thinking out loud... for all to see...

Top of the list...

These people. My people. My family. The only thing I can think of that I can never imagine regretting spending hard earned money on in terms of "things" would be the pictures that I have of our family. I moved a few things around today and hung a couple of canvases that I had originally planned to hang in the entry way. They speak to me. They remind me of what I value most. Forever. For Always. And no matter what...

 

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours from me and mine!!! :)

p.s. this picture? An "out-take" of sorts. Roscoe's all laying on his back and twisted weird and we're all trying to be "serious" in spite of it... and it's perfect. SO us. Thanks Becky. :) In case I haven't told you lately...my photographer RoCkS!!!

I like to make things...

always have and I hope I always will. I've been trying to think of something to add to my "daily" routine for next year. I know I'll keep up with my photo a day but I think I'm going to commit to doing something creative every day. In my mind, I pretty much do that already but saying it out loud and tracking it will make it easier to "make sure" that I'm taking care of that part of me. Creating makes me happy. I love the thrill of seeing a project go from pieces and parts to completion. But maybe EVERY day is too much pressure? It doesn't have to mean I complete a project every day though- just that I did something creative that day even if it's part of a larger scale thing. Hmmmmmm... must continue to think on that one. 

 
The other day, I made a little "loyalty wallet" for some giftcards for a friend. I have a hard time giving "just" a giftcard. I don't want them to seem like I didn't want to take the time to search for the perfect gift. I know that a lot of times they're a preferred gift because it gives you the freedom to choose something you really love and I have to admit that I love "free money" and the ability to splurge on something I might not have otherwise treated myself to. Anyway, this is a  super quick and easy tutorial and a perfect way to dress up a giftcard with a little extra "just for you" touch. I think I'll be making a bunch of these for the holidays- I seriously did this one in about 20 minutes. Like I said, super quick and easy with a fun little result. :) 

I did manage to get the longarm completely up and running today and I'm about 1/3 of the way through my first "real" quilt on it. So far so good. It's got a steep learning curve but one that I'm beginning to think I will be able to master if I take my time and really develop my skills. It certainly isn't just pushing a button and watching it sew like Scott seems to think it is... :) Gotta love a boy who's all about the immediate gratification. Some things are worth spending the time on to get good at them and I'm pretty sure this is one of them. I'll show you the quilt when I get it all done. Maybe later today? Or maybe that's just wishful thinking...

p.s. here's the link for the tutorial... LOYALTY WALLET since I can't get the one above to work! Ugh! Technology can be SO frustrating sometimes!

It's those little things...

a while back I bought some funky vintage lamps in Fremont on a quick shopping jaunt that I took with Becky one Sunday afternoon. I had such big plans for them and I knew they'd be amazing. And then Scott took them to the basement while I waited for a moment of time to work on them. Ugh. I hate that. The minute things hit the basement to "wait" they end up waiting even longer- you know- out of sight, out of mind. Well, I thought about them the other day when I was in PB and saw these crewel embroidered shades and I just knew that I'd love them on those lamps. They only had one at my store but being the lovely people that they are, they managed to find two of them in Utah and have them shipped. I used my PB gift card from my birthday and stalked the UPS man waiting for them to arrive. Then, as fate would have it, Chase "owed" me big time for some favors I'd done this week so I called in one and made him spray out the ugly brass bases and stems on said lamps. We popped on the new shades and put them on the night stands in our bedroom. They're SUPER TALL and grand and they look absolutely perfect next to our larger than life king sized bed. I'm in love with them. They're unique and fun and just what this room needed. Next up, window treatments... but Miley's dad has to work his magic on some barn board for me. Seriously. If you have to lose your handyman dad early in life, at least it's nice to know that your best friend's dad will step in occasionally to help out a girl with her decor schemes. :) On to work and other mundane Monday stuff. Thanks for stopping by. It's nice to see you again! :)

things to do... people to see...

quilts to sew! The longarm is HERE! And it's set up... mostly. I say "mostly" because we did manage to put together the frame (ALL day Saturday! Thanks to Tami and Scott who were most helpful and patient!) and we managed to get the machine on it. It looks VERY large and in charge! :) And then we opened the box for the electronics that make the machine do it's own thing with just a little assistance from the human (that would be me) and I just about passed out when I saw all the wires and boxes and diagrams in the instructions. After much begging and pleading the company that I bought my machine from has agreed to come out on Friday and install the "brain" as I am calling it now. In the mean time, Tami and I have plans to get it humming along and quilt a quilt or two the "old fashioned" longarm way- which means we will attempt to be the "brain" for said machine. I'm excited and terrified all at once. I think we can pull it off though. We're working on a quilt for one of the wounded in the attack at Fort Hood last week. It will be an honor to send a quilt off to one of our finest who was wounded in a place where they should never have had to even think about being attacked. More and more I am reminded that we live in a fallen world and I am convicted of the need to be in prayer for our military. Thank God that they are willing to do the hard work of keeping us safe and may we be willing to do the hard work to make them less likely to have to be in harm's way...

waiting... stalking...

the UPS man. My long arm quilting machine should arrive soon. I don't know why I'm sitting by the front door looking for the man in brown because there's a basement that's in need of some serious attention before I set up a 12 foot long quilting machine in the space. Seriously. Step. Away. from. the. door. I've got some nagging projects down there that I've started and stopped at least a half a dozen times. I need to just dedicate a day to them and knock them out. I think I shall. Maybe Tuesday? Yes. Tuesday. 

While I'm waiting, I have managed to sit at my sewing machine a bit and I finished my homework for my "keep quilting" class days ahead of schedule. I don't think I've ever finished before the day I'm supposed to have it done. Quite an odd feeling, actually. Now, I just want to sit down and sew on the borders but my instructor specifically told us not to and I'm hoping she'll have some super helpful hints so I'm resisting the urge. I did buy a totally unexpected color for the small inner border and I'm wondering what she's going to say about it. Since the whole quilt top is done in Authentic, it was "too easy" to just do the borders out of that collection too and so I chose a red for the inner border. I'm hoping it'll make everything pop. If not, I seem to have become "at one" with the seam ripper as of late and I'm betting I can rip off that inner border faster than anyone would care to think about. :) My sister and I are talking about taking our machines and heading over to Create once a week to sit and stitch and hang out. I'm not big on dragging out my scrapbooking stuff to go somewhere to work but with quilting stuff it's easier to be pretty sure that you have everything you need with you since you're usually working with a pattern and a foregone conclusion in mind. Might be fun. 

And last but not least... I think I'm going to put up my Christmas tree next weekend. Seriously. I know. "why so EARLY"?!?!? Well, I just want to really enjoy the season this year. I have visions of cookies, and pies and home decor and all sorts of things dancing around in my head and I think my Christmas tree will keep me "in the mood". And I know myself well enough to know that no matter when I put it up, I will want it down by New Year's Day. So, a few extra weeks on the front side seems like a fun plan. If not, I'll know not to do that next year. I'm not going to "rush" the decorating of said tree. I'll probably do it over the course of a week or so and really enjoy it. Last year, we were in "wedding mode" and so those things got done but they got done very quickly and haphazardly. This year, I plan to enjoy the season and really remember WHY I celebrate and do all those things. I can't believe it's already so close, can you? Seriously? 

Last year at this time I was making tissue paper flowers and my sis and mom were slaving away over paper chains. :) Memories. I just got K&G's wedding album designed and sent off. I can't wait to see it. It was SO hard to choose and narrow down the picture selection. I have literally HUNDREDS (over a THOUSAND if you include engagement shots!) of pictures and so it was interesting to narrow it down to the ones that told the story the best. It's been fun to relive so many happy memories while working on that album. In just a matter of a few weeks, K&G will have been married a whole year already. Dang. Time does fly.

I read a quote the other day on a scrapbook layout that I loved the simply said "Your photography is a record of your living for anyone who truly sees" (paul strand) Loved that. Today will mark the end of ten months of my "photo a day" project and it really has become a record of my living. Loving that idea today. I can't wait to "see through my lens" what each day holds even if some of the pictures seem insignificant now, I know that all together they'll tell my story of 2009 and that's a happy thought to me. I'm trying to think of something else I want to try to do "every day" of next year. I think I'll keep up with my photo a day but I'd like to add something else creative and yet not too consuming to the mix. Any ideas? I'm listening! :)

nothing better...

I'm pretty convinced that it's hard work to have real, true, always there for you friends. It takes time. It takes commitment. It takes being willing to take a chance with your heart. It is also totally and completely worth it. I can't imagine my life without my real life friends. Last night, my best girls got together and we went to Bonefish for my birthday dinner. It was almost magical. Perfect conversation. Great food. And that amazing "loved for who you are" feeling that you can't get from anywhere else. I love my friends. I can't imagine life in a non-bagel world... thankfully, I don't think I'll ever have to. Thanks, girls. You know I adore you all and I'm feeling like the most blessed girl on the face of the earth today. :)

Sew What?

I've found that I quite enjoy the quilt and sewing world as of late. :) Seems like there's always a new pattern or fabric collection that catches my eye. This week, I sat down and did a little time at the machine and managed to whip up a couple of things that I'm pretty happy with. 

First, my block for the first month of my Virtual Quilting Bee (one day there will be cool pictures in that Flickr Group!) that I'm doing with several other scrapbook-y girls who also have a knack for sewing. This month was my month to choose the theme and I chose wonky houses- meaning pretty much anything goes as long as there's a house in the block. I can't wait to see what they come up with. I've got one more block to do for this one. I thoroughly enjoyed this "no rules" approach to making a block. It's a relief after the quilting class I'm currently taking where the "scant 1/4" seam" has become my total nemesis. At one point on Tuesday, I threw a block in the trash in class and had a semi meltdown. I'm sure it'll all work out in the end but right now I'm just struggling along with it... But that's how you learn, right? Right. :)

 

Then the Sweetwater tote bags. LOVE LOVE LOVE this bag. It's a perfect sized bag and it's just so fun to make out of the Authentic line of fabric from Sweetwater. There are several canvas prints in the collection which are a great weight for a tote. The pattern was pretty easy except for the band around the top. I hate to topstitch and this was no exception. But, in the end, I think they turned out pretty cute! One's for me (can you guess which one?) and one is for my very favorite fabric store in Omaha, Country Sampler. I love that store and the girls who work there. It's quickly becoming my "Cheers" and everyone knows my name... not sure if that's good or not... but I hope it is!

I'm off to KC this weekend for a Sewing and Quilting Expo. Trying to decide if I want to invest in a longarm quilting machine. Tami, my sister, says I do. But I think she might have motive for that opinion... We'll see. It might be fun to have but it's quite the investment and I'm just not sure that I want to part with the cash right now. Ugh. Decisions... I'm leaving the dog with Scott and Chase and hoping they all survive. Say a little prayer for Roscoe. Or Scott? or maybe both! :)

How can it be?

that 19 years ago today I met the most amazing boy I have ever met for the first time? Happy Birthday to my Chase who's not a kid anymore according to the state of Nebraska (19 is the age of majority here... can you believe that?!?!) Seriously, people, I know he's my kid and all and that makes me prejudiced but can I just tell you that he truly is an amazing person? He's just got so much to offer the world. He's the one who can ALWAYS find humor in a situation. He's the one who's got a soft side and is so sweet to others around him. He's got so much of his dad in him and that means that some girl will be getting a good deal when she chooses him to marry one day. He's just the real deal on every level. He's not a game player or a manipulator. He sticks up for himself while rarely becoming a rude jerk. I just adore this kid... and I'm pretty sure I would still adore him even if he wasn't mine. But he is. Yeah! I'm so thankful that God chose to bring him to our family. I'm so blessed to get to be his mom. And now, I'll quit before I get all sappy and gross on you. :) Happy Birthday, sweet Chase. I love you more than I could ever say. You're amazing to me...

It's always good...

 

to want to come back home. And I did. It was SO good to get back to the normal stuff of life. Scott and I have figured out that we really are short trip people. We love to go but we also love to come home. They say that it's good to want to go and it's even better if you want to come home. Mexico was, well, Mexico. Not my favorite place, for sure... but it was better than I had anticipated. We had a GREAT view from our hotel room and my favorite part of the trip was opening up the balcony patio doors and turning the air down so I could "enjoy the outside" while remaining cool inside. Not very green... but hey, I was on vacation and it really was the perfect way to enjoy a nap. I celebrated my 42nd birthday with a big party on Tuesday night. So what if it was supposed to be an awards dinner. Hmph! I got to sing with the bad and danced the night away with lots of fun people. It was the perfect way to head into my "mid 40's". And now, we settle back into reality and all the cool stuff that goes with it. I love being home. :) Looking forward to a date with a bagel and my bff tomorrow. I think the plan involves fabric and chairs for her dining room... Should be interesting. I'll have to snap a couple of pictures, for sure. ttyl!

before my birthday? really?

I don't know that we've ever seen measurable amounts of snow fly before my birthday... until this year. We woke up this morning to a winter wonderland- about 4" in our yard. Craziness. It lasted most of the morning and into the afternoon but it'll be gone before the sun goes down. Nothing like a bit of the white stuff to get me in the mood to head south. Mexico here we come. Leaving Aunt Tami and Chase to hold down the fort while we're gone... See you on the flip side. I'll be older when I post again... I'm just sayin'.

p.s. the picture's dark because I took it at o'dark thirty when I got up to get my office work done... Got to get it all done so I can relax for a few days... :)