Makes Me Happy Monday 5/31

There are many beautiful and wonderful places to live in the world, but today, Memorial Day (observed) I would like to say that it makes me happy to be an American.

Americans are certainly not  perfect and I know we sometimes get grief because of our independent (sometimes seen as elitist?), adventurous (sometimes seen as boorish?), hardworking (sometimes seen as greedy?) and fun-loving (immature?) attitudes.

But as imperfect as some of us may be, there are still many wonderful people living in America, making it a great country to live in.

I wouldn't live anywhere else.

Happy Monday and Happy Memorial Day!

God Bless Our Troops!

(these lovely cats are from flickr.... my cats were too busy napping  their way through Memorial Day to pose for cute pictures.... I just don't get it!)

Saturday Shopping

Today I had to go to the Post Office, and right next to the PO is......

So you know I had to go in with my coupons !!

They were having a 50% off all notions sale so I picked up a few odds and ends. While I was walking around, I saw that Joann's now carries the full line of Creative Comfort therapeutic aides. I used my coupon to pick up a pair of these:

I love how they fit!! So soft... and I love that they cover my entire finger! They will really give me support as I sew and do my needlework. My hands tend to get tired, and I used to use these by Handeze:

They were great, but these new gloves by Creative Comforts are like a luxury model in comparison!! I can't wait to give them the full work out this weekend with some sewing and quilting.

Joann's had a TON of Creative Comfort items: carpal tunnel, tendinitis and tennis elbow supports, neck and wrist supports, you name it!! The pricing didn't seem to be too bad, and with my coupon it was even better. So watch for them to go on sale at your local shop and give them a try!

(No one asked me to do this mini-review, just found a great product and wanted to share)

Have a great weekend and try to find some time to relax and recharge!

"How beautiful it is to do nothing, and then to rest afterward."

~Spanish Proverb

Fun Friday Fill-Ins

 

It is Memorial Day weekend here in the states, the traditional first weekend of summer!! Only 3 weeks of school left, where did the year go???

Happy Memorial Day weekend to all who celebrate it :-)

And...here we go!

1. Cold Fried Chicken -- the best food to take on a picnic.

2. Summer goes by in a blink.

3. How can people wear flip flops?

4. To love someone is sometimes scary.

5. I would rather take a nap than a long hike.

6. When I crave food, it's usually non-chocolate candy.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to hanging out with the girls, tomorrow my plans include sewing and Sunday, I want to spend some time with my kids!

Join the Friday Fun here!


Have a wonderful weekend and remember those who gave their lives for us all (no matter where you live).

"It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. 

Rather we should thank God that such men lived." 

~ General George S. Patton

Tuesday Thoughts to Ponder 5/25

It's a bit long, but worth it......  Makes me think and I have been thinking a lot lately.....

Makes Me Happy Monday 5/24

Makes me Happy to have wonderful kids!!

(back in the day)

The kids came over (and my daughters wonderful boyfriend too) yesterday to help clear some brush from the yard, trim hedges and get my old chest freezer out of the basement. The electric company is sponsoring a free recycling program so I thought it was a good time to get rid of it.

They spent a few hours here and we got a lot done.... more than I could have on my own!! Of course there is always more that could be done... but one step at a time! (and the black flies were making me crazy)

"God in His wisdom made the fly
And then forgot to tell us why."
~Ogden Nash, "The Fly"

May Give Away Day--- Winner!

Thank you SO much to all of the wonderful people who visited me during Sew Mama Sew's May Give Away!!

I had visitors from all over the world this time and I was thrilled to read about you and your countries! Having never been out of my own country, it was nice to take a virtual trip around the world. My newest visitors were from Kenya, Oman, Serbia, the Bahamas and Malta. (go ahead, look them up on the map!)

I read all of the comments and enjoyed meeting some new friends. I hope that you will come back and visit again soon! I hope to have some more sewing done to share here on the blog. And I will try to get to all of your blogs as soon as I can!! (I can't wait to see what you have to share!)

Now.... on to the winner!!

I randomly picked a name...... 

and the winner is.....

Peggymunday

peggymunday said... I own a custom window treatment business that I operate out of my home in Newbern, TN (NW part of TN). It's a little town of about 3000. I've recently added quilting services and am having a ball! I finally tried free motion quilting and am totally lovin' it. Thank you so much for sharing with us, and I am now a follower. Peggy


 I have emailed Peggy and will be mailing out her prize soon!! Thank you all again for visiting, and while you are here, check out my entry in Amy's Spring Bloggers Quilt Festival!

"We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, 

and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend."

- Robert Louis Stevenson

Spring 2010 Blogger Quilt Festival

Amy's Creative Side is hosting another Blogger Quilt Festival. It is so much fun visiting blogs and checking out all the beautiful quilts!

I would like to share one of the first quilts I made! It is a flag quilt constructed from log cabin blocks and friendship stars (beginner friendly). 
I think that is is the "It's a Grand Old Flag" from The Whole Country Caboodle. The fabrics were probably from Joannes. I did the quilting in a curvy pattern, trying to follow the stripes, but I didn't even have a walking foot at this point in my quilting career!

I love this little quilt and I keep this out most of the year!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you had fun visiting! Now go look at the other great entries!!

Bingo

Are you ready for some springtime fun?

It’s time for The Quilt Shoppe's

Spring Fever Bingo!

All the fun begins MONDAY, May 24

Check out the rules and prizes on their blog! 

You have to email them BEFORE  May 24 to enter!

Makes Me Happy Monday 5/17 May Give Away Day

Hello!! Welcome to my Give Away Day, organized by Sew Mama Sew!!

Thank you for stopping by and making my Monday extremely happy!! I love to be able to give back to the universe that has been SO very generous to me....

I hope that you will leave a comment and tell me a little tidbit about yourself, or where you are from.

I have met SO many amazing people from places around the world that I am sad to admit that I had never heard of. (In my Flag counter country list.... "Jersey, population about 91,000, Jersey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy that held sway in both France and England. These islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II. Jersey is a British crown dependency but is not part of the UK or of the European Union. However, the UK Government is constitutionally responsible for its defense and international representation. ) wOw!!! Geography is NOT one of my strong points.

Now on to the give away! I have a wonderful bag pattern from Sewphisti-cat, designed by Purse-O-Nalities. 
The bag on the front of the package is shown in cat material, but there are other examples shown on the back with different trims and fabrics. Isn't this an adorable bag?!!!
                               Front

                                                          
                                                                                                  Back

I also am including some great fabrics from my LQS! (4 fat quarters) You can use these to make your bag, or you can use them for something else fun!

Now for the rules!

1. Please leave one comment below, about anything, but I would love to hear something about YOU or the place you live.... (gotta work on my geography skills)

2. PLEASE include your email address so I can get in touch with you. (if you include spaces or write the words "at" and "dot" spam-bots won't see it.)

3. The give away will be open 5/17 until 5/20 at midnight Eastern US time. 

4. I will choose a winner randomly, and post the winner sometime on 5/21.

5. I WILL mail anywhere!

Thanks for stopping by and Good Luck!!

“Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more” ~ Anthony Robbins quotes

Check it Out

Sew Mama Sew

And as always, HAVE FUN!!!

Wonderful Winning Wednesday

There were so many wonderful give aways for Mother's day this year. I had a lot of fun blog hopping and entering some of them. And look at what I won from  Design Style Guide!

 I won this beautiful vase from Laura Walls Taylor Pottery. Isn't it the prettiest thing?? And so petite, only 3" tall!!!

I can't wait to put some pretty spring lilacs in here!!

So visit Laura's shop and see what other goodies she has for sale!

"If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you,
it will be enough." ~ Meister Eckhardt

Makes Me Happy Monday 5/10

Cats and Quilts....... need I say more??






Have a Happy Monday!!

Piece N Quilt: the UGLY QUILT CONTEST!

Piece N Quilt: Announcing the UGLY QUILT CONTEST!

Natalia at Piece N Quilt is hosting an Ugly Quilt Contest, just for fun!! Voting has already started, you can visit her blog and vote for your favorite ugly!

(See mine below!)

Natalia is also offering prizes!!

1st Place

$30.00 Gift certificate to Piece N Quilt.

2nd Place

$15.00 Gift certificate to Piece N Quilt.

3rd Place

$5.00 Gift certificate to Piece N Quilt.

This is my lovely entry.... back when Stack N Whack quilts first became popular, I just had to make one. I thought this duck fabric would be cute for a friend's lake cottage.

This was the result!! UGH!

I just didn't like it at all!! So it sits and awaits its fate in my to-do pile..... 

 

What do you think??? Does it deserve a vote in the ugly quilt contest?

"Art produces ugly things which frequently become more beautiful with time. Fashion, on the other hand, produces beautiful things which always become ugly with time."

 ~Jean Cocteau 

My Mothers's Day Winner

Thank you to everyone who commented on my Mother's Day give away post! I loved reading all of your stories; funny, heartwarming, and heartbreaking.........

Silly me......(and typical American thinking, sorry!) Not realizing that Mother's Day is NOT the same day all around the world! Although why Mother's Day should only be ONE day out of the year, I don't know!

I have used the Random Number generator to pick a winner from all of the entries.... and the winner is:

 LISABEE From Oregon, USA.

Lisabee said...

I've always celebrated Mother's day for both my mom and my grandmother. Usually I get them flowers, which I picked outside when I was little and which I ordered online once I moved away. This year, neither of them is getting flowers - my mom is getting napkins I made up out of produce-themed fabric and my grandmother requested a letter.

 Pop over and say HI to LisaBee! 

And LisaBee, contact me with your delivery information, there is no email linked to your blog!!

And I forgot to share my own Mother's Day story..... My first child and my only son was born on Mother's Day in 1981! I had been at the hospital all day and as the evening approached I was beginning to wonder if he was ever going to come out, never mind make it for Mother's Day! But he was born about 7:30 PM, and his dad ran down to the hospital gift shop and bought one of the  last Mother's Day arrangements. It was in a little pot shaped like a baby booty, and I still have it around here somewhere! So I became a mom and got to celebrate my first Mother's Day all at the same time!

(This is kind of what the booty looks like)

Tomorrow I am spending with the kids. We were going to have a BBQ, but with the cool, rainy weather they now want to go out to eat!!! Sounds good to me! Then we can have birthday cake for my son for dessert!

Enjoy!

There is only one pretty child in the world, and every mother has it.
-- Chinese Proverb

Mother's love grows by giving.  ~Charles Lamb

Believe

It's funny how in this technical/computer savvy culture that I live in that I can still feel superstitious!

I debated whether or not I should share that I have sent my application out to a couple of schools (one in a different district). I was worried that I may jinx it by telling everyone!

Now why wasn't my first thought that sharing would help bring positive energy my way!??

So here I am, whispering.... no, shouting my wishes out to the universe!!

Please help me find the right job, the right place to be.....

All positive energy and affirmations welcomed and appreciated!!!

And while I may not be the most religious person..... I am offering a prayer as well.....

Heavenly father, please sustain my spirit as I search for new and meaningful work.

You have blessed me with a healthy body and a keen mind for which I am grateful.

I ask that you open my path as I seek employment that will allow me to support my family and

myself while serving others and your divine purpose.

In gratitude and grace, Amen.