a fair bit of junk but always a lot of treasures to be found. Someday I hope to find someone who loves thrifting as much as I do to take the roadtrip with me. Several days and states of treasure hunting! I spent only $10 and came home with lots of vintage thread and patterns, a vintage Better Home and Gardens Sewing Guide from 1962 and several other little goodies for the princess to play with while we went on our little adventure.
The weekend for me was not as sweet as it usually is coming right after the diagnosis of Emily. But, it has brought out the best in others. I was overwhelmed at the support of so many who are willing to make something and donate it for a benefit for Emily and her family. I have flapped my gums about this to everyone I know locally and what started as a little fundraiser through Etsy has turned into a massive response from our local church and community who want to contribute their goods and services as well. It is awesome to see people “pay it forward” and give from their hearts for someone whom they have never met. I am touched and humbled at your support! From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
We will be setting up a date for the benefit soon and as soon as I get back from vacation I will start the etsy store with 100% of the profits going to Emily’s family to help with her medical expenses. If you would like to contribute to either of these benefits please leave a comment and I will email you details. You guys are awesome and I feel honored to be a part of a crafting community who give so selflessly and freely. I hope you are all blessed in abundance for your willingness to help others.
Once again this isn’t a post I would want to write on a crafty blog but I feel like there is nowhere else to turn. An friend of mine was diagnosed with Stage 3 Ovarian Cancer this week. She has 3 young children and this comes as a total shock to her and her family. I met her through volunteering and she often volunteers with me at church in the department that I coordinate. She has always given all she had to everyone else. Her kids and the community and not that anyone ever deserves cancer, but I can’t think of anyone who deserves this less. She went in for cysts and went out with a complete hysterectomy and a cancer diagnosis. I can’t imagine the shock she is going through both physically and mentally. In the interst of her privacy, Iwill only say her name is Emily. I know that I can’t solve her problems, cure her cancer or even provide the needs that she has. But, I feel the need to contribute to whatever I can do for her or the family. I feel so inadequate in offering support. I feel guilt over being healthy and planning a vacation. It hurts to know that this is something I can’t even begin to fix for her.
The teal ribbon is the awareness sign for ovarian cancer so I will wear that here to support her. In the coming weeks I will be doing my best to organize a benefit or Emily and her family. My gift is in creativity and I know that you all, my blogger friends, have that same gift. If you have a small craft donation that you can donate, I will be setting up an Etsy shop and a silent auction at church to strictly to benefit Emily and give whatever financial ease that we can provide for her during this time. My heart breaks that she will be on bedrest and then will start chemo with 3 little ones who she can’t cook dinner for or tuck into bed. Leave me a comment if you can help and I will get you all of the details via email. If you are praying person, keep Emily and her family in your prayers. Wear the teal ribbon on your blog for a day to spread awareness of those battling cancer.
