Southern Christmas Show

Ahh...Finally the day arrived. My friend, Julie, and I headed out for the Southern Christmas Show. It is a mass shopping experience...everything from salsa makers to true art pottery. I will share my finds later, but for now, enjoy the displays from last year's Lord&Taylor windows in NY...they set them up for viewing on the way into the shops.

New Table

Finally. A new table. No more wobbly legs, no more "not enough room for everyone". It's natural cherry, from Crate and Barrel. The chairs are new as well. From Ballard Designs. love that they are leather and easy to slipcover to change the look of the room. I also purchased the console from Ballard...it looks so good in the office but needs some work in deciding what goes on it. Later. Need to work on xmas gift lists and creating some gifts.....

November already?

Yikes. I have not done well with keeping this blog going. I'll try anew.

The school year has flown by and the kids are doing well. I'm trying to get a grip on all the holiday plans, gifts, and entertaining to be done. I have managed to get the Christmas card done and the envelopes already addressed. This is due to being stuck downstairs for a day while new carpet was being installed upstairs. The new carpet is great...one continuous hallway of carpet, not pieces covering the remodeled hallway. They also re-nailed the floor, so most of the annoying squeaks are gone. It is also much quieter...don't know why particularily, but enjoying it anyway.

Sewing projects completed include hemming curtains for sis and bro-in-law, jammie pants for son, halloween skirt for daughter, scottie dog skirt for daughter, Christmas dress for daughter(just needs buttons), blue floral dress for daughter(just needs to be smocked), a xmas gift for daughter(not to be mentioned yet), a slipcover for my sewing chair(soooo cute)and fixed my hubby's jacket by replacing a broken zipper.

I have plans to make a few more Christmas gifts ... can't give away any surprises yet.

July already?

So, I didn't quite post as soon as I thought. My hubby has been working from home more which makes it difficult to get to the computer. I have also been very busy with kids, gardening, family events and last week I had my wisdom teeth removed. I'm still in some pain and am done by 5 in the afternoon. Good news is I got my birthday present early...a laptop so I can stay connected while my hubby works from home more. Gas prices are just a small reason for him working from home more. He travels a lot, so when he's home it is more convenient for him to work from home and we get to see him more. I will have to work on getting photos on this one so I can post pics from here as well.
Happy 4th...we are off to my Mom's and then back in time for VBS! Lots going on and not much in the way of lazy days this summer.

Misty

Loads of Fabric

My second post in a month...I'm on a roll! The fabrics above are my latest purchases. I usually don't buy this much at one time, but my favorite store is closing. So, I'm buying on sale and stocking up. I'm not too sure of what I'll be making with all of them, but the light lime on on the right became binding for a quilt I made for a friend's daughter. My first quilt in fact. It is not fancy and is just a quilt because I used leftover fabrics from making curtains for the nursery.

The quilting is not so great....as I said my first attempt at quilting. Have to say, I'm not a fan of handstitching the binding down. ugh. I do want to make a top from the top left fabric for myself and one for my daughter. But really, she doesn't need anything else to wear. At least until cold weather sets in. I also think I will have to make myself a fall purse. I will post more pics of what I make with the fabrics and some of what I have made in the past in the future, and will try to do one for tomorrow with the quilt recipient's sister's gift... Til then!

Misty

June already?

Ok, I'm really, really bad about posting to this blog thing. I do love reading other blogs, so I'm going to try and keep up with this better. I do have a new pic on the banner of my new hydrangeas. The picture above is one of my 2 raised beds...this one has green beans, tomatoes and peppers. There are also 3 very tiny eggplant plants in the back. Not so sure they are going to be so productive. The other bed has cukes, peppers, another tomato plant that was a volunteer from some unkown seed. Watch it produce the best. I do have 4 small maters on a celebrity bush that are getting fatter daily. Can't wait for the first ones of the year. Just a note, the fencing is for the rabbits and cats that have been into everything in my yard. No deer in our neck of the city...ha. I am so ready to have tons of veggies coming in the kitchen from my garden. I am going to make my grandmother's super sweet pickles...if I can get my mom to help with the recipe and canning procedures. I think I was 9 the last time I saw it done.

I come from families of gardeners...even some with the last name. I grew up planting and picking and canning and eating straight from the garden. Sugar snap peas warm from the sun and just a quick rinse at the faucet....soooooo good. I have had some sort of garden in every home we've owned. I'm still learning, but do know that raised beds are a neccessity due to the horrid clay soil here. Rosemary is evergreen here and grows crazy fast and big and very drought tolerant.

We lost a lot of our landscaping due to the extended drought last year and had it pulled out. I still don't know what to do with the front bed, but we have plans for a patio where we lost our gardenias and the hydrangeas took over where some overgrown ligustrums had been. We hope that all we've planted will take hold and live thru the summer. Hopefully we will get more rain this year and not be so restricted on watering.

Next time...new topic.

Too long in coming

Oh, I can't believe I didn't post any in over 2 months. Things have been so crazy and busy. Now that J travels to work in Chicago...mondays thru thursdays...life is different. It's not nearly as bad as when the kids were little and he was gone all the time. We do miss him during the week, but we are surviving ok and enjoy our weekends all the more.
I'm enjoying the spring that is coming our way. My seeds are started, my garden boxes ready, and I have new porch furniture. Pictures to come one day...we won't discuss my 2 orders from snappy for all of last year's pics. One day.....and once upon a time I was caught up on scrapbooks. True...just many, many years ago now.
I am also loving the new dresser from Restoration Hardware I got this weekend. So much storage! I'm not sure it was worth the 13 year wait for a real, grown-up dresser. Well, ok, it was. I can honestly say that it has only been in the last year that I've felt like we didn't have enough clothes storage in our antique dresser, wardrobe and closet. Mostly as my hubby is as obsessed with clothes as most women are and we haven't really ever had the kind of money to just blow on clothes. Oh, and yes, pregnancy can just ruin the whole wardrobe. I think I finally am down to just 2 sweaters from pre-children and just one nightgown.
well, it is time for baths for kids and rooms need to be clean...new rules with things...they are put away, or thrown away. Counts for all of us. Warnings have all expired and tonight is all is lost night. Don't think my oldest wants to really say his mom threw away his homework...or backpack....we shall see.
Later.

Happy 2008

So, I didn't get to posting any of the Christmas pics...and haven't posted at all until now. I was a stuck at home Christmas with 2 of the 4 of us getting sick the days to Christmas. We were able to visit my mom's and had a nice time visiting family there, but I missed out on much of it. I was thoroughly ready to pack away all the Christmas decorations, and after not putting them up as early as normal, that was strange as well. I LOVE decorating for Christmas. This year was just not a typical joyous Christmas season for me. I missed getting to go to church and visit friends on Christmas eve. I have had plenty of togetherness with my cute family. It was wonderful to have them go to school and work. I quite enjoyed the peace and quiet and the absolute cold made it great for just hanging out at home. New Year's Eve was a lot of fun with staying up for the whole ball drop and lots of good time with friends at their home. My little girl didn't make it and fell asleep on a couch...9 kids, she's the only one out....my son thought he was a big guy by staying up and toasting with sparkling cider. And he really will be one in 2 weeks...10 years old. Yikes. Where does the time go?
A new year and new plans....like actually following through and finishing some projects. So that's what I'm off to do now.