Bib pics

These are some of the bibs I made last weekend. I have a whole other pile sitting on the sewing table that need snaps, and then they are all getting a wash and tagged for W.N.

I haven't downloaded pictures from the camera lately and I'm too tired to get up and do it now. I seem to forget that I don't have to fit everything in to 2 days, I'll be able to grocery shop on a Tuesday, or go to JoAnn's on a Thursday.

Today I went to the liquidator store, JoAnn's, grocery shopping, and met a friend for coffee. It's going to be so weird to have the week at home.

Ashley is hacking her brains out, so I have been making bottomless cups of honey and lemon. Bean soup is in the crock pot, and tomorrow will be airing and cleaning day. It's good to be here :)

All Done

Well today was my last day at work. I cried. A lot. Multiple times.

I'm a sentimental fool :) I'll see these people again but just marking the change of routine makes me weepy.

They had a potluck for me and gave me going away gifts and a sweet card that everyone signed and it was all just so nice! I appreciate the thoughtfulness. I'll try to post pictures tomorrow.

Tonight I am tired, and will be going to pick Ashley up in an hour or so. Then I will be coming home to hunker down and prepare to be a homebody for a little while. Much needed.

Thanks Ashley

Thank you Ashley, I really appreciate the fill-in.

I can't believe in the middle of a migraine my thought is "oh no ~ I haven't posted today!".

I am home early from work today because I am still shaky and weak feeling. This bug or whatever it is bringing me down, just plain sucks :(

Tomorrow is my last day at Clothworks, mixed emotions but I sure will miss the people there.

Okay going to lay back down. Hope this blog gets a little more interesting soon, eh?

Guest post by Ashley

Mom isn't feeling well tonight, she's feeling pretty bad. So she called me from her bed and told me to write a post, my first one ever! So here it goes!
Let's talk about what I did today!
Well, I'm feeling a little under the weather myself, but the mornings are the worst. Waking up coughing to the point where I can't breathe is a great treat! Once I got out of the house got some excersise and fresh air however...I was just fine! I also for some reason counted how many times I sneezed today for my amusement, and I am currently at eleven! For the rest of the day I baby-sat my kids and waited to go to church, however Mom was feeling so sick she asked if she could stay home, "Duh Mom!". So now we're all relaxing, I'm watching CSI Miami in my room, Mom is attempting to sleep with me sniffling and pounding away at her keys right beside her, Dad is doing something with his computer, and Rebekah is more than likely getting in to trouble because she's being quiet!
Hopefully Mom will be feeling better tommorow. I'm sure she'll keep you all updated!
Good night to all!
GET WELL SOON MOMMY!

More signs of spring

Yesterday I cleaned out the fireplace and put candles in there instead of logs. Yep! Spring is here, in February...love it!

Writing her name!

Posting while I can

I figured I would do my post for the day while Rebekah is absorbed into something else. She has been ruthlessly occupying my computer lately so I just sneak on when she isn't paying attention. Ha!

I need to update my links, I have a few to add, I do love to read the thoughts of other people. Today while I was looking at a blog I don't yet have linked, she mentioned that she updated her blog roll...and let me just share http://thelongthread.com/?page_id=2474 Oh yeah, that'll keep you busy!

Here are the other random photos from yesterday that I promised to share. Enjoy :)

Oregon Coast it is!

Decided to take a day trip and do some exploring. We wanted to see if the Oregon coast was everything we wanted it to be and if we'll want to explore it further....

YES it is, and yes we do! Wow!

It is however, a long drive and should be an overnight, or over 2 nights trip. Lesson learned.

Driving thru the higher elevation was fun, we saw snow which was a highlight for Rebekah. She had to get out and touch it.

Then we went to the Tillamook cheese factory and had cheese and ice cream...oh yum! I had black walnut flavor, just heavenly!

The beaches are gorgeous and I want to go back and spend all day just drawing in the sand.

So does Bekah, she cried when we had to get back on the road. I'll post a few more shots of the trip tomorrow. I'm a little wiped from the driving tonight.

Last minute post

It's bad when it gets to be 8:30 at night and I think, oh shoot! I haven't posted yet!

It's bad because you know I don't have any good material.

But I'm here...and I've posted :)

I worked today, next week will be my last week other than some possible fill-in time to train the new person. It seems they've had lots of interest in the job already, so that's good.

I did a lot of cleaning and trying to tie up loose ends and clearly marking stuff so that the new person isn't (as) overwhelmed. Hopefully it helps.

My hand is still all broke out like crazy.

I'm a little torn about the weekend. Stay home and relax, or head for the beach and explore the Oregon coast line? Stay tuned.

Bucket-o-bodies

The weekend project.

Signs of spring!

I called in sick to work today because my hand is full of hives from stress, luckily I did because as it turned out a migraine hit me shortly after 8AM.

However, by mid-afternoon (and a few Excedrin later) it was mostly gone and I was able to enjoy the beautiful 60+ degree weather.

The balcony beckoned to me first and what did I spy? Do you see him (or her, I don't know!)?

Rebekah and I went for a walk down to the bridge, along the way we found flowers blooming!

After that, we walked back up to the cabana for cookie Wednesday, yum yum! I also got my cucumbers planted (inside) and my lettuce planted (outside).

Back to work tomorrow...but soon enough everyday will be filled with these kinds of activities.

As promised

Something interesting, I gave my two week notice at work today.

I will miss the beautiful drive in to and home from work, I will miss the people, I will miss oohing and ahhing over the pretty fabrics....

But I will not miss waking up at 5:30, I will not miss my husband and kids (because I'll be with them), and I will be reuniting with my health and creative spirit which I have missed in recent months.

I'm a little stressed...but it's okay.

I'm thinking a lot about the new business. It's not really a new business but re-engaging in what I've always done.

This weekend I was able to make a dozen doll bodies, complete with hair and faces. Their clothing fabric has been washed and coffee stained and is currently drying. It'll be fun to finish them off either during the week or next weekend.

We are talking about going to Minnesota in April, which will be two weeks away from "home" . I am trying to wrap my head around the logistics of that and making it work out. (oh hi Mom and Rory, want some company in April?)

I've had some great name suggestions for the business, although so far I don't feel like I've seen "the one". But, I'm keeping a list and mulling them over. Sometimes things grow on me after awhile.

I feel like I have a lot of loose ends just flailing about, and I'm working on gathering them up and tying them down. What a process. So mostly this is just random rambling, but it's all I've got at the moment...bear with me, I'll probably have something interesting to report tomorrow.

Name my business (and this is my post for 2/15)

I am getting ready to launch into some new business ideas, and I want to have a name that sticks! Something fun, upbeat, or at least conjures up a pleasant feeling even if you don't know why. I'm all about fun in this new endeavor...life is too short, and you only have the moment you're in to enjoy it.

So I've beat my pretty curly head against the proverbial brick wall for weeks, trying to come up with something I like and found it more of a challenge than I had anticipated.

I figured, what fun is beating your head against a wall alone? Not much! So dear readers...if you feel up to the challenge and you want to put your thinking caps on, give me your best!



Rules:

Name should be fun

Should not have to spell it out to people, common words

.com should be available, I'm checking everything thru register.com and the available names are few and far between. In case you're wondering though, crumbfarts.com is available ~however it doesn't quite project the image I had in mind.

preferably short

Positive feel

unisex...while flower fairy is cute, I don't think that label will look good on a boy bib or quilt.

At this point my product line is ever changing and I don't know what it will include next, it may be child related or it may be something for decoration...so the name really doesn't need to reflect the product. Maybe it'll be something that more reflects on me.

To give you an idea of what lines I am thinking along,rejected names due to .com not being available....

Sunny Side Up
Purple Pickle
Sugar Snap
Pea Pod
Duck Duck Goose (so much for short)
Simple Dimple
Toast and Jam


A prize, we need a prize....what would you burn up your brain cells for? How about your choice of coffee or creative wonderfulness....because that's what I run on people! It's sad but true and I love it :) Okay, since I need to support my local peeps at Starbucks we're playing for a $20 gift card

OR

maybe you don't like coffee (sicko), or maybe you have enough coffee (seriously?), option #2 is a nice fat pack of assorted felt food. You saw that a few posts back, and I have some MORE fun stuff in the works...Your kids, or grandkids, or neighbor kids would love that! I mean, maybe you want to keep them for yourself and play house with your imaginary friends, no judgement.

Please don't be offended if I don't pick your name (or any name...because seriously I am having some real issues with this whole name thing, just ask Grant), it's all good, no hard feelings m'kay? And if you don't want to post suggestions in the comment box you can e-mail them to me at oldquiltlover (at) hotmail (dotcom) yeah, you know how to type it, just protecting against the spam bots! :)

I'm not putting a deadline on this because I'll just know that name when I see it.

Happy Valentines Day

We finally got the frog hung up, he looks pretty cozy in his (hmm..or her!) new window, eh?

My lovely Ashley was busy being a little cupid today.

She came home and surprised Rebekah with the pink rose, and me with the white ones. Some days being a mom has some pretty special rewards!

Frog!

Ashley opening her stained glass frog from Grandma and Grandpa for her birthday!

Oils

Essential oils are my new brand of happiness (okay, right after coffee).

Susan, a friend from work, got me started on Young Living Essential Oils, and I am kind of a freak about it now...this is our medicine cabinet.

All of those little bottles are essential oils and such wonderful little power houses.

Today we got a new order and I bit the bullet and bought an ultrasonic diffuser so we could diffuse our oils into the air. Swoon...it's just lovely! The light color slowly changes, it's going to make an awesome night light. My plan is to get one for each room in the house but they are kind of spendy, so it'll take a few months.

Just sharing in my geeky-ness for essential oils :)

6th picture tag

Here are the rules:Once you are tagged, your task is to go to your Picture Folder on your computer or wherever you store your pictures. Go to the 6th Folder, and pick the 6th picture in that folder. Post that picture on your blog and the story that goes along with the picture.Tag 6 other people that you know to do the same thing and leave a comment on their blog or an e-mail letting them know you chose them.

Josi tagged me for this, as it turns out my 6th folder is my 2009 folder, so this is pretty recent. Ashley in her happy place (Starbucks), drinking her venti mocha frappachino with an added shot (aren't you proud, Ashley? I remembered!).

I'm tagging Angela (so she'll update her blog ;) ), Misty (because she has some really fun pictures), Resa (because I'm secretly hoping for more pictures of Quinn), and anyone else who feels inclined to participate!

Fried

Get out the butter...I believe I am toast.

Sleep eludes me every night for the past week, my mind just won't shut off. I'm taking a sleep aid tonight and taking tomorrow off from work to try to catch up.

Be back tomorrow.

16 years ago

Sixteen years ago today, my life and my world changed.

On February 9th, 1993...I experienced a feeling I had never known, I grew up, I loved unconditionaly, and I became a mother. Ashley was born.

I often tell my husband, the days are long but the years are short. That has never been more true than it is today when my daughter is old enough to drive, date, and get a job. It does not seem like it was that long ago I was rocking her to sleep, teaching her to walk, and bouncing her on my knee.

Today we have our challenges, as most parent/child relationships do. But we also have a bond that is unbreakable. We laugh together, we cry together, we are silly and we are serious. I pray every night that God saves her from the mistakes I've made, and that she knows she can and will be able to do anything she sets her mind to.

Ashley, you are beautiful, you are gifted, you are loved....Happy Birthday.

~Mom

ME Home Companion :(

Well most of you probably already know this but I just found out, and I am so sad!

If you google Home Companion, this is what you get:

Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion magazine is no longer published. The Dec/Jan 2009 issue was its last. Subscribers with issues remaining on their subscription term will receive Martha Stewart Living as a replacement. All Home Companion readers should have received notification via US Mail by February 1. If you have additional questions about your subscription, please contact Martha Stewart Living at: 1-800-999-6518



and a link to the announcement from Mary herself. http://www.maryengelbreit.com/MEHC/

How sad. I did not have a subscription, and you could say, "HA...see it's YOUR fault!"....but I did enjoy the magazine when I purchased it or checked it out from the library. Mary said the reason it's not being published is a lack of advertising dollars. Since the housing market is poor the carpet and wallpaper comapnies don't want to advertise. Really? That's what is behind these magazines? I thought the newstand price and subscription prices would be enough to keep them going and the advertising was bonus money...see how wrong I was?

Well, it's depressing to see it fold anyway, I'm always surprised to see the big ones fall....hopefully new and worderful things will rise out of the ashes.

Another day at the zoo

Using the membership we bought Rebekah for her birthday we went to the zoo again today. I was so happy that Ashley came with us this time, it's nice when we can all go!

Pre-zoo picture.

Walrus watching from above the water.

Unexplainably, my favorite animal at the zoo...the walrus. This particular walrus weighs 3300 lbs and is so personable. There are 3 of them at this zoo and all of them will come right up to the glass, or if your up top they come up to the rocks and just seem to connect with the people. And they are just so ugly they are cute. I could really spend hours watching them.

Walrus watching from under water.

A picture for Grandma and Grandpa, Rebekah using the camera they gave her for her birthday to snap a picture of the beluga whales (I'll download those later tonight and see what she came up with).

Post-zoo picture.

Oh so tired!

I know, quit complaining already for crying out loud. I'm not so much complaining as I am informing.

Lately my sleep pattern runs something like go to bed at 10, lay awake until 11:30, wake up at 5. Gah! Not sure what's up with that but I am striving for a peaceful, relaxing, sleep filled weekend.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Photo hunt

Since I still have nothing to write about (sorry), here is a fun game to try. I kinda stink at these things so I only made it to level 9...ho-hum. Hopefully I'll have many cute things to post after the weekend. Not that I have anything planned, just that I have a little more time on the weekend! Plus a certain someone I know turns 16 (weep) on Monday. Okay, without further ado...

A recap of all the nominees for the 2009 Oscars in the first ever interactive photo hunt on YouTube!

Try to find the difference in two similar photos of Oscar nominated stars

I really have nothing to blog about tonight as I am just wiped out. So I dug back into the oldest pictures I have on my computer just for fun.... thought I'd share.

Makin' Bacon

I made lots of bacon and eggs (felt, of course) this weekend...I'm thinking next weekend will be pancakes, syrup, and butter.

When you stumble in life, make it part of your dance.

On the design wall

Finally a pink quilt on the design wall...yay!

I met Ashley for coffee at Starbucks today before we went grocery shopping, you love this picture? Well...sorry, it's the only one of us together today. Hehe.

Here's a cuter one of Ash.

Short and sweet on the posts, but one month down and 11 to go :)