Monday, January 24, 2011

Following the Sun

A lazy afternoon enjoying warm sunshine.
We got to leave the foggy city for the weekend to visit our neighbors  friends in Grover Beach.
Mr. SS golfed, but this is where I spent Saturday afternoon...reading my Kindle, quilting and napping.
A quick visit to the Farmers Market, a lovely, restful visit with friends and way too much good food.
Then, Sunday back to the fog and cold.

Mr. SS left for Long Beach this morning and tomorrow, I am packing up my capris and sandels along with my sewing machine and joining him for a few days. Tonight he said it is warm and sunny. Mmmm...can't wait.
God knew what he was doing making us "mobil". It is a good God thing.

Wishing you all some sunshine.


God is Good!
Life is Good!




Thursday, January 20, 2011

Happy Birthday Times Two (or is it four?)

Camy and Lexi have birthdays, just 2 years and 2 days apart. This year we had our family celebration on the day inbetween. Here are the birthday girls
Camy on the left is 7 and Lexi on the right is 9.
(Sorry about the red eye. I got rid of 3 of them, but that last one wouldn't go away???)

Here's 8 of the 10 cousins. My Tehachapi two don't usually make the school night celebrations
Jack is Spiderman (I mean it when I say he is Spidey.) He would live in that outfit if he could.

Just a few more pictures, because I am obessed with these sweet faces.
Drew and Emmy
Brooke

Best Cousins
Cade and Camy

Oh! Can't forget these birthday girls too. If you have daughters or granddaughters you know about American Girl dolls. Three of these live in this family and here are Lexi and Camy's

Meet Riley and Gracey
Okay, so....I had already bought clothes and jewelry for thier Moms...Camy and Lexi.
The day of the party, I didn't have any real direction. Needed to do some housework, maybe pay some bills, do some laundry, but nothing really important. You know where this is going don't you?
I searched through my still packed patterns, used some fat quarters I had and made Riley and Gracey matching dresses. Well, it was their birthday too, ya know.
Mr. SS came home and found me still in my jammies rushing to finish and wrap these, shook his head,
and said "Well, they are sure cute...but thought you already had presents for the girls."
I'm sick, I know, but it's a good sick, I promise.

I have been reading and enjoying Joyce @ I Love Pretty Little Things for some time. She hosts Friday Pretties every week and I have always wanted to link up with her for that, but somehow never have. Click on her name or her button on my sidebar to see some of the other
"Friday Pretties"


God is Good!
Life is Good!




Monday, January 17, 2011

Back in the Groove

Even though, I've have been doing a little sewing all along since our move, I really felt comfortable in my new sewing studio for the first time last week. Still have some unpacking and organizing, but time out for a couple of projects.
I did two little dresses for models for Suzanne at Strawberry Patches. They were fun summer dresses made from fabrics that brightened up my days of sewing.


The other project I worked on was started two years ago. It was a  block of the month for a quilt called A Tisket a Tasket. The pattern was offered free each month from Bunny Hill Designs. At Strawberry Patches they offered the kit for each month for 5.00.  It was a simple applique and took me two years to complete the blocks.
Last week, I turned these
and these
into this
I haven't basted a quilt in over two years and wasn't sure if my bad back, hip and knee would hold up crawling around on the floor.
I did a little at a time and got up a walked around a lot and some how it got done.
I marked it before I basted (got a little carried away with a new blue pen...hope I can get it all out later)
I used a blanket stitch on these instead of traditional applique because I thought it was a little more whimsical like the quilt is.
Here's the back. I was able to use up all the fabric and not have to buy backing fabric. The red, green and floral were all in my stash from other projects. The blue paisley I bought in fat quarters during last years Shop Hop thinking it might work for this quilt.
As soon as it was basted, I hooped it and it is ready to hand quilt. I am so excited, as I haven't had one in my hoop for over 2 years. Now I have something to do while I indulge in my guilty pleasures...such as "The Bachelor" which happens to be on tonight.  So, guess I won't be feeling so guilty tonight.




God is Good!
Life is Good!








Thursday, January 13, 2011

Sweet Sunshine!!

Yesterday, the sun was shining for the first time in a while and I just felt like getting outside.  I thought maybe I would take a before picture of our new home from the outside.  We are at the very back of our youngest son's property. It is quite a ways from his house and as I am looking around, I am planning a cute little flower garden  and dreaming of the patio and patio cover Mr. SS has promised me with a place to hang my wicker swing so I can sit and read or watch the grandkids play.
This is our fifth wheel cottage.
From the slide out (kitchen) back is where my sewing studio/office/laundry room is.
Across from here on the other side of the property is the chicken coop.
They raise chickens and produce enough eggs for the eight of them, for us and some to sell.  The oldest two girls will be showing some of their chickens at the fair next year through 4-H. They also will show their rabbits. When our boys were young we lived on 20 acres in the mountains and raised chickens and other animals. I guess some of that wore off on at least one of our boys.
(Someday,  I will tell you of the mountain living experience.)
Anyway here is the coop. Most of the time, they wander in the yard, but they have been flying over the fence into the neighboors yard where a dog thinks they are dinner, so they are "cooped up" for now.
Here's sweet Jewel.
Not the dog that eats the chickens.  She's a sweetheart and comes running every time we open the door.
One more before picture to show you for now.
This is a border that goes around the wall inside our new home.  I'm not crazy about having a border, but since I can't get this off I  will be going shopping tomorrw afternoon to find something to cover it with.
We are locked into Black and Tan as you will see when I show you some of the other areas in our new home, but I'm hoping to find something that will be the beginning of turning this cozy cabin into a
cozy cottage.
I'm planning on adding lots of white. I think that will help, don't you?
Back to my sewing...I've been sewing quite a bit this week and will show some of that next time.

Oh! Before I go I wanted to tell you about a giveaway over at a sweet friends blog.
Marcia at Blessedmom's Simple Home is giving away a $65.00 gift certificate to CSN Stores.
Click on her name and see some of the great things you could spend your winnings on.
God is Good!
Life is Good!


Saturday, January 8, 2011

It's a Hoot

Back in November,  Suzanne posted some new fabrics on her blog.  I fell in love with
this fabric.
"It's a Hoot" by MoMo
You can see that post here.
Right away, I could see embellishment possibilities. I had to have it and bought 1/2 yd. not knowing what it would become.   Normally, I'm not an owl fan, but since we have moved, every night, I hear a barn owl that lives in a barn behind us. Sometimes I am lucky enough to see his silhouette in a tree outside my sewing room window just about dawn or at dusk. So I had double the incentive to want need this fabric.
On Christmas day, I found a way to use some of my new coveted fabrics.
I started this
I finally finished it yesterday. It would have been done a lot quicker, but I had to do some of the embellishing I told you that I have a fetish for. I hand quilted around everything and added button eyes. (Aren't they just the perfect owl eyes?)
Then I added little pearls to the dots on his wings and some bugle beads to the flower on the flap. There is a little ric-rac on the bottom right corner.
Right now, you are asking "What is it?"
My sweet Mr. SS  Santa brought me this for Christmas.
It's a 3g Kindle. I am an avid reader and it was just the most thoughtful gift.  My Kindle needed a home. I carry my book with me everywhere in my purse and I just couldn't through my new "baby" in my messy purse to get banged up, could I?
On the back, I made a pocket with ric-rac for the cord that charges the battery and added a cute vintage button.
I lined it with this fabric. It looks like the tree outside my window where the owl is sometimes perched.
I added a magnetic snap to hold the flap closed.
Now as cute as this is, I have a confession to make. It is almost too small. The Kindle barely fits and that's okay, but it is too snug for the cord to fit in the pocket. I thought I added plenty of room to the dimensions when I designed it, but it shrunk when I added fleece for padding and quilted it. At least I think that is why.  But it still keeps my "baby" snugly and safe for now and I really had fun working on it.
That's what counts.
God is Good!
Life is Good!



Saturday, January 1, 2011

A New Year and A Fresh Start

The view from our room in Laughlin NV., overlooking the Colorado River and Bullhead City, AZ.
We are here with our good friends Dave and Gail  (Victorian at Heart). We came over yesterday and took Historic Route 66 part of the way. It was a sentimental journey for me  because as a child, traveling with my family and pulling our  trailer we often traveled Route 66. Wish I would have taken a picture of the sign.
Speaking of signs...do any of you remember Burma Shave signs. My sister and I used to watch for them trying to make riding four in the front of our Ford pick-up a little less boring. They were signs with one or two words  that added up to a saying or joke or something. They were posted on fence posts and the last one would say Buy Burma Shave. Well, Mr. SS thinks I made that up, but I remember.

As for the New Year...Hope you all are blessed with the best New Year ever. We are thanking the Lord for pulling us through the last year and blessing us with health, a loving family and the support of good  friends. Also for providing shelter and food and all that we need.
We are thankful for the "fresh start" we have been given and are humbled by His love.

Last year my resolution (prayer) was to be able to be still and listen to what God has in store for me.
I stumbled along the way and tried to take back control, but for the most part I prayed more and waited more patiently for his answers and tried to listen. He has been there for us every step of the way.

My prayer for all of you is a New Year full of the Lord's blessings and "fresh starts".

(I must give credit to my friend Suzanne Notes From the Patch for the "fresh start" reference. She used it in an e-mail to me and it just fit our situation perfectly. Thanks friend.)


God is Good!
Life is Good!