Sew a fine Seam

{The TEENAGER}

2012-02-15T13:07:00.000-05:00

13. Honest-to-goodness TEENAGER!

Where did the time go? Wasn't it just yesterday that I was holding my little 6 pound 9ounce baby?

That I was changing diapers, folding baby laundry, up at night, rocking, singing to sleep, feeding, cuddling, bouncing, playing...

Happy 13th birthday Emma Kate! You really truly are our 'Teenager' now!!!

We love you lots!

photos by Tonia Schauer - Studio 9 photography

Sew a fine seam ~ I actually SEWED!!!

2012-02-14T20:13:00.000-05:00

So I did actually manage to get some sewing accomplished recently.

A friend moved with her family to Haiti recently, and before she left she brought me some fabric to make her some curtains for their house there. This burlap is for her son's room (i think!)

Isn't the ribbon she found so cute?!

She wanted a fold in the center to give it a sort of roman shade look. Easy to do and adds great texture I think. I really like how this one turned out.

There were two of these and they were each about 62 inches long. For lack of a better way to photograph them easily and lack of motivation to take the time and effort to get good photos this is what I have. Horizontal stripe piece at the top and the bottom 2/3 vertical. The trim between the two really added just what they needed! I hope they work well for her and are just what she had in mind.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T04:51:00.000-05:00

Enjoy your day!

Love your family.

Bless your husband.

Hug your children.

Praise God.

Spread some cheer.

Smile at the cashier.

Buy some candy.

Call a friend.

Send some flowers.

Write a note.

Mail a package.

Eat some chocolate.

Snuggle up with a good book.

Laugh. A lot.

Sing a song.

Dance.

Text someone.

Run to the mailbox.

Share a story.

Draw a heart.

Walk with a spring in your step.

Love.

Give it all you've got to give.

Deal of the day!

2012-02-13T12:29:00.000-05:00

So have you ever heard of Wuslu??

If you haven't and you don't have any extra money ever to spend on stuff for your house just pretend you never heard of it.

If you do occasionally have some cash to spend or if you are needing some things for your house, indeed check it out!

I have not been a follower of Wuslu for very long. I've seen it talked about here and there, mostly on Miss Mustard Seed's blog. I checked it out occasionally. They offer ONE deal per day. Once that day is over the deal is gone.

You can go back and see the stuff in their 'history'. After I joined up and followed the site and now get an email with the daily deal every day, I did a little digging through their history. And found that they offered this rug not too long ago. I was so disappointed that I had missed it. It was a great deal and I have seen these rugs here and there and loved them.

I also noticed that on some of the deals they would say 'back by popular demand' or something along that line. So I emailed them and told them that if they could offer this rug again I would be delighted. I promptly received an email back saying they had a few left and they gave me a link to buy one!!!!! I promptly bought it:)

I love how they used to include the ampersand in the alphabet. For some reason I really like that thing!

Just some editing fun I had over the weekend.

For now my new rug resides here in my dining room nook. Not sure where it will land, but that's one of the things I like about it - it's 3'x5' so it's easy to move it around.

It is made out of bamboo and has a nonslip backing. I'm glad I bought it. I have yet to buy anything else on wuslu but I do check out their deal every day. You never know when they are going to offer the perfect thing you have been looking for. Or that perfect gift you haven't been able to find.

And they do offer the stuff at a very good deal! Check it out:)

Have you found any good deals lately? Got any 'good deal sites' out there to share?

~Valentine's Decor~

2012-02-12T19:50:00.000-05:00

Heart found here.

Ribbon found here, and sent to me from Cali!! Thanks so much, check is in the mail:)

Valentine's Day

2012-02-10T17:47:00.000-05:00

There are various stories out there about the origin of Valentine’s Day. Some call it a ‘made-up’ day and want nothing to do with it. Some think it’s silly. Some roll their eyes. Others go all out – candy, flowers, cards, hearts, you name it!

I like this story about its origin:

In 270 AD the emperor of Rome outlawed marriage. Married men did not make good soldiers so the emperor reasoned that by outlawing marriage he would have more and better soldiers, men who were not reluctant to leave home and family in times of war. He also outlawed Christianity.

Saint Valentine, a Catholic bishop, did not agree with the emperor. He was a Christian and believed God had ordained marriage, so he performed marriages secretly. He was discovered and imprisoned for disobeying the emperor. While in prison, the jailor’s daughter brought him his meals and befriended him. Valentine soon fell in love with the jailor’s daughter.

The emperor sentenced St. Valentine to death. On the eve of his execution, St. Valentine wrote a love letter to the jailor’s daughter, signing it, ‘Your Valentine’.

Sigh. How romantic! True or not I like this one. Do you have a favorite story about Valentine’s Day? Any Valentine’s traditions? Do you like all the hoopla or do you think it’s overdone? Does your husband remember and get you flowers, chocolates, or a card??

Love Your Neighbor As Yourself

2012-02-09T18:38:00.000-05:00

I am feeling really down today. No particular reason I can put my finger on just a not-so-good day.

Recently I started reading a blog again that I used to follow closely. And have remembered why I quit reading it. I start reading the comments and get all caught up in the 'hate' commenter's she has. And it gets my blood pressure up! And then I discovered the blog that is dedicated to discussing her and tearing her apart. Then I checked out another well-read blog and found she has a site of 'haters' too. It gets me down.

On the way home today a vehicle went tearing around me. They got slowed down by the next vehicle who was going between 55 and 60. Not too slow by any means. When they were finally able to pass they made an obscene gesture out the window to the other driver.

It got me down.

This world is so depraved!

And it's supposed to be the month of love.

(Hearts made by my girls...)

Where is brotherly love? Where is courtesy? Where is patience? Where is kindness?

(...and hung on the tree we used for our Christmas tree.)

Why do we all think of ourselves and what WE have going on over everyone else?

Why are we so quick to say that the lady over on that blog is lying? Have we walked in her shoes?

Why do we think WE have all the answers and could certainly straighten out everyone else if they would just listen to what we tell them????

Because of sin. This world is a fallen world. A depraved world. A dark world. A lost world.

Let's stand up and LOVE OUR NEIGHBORS! Let's shine a light of LOVE, Christ's LOVE, everywhere we go, to everyone we meet. Because who is our neighbor?? Everyone we come in contact with.

Love them as Christ loves them. Love them as we would love ourselves. That gets pretty sobering if you sit and ponder it a bit.

Love the people who show hatred for the bloggers I enjoy reading. Love the guy who doesn't know any better on the highway. Love the lady in the check-out lane who yells at her kids because she is so overwrought. (they were cuties but had WAY too much energy) Love the impatient, love the unkind, love the seemingly unlovable. It's only possible with Jesus' love in us.

And to bring it even closer home - love your teenager when she tells you she thinks you are stupid, love the 8 year old when she throws a fit and cannot be reasoned with, love the 6 year old when she refused to eat the food you fix. Be patient. Be loving. Be kind. Be Christ-like.

"Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins." 1Peter 4:8

What are your thoughts on Loving your neighbor???

Valentine Cards

2012-02-08T20:44:00.000-05:00

One of my favorites.

The whole pile.

Another favorite.

This one was made by Little Sister (age 6)

I glued the arrow where she told me to and I cut the upside down v in the post-it note.

Now to get them mailed to people. Or hand delivered. Or maybe they will just be stuck here and there for decor.

Valentine Cards

2012-02-07T19:40:00.000-05:00

Stamps. A must when card-making:) I prefer Cavallini. I now have so many sets that they have to be stacked in TWO stacks on the shelf where I keep them. You just can't have too many great stamp sets can you??

A trug full of supplies and tools. Scissors, punches, twine, ribbon, tape, tickets, glue...

Cut some card stock into card size pieces. No measuring or perfectness here, just wing it.

Hot glue gun. Another must.

Make some arrows out of skewers and Japanese Washi tape.

(if you want some of this tape and you live close to me let me know. I will be ordering some soon and I'd be glad to add yours to my order. Saves on shipping!)

Follow the instructions HERE to make the arrows.

We made several small arrows by cutting the skewers into 2 and sometimes 3 or 4 pieces.

And by using toothpicks. This sized them for gluing to cards.

I love texture. Layer it up!

Old maps are a favorite crafting item of mine too. I bought a huge book of old maps at the Springfield flea one year for $3. It's a wonderful thing to have around:)

Have you made any valentines this year? Do you buy them from the store?

I have seen some adorable altered valentines that originated from good old Wal-mart!

Getting Crafty

2012-02-06T21:37:00.000-05:00

So Little Sister had been asking to do some crafts. Thinking up crafts for her to do wasn't really very high on my list of 'things-to-do'. Then I thought of the crafty tutorials Kara had put on her blog!

So I set up my laptop on the dining room table, got out some supplies and we all got crafty!

Little Sister was thrilled. She thought it was so cool to have the computer sitting right there with the craft showing. And as it turns out she is a natural crafter. She has an eye for what looks good. I was impressed:)

www.mcmasterandstorm.blogspot.com

Little Sister doing a careful job of covering the arrow head with Japanese washi tape.

A skewer, arrow head and arrow end ready for the hot glue gun.

(I handled all the gluing)

Showing off her creation.

Finished product

This was one I made.

This one is Middle Sisters. She made a removable point for the pointy end of the skewer.

It just cracked me up how each girls arrows looked just like them. Middle Sister made hers extra long. It ended up with way more tape on it than this even! And looked sort of messy.

The Teenager (who will really be a true teenager in just a few more days!) did a great job on her arrows. Then she put her name and initial on them. Sounds just like her. And I have NO idea where she would have picked up that trait.

The Teenager likes to be silly!

If you need crafting ideas for you kiddos I highly recommend checking out Kara's blog.

She's given us some really fun stuff lately.

~Getting Crafty~

2012-02-03T16:19:00.002-05:00

Kara is doing some really cute Valentine crafts and sharing them over on her blog.

You really must hop on over there and see what all she is creating.

Little Sister has been wanting to do crafty stuff lately. I got the stamps, some valentine stickers, and some card stock out for her the other day but she soon lost interest.

This morning I thought about these delightful arrows Kara had made.

So I showed Little Sister and she was so excited. We all ended up making arrows. They each have their own distinct look and look like the person that made them! Pics are on my camera - I will down load them soon. For now, feast your eyes on all this crafty goodness in Kara's photo above and head on over to her blog for more!

2012-02-02T22:13:00.003-05:00

LINKY FOLLOWERS (www.linkyfollowers.com)

See my new 'Follow' button above the old Google Friends Connect? If you follow my blog would you please follow me through Linky? GFC is going away:( It's been a good friend but the powers that be at Google think it's time to retire it. For now blogger blogs will still have it but that is open for change. And as I am in the process of switching to a Wordpress blog I will need something new.
I was so excited to see this posted on a friends blog and I wasted no time in signing up. I'm very happy to see a replacement that if free and so far SO easy to use. So I ask you again to please follow me through Linky. This way when my 'move' occurs I can take you with me.
And I would encourage you, if you have a blog, to check out Linky, sign up, and join the party!
Go here to see my friends post. She gives a lot of details about the new Linky Followers

Middle Sister's Art

2012-02-01T20:43:00.000-05:00

Middle Sister started drawing last year. She would pause the DVD and draw what she saw on the screen.

I was astounded when I saw this one, one of her first. May of 2011.

Can you guess which Disney character she was drawing?

I love how she did this one with the cat showing just the top of his head at the bottom of the picture.

This is one of her own. She loves Indians.

Another one that she drew from looking at the TV screen.

Know which Disney movie this guy came from?

And another one of her own. She just this evening was going through all her pictures, 3-hole punching them and putting them in a 3-ring binder. I grabbed a few of the best ones and scanned them. The top one is my favorite. I finally just asked her if I could have it. I'm so afraid something will happen to it as she goes through them over and over! I'm going to frame this one I think.

Sheep without a Shepherd

2012-02-01T09:08:00.001-05:00

Like a sheep without a shepherd I stumbled round and round.

I bumbled here, I dithered there, slipping, falling down.

I couldn't sleep, I didn't eat, I was lost and all alone,

Till I heard a gentle whisper calling me to come back home.

Like sheep without a shepherd, we all stumble through the dark,

We go our way and try to say we have it all worked out.

We scamper here, we hurry there, we worry, fume, and fuss,

Not realizing that we have a Friend who cares for us.

A friend, a Lord, a Shepherd, who would like to be our guide

Who waits and waits for us to see it was for us He died.

I turned to Him, He gave me rest, I sighed and nestled in,

It feels so good to rest in Him, let Him the battles win.

60 Days Till April!

2012-01-31T13:11:00.002-05:00

It feels like SPRING today. And I feel like myself today! I was beginning to wonder. But God answered prayer and sent me a reprieve. I feel like I just might make it through the next 60 days without ending up totally crazy.

The sunshine has been sporadic but accompanied by the warmer temps it is wonderful. I left the stove on but opened windows. And did not feel one bit guilty about it. THAT should tell you I feel much better!!!! I have felt guilty about everything lately.

I realize winter is not over. We could get snowed under yet. And I also know that April can be a real pill sometimes. We can have snow. BUT...in April you know it cannot last very long. And when it turns cold in April you know it won't last long either. So. I've made it through January. It was the worst it's ever been. I truly hope it's not going to get worse every year. If it does I WILL have to find somewhere hot to escape to.

I washed a couple windows this morning so the sun could come through all clear and sparkling.

I had a desire to dig into the spring cleaning. Were we where I wanted to be in school we would have taken the day off to clean. But we are NOT where I want us to be so we are doing school. We also have piano in the afternoon. So the cleaning will wait a little longer. But the fact that I actually had the desire and felt the energy to do it felt really good. The past few weeks have been hard. On all of us. We will take a good day anytime! We know there are still 60 days till April. I will still have bad days. But at least we know the bad still goes away. And we would prefer to say it's ONLY 60 days till April!

{A few more Paperwhites}

2012-01-30T22:50:00.000-05:00

This one is at my kitchen window. Which made photographing it interesting! I had fun with editing even if they aren't the best ever. Thought I'd share.

A Tad Bit of Valentine's Decor

2012-01-30T14:28:00.003-05:00

I don't go all out for Valentine Decor. Sometimes I don't do any at all.

For some absolutely adorable crafting fun go here. Tutorial is great!

And just might get you into the Valentine card making mood!

Since my china cupboard needed a deep cleaning I had The Teenager help me with that on Saturday. When we got everything back in and I had arranged it well enough to do for now I added just a couple touches of red and hearts. The heart picks are vintage, I picked them up at an antique shop somewhere.

The detailed Annie Oakley card was from a friend years ago and I kept it.

This little valentine was purchased at McMaster and Storm when their Brick and Mortar was still open. It makes an appearance almost every February.

(egg from my sister - via Andrea Singarella)

Technically an egg and labeled an Easter decor item, this made its appearance early. It's pink so it fits right in with any Valentine's theme. And it's cheery. Cheer is desperately needed right now. It is gray and gloomy outside. (If you will notice I spelled it 'gray'. If you are very astute and know me very well at all you will recall that I spell it 'grey'. I like that spelling better. But since I don't like what it looks like outside I am spelling it 'gray'. Yes, I'm going crazy)

61 days till April.

Paper Whites (and having fun with editing)

2012-01-28T21:09:00.002-05:00

I love having paperwhite bulbs in the winter. Mine were started around Thanksgiving time and are finally blooming. A few already bloomed and are done but most of them are just now really opening up. I had 3 bulbs in one pot that are all done now. 3 more bulbs in the same pot are just now blooming. Go figure! I never claimed to have a green thumb:) I'm just happy they have all finally bloomed. I think they took longer than normal too.

I am having fun with my editing software:) Finding more stuff it will do all the time.

If I ever buy and learn photoshop I will not resurface for months!

Have you ever 'forced' paperwhites in the winter?

Do YOU like how they smell? My kids don't. I kinda do.

Do you have a green thumb? If so what kind of plants do you grow? Houseplants or all outdoors?

Is anyone else ready for spring? 63 days till April!!

Grandma Bussey's Cranberry Salad

2012-01-27T13:12:00.002-05:00

1 cup cranberries 2 oranges, 3-4 apples, 2-3 stalks celery

Wash all, core apples, peel oranges, trim celery ends.

Use food chopper to chop all fruits in small pieces.

You will also need one can of crushed pineapple.

Place 2 pkg. of Raspberry jello in a bowl.

Add two cups HOT water and mix well - till jello is dissolved.

Add one cup cold water. Using an Italian glass measuring cup is optional but does make the whole process much more enjoyable and photo worthy. Find yours here.

You also need 3/4 cup of sugar. I used my new china 1 cup measure and just didn't fill it all the way to the top.

Add the chopped fruits, pineapple and sugar to the jello mixture.

Stir. Stir some more.

Pour into a beautiful bowl. Photograph it with your Italian Glass Measure just because.

Cover Cranberry Salad, place in refrigerator overnight to set. Mine always sets up!

Serve with a traditional Thanksgiving meal - you know, turkey, dressing, potatoes, gravy...

To me a turkey dinner is not complete without Grandma Bussey's Cranberry Salad. YUM.

Sometimes Loving Hurts

2012-01-26T11:59:00.000-05:00

Star, Janie, and Sophie

They posed for me like pros... first all turning one way...

...and then back the other.

Middle Sister

Janie is her cat.

Little Sister and Star

The Teenager with her much loved cat Sophie

These cats began their life as all cats do - as adorable, cuddly kittens.

They originated here. With three girls I really had no choice but to bring all three kittens home!

They grew quickly. And became big, sleek, pampered, beautiful cats.

Very much loved by The Sisters

The girls very much loved their kitties turned cats. And sometimes loving involves saying good-bye.

And it hurts. We lost Sophie yesterday. One of the great risks of having cats in town - the road is just too close and too busy. You can't really tell in these photos but Sophie was long-haired and very fluffy. A very beautiful cat. She was the favorite. She had a purple collar The Teenager had bought her and she wore it proudly. Yesterday afternoon a very sweet neighbor lady brought the collar over and asked if the cat had been ours. She said it was hit on the road and she couldn't stand to see it out there so she got it and buried it in her flower bed. She even said a prayer over it. Then she washed the collar and brought it back. What a blessing to have such a sensitive and kind neighbor. It was rather sad here for awhile after she left. Tears were shed. A little collection of 'Sophie things' was made, put in a tiny box, and her collar wrapped around the box.

And though I'm not an animal lover myself I love my girls. And they loved that cat. And they were hurting over her loss. Therefore I hurt for them. Yes, sometimes loving hurts.

Till He Come

2012-01-25T11:06:00.001-05:00

Lately my days are filled with just getting done what HAS to be done.

Inspiration and Creativity have departed for warmer climes.

I so wish I could have gone with them.

Jesus told a parable in Luke 19 about a man giving talents to his servants and telling them to 'occupy till I come'. Occupy did not mean to sit back idly as the one servant did. It meant to work, stay busy, do the ordinary life things, make increase, etc. Just till he came back.

He didn't tell them how long he would be gone. Neither did Jesus tell us how long till He returns.

But the parable applies. Occupy 'Till He Come'. Go about daily life. Even if it means just getting done the things that are absolutely necessary and nothing extra. Brighter days will come.

We heard a quote recently at church: 'If all you do in this life is praise God then you have done what you were intended to do'. So if I can just praise God even in the midst of winter I am doing all that is required. (along with cooking, laundry, school... just keep praising Him along with all the things that are needful)

Till He Come. This too shall pass! He is coming again and heaven will be our reality! That is reason enough to praise Him!

Natural Decor

2012-01-24T16:48:00.003-05:00

This was another after-Christmas find I bought while my sister was still here.

Gotta love those 1/2 off sales:)

Adorable little drawer pulls out. Now what should I put in it?

Would you display it open or closed?

What would you do with it if it were yours?

Taking the drawer clear out you could stand it on end and fill use it as a vase.

That was the suggestion of the shopowner.

Anyway, it adds some texture to my lacking-for-inspiration decor at the moment.

(67 days till April)

{New Fabrics}

2012-01-23T16:10:00.000-05:00

I recently ordered a stack of fabric samples from fabric.com for an upcoming project.

And while I was at it I added a few pieces of fabric to do some creating with.

Anna Maria Horner velveteen.

Very soft. Middle Sister wants a blanket out of this.

I was thinking I'd make me a skirt.

Which would you recommend??

Some ruffled fabric. All three girls want these!

Skirt?

Dress?

What would you make (or have made) out of these?

And since it was on sale I also got this piece of laminated fabric.

They all got added to my stack. Which looks like fun but I have yet to find the energy to get at it.

I think about it and that's the first step right??

Spring is coming...

68 Days

2012-01-23T10:13:00.000-05:00

Today it is warm. Compared to what it has been it is warm. The sun peeks through the clouds now and then. And though a watery sun, still it's the sun! It rained last night. Poured is more accurate. Complete with lightening and thunder. And this morning the snow is as good as gone. By aiming your gaze high or squinting you can completely ignore the fact that there are a few traces left here and there. And I am glad. Even knowing that we have 68 more days till April and we could well have more snow, ice, cold, and knife-like wind.

Still. IT'S ONLY 68 DAYS TILL APRIL!!!

WOO-HOO!

~New Stuff~

2012-01-21T23:41:00.000-05:00

OK I caved lately and got sucked in by the 'sales'. Yes, they were good sales, but still not free, so I was still spending money, which I am supposed to be saving not spending. But it WAS a good deal, and I can blame it all on my friend, Kara, who not only blogged about the deals, but also sent me an email telling me I needed to get myself over to BHLDN. And like an obedient friend I listened to her:) I CAN listen to what I'm told!

First up was this 7 1/2 yard roll of linen, scissors included .

Cannot wait to make some pillows or table runners or SOMETHING out of this!

For now it just looks pretty sitting on my shelf in my sewing room.

Isn't this the cutest box? This is one box I will be keeping. Too fun!

Can you guess what came in it?? (no it wasn't butter)

Shoes. I'm a sucker for cute shoes. Especially if they have leather lining and soles. AND they are on sale. These fit every one of those categories. I did not deliberate for long. In the cart they went. And there they stayed through the whole check-out process. Which, I might add, I completed as quickly as possible because I was afraid something might sell out before I got mine bought!

I have an outfit all planned around these things. Now if the snow will only go away I could wear it!

With snow, you will not find me out in anything but boots.

(I know Mom, I know, you never thought you'd see the day)

Candles. Long, thin tapers. Grey. Dripless. What's not too love?

A whole dozen. For $9. You would have bought them too.

Paper medallion fans. Way too cute and cheap to leave there. I did refrain from getting all the colors of these they had available and some other really, really cute and fun paper items. After all I already had the linen and the shoes in my cart. It was either those two things or get rid of those and buy all paper stuff. And since the shoes refused to get out of the cart and the linen is rather a business purchase the paper goods had to wait. Maybe next time they have an awesome sale, offer and extra 40% off AND a friend tells me to get over there!

Have you bought any sale stuff this month? Any after-Christmas-specials? Any super deals? Any splurges? For yourself? A gift? Your family? Please tell me I'm not the only one who succumbs to this stuff!! Have a wonderful Sunday - God Bless.