Contest for French Cross Stitch Book!

I hope I win...but if I don't, maybe you will! It's for a book - Cross Stitch Letters Bible by Valerie Lejeune. Violarium's blog will draw 1 name out of a hat and ship this book to the lucky winner. This 712-page book is full of letters to stitch (more than 800 different alphabets)!

Violarium is an online cross stitch store, selling mainly French designs, magazines and accessories.

If you link Violarium's blog and mention this competition, they will count your name 5 times in the drawing hat! Contest ends July 19th.

Whipped Up Some Napkins

I've used cloth napkins for over 20 years instead of paper. I guess I was being green when it wasn't cool yet. The ones we use every day are worn and faded from many washings, so I needed to sew up some more. Digging through the stash I went. I ended up using a remnant of vintage fabric from dear Aunt Eunice (who passed away over 4 years ago). She was a very thrifty lady, too. She was also partial to purple, as am I. While they aren't perfection, they will definitely be used on a daily basis. Eunice would be proud!

No tutorial is needed. They are a piece of cake. I cut four 17 inch squares and folded each side 1/4 inch, then 1/4 inch again for a finished hem. Finished size is 16 inches. So easy.

I still need a few more. I'll have to do some more digging.

Taggie For Miss P

Here is the first sewing project my DD/27 did mostly on her own. It's a taggie for Miss P.


She used yellow flannel (from my stash) for the back side...so soft! The black and white gingham also pulled from my stash along with the batting. The only cost was ribbon that DD/27 had bought previously. We both wished for a embroidery machine to monogram a big ole "P" right in the middle. Toys can be hooked onto the loops for a really good time. Miss P loves it!

Tutu-too Delicious

Now you must admit, the tutu from the last post is way cuter with my granddaughter modeling it instead of just hanging on a silly ole hanger! I also made the headband and my daughter attached the flower. I think Miss P is having a photo shoot this weekend and I'm sure she'll love every minute of it.

No sew Project: Tutu

Here is a tutu I made for my 5 1/2 month old granddaughter. It's the tiniest tutu I've ever seen. I hope it fits her! I found several tutorials online and used a combination of them. The most time-consuming part was cutting the tulle. I used elastic for the waist, but a ribbon would work, too. The elastic has a stiffness that helps hold the waistband in a uniform position which I like.

It's not cross stitching, but it's crafty, at least!

Memorial Day

This day takes on a whole new meaning since my son is deployed in Iraq. It's more than just a day for a picnic for some of us.

Thank you to my son and all the men and women who serve in the military.

Freedom = sacrifice of many - present and past.

Quickie Recycle/Reuse Project

Well, here is what DS/12 and I came up with for a t-shirt that he never wore. He wanted a book cover for his library book. He already had the patch, too. I just laid out the shirt, put the book on top and cut out a generous amount to allow for error. It was so quick, maybe 30 minutes. He was excited and I was glad to recycle something he had never worn.












It snowed like crazy yesterday! We got between 7 1/2 to 8 inches of glistening snow. You can see my "wedding cake" table to get an idea of just how much snowfall.











Oh, we just discovered our dog, Lucy, thinks she can sing...

Sewing Project

I found a great tutorial at Little Birdie Secrets and had to try it.








Can you guess what it is?
















It's a nursing cover for a new mom to use when nursing her baby. Boning is sewn into the center of the top so that mom alone has a view of the baby. I wish someone had thought of this when I was having babies!! It cost around $11.00 to make, but it could be made for less if you have the supplies on hand in your stash.

Just in Time for Valentine's Day

Inside Number Twenty's blog, Monique of My Mark Designs, has an adorable freebie that is perfect for Valentine's Day. Check it out!

New Year's Eve Baby

After 12 hours of labor and an emergency c-section, DD gave birth to our beautiful granddaughter, Presley. Mom and baby are doing fine.



Weight: 7 pounds, 11 ounces - Height: 20 inches

She is absolutely breathtaking! I am so proud!

Bun In The Oven

My response to my expectant daughter's concern over going past her due date....
"The longer they cook, the better they look!" She seemed to like that. Tomorrow is the inducement day!! We will finally see our granddaughter!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! We are still waiting on our new granddaughter to arrive. Christmas Eve was fun (but just not the same without my DS/22 who is in Iraq). We are a Wii family now. Yay!!

Happy Thanksgiving and Tag You're It!

We had our Thanksgiving dinner yesterday. I was sad to not have my soldier home. Otherwise, we had a pleasant dinner. Happy Thanksgiving to all my blogging friends!

Lucy at Folk-N-Fancy tagged me to share 6 random things about myself! Here are the rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.

2. Post the rules on your blog.

3. Write six random things about yourself.

4. Tag six people at the end of your post.

5. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

6. Let the tagger know your entry is up.

1. I love reading the dictionary! Nerd-o-fied, I know...I know. I love playing Scrabble, but can't always find an opponent.

2. I enjoy making someone laugh, even if it makes me look silly doing it. It's totally worth it. (e.g. {Gasping} "I got a red straw!") If you would have been there, you would have laughed. Trust me. Not funny in print, but in real life it was a pretty good one.

3. I cry at the drop of a hat. A friend recently told me she is a "free-crier". I had never heard of that before, but I suppose I am one.

4. I am married to a very talented musician. Translation: I've been a roadie and a groupie "with benefits" ;^)

5. I am totally blind in one eye, but most people don't even know it. It doesn't keep me from cross stitching or sewing...but I can't play tennis!

6. I feel like I'm being frivolous when I don't use coupons when buying groceries. I'm the lady who brings her own bags to the grocery which earns .03cents off per bag on the total.

I'm tagging RuthAnn, mimpinmom, Kim, Beth, Tobie, and Andrea.

Now let's see what's random with you!

4 Year Blog Anniversary

My 4 year blog anniversary! Wow! Now if I can just blog more consistently!

Free Quilt Giveaway...but hurry!

I have entered a free quilt giveaway over at Old Red Barn Co. What awesome quilts! The giveaway ends soon, so hurry if you want a chance to win. You can also click on the sidebar button to go to total quilt awesomeness.

Baby Shower for My Daughter

Today I hosted a baby shower (my first ever) for my daughter. I used some of the items I had kept of my daughter's when she was born. I had saved some of her dresses and a couple of crocheted items my mother had made, so I used those for decorating. Here are some of the photos.


I used pink fabric (from my fabric stash) underneath a Battenberg lace tablecloth I already owned. I found the doll and teddy bear for the centerpiece at T. J. Maxx. The Petit Fours were made by Brown Baguette. They were delicious!

Menu:

Petit Fours
Brownie Bites
Fruit & Dip
Spinach Dip & Hawaiian Bread
Chicken Salad on Croissants
Beef Ball with Crackers
Broccoli Bacon Salad
Punch
Tea/Coffee/Diet Coke
The baby will be named Presley Ruth and I just happened to have the letters to spell her name. The punch table was covered in a white floor-length tablecoth with a "bed canopy" draped over it. The canopy was $10 at Tuesday Morning. I bunched the top half under the punch bowl. It worked great!

I used some of my daughter's own baby dresses for decorating. I displayed some of my son-in-law's and my daughter's baby pics around, also.

My mother had made me the crocheted bag and vest for my daughter when she was born 27 years ago. The bag has a heart pocket and a patch that says "Angel". I used it on her crib for small toys, etc., but it can be used several ways. The afghans were also treasures I had kept of my daughter's. I am sooo glad I held onto them.




We had so much fun! She got lots of precious gifts, too. Here's the whole bunch and my daughter with my sister-in-law (who loaned me the glass plates, etc.) It was great just to see the ladies in our family since we don't get many opportunities to get together.

Halloween Baby Shower

DD's bible study group gave her a Halloween Baby Shower.
Everything was wonderful! Check out the cake!













I am giving her a shower for our side of the family. I have no clue what I'm doing. Wish me luck.
The theme will be "pink".

Future Mom!

Here's my beautiful daughter! She is simply glowing! She has a fairly new blog, Mom's the Word.



She's expecting our first grandchild, a baby girl!!
We are so excited! I'll be giving her a shower in November.

Praying like never before

My son has deployed to Iraq. He is on the right. I can't imagine what the next 12 months will be like. Lots of praying, that I do know for sure....

Where Did I Go?

Well....I didn't really go anywhere, but my DS/22, who is in the army, was in town for his leave before deploying to Iraq. It was so wonderful to see his face again!! I've missed him terribly!

While he was home, he wrecked his bike and broke his foot in several places. He had burns to his side, shoulder and back. After his accident, he spent most of the remaining time at home, trying to heal. I tried to be a good nurse, but anyone who knows me knows I am not a good one. I did the best I could and we had a few laughs at my ineptness.

Here's his bike (his pride and joy). He rebuilt and painted it himself. This was before the accident.

He received a promotion to "Specialist" before he returned home, and may be a corporal very soon. I am so proud of him! I am also terrified for him, but I know he has been trained well. I know God will look over him no matter where he is (because I keep reminding God about it : } ).

Other Breaking News.......

We found out last week that our first grandchild is a G-I-R-L!!!!! We are overjoyed! It wouldn't have mattered either way, boy or girl, they are both awesome!

I have a couple of other things that have kept me from blogging, but hopefully I'll be able to get back on track soon.

We've been busy with guerilla shopping for school supplies and clothes. There was also a tax-free weekend last weekend, so people who never shop were out shopping. There was craziness on the roads (who turns left from the far right-hand lane??) and even more craziness in the stores. Waiting in line for over 15 minutes to get into a dressing room stall, then another 15 minutes in a checkout line, is not my idea of a fun day.

The Rockstar and I even made a few midnight runs to Walmart to get 5 cent spiral notebooks (aka themebooks, composition books). My DS/11 always corrects me if I don't refer to them as "spirals". I am giving away my age here, but I'm just happy to be alive...at any age!

School is starting for DS/11 next week. I am picking up more hours with my job, also. I will still be busy-busy, but I'll try to get in some stitching time. I miss it. I miss the way it relaxes me. It gives me time to think.

Hopefully, I'll have a stitching update soon. We shall see...