i have to say...

it's been a pink and green week

We have been busy building a little clubhouse in the backyard.

Well, my husband has been building and us girls have been painting and thinking of decorating ideas.  This is a very girly clubhouse, unlike the boy's fort which now doubles as an Airsoft bunker.  Soft pink for the inside (the color reminds me of strawberry cake!) and the outside is a fabulous green:

We still need to paint white around the windows and work on some trim, but it's usable right now. A bright pink chalkboard wall is also on the list-of-things-to-do, but I need to get some things planted in the garden this weekend.  Painting will have to wait.

My Whimsy quilt is all laid out and ready to be sewn together.  I admit that this one was a challenge when it came to checking the layout.  Since the hourglass blocks are laid in alternate directions, my eyes had a hard time seeing what needed to be changed.  Kind of funny, really!

I do love how this is shaping up:

I hope that this weekend yields a bit of sewing time.

Have a lovely day!

thankful for...

...the 3 girls playing in the sprinkler in the front yard.

...sunshine that makes that possible.

...a quilting foot that works correctly.  Yeah for the right tools!

...a husband who can quickly put out a fire.  On the BBQ.  That I started.  Which caused a big black mark on the side of the house.  Sheesh!

...chicken that tastes great even though is totally blackened.  Taking the skin of was all it took!

...being surrounded by lovely fabric.  And having a business that is a hobby for me.

...James Morrison songs.

...painted toenails.  Coral.

...a running partner for tomorrow morning.

...the weekend coming soon.

...being able to plant a few garden plants tomorrow.  Potatoes for sure.

Have a wonderful Friday!

sharing

I wanted to share some spring with you!

It was seriously a beautiful weekend.

Perfect weather.

Beauty popping up all over the place.

These pictures are from my front yard.

The colors.

Amazing to look at.

This much lovliness has made it's home in front of my house, and I can harly believe it!

Even the critters feel the need to hang out close-by!

progress halted

You know, I love when things work right.

Things like the computer, my cell phone and, of course, my sewing-machine.

My machine has been giving me some trouble when I have tried to machine-quilt over the last couple of months. I keep thinking that the problem will go away (silly me!), but it's sticking around.  

My next step is a Janome walking foot.  Apparently the universal ones don't always do the trick.

If that doesn't work, the sewing-machine repair shop is in order, but they have a 2-3 week waiting list.

This means that this little mini will have to wait a little longer than I had planned.

And since this is next month's sew-along project, I might be a bit late in getting this one previewed and posted.

I will let you know the date of the sew-along as soon as I know.

Do you want to make any guesses as to what this is going to become?

the not-green room

Well, the family room is finally not green!

And I love it!

But we keep calling it "the green room".

Must think of another name!

I took these pictures before it was fully put back together, but I was anxious to show things off anyway.  Above you can see my new favorite corner in the house.  I am thinking early morning coffee + bible + computer = i like!

There are still some touch-ups to be done, but that should take just a few minutes since we taped like crazy. It's funny how long that takes compared to spraying the paint.

Here is a before picture:

I am so happy that color is gone. It's a nice green, but not for walls (my walls, anyway!).

Here is shot with some of the furniture put back.  Again, we still have lots of stuff to put back in and organize:

Now I am also thinking this will be a nice room for some sewing classes.  All I would have to do is to move the couches out and put in some tables  and chairs.  That would take me--well, my boys--about 5 minutes.

I hope you all have a wonderful Friday!

no more green

So, we have this green room.

Really green!

It was one of those "let's throw caution to the wind and pick paint" things that didn't work out quite right.

The green has a yellow tinge in it that I just dislike a ton.

And it's hard to work with all green as far as decorating is concerned.

Add that to the fact that I want to hold sewing classes in my home and this room would be perfect for that.  Except for that green.

So today is painting day.

Probably tomorrow too since this is going to take a few coats.

Of a neutral and lovely white-ish color.

This is what my living room looks like.  4 couches, exercise bike, TV, entertainment center, excess junk from family room:

Wish me luck!

over the weekend i...

...planned out some yard re-do plans with my hubs.

...saw Safe House.  thought it was good.  action + good story.

...cut out a bunch of fabric for our next sew-along project.  it's a fun and simple one, but getting it together has been slow.

...worked on taxes.  yuck.

...bought a small pile of prints from Joann's.  only the ones that really caught my eye.

...spent the afternoon in denver for my son-in-law's birthday.  must remember to wear more comfortable shoes when walking all over downtown!

...bought a wood stove.  we will get it set up in a few weeks and enjoy it next winter.  can't wait!

...had a date night with my hubs.  nice.

What about you?  Feel free to share!

it's snowing outside...

...but I am dreaming of flowers.  :)

 

ta da!

OK, I am feeling a little too accomplished right now!

I made a successful batch of homemade body wash.

Why am I so excited about it?

Because I had 3 unsuccessful attempts last week.

For some reason I was very focused on making a good batch of this stuff!

This final batch is made like this:  Grate one bar of good quality soap.  Bring 12 cups of water to a simmer over the stove and add the grated soap and stir until it dissolves.  Add 2 tablespoons of glycerine and stir.  Turn the heat off, put the lid on it and let it sit for about 10 hours until is thickens.  I added 3 teaspoons of orange essential oil to the batch when it cooled off.  Makes about 3 quarts for under $5.00 (I bought my bar of soap for $3.99 at the grocey store).

Next time I will use an unscented bar, but the almond was the only one I could find at the store this weekend.

So, that's my big success story.

Thanks for listening!

scrap basket

I started throwing scraps in a basket a few months ago (previously I threw them in the trash!) and I finally get to use some of them.

1-1/2" sqaures are all I need.

We moved our schoolwork to the sewing room today too.

Days like this are nice.

Have a good day!