i have to say...

thinking about a friend

This week a sweet blogging friend of mine lost her son in a tragic drowning accident and I just can't quit thinking about her.  All you have to do is look through her blog for just a moment to know that her husband and her three boys are what matters in her life.  They are her joy.

I am sitting here at my keyboard, staring at the screen, trying to think of something appropriate to write and it is just not coming.  All I know is that my prayers and my thoughts are with her and I will lift her up in prayer for a long time to come.  I know that God will provide her peace and comfort on a daily basis, but I also know that the coming days will be rough.  The ache that she and her family are feeling must be tremendous.

Would you join me in praying for her in the coming days and weeks and months?   That is the best gift to give when no words of comfort can be found.

God desires to "give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness".  (Isaiah 61:3)

He is able.

some links for you...

***My Little Mochi shows how to make an adorable little felt mushroom.

***The Mama Monster has put together a tutorial for making a nursing cover--or a hooter hider--or a bosom buddy.  Whatever you call it, it makes nursing in public easy and discreet.

***The Long Thread has a great idea for embellishing a little girl's t-shirt.  Perfect for back to school!

***Need a bag for toting goods around town?  This one by Elsie Marley might do the trick.

Have a great day!

skirting the issue

My girl loves skirts. 

She prefers them above dresses and pants, but I will say that she hardly ever wears a matching shirt with her skirt choice of the day. Because she is my last and youngest babe, I let her dress like this and I consider it her own personal style, although I do sometimes feel like wearing a t-shirt that says "she dresses herself!", just in case anyone should assume that I am responsible for her look.  Who knows, maybe I should relax and adopt the same look for myself?!?!

I found a tutorial on Tanya Whelan's lovely blog for ruffled skirts and made a couple.  The results are adorable and Aubry is pleased as well.  I used some of Tanya's ava rose fabrics (for the skirt below) along with some farmer's market fabrics for the apples skirt.  I think that both will look just fine with some tights when the weather starts to cool off.

Now all I have to do is talk my girl into wearing matching shirts with her skirts. 

It is a tough job, but somebody has to do it!

a few reasons that i am sad to say "goodbye" to summer

1. I don't feel compelled to clean my house very often during summer.  Not so during any other season.

2. No more fresh fruits and veggies.  Boohoo!

3. I can't keep staying up late and sleeping in.

4. I love the long days and seeing the sun for so many hours.

5. The farmer's market goes bye-bye.

6. I will miss the flowers and the green grass and the leaves on the trees.

7. Vacation is a very far off at this point.

8. Lemonade just doesn't taste as good when it is snowing outside.

9. I have to start wearing shoes other than flip-flops.

10. School needs to be planned this week.  I can't put it off any longer. 

Don't get me wrong, part of me is ready to make the transition from summer to fall, but there is a very large part of me that is resisting.  Mostly the lazy part that doesn't want to get serious and scheduled and organized.

Too bad there aren't two of me so that the lazy one could go on being lazy, and the good one could get things ready for the school year.  The "lazy me" sure would be excited and appreciative of the "good me".  And I really would make doing all of the work worth her while.

If only.....

saturday shop notes

The lovely Mendocino mermaids are in my shop.  These girls are adorable!

Have a happy weekend!

maddies room

Our dog, Maddie is almost 6 months old now.  Time flies in the dog world as well as the world of children.  It makes me smile to hear the kids tell her that she is getting too big and that she needs to quit growing.  I know exactly what they mean!

Let me say that Maddie is adorable, but she is a challenge--probably the same as all puppies.  One day we think she has some commands down---come, sit, stay---the next day she is running after the neighbors as they jog down our street, paying zero attention to our "come!!!".  She keeps us humble.

Since she was tiny we have allowed her in the house, but only in the family room, and a gate has kept her contained there.  My hubs suggested taking the gate down and training her to stay in the room, and I admit that I expected it to be a big job.  Amazingly, Maddie has stayed behind her boundary from the minute we removed the gate.

Well, except for her nose and paws that sneak over onto the hardwood, just a little closer to all of us.

She has the lab gotta-be-wherever-you-are attitude in a big way.

It is hard to resist paying attention to her when she is looking so cute.  I almost--ALMOST--want to let her come in farther, but I am happy keeping her fur and chew toys and doginess contained to one small corner of our house.

I wonder if she realizes that most dogs don't have their own rooms?

one link

Instead of a links list, I giving you just one fabulous link:  30 handmade days. 

All you have to do is start scrolling down the page of the blog and will find tons--TONS--of great tutorials and ideas.  This is a perfect place to start thinking up your crafty Christmas list.

Christmas is only 127 days away, you know!

Have a great day!

my man in the plastic bubble

My hubs is a SUPER-COOL guy, as you can probably tell by this photo.

My kids and I work on a farm once a week and it turns out that one of the girls who works there also, has West-Nile Virus symptoms.  I am, of course worried about this and am trying to figure out the best way to handle things.  My thought is to get some deet-loaded insect repellant and call it good. 

Not so for my hubs.

He has gone and bought all of us these fabulous--FABULOUS!--mosquito nets for our heads.  And he seriously expects us to wear them.  Have I mentioned that I take a teenager with me when we go?

He also bought some for my friend, Donna, and her four kids who work with us at the farm, and, yes, he expects them to wear the nets too.

I am thinking that I can't quite take this step without feeling just a bit like a nut, or at least looking like one.

These nets remind of The Boy in the Plastic Bubble gone portable.  As if science has made it possible for him to be out in society, albeit with a weird capsule on his head.

I do love my hubs very much.  Sometimes, however, I am not sure whether to laugh or cry at the things he does.

Have I mentioned that he doesn't go to the farm with us?

Ah, I love this guy!

saturday shop notes

The lovely Ava Rose is in my shop, this time in red, and she is gorgeous!

I also added a small sale section that you might want to check out.

Have a great weekend! 

quilt completed

The quilt is completed and I love the colors.  They remind of orange, raspberry and lime sherbet.

Machine quilting was easier this time, although I found that the skipped stitches aren't due to my inexperience, they are due to my machine.  Once I switched to my daughter's machine, all was well.  The weird thing is that we have the same exact machine, so mine must need adjusting.

This pattern was so easy (I modified this one) and quick that I am already trying to dream up my next quilt.   I do enjoy this style of quilt-making better than traditional, to be honest, because it isn't so tedious.  Trying to piece together a million little squares always gave me a headache.

The look of a quilt after it is washed is perfection.  All of the wrinkles and bumps add character and charm that are lacking when all of the fabric is crisp and flat.  Funny how something brand-new looks better after is it appears "gently-used".  Maybe it is because  it looks loved.

The fabrics I used are from the Farmer's Market collection and are available in my shop.

Happy sewing!