Got lucky!

I had a few minutes to kill one day last week so I decided to hit the local Tuesday Morning store.  Lucky me.  I found a book that I've been wanting for a while (and, at about half the retail cost) and some charm packs of the sweetest fabric.  Not sure what I'm going to do with them, but for $8, I now have 128 cute little 5" x 5" squares.  Yay me!

 

 

Oh!  Don't forget to check out the giveaway on my blog from Shabby Apple!  So far, only three comments have been left and their chances are pretty good right about now!  Don't you want a beautiful, FREE necklace? 

Here's wishing you all a great week!

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As if this weren't sucking up enough of my time...

... now my BFF Harriet tells me about this...

... which explains a lot with me lately.  Hopefully, I'll peel myself away from these time-suckers (as awesome and inspiring as they may be) and actually post a few things soon!

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Two

 

Two years of blogging!  A big thanks to all of you who stick around to read through my ramblings and to those who stop by to check out lalabymona.  Blogging has been a special part of my life and I'm so happy to have you as blogging buds!

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Words to live by

Yep, that pretty much sums it up for me.

Thanks Jesse for sending it to me!

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Girls Day Out

It was "Girls Day Out" for Harry and Mo!  My girlfriend Harriet and I took the day off all by ourselves and headed to the big town of Waxahachie, Texas - the Crape Myrtle Capital and Gingerbread City!  That's pronounced /ˌwɒksəˈhætʃi/.  Did you get that?  Try this:  Wok-seh-hatch-yee.

Awesome fun!  Harriet, being my ever-faithful and all-knowing guide, took me to the Common Threads Quilt Shop first.  Oh yeah, you don't have to twist my arm.  The shop is full of great fabric and the nicest folks!  We both walked away with goodies we couldn't live without.

 

 

This beautiful hand-embroidered piece really touched my heart. I feel the same way today that this sweet gal, Sarah must have felt back in 1893!

Okay, let's mosey around the corner to The Dove's Nest.  Whoa!  How cool is this place?!  Talk about spending hours.  They carry the neatest things.  Fun and unique.  And when you think you need a break, stop and have a bite to eat and enjoy some of the best tea you've ever tasted.  Then, get back to shopping.  What a treat!

 

This cracked me up!

Last stop of the day, and conveniently just a few stores away... The Crafty Scrapper!  Wow.  Just wow.  I'm not a scrapbooker (is that a word?), but I was in scrapbook heaven!  They carry everything.  I just walked around ooing and aahhhing and saying, "ooooh, Harriet - look at theeeeeese!"  It was almost embarrassing.  And, I found the best trims.  Ever!

I just realized I didn't take pictures of the inside.  Just this one of the building.  From the car.  Whilst traffic stopped and waited on me.  Sorry!  And, thanks!

And when I realized it was time to head back home, I suddenly felt the need to take a few more.  From the car.  Whilst traffic stopped and waited on me.

 

Every courthouse in Texas looks a lot like this!  I love these old buildings.

Lots of sweet houses, too.  They were all dressed up for July 4th!

 

Why have I never gone to Waxahachie before?  Seriously, it is only about thirty minutes from my house.  Harriet - you ready to head back?  Let's go!

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Teaser

I have something fun to share tomorrow! But for now, here's a little teaser...

Any wild guesses?  (Harriet - you can't post - you already know!) Pin It

Necessaries

(cell phone rings...)

Me:  Hello?
BFF Harriet:  Whatcha doing?
Me:  Sewing a skirt.  You?
BFF Harriet:  Going to Joann's.  Wanna go?
Me:  You bet.
BFF Harriet:  I'll pick you up.  Be right there.

The rest is history.  Stroll, talk, check out EVERYTHING in the store, chat, catch up, no interruptions, look at fabric, look at patterns.  We shut the joint down.  That's how we roll.

Hey, do you see a theme here?  Yeah, me too.  That's why it was a "necessary".  Well, of course I already have a pair of small scissors, needles, a seam ripper, and tweezers.  But, these are all in a cute ,"ready-to-go" apparatus.  Duh, no brainer there.

 

Another "necessary" - my other needles are bent from use!  Practical, functional.  Necessary.

Fabric, needles, and other small misc. items - $24.

Time away to breathe, think, plan.... and finish a complete sentence - priceless.

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Pink I think

I like pink.  Enough said.

 

 

 

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Happy Birthday Harry!

Today is my friend Harriet's birthday!  When my son was little, he called her "Harry".  And, one of her daughter's called me "Mo".  So, when we are being silly, we call ourselves Harry and Mo.  Noice, huh?

Harriet was a good girl last year apparently, because Santa put a Nook under the tree for her at Christmas.  So, I made a little pouch for it just to keep it safe until she could purchase something made for a Nook.  It is padded and has a soft lining that won't scratch the it.

Then I bought my Nook. After looking at covers, I had a hard time paying that kind of money (especially after the purchase of the Nook and considering "I can make that" always comes to mind).  So I purchased a 3-pack of e-reader patterns from Birdiful Stitches and made my own.  It went together very nicely and keeps my Nook protected and pretty!  Included with the patterns is an e-reader hipster.  Gonna have to make that very soon.  Check out her patterns - way awesome!  She's done the hard part so you can do the fun part!

 

 

Harriet and I have been so busy that we haven't even been able to go to Barnes and Noble together with our Nooks so we can sit together in silence while reading them!  So here's  my somewhat selfish plan...

Harriet, when you get a moment to read this -

• Let's get together SOON.  I mean, put it on the calendar no matter what and get together.
• Let's go to B&N with our Nooks.
• I'm buying you whatever delish beverage they offer.
• And bringing you a little something-something I made.
• And if you would like a new cover with a clever little pocket and button - say the word and it will be so!

Happy Birthday Harry!

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Out with the old...

While I don't change much of my basic decor very often, I do like to rotate things during the year such as pillowcases, curtains, etc.  It is an inexpensive and easy way to make little changes here and there.  First, I made these  potholders (the larger one from this tutorial and the little one from this tutorial).  Super fun and fairly quick.  I need to make a few more to go with these.  

And, I need to actually USE them.  Yes, they are so cute that I've threatened my family not to use them, but to keep  using the old ones.  Kind of silly - like not using your pretty china because you're afraid it will break.  But, what fun is that, right?  So, I must toss the old ones and move on!

I didn't use the Insul-Brite, but instead used the silver quilted ironing board cover material that I used on... yes, my ironing board cover!  Same basic idea - protect the skin.

I decided to switch my kitchen curtain back to this one.  I LOVE this print.  It should look very familiar - hint, hint - look around my blog!  I also made something else with it that I will share soon.  It is soft and reminds me of Valentine's Day which is just around the corner.

And finally, I changed the pillow covers on my couch and love seat.  I was digging through my stash of "changeables" and didn't even remember making these!  They say the memory is the first thing to go.  But, it was a good "find" and I did finally recall making them.  I really like the pillows in the first picture because "redwork" is one of my faves and the second picture shows some fleece that I found a few years ago and wish I had bought more of it!  Yes, red is a favorite color of mine these days.

"Out"

"In"

I hope to start on a quilt for my bed.  I've been hoarding some pretty Tanya Whelan fabric for about a year now.  Maybe I'm just scared to start the project.  But, again - what good is it doing me sitting there in the fabric hutch when it could be gracing my bed?!

How about you?  Do you do the "switch-a-roo" in your home?

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Saturday Scripture

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

It is hard for me to let go of my to-do list and seek Him first.    I hit the floor running each day with "that" list in mind, but most assuredly need to change my routine.  I've got to simplify things.  With four kids coming and going and all the activities - something has to give.  Where do I start?  I have so much I want to get done, so many plans, so many goals.  Selfish, I know.

Do you ever feel like your life is a "to-do" list?  Get up, eat, go, shop, cook, drive, eat, clean, drive, go, eat, sleep. 

I know there is more and God intended more.  But, it is a different "more" than what I've created and scheduled.  Its time to simplify and get back to basics.

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Help!

Tomorrow is my birthday and I am considering splurging on the Nook Color e-reader!  Do I need it?  "Need" is a strong word here, but I think I would definitely get some good use out of it.  I like the idea of a color reader and you can view magazines!  Its best feature... you can add a charm to the bottom!  (still giggling at that!)

What do you think?  I've read the reviews but I want to hear what you have to say!  Do you have an e-reader and if so, what do you like most about it?

I could also just ask for a JoAnn's gift card.  Totally a good deal!  Of course, I would gladly accept the Canon 7D.  Just sayin'!

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Ode to Kenneth

I wanted to take a moment to pay tribute to a very special man - my father-in-law, Kenneth Landers.  It was ten years ago on Christmas Day that he left this world to be with our Father in Heaven.  We miss him very much.  He was a kind, gentle, hard-working man who always put his family first.

A while back, we were visiting with my mother-in-law, Lynda and came across these pictures of Kenneth.  They were taken when he was quite young.  The first, taken in 1955 was with his father, Les (sitting in the back).  Can you tell that Kenneth was a tall, lanky fellow?  Handsome, too!

The next is Kenneth's graduation photo.  I'm not sure when this picture was taken.  I always teased Kenneth that he needed to go back and put dates and names on his photos!

What struck me so funny was actually on the back of the photo.  He used the back of it to write his mother a note one day!  Apparently while dating my mother-in-law, he was at her house and his car wouldn't start so he took her car home for the night.

Such a man, huh?  I cracked up.  I would have never have written on the back of a photo like this!  Would you?  Well, I'm glad he did as it gave us a little peak of him as a young man!

We miss you, Dad. Pin It

My Smokin' Hot Roller Skates

Mimi - this is for you!  Yes, these are my roller skates.  I think they are about 30 years old now.  Gah!  Gasp!  Ack!  But, they still skate like it was yesterday and I was cool with my painter's pants and a comb in my pocket for my "fly backs"!  Cuz, that's how I (still) roll!

The best part?  When I turned around to skate backwards (yeah, I can still do that, too!), my son said, "Cool!  Look guys, my mom can twirl!"  I love that boy!

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