Finally - a post with a picture!

I know it is no fun to read posts that don't contain pictures, especially for Des. I am having awful computer problems and if hubby is not able to fix it soon I am afraid I might take matters into my own hands. It won't be pretty. Trust me on that.

So here is the fabric I am using right now. Isn't that a pretty mix? It is some of the Marcus Al Fresco line. The blue and white flower print reminds me of Moda's Summer in the City.


Day 5 of sewing every day. I didn't scrapbook today, but I could have and should have. I wasted time today for some reason.

My daughter is back at college. I miss her already. My son has another week off. He spent 4 hours shoveling snow off of someones roof this morning. My hubby spent hours out on the tractor plowing and snow blowing the new snow. I did laundry, cleaned the kitchen, did more laundry but nothing too productive.

Praise - that our friends were able to stop by this weekend on their way home from MT, visit us in our new home and take our daughter back to school. They had a very long, but SAFE trip. Praise that our friends that had oral surgery today and had to drive through a snowstorm before and after also had safe travels and successful surgeries. Praying for their smooth recoveries.

2009 To Be Read Challenge

Thanks to Ginger Patches' blog and her link to the TBR challenge I am now on my second post of the day. I NEED to read more. I LOVE to read! What better way to get 'er done than to challenge myself. Put a list out there for others to see. That is the thing though, can I come up with a list? Right now. Today. A list of 12 books to read this year as well as alternates. I'd better get to work.

In no particular order:

1. The Time Traveler's Wife

2. Water for Elephants

3. I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist

4. The Truth Wars

5. The Kite Runner

6. The Quilter's Homecoming

7. A Sweetness to the Soul

8. Assassins

9. The Indwelling

10. The Mark

11. Desecration

12. The Remnant


Alternate reads

1. Armageddon

2. Glorious Appearing

3. Mystic Sweet Communion

4. The Healing Quilt

5. When Boy Meets Girl

6. Not Even a Hint

7. Mad Mary

8. A Clearing in the Wild

9. A Mending at the Edge

10. For Women Only:...

11. Redeeming Love

12. Sisterchicks - sombreros/gondolas/downunder

So there are my lists. That gives me something to work towards and a specific list! That should help.

The link to TBR should be in my post title. Nope, I can't get it to work. Here it is then TBR.

Happy New Year!

No pictures again today but I did want to post on the first day of the new year.

Do you make resolutions? Do you make them and break them or do you make resolutions you are able to keep? I usually have a general idea in the back of my head of things I want to accomplish in a year's time. Maybe if I wrote them down I would feel obligated to sticking to them. Maybe.

I have a few things I want to do this year;
Project 365-take a picture DAILY to create a snapshot of one year in our life.

Sew something daily. Is that too ambitious? Should it maybe be, cut out or organize or should it be to actually SEW something daily. I was thinking there will be days when we are gone but I could finally learn how to make yo-yo's or sew on a binding or ???

Scrapbook - daily? weekly?

**just saw on Ginger Patches blog about a yearly reading list. I do keep one and have done terribly the past couple of years. We have no tv - I should read more.

Lose weight - for my health, for the clothes hanging in my closet.

I resolve to make a serious dent in my fabric stash and my scrapbook stash.

I resolve to limit fabric purchases to specific needs, for items I am making for someone OR if something is needed to finish a project (quilt batting or backing).

I resolve to buy NO MORE scrapbook items unless ABSOLUTELY necessary (adhesives, basic cardstock) until stash is noticeably diminished and then not until house sells.

On one hand I think if I am too strict and I fail I will just throw in the towel but if I am not strict enough then weeks will go by before I realize I have not done anything. I was thinking of limiting myself to windowshopping in online fabric stores to once a week. Oh sure I would still see all the new pretties but #1)I would spend less time at my computer, which leaves more time for daily sewing or scrapping #2)I would spend less time 'wanting' something that I don't 'need'. I know I would still get plenty of inspiration from the blogs I visit daily.

Okay...I am outta here. I am going to sew for a bit and then I am going to work on a scrapbook page.

Prayers - for the college kids that should have been making the 6 hour drive here today, to come visit and to ski. The passes are closed and they finally gave up on traveling today. Praying for safe travel for them tomorrow. Praying as well for my son who is snowboarding today - it has been snowing ALL day. Praises - that we made it to 2009 (didn't you think when you were in grade school that the year 2000 seemed so unreal?)! That God has blessed us with so much!

Year End Clearance!

Inventory Reduction!

SALE!

40-50% off ALL ITEMS!

You have no idea how I LOVE those words, even look forward to them. I look forward to seeing them in print and getting emails that contain them. They make my heart race. They make my mind start planning and plotting. They inspire me to fill virtual carts all over the internet.

This year though, those words taunt me. I should probably just ignore all the emails and store fronts. I should concentrate on using up the fabric and scrapbook supplies that I already have. I feel bad for the store owners. They are making an effort to bring in some much needed money, clear out their inventory for tax reasons and make room for new things to come. I understand that. I understand too that I can get some incredible deals on things I have long admired. It usually benefits both parties. I don't want my favorite stores to go out of business, whether online or brick & mortar. The thing is I just have to show some restraint this year. More than I have in past years. I am fortunate to have a stash of fabric that I can pull from to continue sewing and an abundance of scrapbooking supplies to use. Maybe I should spend more time at my sewing machine and my scrap table and less time on the computer being tempted.

I hope to make a big ol' dent in all my supplies before the next year end. I hope that this economy has turned around. I hope that our house has sold. I hope that all my favorite shops will be in business still and sending out those ads and emails and that their store fronts have those words I love so well.

Praise - I thank God for the abundance that He has showered upon me and my Prayer is that I would remember that. Day by day, moment by moment I need to be thankful for what I have. Prayers too for all the small businesses that are trying to make ends meet.

Some last minute gifts

Happy Day After Christmas! Some people refer to it as Boxing Day but I never really got that. My sister would call today Merry After Birth - but that's just wrong on so many levels. She is twisted that way. ;)

I did venture out this morning, not too early though - to WM where it was not crowded really and the cashier said that it was the busiest it had been all day. I got some lights for 50% off and a big red metal tray and a red metal 'tub' (also 50% off). I plan to plant bright yellow and orange flowers in it this spring/summer! Then I went to the LQS, where all fabric was 50% off. I think my college girl and I were the only ones in there. All I wanted was a yard of some beautiful red wool that I saw on Black Friday but didn't get. I looked at all the other fabric anyway but I resisted. For now. The sale DOES go until the 31st ;)

After reading this apron tutorial by JonaG, I decided to make a couple of her aprons for the gal that owns the gym that I go to and the gal that teaches classes there. A couple of fun gals and I wanted to give them a little something. I made them on the 23rd and we went in on Christmas Eve, on our way to the movie and set them on their desks.

I have some more aprons to sew and I should be working on them now, so I guess I will push myself away from the computer.

Praise - all the holiday travelers that I know arrived at their destinations safely and before Christmas. Prayers - for safety for all those dealing with the unusual weather. Many family and friends are getting snow instead of their usual rain.

Merry Christmas!

I do hope that everyone is enjoying a day with loved ones celebrating THE reason for this season.

It has been snowing here all day on top of the 2' of snow that we already had. Nice quiet day at home.

Looking forward to tomorrow and the LEFTOVERS!

Praise - For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life - John 3:16

So we need a larger angel

but my son has always been partial to this one for some reason. I don't even care if there is an angel on top of the tree but he always wants this one up there. She looks so teeny up there and it all looks out of proportion.
At the peak the ceiling is 13.5', my son who is trimming the tree there is 6'5". I TOLD you the tree was big!

We are still enduring BITTERLY cold temperatures. Right now, at 11pm it is ONE degree. Today was beautiful though, sunny and blue skies, with a high of maybe 12. At least it wasn't windy. I went out in the shop to find a piece of fabric to use for curtains for my son's room. OH.MY. It was really cold out there! I was all bundled up but that didn't seem to help at all.

In our last house my huge stash of fabric was stored in the garage, which never froze or had moisture in it. I assumed the shop was going to be the same but the walls behind my boxes of fabric had ice on them (or a heavy frost) so when that melts....ugh. I am thinking I have to get that fabric OUT OF THERE! But where am I going to put it??? That is going to be my project this coming week I think. Make some room in here for it. It is going to be a complete hassle to find anything if it is in here. The closet goes way back in and the boxes are going to have to be stacked to the ceiling - so to find anything it will mean taking out all of the boxes because you and I both know whatever it is you want, it is always in the very last box. :) I am not thrilled about this and I didn't need a new project.

I finished another apron this morning and got it off in the mail for a after Christmas birthday. I made it out of that cute Alexander Henry Starling fabric that I got on Black Friday.

I haven't been getting much sleep lately so it is off to bed for me. No Sunday school tomorrow so we can sleep in a bit. Christmas caroling tomorrow night at the LifeCare center. We usually go carolling in a neighborhood and I am so glad that we have other plans. It is WAY to cold for that nonsense.

Praise - the college girls got home safely. What an ordeal that was. Prayers for my friend who is selling a house and has an interested party.