i have to say...

thank you!

Thank you for the support for the One Day to Feed the World project!  I am seriously excited to cut a giant pile of fabric today and to write a check to the organization. You have blessed me!  Also, Aubry was thrilled--THRILLED--every time she sold a dolly-sling.  I love that she is so willing and happy to give.

Today is our last official day of school for this year. I don't know if you can call what we have been doing for the last week or so "school" since most days are spent running errands,  making tablecloth runners and writing up things-to-do lists, but we have been busy and the book learning stops now.  That is what I love about homeschooling:  I get to make up the schedule!

Blogging may be sparse until after Christmas as we prepare for the wedding on December 28th.  I can't believe that I am actually going to attend my own daughter's wedding.  Amazing, I tell ya! I am not going to mention that I can't believe where the time went or that it seems like yesterday......but I will say that I am not old enough for this, am I?  I know she is old enough.....but me?  No!

Goodness, life is a crazy thing!  It takes you where it wants, when it wants.  Even if you aren't quite ready.

Have a great rest-of-the-week!  I am going to a play practice this afternoon and a final dress fitting this evening.  All the while I will be checking and rechecking my driver's license to remind myself that I really am old enough for this to be happening.

:)

oh my gosh, it's cold!

Snow is falling and the temps aren't going above 20 degrees today! It's a stay home day, for sure. 

Two of my kids are in our co-op's "It's a Wonderful Life" production this weekend so I will be working on costumes.  My oldest boy is going to be George Bailey and I am so excited to see him take on that character.  He tried on his suit and tie yesterday and I couldn't believe how handsome he looked, even if it made him look too much like a grown man for my liking.

Hopefully I can find some sewing time today because being surrounded by so much fabulous fabric is making me crazy. I am dying to use some of the Meadowsweet line for something---anything!  Really, the colors in this line are amazing and I can't wait to make some spring-y clothes for Aubry after the holidays and the wedding.

One thing I know I will be working on are tablerunners for the wedding tables.  My daughter Emily designed them and all I have to do it show up and follow her directions.  That's what I need right now.  Someone to tell me what to do.  Planning this wedding is a bit of a stretch for me because of the size, but I am sure it will turn out fine.  People keep telling me that no-one will notice the mistakes and the things that get forgotten, but my mind is racing in all directions trying to keep it all together.

Thank goodness for cold, snowy days when I am forced to stay home and get something done.

Off to the sewing machine....

Have a happy day!

a few things....very random

Is anyone interested in doing a quilt-along with me?  A class where I show you how to make a lap-size quilt like the one at the bottom of this post is what I have in mind.  I thought that the first of the year might be a good time to have a sewing class here on my blog since lots of people will be making resolutions to learn to sew.  It would take place over a few weeks and give everyone lots of time to finish their project.  Let me know in the comments.  :)

Kimmie posted an update on the latest Sewing Seeds project.  Forty-three lovely skirts are making their way to new homes.  Thank you all for being such a blessing!

Have you ever tasted a Honeycrisp apple?  They are a little more expensive, but they are apple perfection.  Crisp, sweet, and just the right amount of tart.  I eat one almost everyday.

What does Wi-Fi mean?  Yeah, I am behind in the technology department.

We are going to the zoo today and I resolve not to take any pictures of animals.  None.  I always take too many and end up wondering why I did.  Now, pictures of kids will be taken in abundance.  Of course.

I hope you all have a great day!

The quilt:

focus

I'm struggling with focus.  Wandering and being bored seem to be my modes as of late, although there are lots of things I could be doing. 

Next month is going to be a crazy busy month for me and I think that I am freaking out about that, but not in a normal way.  I tend to have my own ways of doing things.  :)

Starting at the end of this month fabric is going to start pouring into my shop which will mean sales will go up (this is good).  This means more cutting and packaging and tending the store for me.

At the same time, things will start moving for Danika's wedding (on December 28th).  This is also good, but I am starting to wonder how I am going to juggle all of this busy-ness and keep a lid on things.

Starting today I have list of things to do.  A focus.  Goals.

I need this in order to get where I need to be.  Right now I feel stuck in park, although I should really be moving forward.  Without this I will get nothing done and tomorrow I will still have the same to-do's with a whole bunch more added.  Not good.

I do have one to-do that I am happy to accomplish: a lunch date with a friend.  Much needed.

Gotta get moving.  My life needs some forward motion.

I hope your day is a good one with lots of focus!

together

I am happy to say that I am now an owner of one of Lisa Leonard's lovely necklaces. Isn't this just the cutest?  I love the simplicity of her look.

"Together" is a word my hubs and I try to live by, although, admittedly, it can be hard at times.  I purposely picked the word to remind myself of what we strive for: living this life as one.  The important things in life are never free or easy, are they?

Lisa also keeps a lovely blog here and her photography is quite inspiring.

Just wanted you to see what's making me smile today!

over the weekend i....

---ate at a wonderful greek restaurant with my hubby

---watched surrogate.  enjoyable movie, lots to think about

---picked and trashed all of the dead plants around our house. 

---reserved all of the reception goods for my daughter's wedding--two months away!

---went to a halloween party

---ate WAY too much candy and junk food

---bought my "mother of the bride" dress

---ate jack-in-the-box tacos.  yum.

---bought new fabric at Joann's.  it is really cute!

This morning I am waking up at 5:15 so I can leave by 5:45 to head to the gym. 

Have I ever mentioned that I don't function well until I have been awake for about 1-1/2 hours?

It has gotten far too cold to run at the riverwalk and I haven't gone in 3 weeks.  Bad, bad, bad.  I need to get back into my exercise routine because I can see my body reverting already and I don't want to lose all of the progress I have made.   That would be a waste.

Have a happy Monday!

fallish things

fall just wouldn't be fall without:

caramel apples--hard to eat, but oh-so-good

apples in general--i still have a pile waiting to be sauced

buttery, yellow sunshine in the afternoon

crunchy walks

chattering teeth in the morning while i run

hot chocolate after morning lessons

sweaters in the morning, t-shirts in the afternoon

my desire to knit something even though i have failed at this numerous times--can i sew a pair of socks?

the face that tells me she doesn't want to wait until after lunch to eat her caramel apple:

have a lovely fall day!

dream cars

While we were driving in Colorado Springs this weekend I noticed that we were driving directly behind my dream car: a '65 Mustang convertible in the loveliest shade of turquoise.

"Hurry up, Honey!"

Of course, my hubs was willing oblige me by stepping on the gas so I could get  a shot of this dream-mobile.  Can't you just imagine driving around on a bright, sunny day in this beauty?  I would even let my hair down to blow in the wind and I would worry about the tangles later:

After a while we came across this little cutie.  No, this is not a dream car for me, but I couldn't help but smile when I saw it.  We waved at the family in the car when they noticed we were photographing them. 

It's a BMW:

When I was in high school I thought it would have been the height of cool to tour my Southern California hometown in a Nash Metropolitan. 

Yes, I was strange as a teenager.

Now I think these cars look perfect for transporting a gang of clowns, the circus kind.  My pick of colors was pink and white at the time, but turquoise and white looks nice too:

Some dreams are best when they don't become reality.

What I drove in high school was a powder-blue Volkswagen Squareback that felt like the tires were going to pop off when I went over 45 miles per hour.  Dang, that was a fun car as long as I stayed off the freeway.

What about you?  Are there any cars that make you smile when you see them driving by?

moving on to brown

I have officially passed through the rainbow colors to my brown-belt!  This is truly exciting for me.

Right as I was putting the belt on at the end of testing, I got all choked up.  This belt signifies that I can do things that seem impossible---things that are out of my norm.

I have been thinking lately of being passive versus being active.  My tendency is towards passivity and I have read that passive people make fewer mistakes, but they also learn fewer lessons because they don't try new things.  I want to start making some serious changes in this tendency and starting going for it! 

There are tons of things I want to try, but don't because I am sure I can't do it.  The skills required seem out of my grasp.  Maybe the skills are far off from my present ability, but can't I grow and learn and change?

Yes! 

A can!

And so can you!

My next stop is photography.  As soon as I get the money I am buying Photoshop Elements.  It is overwhelming to think of all the new things I will have to learn, but I can do it.  I even have a friend who has offered me some lessons in using it.  As soon as I start up, I will let you all know.

What about you?  Is there something you would love to do, but haven't tried?  What is holding you back?

ice-cream and brown-belts

I told you that my girl loves these sweets!  I had other fabrics in mind, but once she knew I was making her a skirt, we had to go the way of the ice-cream sundae.  It suits her, if you ask me.

This weekend is a big one: brown belt testing in Karate tomorrow.  Earlier in the week I was excited and confident, and now I am one big bundle of nerves.  Does that ever happen to you?  I am thrilled at the thought of getting the actual belt, but the performance part.....uuugh!

When I met my friend Michelle a couple of years ago, she was a brown belt at the time, and I was SO impressed.  That seemed like such an awesome accomplishment, one that I probably would never be able to do.  Well, her and her hubs started a dojo and we decided it would be a good thing to do together as a family, and now here I am, ready to get my brown.  Pretty cool.  The older I get, the more I realize that you can do most things that you willing to try and fight for.  Not trying is a sure way to fail.

I wish you all a happy weekend!