watch those sewing machine needles, ladies!

John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.


and pins!
ha! yep... if you step on one, it might break off in your foot so deep and near a bone that you have to have same day foot surgery to get it out!  true story... one that happened to me, just a couple weeks ago!

very painful and quite nauseating even when I still think of it! ewwwwwww

Here is Zach, who helped me the whole day!  the needle happened about 6am ish and surgery didn't happen until 530 pm, Zach is a great son,  helped and stayed with me the whole day, we played words with friends back and forth in the surgery center for over 2 hours waiting for the surgery :)

yes it was my right foot, the one I push the sewing machine pedal with but I did learn to control it quite well with the left foot ;)

slowing down sewing for others a bit and the break has been nice, just working on the home and some quilts for me  :)

my friend Di has enabled me once again doing English paper piecing (yikes!)  started a few! love this line "Little Miss Sunshine"

She also shared a quilt she did and of course,  needing to start another quilt before I have the other 9 finished, I feel compelled to copy hers so now I am compiling fabric for it ;)

This week coming up I have goals of sewing...

- a couple blocks of my Marmalade flower girl quilt

 - do a bit more on the Vintage Picnic Irish chain

 - do a couple farm girl blocks

I will close with a picture of  Ellie Mae. ya know.. I have owned so many dogs in my lifetime and she is the most talkative and most weird dog ever :)

things...

  things are getting in the way of me sewing and blogging! they are lovely things and I am blessed with those things but I miss my sewing and I miss my blog

Since May...
my son went to a 2nd prom, with a girl we love and that he has known since 6th grade

there were several award ceremonies to attend for Zach

track/cross country

Scholarship awards (go Zach!!!)

                                                       
                   and then of course high school graduation (and attended some friends graduation also)
                                                                    Zach walking in!

              I don't know what he is smiling about in this picture but I am happy that he is so happy!

we had a nice big graduation party with lots of friends and family (I will leave all those pics out!)
Zach and I have been doing soo many college things that have to be done, ugh! it stresses me out!

We added another horse to the family, meet Rip...

Now we have a whole herd :)

(horses grazing on our front yard pasture)

on the sewing area of my life...the list of *want to do's* in the previous post, out of 23 items on my list to complete, I completed 10, not great but not soo bad with all I had going on, I always set my goals too high :) I have so many quilts to finish and several smaller projects.

in the running area of my life, the podiatrist put me in a boot to wear but it actually made my foot way worse, I babied my foot for about a month, then I started going to the gym and sitting in the jacuzzi and it did wonders for my foot, I have ran 2 times each week for the past 3 weeks and today I ran 4 miles! hope my foot feels good tomorrow!

Last night when I couldn't sleep, I read some of the book of Proverbs, on my Kindle Fire of all places! I have read verses in there before, but wowzers, a few verses hit me hard at this time in my life. I really need to start a new Bible Study, I am thinking of another Beth Moore (LOVE Beth Moore!) anways, thinking of doing this one

James:Mercy Triumphs

 

very grateful...

         now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see Hebrews 11:1 

very grateful that I have gotten some of my heaing back after going deaf again in my right ear (this is the 3rd time, has this every happened to any of you out there?) very grateful that I know some ASL, I need to be practicing more, I really believe God puts things in our lives over time and this is proof! I am really grateful that I know some people in the deaf community that I know will help me also, what a blessing huh?!!

very grateful for these two guys (and my mom)

Jim has had to be out of town for work a lot this year so far, he can't stand traveling but I am grateful for him being such a great provider and always doing what he can for our family.

Zach is an amazing son, he helps me all the time, he is a super good kid, he is funny and smart and I have had it sooo easy being a mom to him.

grateful for road trips with Zach, a 3 hour trip home turned into a 9 hour trip! lots of fun music, chocolate and jerky :) fun times for sure!

Also very grateful that I am able to have (okay, these are material things, but I am grateful for them)

I have been super spoiled lately, but I have a new iphone and Jim surprised me with a new Kindle Fire 2 weeks ago (I love it!) and so I get to use my super nice Bernina to sew a case for the new Kindle,

and also been able to sew along with friends, thanks Randi!

also be able to do a few custom orders (hi JaJuan!)

also grateful for getting a special gift from a friendin the mail on a day I really needed it!

 I have so much more that I am grateful for the family that chooses to be in my life, my 2 horses, 4 dogs, 1 cat and fish :) running and the flowers on my porch :)


                                       linking up to amylouwhosews and crazymomquilts

Christmas sewing and pictures!

                          Surely God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid   Isaiah 12:2

 How was your Christmas? ours was very good! we didn't go crazy overboard but everyone was happy and mainly happy that we can be together. My mom came over for the day too...I sat with her a bunch and we talked while I was pretty pathetic finishing up her table runner binding...geez huh?!! I am even more of a dummy since I forgot to take a picture of her table runner, but I used Sweetwaters Pure line, mom LOVES browns and blues together, especially if they have a letter print on them.

One of our grandaughters just lost her first tooth and the other has lost a couple but I thought I could make them tooth fairy pillows, Madi knew exactly what the little pocket was for when she opened the pillow :)
It was my first time using an alphabet on my Bernina, kind of fun figuring something new with it!


this is Madi's

 Here is Raelynns

I also did a few little mini zip pouches using Noodleheads lil cutie pouch tutorial, they are super cute and super fast to make...I made a total of 4, forgot to take pictures of 2 of them (since I was rushed before gift giving and thinking of a last minute gift) but here is 2 of them

I have sewn more in the past month than I did in the past year, isn't that pathetic? that is all gonna change for 2012, I am so excited to be sewing so much!

gotta share some family pictures (of course!)

here is Zach, me, Jim and my mom

this picture is our 2nd Christmas day family picture, Taylor, me, Jim, Madi, Steph and Zach

Jim and Zach are both off for another week or so,  they each had 2 weeks of vacation, the house is a mess and there is piles and piles of laundry to do, I have so many projects I want to do to the house and sewing related projects. I think my craft room (pig stye) will be one of the first rooms to be totally revamped, I had and have a bad mess in here right now, with piles and piles everywhere, also Jim was shooting cap guns in the house yesterday and one of the dogs went crazy and tore up my craft room even more...I have a counter that is 10ft long, of course it had piles and piles all over it too, well when the dog went crazy he tried to climb on top of that counter while procedding to pull everything down off it, I guess that is my hint to do this room first, I will have to take a before and after picture for you all!

hugs!

Sew & Tell and Finish it up Fridays

                           in all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight  Proverbs 3:6

This week has been a little more productive in the sewing area of my life than the past 2 weeks, Jim was off for about 2 weeks and I did no sewing...with small orders that came in and gifts I want to make, I was panicking a little bit....(okay, actually A LOT!)
so this week with Jim going back to work and Zach went back to school after Thanksgiving, I got these little burp cloths done for my sweet friend Libby who is having a little girl soon, Libby has the BEST eye for color combinations, so I knew I better choose something  cute with great colors, so I went with the Riley Blake Quite Contrary by My Minds Eye would be perfect for little Chloe :) they are backed with a type of chenille that is sooo soft, I will be making more of these. Also finishing up another tote for a friend and a baby girl quilt :)
I am linking up with Amy's Sew & Tell Friday, have you been there to check out the other projects shared? if not, go! you will be inspired! I used to post over there but then Fridays got soo busy with Jim being off on Fridays but I am working it out so that I can play along more frequent now! I have missed sharing over there! plus my friend KT is being featured there! Also linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it up Fridays, this is my first Friday over there, (been a fan of her quilts forever though!) so it will be fun to start playing over there too!

How was your Thanksgiving? ours was good, simple and easy going with lots of cooking, If Texas Roadhouse would have been open, I was tempted to tell everyone to meet there to eat and then bring pies to my house, but they were closed, so I cooked, and baked and baked and cooked more! lol it was totally worth it and I do love to cook/bake. Here are a few pictures of the family from different days :)

of course a dog (1 of our 4) always has to sneak into a family picture

Zach and I ran the Turkey Waddle Thurs morning, it was a lot of fun, I ran my fastest 5k! (yay me!)

Zach ran really good  too, considering getting over pneumonia, he did great!

well I have a lot of sewing catch up to do...I best get busy!

right now...

 riding Cadet and Speedy a lot lately even though it's so hot, we just get out early in the morning :)

I just started this book (again)....it's the kind of book that is right where you are in your life...(for me personally anyways)

some misc sewing that has been done for my friend Jen, 4 camo pillowcases and 2 camo throw pillows

a little something extra for Jen

playing catch up with 2 quilt alongs and keeping up with friends, school is in and Zach is a senior this year! (re: the book I am reading! ha!)

building a nice big hay barn to hold several squeezes of hay (if we want) right now there is just 1 squeeze (64 bales) of alfalfa and about 20 bales of bermuda (and 1 of 4 German Shorthairs needing to help)

getting ready to build a pasture for the 2 oversize pets and start Clinton Andersons DownUnder Horsemanship program (yikes! I am a little intimidated, hope I can do it good)

doing some running, my toe is doing great! I can't wait for fall, I want to start my fall garden, I am in the mood to organize and purge of a lot of my stuff, I would love to sew and scrapbook lots more but between cross country, horses, family, we will see if I can squeeze it in!