The lilies are in bloom but our garden is a sorry straggly mess.

 Since the weather man is calling for rain thought I would bring a little sunshine into the family room.

 It's hard to see the Dragon flies etched on this vase. DD#1 and I made the vases for her bridesmaids to put their bouquets in at her Wedding reception 8 years ago. My how time flies. Dragon flies are DD#1 signature bug. Ha

The freezer was getting low on breakfast food, Karsyn and I made a triple batch of waffles yesterday to replenish our quick breakfast supply.

Mason and I are headed out on a few errands this morning in hopes of missing the race crowd that will be in for the long race week as well as Memorial Day weekend. Then it's back home to work some magic in the kitchen. We need a few more quick breakfast items for the freezer, sweet muffins and English muffins are on our to do list for the day. As well as a desert or two, a new supper recipe is in the crock pot.

We hope to hit the scrap/sewing room this afternoon to start working on the next UFO, there are soooo many to pick from! Ha I am doing my best to have a little self control and not begin anything new until I clear the decks a bit. It is going to take weeks I am sure but it needs to be done.

Hubby is working diligently on his shed remodel, by the weekend he should be ready to move JUST whats needed back in. I feel 100 pounds lighter with all that excess stuff out of our way. I am still in a bit of shock that he decided to take on this project he is quite the pack rat!!!

Are you taking on any biggie projects for the spring/summer? I am thinking this might be the last for us until the fall. The heat will be too much soon to do any major outdoor work. I figure the garden ,if it well every take off and grow will be all I can handle on the big project side of things. I am setting the bar a little lower this year for myself, after close to 2 years with the youngest grands my battery is getting pretty low!!! That's and understatement for sure.

Here We Go, A New Week

 Hubby working hard to cut a bigger doorway in the shed.

 A UFO is finished!! It has now moved to the pile of needs to be quilted.

 Soft sweet fabric, I think this might be a Christmas gift....hummm, maybe

Karsyn decided today is hat day, what the heck it's only going to be in the high 80's!! Mason is right in there with her, lovin his hat.

Very short post today, I have Karsyn and Mason, DD #2 needed to take Kara to the Dr for her chest cold so I took over Karsyn for her today. The house is a rocking and won't calm down until 6:00PM tonight!!! There is a possibility they are both down for a nap, still here some singing coming from Karsyn's crib, oh please let them sleep!!

Hubby got the doorway enlarged on the shed and new doors built so he is well on his way with the remodeling. We loaded the truck up last night for a dump drop off on his way to work this morning. Slowly but surely the shed will be back in working order soon with what looks to be no more JUNK.

I finished the UFO quilt top yesterday along with my "Play it forward Handmade" gift. Now to make a card and get it all in the mail.  Pulled out my next UFO with hopes of getting it done and maybe an additional UFO this week. I have a new quilt pattern (been laying around awhile) I want to start but until I clean out a few more UFO's I won't let myself start it.

The singing has stopped, time for a quick shower then on to making lunch for the munchkins, have a great day!!

Spectacular Sunday

 This little guy means business when he hits the field. How can he be 5 years old :(

 During the ball game Papaw and Karsyn did a little flower picking. Dandelion's are a family favorite!!

 While ripping and running yesterday we hit the fabric store to pick up the needed fabric for the quilt top I want to finish along with just a few more goodies.

 In the afternoon I finished my purse with the leftover fabric from my "Secret Sisters" gift.

 Just the right amount of pockets for what I grab for the most.

Fabric covered buttons for the pleated sides and a fabric covered button for the closure I put in the middle.

I am taking a break from my to do list to enjoy a tall glass of water before I get back to the sewing machine finishing up projects. Hubby is out back remodeling his shed so the lawn tractor will fit in it. I was stunned this week when he said lets clean out the shed!!! Holy cow it's been on my wish/to do list for years. Yesterday morning after breakfast club we loaded up our of Teak furniture to give to goodwill. Somebody is going to score big time!!! Hubby shipped the furniture to me from Indonesia years ago, super nice stuff but I couldn't handle the maintenance of it anymore, we have been hanging on to it for years thinking the big kids might want it. No way no how, they have memories of me out cleaning, oiling and polishing it several times a year (smart girls!)

Then it was on to the Braves game to watch our ball player do his thing. If you want a really good time that cost nothing take in a tee ball game someday. The kids are so sweet to watch even if they aren't your own. Karsyn ran out of snacks before the end of the game (whats new), she then began her climbing tricks so Papaw took her on a walk to pick flowers, soooo cute. She loved giving out her little treasure's to Mom and I, even a few strangers in the stands. Can life be any sweeter? While we were on that end of the county we hit the fabric store to pick up some needed things to finish up a few UFO's, of course a little something extra worked it's way in the bag!!

Back home for more shed clean out this time to the county dump, a full truck load. I think hubby taking on this challenge has shown him how much excess crap we have been storing. It is crazy I tell you!!!! We will have an additional load to take to goodwill this afternoon. After a good nights sleep he has decided we really can let go of more stuff! Yepeeeee!!!!!

We packed a whole lot of living and doing in the day Saturday. Today is a little more relaxed thank goodness. Hubby is working on his construction changes to the shed, I am working on some UFO's, AJ the beagle is squirrel and rabbit hunting. Since we were together as a family for the big game yesterday there will be no family Sunday dinner unless the big girls wanted to take it on. Since nobody stepped up to the plate hubby and I will have a nice quite cookout and enjoy the deck this evening!!!

Boys Night Out

Wohooo, Look whats beginning to bloom!!

Hubby is on a much deserved boy's night out on the bikes (Harley's) I was so close to taking a video of him mounting the bike after a full day of helping me with the grands then weed eating the entire yard after dinner, it was a wet your pants laughing moment!! The only thing holding me back was he just might figure out how to use the camera and turn it on me one day.

While hubby did the trimming in the yard I did the mowing, hey its a riding lawn tractor but still after a day of heavy lifting (the grands) it was a work out. It seems that overnight the Hydrangea bushes are beginning to bloom, I just love them!! I need to refresh the dried hydrangeas around the house this year, looks like I will have plenty to cut from.

A HUGE thank you for all your comments on yesterdays post. I really have no problem saying No to some people but afterwards I always end up losing sleep second guessing myself if I did the right thing. We do give a lot to charities that we feel are in line with our morals, ethics, and principles, never less than 10% of whatever money comes our way. Maybe the folks on the receiving end are no different than my family member, who knows, but I think the Lord knows where our heart is so we give gladly and hope it makes a difference in someones life.

I am off to bed with a book  I downloaded to my Nook that Sharon suggested, check out her review here   http://midlifemommusings.blogspot.com/  

Want to see some of the cute things ladies are receiving from their "Secret Sister's" That Carla hosted? Check them out at the following blogs, so fun!!

http://craftthriftandlove.blogspot.com/

http://halfdozendaily.typepad.com/my-half-dozen-daily/

Grow Up

I can't handle adult cry babies!!!

I had a terrible nights sleep last night due to the phone call received right before bedtime, not a good thing with two of the little ones showing up today :(  It has been a very long depressing day to be sure.

I am not very tolerant of irresponsible adults, now that I type that I guess I should revise it to say I have NO tolerance for irresponsible adults!!! I have such a member in my family that calls on a pretty regular bases always crying about money, poor pitiful me, I can't make it, but with X amount of dollars from you everything will be hunky dory again. Over the years I have counseled her on how to cut back, where to cut back, I have tried my best to wake her up to the reality that only she can make the changes in her life to become an adult that stands on her own two feet. When she had a minor child still living at home more often than not our wallet was always open. I couldn't stand to think her DD might go without.  I realized later she had been using  many of us within the family for financial help with the same song and dance, for a long time grrrr

In the past year we have been ask for a little help each month in the amount of $650.00. Let me make this clear, she expected us to send her a check each month forever I am thinking for that amount. Another time we were ask for $142,000.00. She couldn't afford her home but if we could just pay it off she would do fine, she was willing to add our name to the deed of the home, mighty nice of her don't you think. Oh me, oh my, the property taxes are due, I need $2,000.00 in 4 days or the tax man will be after me. I don't have any money for food, I have nothing in the house to eat, I don't know what to do, (OK that one got me, I sent a gift card to a local grocery store) The lists of emergencies she has had over the past year is to numerous to count.

I made up my mind some years ago that enough was enough. In a last ditch effort we offered to pay her DD tuition to college, the only stipulation was she would have to send us her mid term reports so we knew she was really working at her education. We got a call back a few days later that they were ready to jump on the offer however DD had a car payment of $500.00 a month so we needed to include that in the costs. ARE YOU CRAZY, sell the car today, we will purchase a good used car for cash that can get her to and from school. No deal, she loved her new car and Mom wanted her in a nice reliable car, not something like our own DD's had been driving.

She came into some money a few years back, I am talking 6 figures, it could have changed her life. I went for a visit of over a week to help her plan what to do with the money. Your lifestyle has to change, this money can help you make that change. Less than 2 years later the money was gone, the phone calls started again.....sad.

Last night I again said NO. She still goes to a tanning bed once a week, has her hair professionally done every 2 weeks (we wouldn't want the roots to show), can't do without the cell phone, the top of the line cable package is all the entertainment she has, she can't do without the lawn service, she works 5 days a week people. I could go on and on. I once again explained to her that her lifestyle was the problem, not the lack of money.

She doesn't think it is fair that hubby and I have leftover money each pay period to put into savings, we have a home that is oh so close to being paid off, and a retirement account to boot. How can you be so greedy? You give money to charity but you can't help me, how unfair is that? At 53 years old she will never change but I don't have to be apart of her crazy ways so I will continue to say NO and have a sleepless night every now and then.

It seems to me our country has more and more people just like my family member. I want what I want and I want it now. You should make sure I get it. We should all be equal in every way lifestyle and money included.

Sorry for the long winded post tonight.

Work in Progress

 The UFO quilt is not quite complete. I still have to add a double border to all sides, that is if I have the correct shade of red, may need to make a stop at the quilt shop this week.

Check out our rain gauge, this 3 inches is on top of the 3 inches we received Sunday and Monday. Everything is a muddy mess, hope we don't lose the garden to root rot!

Mason decided today he was going to pull a drive Nanny up the wall sort of day. He slept a total of 2 hours, UGH!!! His normal sleep pattern is 2 hours play time, 2 hours napping, today not so much. He was happy all day but it's like wrestling an alligator keeping him entertained. Days like today cause me to glace at the calender to do a little countdown till school is out and Mommy can take over. Ha  Tomorrow is Mason and Karsyn, never a dull moment with the two together.

I ended the day with a phone call from a family member that has me in the mood for a whole bag of Doves chocolate. Maybe after I sleep on it I will have more stamina to share, tonight it has drained the last bit of energy I have. Why oh why can't adults act like adults?

UFO's (Unfinished Objects)

 One of Hubby's UFO's 

The plumbing company, county inspector, and gas company all finally got around to finishing their jobs so we now have a working natural gas grill. We have been waiting on everyone to do their thing since hubby's Birthday  March 10th, it been a long wait!!  Hubby broke it in tonight with burgers for super. Yummm No more propane tanks to run out right in the middle of a cookout.

 Way back when I bought this bundle of fat eighths along with a pattern for a "Papillon" quilt

 As with anything I first buy I was excited to get started, cut the fabric up, sewed all the tubes, then nothing..... Since then I have been moving them from here to there waiting to get busy on this quilt someday.

 I felt so bad yesterday I didn't really want to do anything but hated to waste a day. I decided it was time to work on at least one UFO. All I accomplished was to use the "Strip Tube Ruler". It took all day but I did get it all cut out.

 This morning Mason and I got started pressing seams of 154 sets.

In the afternoon we got busy piecing the quilt, 8 rolls of 14 are done!!!

Do UFO's (unfinished objects) make you as crazy as they do me? I hate having half finished projects setting around, so why in the world do I have so many???? Yikes!! Some of the projects are so old that I'm not sure I even like them anymore, NOT GOOD for sure. I am determined to knock a few out while the garden is busy doing it's thing, once things get rocking in the garden I will have very little time for anything else so now is the time to purge some UFO's.

This quilt is first on the chopping block. I was sick of moving it around every time I went in the sewing/scrapbook room. If my luck holds out I should be able to finish the quilt top tomorrow. I am OK with stacking it up once it's pieced with all of the other quilt tops waiting to be quilted, for now I just want it done!!! I only have Mason tomorrow, the house is as clean as it needs to be, laundry is caught up, and the crock pot will be my best friend for supper tomorrow night.

I also contacted the fireplace folks for the umpteenth time to get them out to finish the fireplace, they were paid in full back in January. After a song and dance with the owner we agreed they would complete the work by Friday. We have been waiting since January with calls to them once or twice a month since them, no more!! If they can't get out by Friday I am calling the manufacturer to get them involved, this has gone on way to long. I know the squirrels are gearing up to build yet another nest in the fireplace. I am not willing to continue to build a fire every 3 days to keep them out. Hello we have the air conditioner on some days now, crazy people!!

The UFO's better watch out I am locked and loaded, ready to shoot them all down. (for today at least) How do you motivate yourself to get all the odds and ends done? I am pretty good until it comes to scrapbooking/sewing I start way to many things at once then run out of energy, time or steam.