Learning to Fail with Grace

Well, I finished my first commission project yesterday; a T shirt memory quilt for a co-worker's daughter. I was quite pleased with it....unit I washed it!!!!

Here is the completed top -

The batting is bunched up in some places and feels completely absent in others. I could just cry! I was unsure of the batting at the start and I should have listened to my gut. I will spend the next two evenings carefully removing the binding, snipping the ties and starting the "sandwich" process all over - with better batting of course!

A friend of mine asked me where the lesson in this was. hhhhmmmm, I think it must be lesson in patience as well as learning to accept failures with dignity and grace. Not sure I am going to pass this lesson!

Who needs a good thrashing?

Supposedly it is Fall here in the mountains of Western North Carolina but it is still as humid as all get out! We have been trying to cut costs by not using the air conditioner unless absolutely necessary. Yesterday when we got home from work, the hubster decided to turn off the AC and open the windows. Normally I am ok with this, I love fresh air, however as the temp inside the house climbed to 79 degrees, I was at my limit. Being a big girl as I am, in the midst of menopause, I do not tolerate the heat as well as others. So, there I was, huffing and puffing as I washed the dinner the dishes. Sticking my hands in hot soapy water in a 79 degree house has always been my idea of a good time. NOT!

Hubster walks in and says, “What’s wrong with you?”     “It’s hot in here.”    “No it’s not. Is this another one of your heat thrashes?”   
Heat thrash?! Granted, the guy learned English in a foreign country but that one about killed me! Heat thrash. If you think about though, it sums it up pretty well. I know when I get one of my dreaded hot flashes the first thing I want to do, (If I am not able to get completely naked and stand in from of an industrial sized fan) is to thrash something, someone, anyone! He did make me laugh though. And the house did start to cool down……..

Blood Types and Memories

My son and I were talking about our blood types last night and it sparked a memory of how I found out what my blood type was, waaaaaaay back in 8^th grade Biology. We all had to prick out fingers with those evil little metal lances and put a drop of our blood on a glass microscope slide. While I do not recall the exact process, we all got to find out what our blood type was. Pretty cool, huh?! (Mine is O+ in case you are wondering.)

The Biology teacher looked like an elf and he always wore horribly colored plaid golf pants with a white belt and shoes. Although it was the early/mid 70’s, it was still really tacky! He was an odd little man.

We had the usual biology experiences, dissecting large earth worms and then frogs, all heavily saturated in formaldehyde, but there is one particular experience that stays very fresh and vivid in my mind.

It started out as a normal school day in sunny San Diego as I took my seat in the back of the class. No, I was not a really cool kid, or trying to be. Eighth grade was one of my “Dark Years”. I was a bit of a loner and just wanted to be left alone and blend into the woodwork.

Well, anyway, I took my seat and after the class got settled, that happy little elf, errr, teacher, came to back of the class to show us his new prize, I mean experiment! Right smack dab next to my chair was a galvanized garbage can with a lid on it (Thank you for at least putting a lid on it!) He proudly opened the lid to show us his treasure. Low and behold, it was a hammer head sharks head in the can which was filled with MAGGOTS! You could actually hear them “working”. I do love science and I have a pretty high tolerance for grossness but this was a bit much.

If I remember correctly, I skipped class the next day and told my parents they had to get me transferred out of there. I do not remember the why’s or how’s but I was not able to get a class transfer. I spent the next few tortuous weeks sitting next to that disgusting can, which of course he would remove the lid from during class time, so we could “witness” biology in action. (I told you he was odd!)

Thankfully we moved to another school district not long after that so it was a blessing in more ways than one. I got out of that crazy man’s class and I got to attend a new school where no one knew me and I could blend into the wood work really well!

*Sigh* The teenage years are such a traumatic part of growing up.

Commission Work!

I have been commissioned to make a T-shirt memory quilt! And there is a possiblilty for more T-shirt quilts in the future. I have also been asked to make a wall hanging for another person! I will be spending the weekend, trying to do some materials and time/labor calculations so I know what to charge. That is the hard part.

Could it really be happening? Am I starting to see a twinkle or a glimmer of light? Maybe it is time to seriously look into getting that business license I have been putting off. This could turn into something someday! Woo Hoo!

Can you tell that I am excited?

Monday ~ A new week, a new month, a fresh start

First, I would like to thank you all for the encouraging comments (both private and on my blog) on my "bare my soul" post of last week. It means alot to me and I promise to see my doctor and fill her in on all the "loveliness" that is going on in my life. 

Until then, I am starting a new way to pack my lunches for the work week. I got a new Bento box from Lock & Lock and I think I am already in love. (For those of you who do not know, bento boxes are a traditional Japanese lunch box. They are proportionately sized for the individual and are typically filled with artistically prepared food. I am skipping the artistic approach and just using this as a way to limit/monitor my food intake.)

This box is proportionately sized so it will be hard to overeat, (unless I pack lots of extras, which I do not intend to do). It comes with two stacking boxes that will hold a total 700 mil or a whopping 24 oz of food. (the set also included collapsible chopsticks with a case that fits inside the bag- not shown)

Today's lunch consists of a little meatloaf - last time a made meatloaf, I baked some of the mix in a muffin tin and then stuck them in the freezer - a bit of potato salad and some black cherries in the first tier. The second tier holds some green salad. (Dressing packed separately)

It all packs nicely into this adorable red lunch box. I felt so spiffy carrying this in to the office today!

I also packed separately, a greek yogurt for my afternoon snack. I will definitely be ordering more items from Lock & Lock. I may order the same set with the water bottle. I don't really need the water bottle but the bag is taller so I will be able to put my dressing and yogurt inside the bag, in place of the water bottle.

I did some sewing over the weekend and that is always good for my spirit. I hope you all had a great weekend as well.

Have a wonderful day!

Dawn

I'm still here..........

Not really sure I want to lay this out there but what the heck! It’s been heavy on my mind and I need to “talk” about it.

My life has been a train wreck of late, which has caused a lack of crafting/sewing and a lack of the will to blog. I have been kind of depressed lately.

Along with what seems to be the usual financial and family issues, I have come to the realization that I have an emotional eating disorder. I eat when I am depressed, anxious, lonely, stressed, bored, you name it. Food is my tool of choice for comfort. Of course, the benefits of emotional eating are that you get to become morbidly obese and have various health and mental health issues including depression and very low self esteem.

You have to love yourself to take care of yourself and this is something I am going to have to learn, somehow. I don’t think I have loved me in a very long time. We all have issues in our childhood and our past that have left emotional scars and I can certainly think of quite a few. What I do not understand is how a person can recognize what is wrong and why things are the way they are but is still incapable of “fixing it”. If you know what your inner demons are and why they are, then why can’t you make them go away. The monster in the closet goes away when exposed to the light, so why don’t the demons go away when they are figured out? There should be some sort of closure, right?  

Hubby is very supportive of me but he was raised with the mentality that you can just have the will power to get over things without doctors, drugs and therapists – those are for the weak. Therapy might as well be a four letter word in my house.

I am not really sure what the next step is that I need to take but I do think that writing about it will help to a certain degree. I have found others online that are battling similar demons and some have conquered them. Maybe I should give myself a deadline – if I cannot overcome this by my own methods by the end of this year, then perhaps the next step has to be therapy…*Gulp!*

Have a wonderful weekend Dear Ones. I will do my best to keep my nose out of the fridge!

Soap Sack

What do you do with all of the little bits left over from your bar soap? Do you try to smoosh them onto the new bar? Do you throw them away? That can be costly in the long run.
Well, yesterday I decided to crochet "soap sacks" for hubby and myself.

Now we can put our bars of soap in the bag and use it similar to a wash cloth and we can use up every little bit of those bars of soap. They have a draw string at the top for easy "loading" which also serves as a hanging string so we can hang them in the shower and allow them to drip dry.

What did you do this weekend?

Time for the World Cup game! Go USA!!!

Dinner - 7/15/11 Yummy Burrito/Taco Filling

I was inspired to make a yummy taco/burrito filling here - http://notexactlybento.com/?p=328

I made a few changes but not too many. First, brown 1 pound of lean ground beef along with 1 cup chopped onion. I had red onion on hand so that is what I used. I added copious amounts of chili powder, garlic powder and a pinch of S&P while it was browning.

 Drain the fat off of the meat/onion mixture. Add 1 cup of frozen corn, 1 cup of Salsa and 1 can of drained black beans.

Simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the corn and the beans are tender.

Put a healthy spoonful on a tortilla (or taco shell) of your choice, top with your favorite topping (I used guacamole) and enjoy!!

Nom Nommy goodness! I am sooo full!

Primitive Doll

A dear friend of mine is battling an inner demon. She named her demon "Poison Ivy". Well, I decided she had to be able to put a face to this demon so I made a (very primitive) doll for her. (She can use it for a voodoo doll if she chooses!)
Here is Ivy ~ (her hair is in a pony tail behind her). Her smile is a little crooked and her eyebrows make her look not so nice - which is how poison ivy truly is....

I also wrote a little poem to go along with it to give her a little more of my support.

Poison Ivy

My name is Poison Ivy

I have lived inside your head

Now that people know of me

My world is filled with dread

                                                                You’ll soon have no need for me

As you grow stronger every day

My leaves will start to wither

And then just blow away

You’ll see that life is precious 

And be as healthy as can be

Life is so much better

Without the Poison that is me

                            DS

                                                                2011

She loved it and will keep it with her as she goes through therapy and always to remind of where she was and what she has overcome. I love her lots and am so glad that I could help her in my own little way.

..........Makes me wonder if I should make one to represent my own inner demon so I can beat it up whenever it rears it's ugly head!?!

Blessings,

Dawn

Off to regions unknown

This past weekend my Air Force son left his home in Italy for regions unknown, for an undetermined amount of time. We feel fairly confident (hopeful?) that it is not to a war zone, but the unknown is always a bit scary.

His little girl, Miss A had this to say yesterday, " Momma, we forgot to pick up Daddy from work." Mommy replied, "Remember, Daddy said he's got to stay at work for a while?"  Miss A, "That's right Momma. Daddy's out protecting us and he'll come back. HE ALWAYS DOES!"
She certainly is a well seasoned military dependent at the tender age of 3 1/2!

We are very grateful for the sacrifices her and her momma make and very proud of our sons, out there protecting us and all that we hold dear.

Have a Blessed Monday! Dawn

Still having blogger issues.....

I do not know why, but I am not able to leave comments on any blogs without them showing up as "anonymous". I have checked all my settings, deleted cookies, etc. When I comment, it asks me to log in again and then it marks it anonymous anyway! It is frustrating to say the least. Rest assured, I have been reading my lovely daily blogs, and I love seeing all the nice projects and sentiments. Sorry, I can't tell you all individually.

Myself, I seem to have hit a lull in my creativity right now. Too much going on personally I think. Oh well, there is always tomorrow.

Have a pleasant day!
Dawn

Tee Dah!

That is what my niece would say instead of "tah dah", when she was a tot. Well, she will be Sweet 16 tomorrow and I am nearly finished with her gift. I just have to stitch down the bottom of the hanging sleeve and add my label.

Even though there are flaws, (such as crooked stitching and crooked books) I am pleased with the outcome. Hey, I have a stigmatism and nothing is ever straight, so it makes this gift "more me". Well anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it! LOL This is the very first "artsy" quilt I have ever made and it will not be the last. It was tons of fun! Without further ado......

                                           "A Few of My Favortie Things"
        (That's what I am calling it, as the book titles are the things that she loves at this point on her life.)

 Yes, it is tacked to my bulletin board at work!

 A closer pic of the details. Still needs to be pressed one more time.....

and the patchy back........I think she will love and cherish it.

Sorry for the poor lighting and photo quality. A girl can only do so much with her cell phone camera, on the last few minutes of her lunch hour in her stuffy, windowless office.

Have a wonderful afternoon!
Dawn

My latest WIP

I am in the process of making a mini Bookshelf quilt for my niece. She is turning Sweet 16 next week. She loves to read so I thought a bookshelf quilt would be in order.

 I am little farther along than this but I do not have a current picture. (These, of course are her favorite colors)

Here is the backing fabric. Isn't it darling? (sorry it's blurry - cell phone pics) The backing will be a little scrappy but this is the main fabric.

I want to write the book titles, of her favorite things on white selvage fabric but am having the darndest time getting it right! The fabric is too wobbly for my writing to turn out neat and tidy. Any suggestions? I will try putting the strips into an embroidery hoop and see if that helps. I have to get it almost complete this weekend. I can wrap up the binding at work on my lunch hours! I will post more pics when it is completed.

Wish me luck and have a wonderful day!

Dawn

What the heck happened to blogger!?!?

OMG!! To quote the great Roseanne Rosannadanna, "I thought I was gonna die!"

Thank goodness it is back. Whew! It was killing me not seeing what everyone else in the world was doing while I am at work. LOL

Happy Weekend everyone!

Not bad for an old gal!

I turned 49 over the weekend, but I am not going to let that slow me down!
I took the past two days off work just to enjoy some quiet time for myself. It has made for a very nice four day weekend, that has turned out to be quite eventful.

We got a new sofa, which I looooove. It definitely needs a few colorful cushions though. Don'tcha think so?


I made one real quick out of two left over placemats. I just stitched them together and filled with poly fill. Easy Peasy!
I love the "ruffly" edge on it. It is the perfect size to put behind my lower back when it bothers me. I will make some scrappy cushions at a later date.

I finished piecing the front of my wall hanging. It is the first comtemporary piece I have made and while there are a few mistakes, I am rather pleased with it.

The picture looks a little wonky but it was just blowing in the breeze.

Next I will start a small book shelf quilt/wall hanging for my niece who is turning Sweet 16 later this month.

I also got some gardening done and made a yummy pot of split pea soup. Not bad for an old lady, huh?! Hahaha!

Hope you all are having a Blessed day!
Dawn

She loved it!

I finished the heart for my friend's birthday....I made this one a little different then the heart I made for sweet Holly. I started with a wonky pieced square and cut out the heart. (The back is solid) I then used a few decorative stitches with my new machine. (Love that machine!)

 Some of the fabric scraps are left over from the hand made piece that you can see to the right - in my side bar. They are very old! The pearls are left over from pearls that I hand stitched onto my wedding dress almost 20 years ago! (apparently I never throw anything away!)

Here she is with her little heart. It made her cry! She is a very dear friend. She helps me get over many hurtles and stressful times at work and is a wonderfully supportive friend. I feel very lucky to call her my friend.
Happy Birthday Tammy!

WIP

My latest work in progress. Making a special gift for a friend's birthday.

First I pieced a wonky block.....

then I cut a heart out of it....

More to come. :o)

Busy Weekend....

I started working on a new wall hanging for our den. No pattern, I just drew it up and started cutting. So far I am pleased with it.

                                                    (Just a peek until I get it finished.)

What did you work on this weekend?

I am looking forward to attending my first meeting this week, with the Asheville Modern Quilt Guild. It will be nice to meet women that have the same interests.

Have a glorious week!
Dawn

Happy colors

Here is another picture of my new garden. I had to wait for the sun to move over as the exposure was too much for my little camera, but the colors are spectacular in the sunlight.      
          
                           
There are seeds in the back portion of the garden that I hope will sprout into Purple and White Conelfower and Black Eyed Susans and Money Plants. I think this fall I will add more bulbs and some pansies to the back so it does not look so bare in the spring. (this is a rental home so my gardening is minimal)
Anyway, my week has not been going very well so far, so this picture is to life my spirits. Hope it makes you all smile too. Happy Spring!

A great Give Away!

Win this great book from A little bit of Kaos!

A good sign?

Well, this morning when I fixed my usual breakfast of two eggs and toast, I was greeted with this lovely surprise in my fry pan! Double Yolky Yumminess! (do chickens really have twins?!)

I thought, surely this must be a good sign that it will be a great day! Well, I get to work and find out it is not so great after all..... BUT I refuse to give in! This afternoon I see the ortho doc about the tendonitis in my hand/wrist. It still hurts like the dickens but I am hoping he has something positive to tell me! If not, then I guess crocheting is out of the picture, probably for good. (time to think up new handmade goodies for the fam at Christmas time!)

Wish me luck and have a glorious day!

Dawn

The color after the storm....

We had a wicked storm here last night as did many neighboring states. I seriously thought the roof and the skylight would peel back off of the house! The wind, lightening and thunder were wild!
So, after survining that wondrous and powerful display of Mother Nature, I thought it only fitting that I post pictures of my first Tulips of the season. (I just planted them last fall)

 The bunnies seem to enjoy the leaves of the grape hyacinths, but thankfully they leave the blossoms alone!

Most of the flowers and stems have survived last night's storm. :o)

Does anyone know what type of flower/plant is in the pic below? I got it from a neighbor and she did not know what it was either. It looks very exotic in person....

I hope you all are having a Blessed day!

Dawn

My stitchin weekend....

This weekend I decided to play around with some colorful scraps and make a mug rug. When hubby saw it, he said he would love to have it/use it and asked that I make it bigger. It measures 9x15, so it is a super sized mug rug! He loves the vibrant cheery colors, altho I do think I will make him a more "manly" one in the future!

I made it using left over scraps from a quilt I made a few years ago for a niece. That cat print makes me smile every time I look at it! It still needs to be washed but I think it turned out pretty good.....

I also started another mug rug (for me) again out of scraps but this one is regular sized! I will post it when I get it finished.

What did you all do this weekend?

How I spent my summer vacation....eeerr, I mean my weekend!

This weekend hubby bought me (us) a "tablet". It is pretty cool especially since my laptop is dying a slow, miserable death! Of course I decided to make a "sleeve" for it.

I used scraps that I had on hand and I played with Baby Grace's embroidery stitches a little. If I were to make it again, there are a few things I would change but overall it turned out ok.

What did you all do this weekend?

My Two Squares

My squares are ready to go out in the mail. Just need to square 'em up and send 'em out!

Beth from Love Laugh Quilt along with Quilter's Newsletter started this show of love for Japan here - 
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LoveLaughQuilt/~3/0LVy8y8Z1o4/lets-make-quilt.html -
and I am happy to contribute! Thanks for the chance to help out, Beth!!

Meet Baby Grace!

Here is my new baby! She has been very busy this weekend and she certainly make-a-me happy!

Here is what she has been doing this weekend. I am making a table runner for our coffee table. So far only the top is complete but it will be finished and put to use soon!

See this crazy bird? (young female cardinal) She has been pecking at my patio door and flying "up" the glass for 3 days now. She has serious issues but I don't want her to get hurt. Not really sure how to help her???? Any ideas?

Hope you all are having a wonderful weekend! TTFN!

My new sewing machine is coming home today!!

Well, I am finally back to blogging land. Sorry for the lack of input - life just gets in the way a bit too much lately. The good news is that I am picking up my lovely new Baby Lock sewing machine this evening!! To honor this monumental event (monumental for me anyway!) I will be making a table runner for our living room coffee table. I had originally planned on using the stacked coins pattern, but after viewing the fabric selections I made I am not sure the coins are "speaking to me". Need to do a little more thinking and searching. Here is a pic of the fabrics/fat quarters; they are on the dryer, ready to get plopped in the wash when I get home.  I am not sure if they will all make it to the finals but this is the starting point.

 (enlarge/click on the pics for a better look) My LR is sage/olive green and Turkey Red. I still need to pick out a fabric for the borders and backing....Let me know what you think!


This sweet little fabric I picked up yesterday and I plan on making stuffed Easter Eggs. I think they will be darling!

Happy Friday and Happy Sewing!!

Did some sewing yesterday....

I FINALLY made myself an apron! I have been wanting one for the longest time but it is just one of those things I never got around to. I did not use a pattern - I just made some measurements on myself and the cut away. The fabric is left over from the cafe curtains I made for our dining area - very bright and cheery! I love it!

What did you all do this weekend? You can post your finished project here on Quilt Story's Blog- http://quiltstory.blogspot.com/    I did! :o)

 

(I will post pics of the granddaughter later today!)

Happy, busy bee!

I have been very busy getting the house in order as well as finishing a little project for my visitors that are coming in today! My Son2, DIL and Little Miss "A" will be spending the weekend with Grammom and Papa before they head off to Northern Italy for 4 years. I made this little project for "A" - I found the pattern here - http://allsorts.typepad.com/allsorts/2011/01/its-fluffy-its-stuffy-its-a-bunny.html ! I modified things a bit and hand stitched everything instead of using my old crusty machine. (I can't wait to pick up my new Baby Lock!) Without further ado - here she is! I think she is pretty cute even with her lopsided head and wonky smile! LOL

The yoke of the dress called for felt but the cheap craft felt I had was not strudy enough - so I crocheted mine out of cotton yarn and attached buttons....

The pattern did not call for a felt "face plate" (for lack of knowing the correct term!) but I liked the way it looked on the lavender.....

 Her dress is reversible. The inside fabric matches her ears. Cotton yarn for the tail.....

I hope "A" likes her and has fun "changing" her dress. (She is at that stage where she dresses her baby dolls.)
I promise to post pics of my wonderful weekend (that is - as long as I have their blessing to post their pics on the www)

Have a wonderful Friday and a great weekend my Bloggy friends!

P.S. I upcycled the lavender fleece from one of my shirts and everything else was leftover from other projects! I love it when a plan comes together!  :o)