To Do's are done

One of the two scrap table runners I completed over the weekend, this would look much better on the table if I could even find the table!!

On my to do list for the weekend was to finish the scrap Halloween table runners, make a Roman shade for Daughter #1 with matching monogrammed towels for her powder room and can tomatoes. The tomatoes didn't happen but I was able to pawn off lots to the neighbors and some friends. I will still have to can a batch by tomorrow but for now I am done, there isn't an ounce of energy left in the body. The Roman shade turned out great but I forgot to take my camera with me tonight when we hung them :( I have to go back tomorrow and do a little touch up work on some flower arrangements Daughter #1 needs me to finish if I can remember I will get a shot of them. Here is a tip, it is cheaper to purchase window treatments than to custom make them and a heck of a lot less time consuming!!! The kitchen is in total disarray from all the sewing and what not over the weekend but I could care less, tonight I am headed to bed. I would put money on the fact it will all still be there in the morning.
While we are on the sewing creating subject head over to Carla's blog http://halfdozendaily.blog.com/2011/09/11/blog-candy-giveaway/ to try your hand at some blog candy she is offering, everything is super cute, I have my heart set on the Eiffel tower cozie! I am thinking I need to do a little blog giveaway soon, maybe this week. You guys better figure out how to post a comment if you want to get in on the prize, I am thinking something Fallish or Halloween, need to dig around an come up with something.

AJ the Beagle is driving me crazy, I think she is ready for bed as well, she has had a hard day of rabbit hunting and squirrel chasing today.

God Bless the USA

Today I have no project updates, garden happinings or silly stuff that fills my mind.

Ten years ago today our family was spread throughout the state at various colleges, jobs or work projects. I was frantic to get everyone home as fast as we could, the world as we knew it was forever changed. I needed everyone home together. I needed to see them, touch them, smell them and never let them go.

May we never forget the people who were murdered and the heros who died trying to save others on the day our country was attacked.

Garden Goodness

It is hard to believe that the garden is still producing with the jungle of weeds that have taken over. I gave up weeding 2 weeks ago, things had gotten so out of hand while we were on vacation I couldn't get the upper hand again. This weekend I will be canning a second round of tomato's for the week along with filling the dehydrator and doing a little something with the butternut squash. Our tomato plants are basically dead but the green tomatoes that are left are riping everyday so we may still get enough to continue canning into next week, amazing!! Hubby is due home in a week for some BADLY needed time at home, first on our list is to turn the traditional garden under and let it rest over the fall and winter, plow under the tomato patch and begin a new tomato area for next spring. I will continue with the veggies we have planted in the raised beds until winter but compaired to the traditional garden and tomato patch they are a no brainier!! I am blown away by our success this year in the garden. I had very little time to devote to weeding, hoeing and watering in the spring due to having the little girls full time, over the summer the heat became so unbearable little work was done but durn if the plants didn't keep on keeping on.

If you have ever thought about trying your hand at a back yard garden now is the time to plan for next spring, do yourself a favor and go with raised beds unless you don't mind spending hours on end working a traditional garden. I don't think we will ever do away with our traditional garden because no matter how much work it is to keep up I love the way it looks, there is something that takes me back in time when we were growing up with our Grandmother working in her garden each day that feeds my soul as well as our belly!

After the little girls left today I planned to work on the Halloween table runners but the weather was so nice I instead opened the back door turned the fan on high and hit the couch. Maybe over the weekend I can get back to some sewing but it is really hard to stay in the house when we are having such beautiful weather!!!!

Leftovers Remade

I figured out how to make labels for the back of quilts using my embroidery machine today along with some leftover canvas fabric. For now I adhered them on to the quilt backs with double sided fusible interfacing, I will hand sew them on in the evenings when I set down to relax (pretty rare)
This photo didn't load very nice now did it :( The happy Halloween piece was leftovers from the panels I cut up last weekend to do the table runners

Cutting up leftover fabric from last weekends table runners

Whats up with the uploading on photo's tonight! Here is one of the 2 table runners I have pieced together using leftovers from our girls getaway weekend. Tomorrow it is on to the quilting of the runners

I have used up every little bitty piece of leftover fabric I had, now to figure out what to use for the binding and a little embellishing. I am thinking the blinged out netting might be cute.

Daughter #3 had the day off today so I only had Karsyn, that means when its nap time it really is Nanny time. I can't always get both girls down at the same time but with just one I am home free.
As soon as Karsyn was out cold I headed to the scrap/sewing room to start putting away things from my weekend getaway and a general clean up in the room. (badly needed!) I hadn't gotten far when I ran into the bag of leftovers from the table runners I finished over the weekend. Should I find a place and hang on to the fabric for another project at some point? Na, that's just something else to store in the space I want to keep for new fabric. It was too much fabric to throw out and didn't seem like enough to send to goodwill so I played around a bit thinking I would make a couple of pillows with the leftovers. As I was moving the fabric around trying to decided how to go about a pieced pillow I realized I don't have any pillow forms so I'm not sure what size to make the pillow cover besides the fact I would have to spend money buying a couple of pillows. On to plan B, what if I cut everything up and pieced together another table runner...hummm. I dug around in my fabric stash and came up with some black and purple fabric I could use to help finish it off. I ended up with not 1 but 2 table runners all from leftovers!! Ya me!!
I wanted to dress them up a bit with some bling so I headed back to my room of sin and found a roll of purple glitter tulle leftover from something way back when. Tomorrow when the little girls go home I should be able to finish them both off with $0 spending!!!. Problem solved, no extras to store away and a couple of freebie table runners I can pass on to a buddy or two. The unpacking and organizing in the room didn't happen but tomorrow is another day

Another Quilt is in the books

I used a blanket stitch for the binding on this quilt, it doesn't show up well in the photo but turned out really cute.

My Brother in law is a retired fire chief with the Miami/Dade fire department, when I saw this material I knew it would be perfect for his first Grandson who is now 5 months old. Our BIL retired from station #6, the fabric has designs that say ladder #6, perfect!!

This afternoon my Sister and BIL came by to hook up hubbies travel TV for me, our monster of a TV in the family room made a huge POP noise Sunday night (sounded expensive). I don't watch much TV but I do like to keep up with the weather and news, having the itty bitty TV working now feels like a luxury! HA Unlike many families we have only one TV by choice, even when we had all the kiddo's home it was one TV for us. Now that our girls are on their own I wouldn't venture to guess how many they have in their own homes :(, it just seems like such a waste of time to me.
The rest of the week will be filled with the little girls and maybe squeeze in a little catch up sewing until the weekend when I hope to do some butt kicking work on a pile of projects that await my attention. I also have an ever growing pile of tomatoes that need to be worked up and canned into something, maybe tomorrow night I can knock that dreaded job out. As well as some MAJOR organizing the the scrap/sewing room, what a durn mess that is turning into!!!

It's Always Something

Daughter #2 receiving MVP for USSA Softball Nationals
A dozen jackets are now embroidered and the threads are trimed along with each team members number on the back. The team received the jackets for winning the USSA National Championship.

I got up this morning thinking I had the day to work on leftover projects from our girls weekend, maybe a little canning and a nice nap. I was so wrong, Daughter #2 called to see f I could embroiderer jackets her team received for winning the USSA Nationals, sure thing bring them over anytime. Seems Daughter #2 needed them by tonight so they would be ready to give to the team before they leave on Thursday for the ASA Softball Nationals in Panama City, FL Thursday.

OK, time to change gears and get the design ready for jackets she was bringing over after school around 4:00, of course I didn't have the correct stabilizer for the jackets and couldn't find them at our local stores so off to the quilting store an hour away. Did I mention we are still in the after effects of tropical storm Lee as in torrential rains, flooding, tornado's and such?
What a fun drive that was, while at the store I went over the design with one of the super ladies working to make sure I was on the right track(you never know). Hubby called, the tag for his truck has expired, could I check the desk and find the new one then overnight it to the hotel in MI? But of course my dear, anything for you. Back in the pouring down rain to mail the stupid tag, however he is so far out in the sticks they can't guarantee it will arrive overnight, could be a few days but still cost $18.95. Poor hubby may be calling for bail money next if he gets pulled over for an expired tag, hey I did the best I could!

Now we are on a roll, the jackets are coming along nicely but we have had no supper and the kitchen has been taken over by softball apparel. I send Daughter #2 out to pick up carryout,hey we gotta eat. As I was plating up my meal I ask her if they forgot to put the Italian bread in the order, she gives me a sweet but sheepish grin and hands me a slice of bread with a bite out of it. Seems my darling Daughter was so hungry she ate the entire loaf except of course for the one slice she passed on the me with a bite out of it, nice.

Sometimes I feel like they are all still at home remembering just as we tucked them into bed that they forgot to tell me I was the cupcake lady for class in the morning and could I please do the really cute ones all decorated. Well Scarlett tomorrow is another day, maybe I will get back on track and maybe not, such is a life of a Mom no matter how old your kids are I am thinking.

Exhausted!!!!

Humm, didn't do a very good job lining up the photo on this one but he is still pretty cute. This was my first try at applique and embroidery, this is way cool.
LOVE THIS!!! once I cut away the stabilizer and rinsed it off it is a Christmas ornament. Can't believe a little machine can do all of this!!!! I am thinking maybe Christmas cards this year

I was able to knock out two Halloween table runners, Tyler loves decorating for the holiday's

Lots of piecing and quilting on the runners but I really like how they turned out.

Our girls weekend was a huge success!! We got so many projects done (of course have lots more to do) I let may friend loose with the embroidery machine, she was able to get a dozen maybe more Christmas gifts made and ready to wrap, monogrammed towels, stadium blanket, dish towels, baby bibs, and some spirit wear for her upcoming first grand!! I made a good dent in my to do basket I took along, however we hit a local quilting/sewing shop so I added more wanta gotta do's to my pile. We had so much fun and were so productive we have scheduled another get r done weekend at the end of September. This round I will be hosting at our home (better get busy cleaning the house soon) I really should have blogged while I was away to show off all the cute but practical gifts my buddy made but I am no good at the all nighters! We hit the sack at 2:00AM and bellied up to our machines by 7:00AM. Even as sleep deprived as I was the laughs just kept on coming, I was sooo in need of some girl time.

For lunch yesterday we had an all time southern favorite, fried balogna sandwiches. So my friend is in the kitchen fixing our sandwiches and she yells in "Do you like you balogna just warmed a little or fried up crisp?" A little on the well side is good for me. "Do you like your balogna cupped up or do you like it split so it lays flat?" Flat is the way we do ours. "Would you like your bread toasted or plain?" Lets go for toasted. "Dukes mayo, or mustard?" Just dry please. I started laughing and couldn't stop (sleep deprived remember) Hell we are talking a fried balogna sandwich here not a Filet Mignon, but my buddy wanted our special treat to be perfect and it was!!!
Tomorrow will be a day of unpacking and organizing. I refuse to return any of the unfinished projects I brought back home to the scrapbook/sewing room. I am going to line it all up on the counter until it is finished. It looks like we will have a week of ran from tropical storm Lee so I should be able to get caught up on some things and of course I was welcomed home by a counter full of tomatoes. I need to check the stock on the canning shelves to see if it will be salsa or tomatoes headed to the canner this week. I will do my best to get back to regular posting, things have been crazy busy lately, by the end of the day I just want to fall in bed. Half the time I couldn't even tell you which end is up by 9:00PM