She sews and scraps

Fridays Sew n tell

yay! I am finally taking the time to participate in amylouwho sew n tell again! I love doing this each week and of course have taken many weeks off but hopefully I can remain more consistent, I love looking at the other gals projects and I get soooo inspired!

I sewed a curtain for my kitchen, I have been slowly redoing my kitchen adding in more aqua and red color and I am loving touches of the linen

I can't believe it's been over two weeks since I blogged, between being a wife and mom, my school and Zachs track, life just has been getting away from me!

This week Jim celebrated his 49th birthday, Zach had his first track meet of the season and I am still at school learning ASL (I love it!) I was telling Jim last night that *IF* I would have known before all that is involved in learning ASl, I think it would have intimidated me too much to learn, but I am so glad I started last semester :)

I am finishing up a quilt for Jim, looking for some colors and a design to start another quilt for Zach, I think he decided upon browns, blues and greens, so I just need to start collecting those certain fabrics and decide on what type of quilt to make for him.

Have a good weekend! HUGS!

  

Praise God!!!

YAY! I am so relieved! good news from my doctor! my second tissue (big chunk of skin) removal from my shoulder came back clear and free of cancer cells! I go in next week and have my stitches removed and they do a complete body check, that should be real fun...NOT lol and now I just go in every 6 months for those lovely body checks. I am so happy and feel so blessed. Thank you to those of you who were praying for me, you and I know who you are and I appreciate you lots!

I want to share a verse that has had really special meaning to me since I had my TIA almost 3 years ago, when the panic/anxiety attacks had set in after that

1st Peter 5:7 (NIV)

Cast all your anxiety on Him becase He cares for you

Tomorrow or the next day, I need to share pictures of my "Road to Spring" quilt along hosted by Randi, it's been fun (even though I am having to play catch up this week!) Plus I need to share some pictures of Zach of him at his National Honors induction, so proud of that boy! 

Hugs!

life...

on Saturday Zach and I ran in the Two Sisters One Heart charity run, I did the 5k and Zach did the 10k, Zach was 4th in the whole 10k group! I was slow but came in 2nd in my age group 40-44, of course there were only 6 of us in that group, but 2nd isn't bad out of 6 right?!! LOL I think 80-90 people ran the 5k that I ran, it was a lot of fun and so touching, the event was ran so smoothly and you could tell there was a lot of love :) Zach ran to the finish line with me and Jim became the photographer of the family :) oh and I am down 8 pounds now! Jim is doing sooo good, he has lost around 25 pounds! GO JIM!!!

Here is our Valentines day picture (thanks guys for posing with me!)

I am still waiting for my results, I went to have a bigger area removed from my shoulder last Wednesday since they found abnormal cells after the mole removal, they really took a lot out of my shoulder area, I get my stitches out next Wed and should have the results back by then. Pray for me, its' a little scary dealing with this stuff, I am a big worrier but God has calmed me down regarding all this and has let me worry about other areas in my life ;)

Lots going on, track is back in full swing, Jim and I work all the meets and it's a busy busy time for us, my garden needs to be turned so I can start planting, the weeds are starting to pop up and there are new shrubs, trees and flowers that are calling my name at the nursery that I am wanting to buy,  I have so many sewing projects that are 1/2 done, new ones I want to start, plus my sweet friend Angela has taught me how to crochet a little and I am learning to embroider also, like I really need  another craft/hobby :) I have outgrown my little craft room and dont' really have the time or money to start another one but yet I do find more to start :) I figure when Zach leaves the nest (I hope not for a long, long time) but this will all keep me busy with a part time job or something :)

Verse for today that I was led to

1st Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)

(18) give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Londons Run and a quilt along

Zach and I ran in Londons Run this past Saturday, I only ran the 2 mile and Zach ran the 10K, what a great event it was!  it's so cool that so many people come and support it! now my focus is on Two Sisters one Heart run, (next weekend) I am doing the 5K and Zach is doing the 10K again.  Yesterday I ran my farthest in a long time, I ran 4 miles! yay me :) of course it was a sloooow 4 miles but still 4 miles :) a 4 mile run is considered a short run for Zach!

Jim has been busy too working and he went out coyote calling contest this past Friday and Saturday, didn't get any coyotes but did shoot a bobcat, I will spare the pictures though, I think our cat is still freaking out about seeing that bobcat, it's probably the biggest cat she has ever seen! hee!

I also am joining in on Randi's Road to Spring Quilt along, not sure why I am doing it since I have 2 other quilts going too (and some other small projects, yikes!) but it will be fun!  Here are my fabric choices, I figure you can't go wrong using Heather Baileys Nicey Jane line, it was so hard to narrow it down to 10 fabrics though! aren't they so pretty?!! we picked out of fabrics and prepared them last week and this week we are cutting, not to late to join in if you want!

Busy day today, school (test!) tons of laundry, Target, Zach has a leadership program to go to at 5pm and then at 7pm he is getting inducted into the National Honors Society! we even had to go out and buy a pair of nice pants since all he has is Wranglers LOL I will share pictures of that soon! :)

Hugs!

busy and lots to say...

School has started! yay! I just started ASL 102, love it, I pray all the time that I can do it and be good at it, it is hard for me with my memory and all that has happend with the TIA but I crave it, I look forward to going to class and then I get nervous! ha!

Also been running a lot! I LOVE running, am I great at it? no (not yet anyways) but I do run 3 miles most of the days that I run, this weekend Zach and I are running the Londons Run here in Queen Creek on Saturday, this time I am just doing the 2 mile run and Zach is doing the 10K (go Zach!). On February 13, we will be running the Two sisters one heart run, I will be running the 5K and Zach will be doing the 10K again, hopefully soon I can run a 10K, that is my goal anyways!

and.... look who we had over this weekend?!!! I have been smiling the biggest smile ever since we picked up two of our grandaughters, Taylor and Madison.

 

after a little girl shopping, Tay and Madi giving me a hard time about taking picutres, see their goofy faces?!! They are such terds!

they both love riding the quads around our property, and of course papa goes crazy! Madi does not have a fearful bone in her little body, she takes it all in and papa dishes it all out, she knows her papa won't let nothing happen to her :) (Jim becomes a 17 year old boy when he gets on his Grizzly!)

lots more to tell you, but I will save that for another post, more about school, more about sewing and quilt alongs and projects that I am finishing up.

Hugs!

 

YAY! I won and I am sooo inspired!

I woke up to a very happy email from Quilt Home  saying that I was the "link of the week" and that I won $20 gift certificate! I LOVE their shop, they always have the fastest shipping, seriously! I can order on Friday and I have my package in my hands on Monday, plus they ALWAYS write a nice handwritten note and they have fantastic fabrics! That definetly inspires a gal right?

For those of you who inspire me....

Jim and Zach, well Jim bought me THE NICEST sewing machine (Bernina Artista 630) to support and continue my sewing and he doesn't complain (not too much anyways) about my messy craft room :) he always tells me I can do anything :) and then Zach, the best son ever, who always, always says, "very cool mom" when I show him something I made or has something positive to say :)  My mom, because she is always super supportive and says she loves everything I do, thanks mom ;)

I am also inspired by my yahoo girlfriends, they are the best, they always have the nicest comments for me when I show them a sewing project :) thanks girls! (even though I haven't been scrapbooking as much!)

 My friends here that live near me, where would I be without them?!! Rebecca, Angela, Barbara, Teresa, you guys are the sweetest! always willing to listen and I know you all have my back :) I also want to shout out to Donna, my sister in law because she sews so beautifully and does wonderful work and has inspired me in many ways :)

my online buddy, Dee, wow, that gal knows how to word everything, she is super talented, she loves Jesus and she always says the right words.

I LOVE you all!

also wanted to share this

talk about being inspired from I heart linen  I LOVE everything this woman creates, if you don't have her book  I Heart Patchwork  you HAVE to get it, it is full of great projects.

Thats it for today, hugs!

sew & tell Fridays

I have a goal to get started back up posting every Friday for Amy's sew & tell Fridays  especially since I got my new Bernina Artista 630 (with a BSR!) for Christmas, I had played on her Fridays a few times but got so behind, but I did it today! yay me!

I just made a few of these pillows, simple I know but I love the envelope style pillow, so that I can change these out since I like to change my mind on fabric weekly it seems!

 
 

anyways, it's a simple project, but I like it on this old chair of mine, now go check out the other gals that did a project that they finished up and give them some love :)

have a nice weekend!

still sewing....

Since I got my new machine, well not yesterday but hopefully later today.... :)

Here is a couple of table runners I have done, I LOVE this first one, it's so bright and cheery and I love the outline quilting I did on it, I KNOW I will be doing a quilt version of this one.

Here is one I started with my old machine that I never finished but now that I have the new machine I tried out my stippling with the stitch regulator, I have a lot to learn but not bad being my first time :) this table runner is SMALL though, I am not crazy about the size but it's still pretty.

and here is the stippling (I guess true stippling is a lot closer together than this, but I tried!)

My cat thinks I made it for her (poor kitty, she is putting on the weight!)

 

I also sewed the cutest bag for my mom, of course I forgot to take a picture of it before I gave it to her, but I loved it so much that I have to make one for myself :)

oh and I also sewed an (ugly) canvas apron for Jim LOL he has been using a wood lathe lately to make some varmit calls and has been getting wood shavings EVERYWHERE! I even added a little "she sews and scraps" sewing label on the front of the apron to, ya know, give it that special touch ;)

here is one of his varmit calls in the making

and here are some of the finshed varmit calls, he is good at making these huh?!!

(yes that is the French Geneal quilt I am working on for Jim, he want's it BIG, so I have the fabric on order, but I guess he is finding a way to use it now LOL

anyways, I think that is it for now, hopefully I will have more time to sew, I really NEED to tidy up this pigstye, gross, disgusting  slightly unorganized craft room of mine to find a place for my new sewing machine, wish me luck!

Hugs!
 

It's been a pretty good year! :)

It has been a good year, overall my family has been happy and healthy (even though I am going through a yucky cold right now) God has really blessed us and even when the times are tough and we each struggle, God is always good and I thank Him for that.

This year we did alot more hunting than the year before, it really feels good to be doing what we love! Jim turned 48, I turned 40 and Zach turned 16 (yikes!) Jim worked a lot, he is a great provider and I love and appreciate him so much for that, he went shooting a lot and we did get to hunt a lot more for him (and us). I started college for the first time in my life, learning ASL is a dream come true for me :)  I was a full time mom and wife keeping up with these two guys of mine is not easy, I love it but it takes up a lot of my time LOL. I love being a wife to Jim and a mom to Zach.  Zach kept busy doing cross country and track, which he LOVES. He has mainted his great grades (all A's and A+) He is such a great guy.

The year 2009 has had it's sad and hard moments too, being distant from family (emotionally and physically) is hard, I miss family that has chosen not to be a part of my life but I figure they have their own struggles too. Getting my abnormal cell results from the mole and being scared about that and going through whatever treatment the Lord sees fit these next few months.  I am hoping to learn from those hard times and pray that I can continue to get through these different and challenging "moments". But I don't want to FOCUS on the negative, I mean we all have that in our lives but I want to continue to focus on the positive :)

For 2010? gosh, I pray that we are healthy still, I want to grow even closer with my immediate family, I want to sew and scrapbook more than I ever have (now that I have a new sewing machine!) I want to keep learning ASL, I want to become more confident in myself, I want to run several 5K's, I want to continue to appreciate all the little things in my life and continue to see God's blessings that He gives to me. I could have shared a 1000 pictures to recap on 2009 (because I take a ton of photos!) but this post would be very loooong!

Here is a picture of us from today (with 1 of the 4 dogs!)

Hugs and love you all!

College, vacation time and a NICE gift (new sewing machine!)

Well, I finished my first ever college semester this past Thursday! aren't you proud of me?!! I am SO proud of myself, it's not easy starting college at 40 years old, but I loved every minute of it and learned so much! I have a few weeks off until I start ASL 102 in the middle of January!

So being done with college, I can finally start focusing on what I need to get done around the house since I have slacked since starting school, it's nice now that I have almost 4 weeks off, Zach is on his two week Christmas break and Jim has taken off a few weeks, I love it when we are all home together, not that we have a lot of fun events planned, but no schedule is NICE :) oh and we are still doing really good working out at the gym!

I am hurrying trying to finish up a few sewing gifts, I am working on a quilt for Jim, that I have showed him, but Jim likes every quilt to be HUGE, so I told him there is no way it will get done for Christmas, I need more time and money to buy more fabric, I am using Moda Rouenneries by French General, I have this book too :) but the linens and the cremes and reds are just gorgeous together

  I am also finishing up two projects for my mom, can't share them here now because I know she reads my blog (love ya mom!)

anyways, yesterday as I was sewing with my old little Bernina, it started acting up again, I was getting so fustrated, she does this to me anytime I sew lately. Well..... Jim had been out shopping during the day and came home and handed me a receipt and he said that I needed to have my Christmas present early, (he said that I needed this gift to finish up cooking for the holidays) I opened the receipt and it was a receipt for a new Bernina Artista 630E!!!

I got so stressed, cried and told him it was way too much money and that I did not deserve it, and he told me yes I did (awww!)   I looked at the price again and started really bawling, you know that ugly cry? that was me :)  I could not sleep just thinking about this dang machine!  anyways, can you believe how spoiled I am?!! Jim got a great price and I just love ALL the gals at Bernina Southwest in Mesa! we went to pick up my machine first thing this morning and they were all so happy for me and gave me hugs! they seriously are the best group of ladies! I have so many projects floating in this head of mine and can't wait to start them, especially since I now have the BSR on this machine, I just dream of the stippling I am going to be doing!

anyways, lots of hugs, hope you all have a Merry Christmas and I am just so thankful that we have Jesus as our Savior and can't even imagine my life without Him.