Sew Fun Day

 What could be more fun and relaxing than to play with fabric scraps and a new to me 4th of July pattern on my day off.

 Cutting out the fabric took the longest on this project! I have so many bits and pieces of red, white, and blue scraps from "Quilts of Valor" donations to use up.

 I used this Pillow pattern from "KimberBell" While I think the pillow patterns are super cute I decided to make a table topper for DD#1's kitchen island using the small pillow pattern "Freedom".

 This pattern is so easy to follow and super quick to make. Of course I can't seem to leave patterns As Is! I expanded the base white fabric to measure 24x15. The scrappy borders I enlarged to 4 1/2 inches. This should be the perfect size for DD#1's island.

Now that it's complete and I still have the American fabric pulled out I think I will whip one up for me. Humm, may even work up the Flag pillow pattern for a table runner.

Those plans are on hold for now since I have the drama queen and Mason man for the day. Keeping up with these two will keep me plenty busy enough.

Storms, tornado's, and flooding, have us home bound for the rest of the day :( I was brave enough to take them out for breakfast this morning. We needed (I did at least) a hearty something in our tummy's to face the day. A rare cup of coffee for me was in order as well!! 

Mason was and unexpected but nice addition to the day. When Mommy tucked him in the bed last night he told her "I go to Nanny's house to help her plant in de morning" How could I say no?

A  LOUD game of hide and go seek is in progress right now. Mason has a heck of a time with hid and go seek as he can't help but to fall down belly laughing when it's his turn to hide.

Off to the races with these two little buggers

Day Off for ME!!

After breakfast yesterday morning Mason and I had some Nanny and me time at the park. He is getting to be such a big boy now.

Next stop was the home improvement center for more supplies and a flower pot for Mason man. While he did enjoy his time in the dirt his very favorite thing was...

A spray bottle of water. With each addition of dirt it had to be sprayed so it wouldn't be "durdy" any more

He even gave me a spray or two which I didn't mind at all as stinkin hot as it was!!

He finished up his new flower pot with yet more spraying, the flowers were "durdy too"

I had thought I just might get these tomato plants in the ground yesterday but...Nope didn't happen.

I am taking a day off!!! Once I give the house a lick and a promise its going to be all about me. Phone off the hook, lock the doors, shut the blinds, ain't nobody home!!  Maybe some sewing time, maybe a book, a nap for sure!!

I am so sore all over from this yard and garden work that I can hardly lift my arms. My hands have way to many blisters from the new rake....whats that all about I wonder.

No working in the 90 degree heat for me toady, it's central air conditioning all the way!!!!

Anybody else need to check out for the day? Join in by all means!!!

Our Girls Know Me So Well

 I'm so excited to have a new bird house except for the fact some assembly is required :). Hubby has an additional Honey Do on his list to get this house up and ready for some cute Martins to move in.

 Flowers......I love flowers, not the fancy kind that are all matchy matchy. I love the ones that could be picked in your own back yard or along the roadside.

 Just look at those Peony's. Love them!! Mine have 3 buds this year, when the time is right you can bet I will cut them to put on the table where I can enjoy them all day long.

 So many flowers that I was able to make an additional small bouquet for the kitchen counter

I checked this peony as soon as I got up this morning to see is she had bloomed :)

These are a few of my Mothers Day gifts. Our girls use to buy things for me that were very nice (pricey too) but so not me.  I am simple. Over the past few years they have figured that out!!

DD#1 ask a few weeks ago what I would like for Mothers Day. I knew just what I wanted for a change. A Purple Martin house, they are at the big box store, first isle to the left and the end of the isle stacked on the corner. :)  MOM!!! That's not a good gift, how about a day at the spa? What the heck would I do at a spa all day? She was so excited......you can have a massage, sit in the sauna room, relax at the pool all day, enjoy a bit to eat, have a drink, it would be wonderful.

I am thinking...... Take my clothes off for a stranger who wants to push, pull, put smelly stuff on my body that's sure to give me a headache. Sit in a sauna with other half naked ladies sweating like pigs. Lay around a pool in a fluffy robe when it's 80 degrees (again half naked). Eat little finger sandwiches when what I really want is chicken and dumplins, and a hunk of chocolate cake. Sip drinks......But I don't drink.

I passed on that idea!! But I am happy to report SIL#1 got DD#1 that spa package for Mothers Day. She and her friends will have a ball. I will be happy to watch the kiddo's while she goes on her "Girl Time" day.

Super busy day today. Mason man will be hanging out with me followed by an evening with "Project Linus" group.

We Dig Dirt

 Kara and I have spent the last few days playing in the dirt. She Loves, Loves, Loves flowers. Having a flower garden of her own is teaching her why we Don't pick flowers! As soon as she arrives at our house she runs out to check her flowers, wants to make sure nobody has picked them.

 There is sure to be a dramatic ending to everything she accomplishes. Not sure how all this drama is going to go over when she starts pre-school :)

 She worked on a new pot of flowers Saturday for her Mommy, 100% all by me self.

 Unfortunately Mommy didn't get the pot of flowers for Mothers Day. Kara decided she needed them for her own picnic table :) All was A-OK, Mommy was happy to have event captured in photo's. After all it's the thought that counts.

 I spent Mothers Day digging this pot of Ivy out of the bed of ivy I am cleaning out in the front yard. Holy cow what a job!!!! This is my 4th Sunday working on that bed of ivy, talk sore muscles, oh my

This is a sample of the size of roots from the ivy. Can you tell it was happy and thriving in its bed?

Hope everyone had a wonderful Mothers Day!!! I spent too much time in that bed of ivy yesterday before going to dinner with the big and little kiddo's. My body began to feel the effects once I got my belly full, it was a very early bedtime to say the least. Project completion date? I hope before I kick the bucket :).

My plan of action was to have the bed cleaned out for the most part before hubby arrives home to meet our newest grand. Figured he could finish off the job for me with his fancy high powered tiller. After seeing the size of the roots in this photo yesterday he let me know that the tiller will not be able to cut through those roots. A shovel it will have to be :( First on today's TO DO list, killing ivy roots  the easy way. Sure hope goggle doesn't let me down!!

A trip the the garden center then planting at least part of the garden is up next. By now we should be eating lettuce, radishes, onions, and cabbage fresh from the garden. Maybe next year I can get it all in at the correct time. This year I will be happy to get anything planted, keeping it up once it's done might be a pipe dream with a new little one on the way. Thank goodness for local farmers!!

Mr. No Name Grand #5 will be arriving in just two short weeks!!!! Can't wait to get my hands on that baby boy. Once he arrives I know all things home and garden related will end. This year I have to be willing to just go with the flow! Ha

Good Clutter

 I did some Do Good decluttering yesterday by loading up Snuggles Blankets along with dog treats and rawhide bones for delivery. One less pile in the spare bedroom for meand what I hope will be some good tail wagging treats for some homeless dogs.

 Also loaded in the car were Project Night Night bags for two family crisis centers in our area. I still have a whole heck of a lot more to find homes for...all in good time.

Last but not least I finished decluttering the bookcase. The folks a goodwill are going to know me by name soon :)

I hate and I do mean hate to drive!! Trying to find one of the crises centers yesterday took me 2 hours. A co-pilot would have come in handy. Our big kiddo's give me a hard time because I won't upgrade my phone to one with a built in GPS. I don't know which would be worse, being lost for 2 hours or trying to learn how to use a new phone! Ha But at least I am done for now as far as deliveries to unknown places.

I still have more Project Night Night bags to put in the hands of homeless children but am still having a heck of a time contacting the right coordinator at the large homeless shelter. I have had enough frustration for this week! I will try to spend more frustrating hours on the phone next week to make a LARGE delivery of Night Night bags.

The spare bedroom doesn't look much better yet as I still have a whole heck of a lot of charity projects to deliver, all in good time. I have decided to devote one day a week for calls, deliveries, filing of receipts, and all that jazz as far as charity stuff goes. Rome wasn't built in a day :)

On to another room for some spring cleaning. The upstairs guest bathroom is next on the list for some TLC. I can knock that room out in a day with time to spare. I need a quick, easy, call it done room!! I have high hopes that after wild child Kara leaves for the day I will have enough energy left to tackle the bathroom. A girl has to have dreams you know. I am sew missing time with the sewing machine lately but spring always has me chasing my tail around.

I feel like I caught a BAD case of need to create fever yesterday when I stopped in at one of my favorite quilt shops on my way home from Do Good errands. I am proud to say I walked out with nothing but a smile on my face, and of course that sewing fever. NO Spending!! I must admit that's a rare thing. Twice in one week I have been in and out for fabric stores with not a dime spent. I may need to make an appointment with our Dr. as something is very out of the ordinary! Ha

Marking Off my List

 Check out this cute find from the "Dollar Tree". Canvas bags in fun summer fabric each for.....well $1.00.

 I had a chance to use the first one yesterday for one of Tyler's teacher appreciation gifts. Just added her first initial to the bag along with water/soda bottle cozies.

 After a morning of running the roads it was time to tackle the next Must Do on my long list. One of our spare bedrooms has been taken over by charity projects.

 I have got to get this room cleared out. It's making me crazy!! Linus blankets, Haiti dresses, cuddle blankets for the Humane Society, the biggest piles are for Project Night Night.

 I loaded most of the Night Night items in my car then headed to DD#1's home last night. I wanted to get help assembling them with Tyler. I had planned for this to be one of our Spring Break activities but that week got away from us :(

Karsyn and Mason had to get in on the photo op after their baths last night. 20 more Night Night totes are complete!!

 

I hate running around!!!

 

1.) Post office - Check

2.) Goodwill - Check 

3.) Drop off book to share with ladies at the fabric store (BTW I didn't buy a single thing!) - Check

4.) Pick up meds - Check

5.) Dollar store run for DD#1 - Check

6.) Mothers Day gift for friend - Check

7.) Car wash - Check

8.) Vote in primary - Check

 

I did fortify myself with a health breakfast and an extra cup of coffee at a local Mom and Pop restaurant before tackling the day. :)

 

Once home I kept on keeping on without a break until the Night Night goodies were loaded in my finally CLEAN car. I have got to get the spare room/charity storage area cleaned out!! It's making me crazy with all those piles taking over the entire room. If I don't get hopelessly lost today I will deliver the first round of bags to one of our homeless shelters. Sure wish I had a co pilot that could read my chicken scratch directions!!

 

Once home again I will continue to work the piles and piles still in the spare bedroom. The Linus blankets will be delivered next week at our monthly Linus meeting. Cuddle blankets with dog treats, maybe later today. Haiti dresses are a WIP, not needed until the end of July. I need to put a whole lot more thought into the Haiti dresses but until I get the room cleaned out my brain is just to cluttered to think about them!!

 

Once I can find the floor, bed, dresser, and such it's spring cleaning time!! With grand #5 due to arrive at the end of the month I have to get this house back in order. At least this room will stay clean other than what I hope won't be too many piles of charity work as it's very rarely used.

 

I can not remember the last time I was this late in spring cleaning :( A friend had her home done a couple of weeks back, top to bottom for $300.00. It honestly sounded like a good deal to me however nobody could clean around all the piles that have accumulated over the winter. Might as well do it myself :(

 

It's hard to get anything completed as I seem to be messing with the big kids, grands, running errands, and charity work so much that I can't just dig in to do a room top to bottom. Its more like do a little area here and there with nothing totally done :(.  By the end of the day I am DONE IN, no energy to pull an all nighter any more! Ha

 

Is anyone else struggling to get their house in order this spring?

Spend, spend, spend, then spend some more :(

 My HUGE spring/Summer project is to kill all of the ivy around the house. Talk about a job!! I have been working this bed off and on for 3 weeks. Round up, hedge trimmers, saw, tree loppers, then rake and rake. There is bark on some of the vines :(

 You need the right tools to tackle a job this big. My deceased Mother In Laws rake that has to be 60  years old (I think older) was just not doing the trick. I am now the proud new owner of a heavy duty rake that we can put in the will for one of our own DD's

 While I was at it I sprang for a new leaf rake. Ours was put to the curb last fall. Ouch, yard equipment is pretty costly.

 The spending was not done yet. DD#1's neighborhood was having a garage sale this past weekend. She saw this Step 2 swing set on their community FB page for $100.00!! Sold!! I have had my eye on one just like it but at a price tag of over $600.00 it wasn't gonna happen. Our SIL's had lots of help getting it assembled yesterday afternoon.

The grands swarmed it like a flock of vultures once the last bolt was in place.

 

I feel like I have a spending hangover this morning! Ha Not only did I purchase all of the above I also picked Kara up a Step 2 Garden playhouse for $30.00 at DD's neighborhood garage sale. I think Kara's playhouse sells for a bit over $200.00 (maybe more) The toys for the grands were both super deals, the lawn equipment not so much but it was badly needed.

 

Our spring spending spree is killing the budget. The regular auto savings is still in place but there hasn't been anything extra stashed in a long time :( I have a goal of NO EXTRA spending this week!! Really and truly it's beginning to get out of control. With a new grand due to join the family at the end of the month I have to cut back. New babies always need stuff, no matter how well equipped the nursery is something pops up.  DD#3 has assured me everything is in place for grand #5's arrival, time will tell.

 

On the agenda today? Trip to goodwill to donate books from the bookcase that is finally finish!! I need to stop running around and stay focus on the 101 must do's for spring. Drag all of the Project Night Night supplies out of the spare bedroom so I can finish getting them assembled and delivered this week.

 

 Last but not least today will be my first visit with the knitting/crochet group. I have practiced each evening with u tube but I know I am doing something wrong. I just can't figure out the tension deal. My stitches (is that what they are called?) are so tight that I can't make more stitches after the turn (is that what it's called?) I'm as nervous as a kid on the first day of school! How silly but true.