A VERY "SUN-SHINY" DAY

I was given "The Sunshine Award" from my friend Laura Maxell over at "Love the Bluebird" http://www.lovethebluebird.blogspot.com/  one of my very favorite people (and blogs!).  Thank you Laura for adding this bit of "Sunshine" to my day!! 

So apparently the way this works is that I am to answer some questions about myself . . . .

1. Favorite color: pink and green 

2. Favorite number: 7

3. Favorite drink: Sugar-free Vanilla Iced Coffee from McDonalds (my guilty pleasure!)

4. Favorite animal: GIRAFFES!!

5. Facebook or Twitter: Facebook (but do have twitter- -just don't remember to "tweet" very often!)

6. Getting or giving presents: Both-definitely both!

7. Favorite day: Sunday - -it's about Church, family and relaxation! 

8. Favorite flower: Carnations

9. My passion: Working with children 

And now I get to pass this award on to others!!  Yay!

(my first choice would be to send it back to Laura because she is definitely a bright ray of sunshine in my life!  But since she's already received it I will pass it on to some other wonderful blogs that I find add sunshine to my life. . .)

aesthetic nest  (http://www.aestheticnest.com/ )
Attic24 (http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/ )
Bunny Mummy (http://bunnymummy-jacquie.blogspot.com/ )
Maybe Matilda (http://www.maybematilda.com/ )
Fussy Cut (http://www.fussycut.blogspot.com/ )
Tangled Happy (http://www.tangledhappy.com/ )
May Blossom (http://www.underthemayblossom.blogspot.com/ )



The rules for this award are as follows:

1. Thank the person who nominated you and have a link back to them.
2. Place the Sunshine Award in a post or on your blog.
3. Answer some questions about yourself.
4. Nominate 10 other bloggers (okay, I didn't have 10!)
5. For the bloggers that you have chosen for the Sunshine Award, remember to comment on their blogs and let them know about their Sunshine Award!


Thank you so much Laura- -this was fun!!  I love reading blogs and probably use too much of my time doing so, but they are so inspirational and fun!  I hope you find them inspirational too!

BABIES. . . .

It's almost time for grandbaby #1, Kellen, to make his arrival.  Mommy and Daddy (and Grandma) are getting quite excited, and a little anxious, about it all . . . .

Daddy painted the room and the crib and dresser are all put together.  Mommy's been "nesting" so all

clothing is washed and ready and the room is completely organized. 

 Now, just waiting for Kellen to arrive!



I wonder if he'll look like his Daddy. . . .

Benjamin- -1 yr old.

Such a sweet boy, such sweet memories!

SEWING FUN- -A NEW SKIRT!

Life has been so busy lately that I haven't taken much time to indulge in serious sewing fun!  But today I was shopping with my Mom and we stopped in at one of my favorite stores, Joann's.  While there I decided I needed (yes, needed) to make a new skirt! 

I wanted to make a long skirt as I really love the look of longer skirts.

 So off I went to find a new pattern - -and one that wouldn't cost a fortune!  (What happened to $1.95 patterns?? Oh how I miss those!)  I usually look for patterns by McCalls or Simplicity but today I found something new. . .

So now that I had a pattern it was time to find the perfect fabric.  It didn't take long before I found fabric I really liked. . .and it was on sale!!

I checked the Joann's app on my iPhone and had a 10% off everything coupon, which was GREAT news, so off I went to get my fabric measured and cut and I was ready for my new project.  My mom has a great portable singer sewing machine that I often use when I'm at my parents for a visit. 

 First step, cutting out the pattern:

 I decided to line my skirt (hence the white fabric in the photo). It didn't take long to cut out the pieces and begin sewing. I was surprised by how quickly the project moved along. I am almost finished- -just need to make a casing and add in the elastic for the waist, which I will complete tomorrow at home!  So here's a peek at the "almost completed" skirt project

 

I forgot how much fun it is to make a skirt- -such a quick and relatively simple project!  Now to search my closet to find just the right top to wear with it!

I love "Craft" books!

I love craft books- -they are so fun and inspiring when looking for a new project to begin, and just so much fun to browse through!  I wanted to share a few books from my collection of many!!

My brother, Gary, sent me two great books about buttons.  He was also instrumental in starting me down the journey of button collecting!  (I have a HUGE button collection I will have to share sometime).  Anyway, this first one is my favorite of the two:

I could look through this book for hours there are so many beautiful buttons in here. 

Here's two of my favorite pages:

I love buttons with rhinestones in them- -they are so pretty and I love pretty, sparkly things.  Whenever I get a new collection of buttons, one of the first things I do is go through them and pick out any with rhinestones and then I place them in a special trinket box my brother gave me.  Then when I'm looking for that perfect, sparkly button, I know just where to go find it!!

I thought you might enjoy seeing this page too, the shell buttons- -another favorite of mine!  I have lots of shell buttons and they have such a beautiful sheen to them and often the most amazing designs carved in them.  My all time favorite- -shell buttons with rhinestones!!  Very hard to come by!

This is the other book he gave me:

I love this book as it truly is what it says on the cover; "an encyclopedia of buttons," however it only has a few colored photos in it, which is why I love the other book more. . .the first one is full of colored photos of beautiful buttons!! But if you want to know the history and background of a certain type of button, then this is the book for you!!

Another thing I love about these books is that they are used- -purchased second hand and as much as I love bookstores, second-hand bookstores (or vintage, used, etc.) are my favorites.  There's just this feeling of history when you go into a second-hand store.  They all smell the same. . . the smell of the old pages and ink mixed together with a certain amount of book dust. I love that smell!  I always wonder who owned the book first, where they got it and why they chose to give it up.  Did they enjoy it as much as I do, or was it rarely handled--rarely read?  Crazy, but these are just the sort of thoughts that go through my head when I get a used book!

Okay, here's one more favorite:

My friend, Lisa, brought a copy of this book to work one day to share with us and I fell in love! But it's out of print so I had to do a real search to find my own copy.  After much searching I finally found this one, in good condition, for sale on ebay.  I was so excited!  This book is just full of inspiration for a craft-a-holic like myself!  As you can see from the cover, it contains information about several types of crafts.  My favorite sections are on embroidery, knitting and crocheting.  I love this book as it gives step-by-step instructions on completing the crafts so can be used to self-teach several techniques.  When I was first learning to crochet I found myself going to the page about the individual stitches so that I could understand what my pattern was calling for and see how to complete it correctly. (of course my own personal tutor: Laura over at http://www.lovethebluebird.blogspot.com/ is truly the most amazing lifesaver when it comes to learning how to crochet!) But this book has helped a lot as well.

 Here's one of the pages I truly love- -as motifs are one of my favorite things to crochet:

Don't you just love these?  I really think they are beautiful and want to try to make each one, especially the white flower on the bottom of the page- -so pretty!!

Well thank you for indulging me and allowing me to chat on and on about some of my favorite things.  I am now feeling the need to crochet. . . .

Rainy Day Sunday

It's raining here today in Southern California- -and I LOVE rain!

I know I shouldn't say that as to some it seems almost sacrilegious to live in Sunny California yet love the rain.  But I do. . .I love listening to it, smelling it, watching it- -all of it!! 

It's only supposed to rain through today, so I must enjoy it.  I thought taking a few photos and sharing them with you might help me preserve this wonderful weather!  I'm hoping it rains for several more hours so that I can go to sleep tonight to the sound of raindrops falling on the awning outside my bedroom window.  Oh how I love that sound!!

 Another of my favorite things is crocheting.  And since there are two very special little ones on the way into our family soon, I decided this grammie-to-be better get busy making some warm and cozy blankies!  I decided to begin one of them using the vintage stripe pattern my friend Laura shared over at http://lovethebluebird.blogspot.com/2011/11/vintage-stripe.html .  I love the vintage look of this pattern and it seems as if it's going to be pretty quick to work up.  I'm using a yarn I found at Michaels.  It's Naturally Caron Spa and the colors and texture are nice and soft and perfect for keeping a little one nice and snuggly warm.

 These are my favorite crochet hooks.  I only have two of them, a "G" and an "H" but I'm hoping to get more.  I really like how comfortable they are to work with, the wooden handle really makes them easy to hold.  A little more expensive than a traditional hook but I feel well worth it!

Oh and when it's raining and you are tired of crocheting or t.v. watching- -book reading is a very fun way to pass the time.  I'm still reading this book I shared with you the other day.  I'm enjoying the story.  I haven't had much time to read lately, but I'm hoping I will be able to indulge in some "nose in my book" time this week! 

Stay tuned. . .some very pretty baby vintage stripe pictures should be coming your way soon. . . . .

Dishcloth fun. . .

My friend Laura over at www.lovethebluebird.blogspot.com/ shared this fun pattern with me:  https://docs.google.com/View?id=dg3bbbnd_0chnxdggj&pli=1 


I just fell in love with them and had to try one!  I chose the one with the ruffle edging, I like it the best!  I then went digging through my unbelieveable stash of yarn (because I am committed to NOT buying any new crafting supplies) and I found the perfect colors for making one of the dishcloths for my daughter-in-law, Rebecca! 

And so it begins with a circle. . . . using a beautiful sugar n' cream cotton yarn in orange and then switching to one of their verigated yarns in white/teal/green (I love this one!) I was on my way. . .

I then began adding the edging using the orange again.  I love how bright and cheerful the color is!  And this pattern is very simple and quick to work up!

And here it is all finished!  A beautiful cloth

Surely if you have a pretty dishcloth to work with doing the dishes won't seem like such a boring task!!

A BIG "Thank you" to my friend, Laura, who continually inspires me by providing encouragement and fun new patterns to try!! 

The bluebird of happiness



I started a new project the other day, after seeing the pattern on one of my very, very favorite blogs- -http://attic24.typepad.com!  I absolutely LOVE reading about Lucy's life in Attic 24- -she is so fun and so inspiring! If you love blogs like I do, I highly recommend heading over to Attic 24!  You will love reading Lucy's posts and seeing her amazing crochet projects!  She generously shares them with everyone and believe me when you see them you will just have to try them!!  

Just like this bird- -One look and I just had to try out this pattern!!



this is the beginning. . . .

a few more rounds and a few more crochet details and wah-lah!!  The bluebird of happiness is completed!!

now the fun of finding the perfect spot in my room for Miss Bluebird to hang-out.  Ahhh, I found it!!

Under one of my favorite pictures and over my bed where I can see her everyday when I wake up and before I go to sleep. . .

I think she's happy there!!

And it's Friday night, so off I go to spend some nice relaxing time reading my new book. . .

They Grow Up So Fast. . .

When my children were young people used to tell me all the time to watch out because they would grow up too fast . . . . 

Nicholas -December 1982

                                                                 Brothers-Spring 1986

                                                                Benjamin-October 1988

And they were right. . .our days of teething, crawling and getting into everything, soon morphed into days of homework, friends, and social gatherings where they no longer wanted Mom hanging out with them.

The shoes get bigger, the pants get longer and before I knew it I was looking up at them instead of the other way around.  And seriously, when looking back, it seems to have happened in the blink of an eye! You watch them go on their first date, get their drivers' licenses and their first jobs and before you know it they are all grown up and that season of life you thought was going to last forever has changed into something new. . .

My prayer of "keep them safe in Kindergarten and help them find a friend" became "protect them from the big world out there and help them find true love". 

You want for your children the very best in life. . .someone to love who truly loves them back. . . someone that loves them for who they really are and doesn't try to change them. . . . someone that holds onto your child's heart as if it's the most precious, fragile, treasured item they've ever owned.  And when you know they've found that, you are filled with joy for them!

                                                               Nicholas and Rebecca

Benjamin and Carly

I look at these "babies" of mine and I'm so proud of the men they've become.  My heart is happy that they are happy and that their lives are blessed by two amazing young women who have also blessed my life!  It is true, they do grow up so fast. . too fast!  Hold onto every precious moment you have with your children.  But remember, no matter how old they are, they will always be "your baby!"

A work in progress

A few months ago I posted some pictures of a shawl I saw on the blog "attic 24" one of my all time favorite blogs!  I think it's beautiful and began trying to make one of my own.  The picture below is the shawl Lucy, (author of Attic 24), made:

And so my journey began as I learned to make the flowers. . .

and then began making the flowers using different color combinations. . . .

I have completed 12 flowers, and though I still have many, many flowers to make before I can complete the shawl, today I decided to begin sewing them together.  There is excitement in seeing a project begin to come together.

It's interesting how bold the colors look in this picture, when in fact they are really much softer.  The shawl, when completed, will need to be "blocked" so that the shawl will lay nice and flowers will

not look as if they are all different sizes as they do in the picture!!  I need 52 flowers to make the shawl the size I would like it to be- - -that means I need to make 40 more!! Whew!!  But it will be fun to watch the project grow and develop into something beautiful!!