I'll probably get coal for Christmas...

I have been bad about blogging. I'd get coal from Santa. I have finally finished a quilt and will post the pics of that. Then on to my friend Emmie's quilt for her little one Jocelyn. I am in the process of picking out fabric for my little one's quilt. We found out it is a girl, so that is super fun. I LOVE PINK! It is my favorite color and cannot wait to buy fun stuff. We went and registered the day we found out. We are awful...but it was fun. Madeline is doing well (that is her name) and growing and kicking up a storm. I LOVE that feeling, there is nothing like it and I am still in awe of this whole process of being pregnant. Nate and I are still so thankful for this experience! He has been reading to the baby so it will know his voice and she starts moving around, she likes the deeper voices when she hears them. Our Bible study leader has a deep voice and she moves for him too when he starts talking. Its kinda funny. I raised my voice a few days ago at work on the phone because someone was not listening and she moved her hand, leg, arm (hard to tell) back and forth on my tummy. That one made me jump, she hadn't done that before. She's definitely getting bigger and stronger, you can tell since the movement is stronger. Nate asked if I thought I'd get tired of feeling her? I said I don't think so, I am just so happy she's there and if she does not move for a while it feels strange! My mother is dying to feel her move too, but they are very faint feeling still on the outside. She came to the ultrasound with us and was in awe as well. For her, it was the first ultrasound she'd ever seen. She kept asking the tech questions and I had to fuss to tell her to wait till she was done with the important stuff like the heart, lungs, kidneys, fingers, toes, etc then she can ask all the questions she wants to. She is just so excited about the baby too.

We will be celebrating Christmas with my dad's side of the family tomorrow night. I love going to my Aunt's house, it always reminds me of being a child and going there. I love her turkey dressing, it has been my favorite thing forever. I love holiday dinners! I will post pics soon and also a pic of the belly, it is getting round and is very noticeable. I love it though!

Woulda, Shoulda, Coulda

You know when you miss an opportunity for God? I missed one last night. I should have spoke up but for some reason didn’t. Nate and I went to dinner at Gray’s Cafeteria last night and there was a large party in front of us. There was a single older man behind us. He thought we were with the party and let us ahead, I told him that we were not with them and he was fine to go ahead and it was just us two. He declined and stayed behind us. I smiled at him and said thanks and joked that even though the party in front was big I was sure there was plenty of food there for all of us. We went on down the line and got to the register to pay. I had a nudge in my heart….pay his bill. Nate normally pays, so I didn’t do it. I should have done it! I get to the table and I ask Nate if he ever feels like he should have done something then feels awful afterwards? He said yes, and I explained my nudge and Nate had one too, he even thought about asking him to sit with us for dinner. How sad, I was depressed. We missed out last night on doing something we really should have followed through with for God. I told him we need to really just act on those nudges when they come our way. I am sad we missed that one but am hopefully ready for the next nudge God provides and I pray that we/I follow through. We are blessed in our lives and though we don’t have a ton of resources (money) we have enough and God has always provided when we follow His direction. We think we have blessed someone else but we really are the ones blessed in the exchange, we know that we followed through with Gods plan. If we don’t follow through, God passes the blessing of giving to another person and we miss out. So this holiday season what Nudges is God giving you and will you do better than me and follow through?

Blessings...

I have two updates today. Both happened on Wednesday. I went to the dentist and they scheduled me an appointment for 6 months later. I realized, hum…cannot do that. I am due May 8th. If I don’t have the baby by then or am still waiting, the last thing I want to do is sit in a chair and have someone mess with my teeth. So I scheduled it for the first week in June. That brought me to the realization that….Nate will have to watch the baby! That just sounds so strange to me! I completely trust him to watch the baby, honestly he is better with kids than I am even, but the thought that the baby will be here. My baby will be born by June. It is still honestly sinking in that we are really, truly going to be parents finally!!! I know even though the belly is growing that its true but it still seems hard to believe.
Side note: my little friend Jonathan (whom we steal often from his mommy) chalked my growing belly up to “just eating too much”. From the mouth of babes huh? He’s 7.
So in short, I think its funny I have to make sure Nate’s available in June to watch the baby.
The other wonderful thing I am truly thankful for is my friends. I love them. I have several friends who are family to us; Epha is one of them (well Sam and the boys too). I called her since I hadn’t talked to her this week on the way home and was telling her that it was a dinner out night since I had my dentist appointment. My loving friend was going to call me anyways that night and invite us over for Pot roast, and veggies. She said when she was putting it in the oven she thought of us and thought she would call to invite us for dinner. I was so thankful to not have to eat out, plus Epha’s pot roast is awesome! When we moved to Indy from Albuquerque we wondered if we would ever find as good of friends as we had there and we are very blessed here as well. So that’s the update for now…looking forward to Thanksgiving and seeing family and then to the December 8th Ultrasound to hopefully find out if the baby is a boy or girl.

Long time no post...

Okay, pregnancy is great but it has wiped me out. I am 14 weeks this Saturday and looking forward to possibly having some more energy soon. I have so much to do and no energy to do it with. I know this is preparing me for when the baby comes but I have stuff to do before he/she gets here. Loads of stuff!
The belly is expanding and getting round, I heard the heartbeat again this week on Wednesday and it is definitely getting slower since the baby is getting bigger. I have long since gone ahead and taken the advice of a friend to switch to maternity pants and oh, they are so much better! We find out the gender of the baby on December 10th if it is cooperative, but I love seeing the ultrasounds, it is so neat and makes it feel more real. It is still surreal to me about being pregnant, even though I can obviously see the belly sticking out now. I have really started feeling better, no more nausea; except the occasional fight in the morning with my toothbrush still. (I even switched to a childs toothbrush so there is less to gag me with) Nate just keeps talking to my belly and patting it. The dog hasn't figured out yet that she cannot just jump right up on me onto the couch without getting in trouble, she plops right onto my stomach. As far as cravings, not really having any. I am just trying to find quick and easy and somewhat healthy things to make for dinner. I hate eating out of the freezer with processed meals but they are really easy. We have been busy each weekend so I don't get the chance then for meal prep like I normally would for that next week.
This weekend again is going to be busy. My Mom & Dad are both coming up and Dad & Nate are going to tile the new countertop in the bathroom. It will be great when it is done. Nate is still nesting and getting things organized which is TOTALLY unlike him! It is cute and really nice to have the projects completed. He is a great husband and will make a great Daddy too! We are both looking forward to feeling the baby and seeing it move, I think it will make it more real for him too.
Well that's the update for now, nothing really exiting other than the ultrasound coming up on December 10th.

Rant & a Rave

Okay I will start with the rave first. I LOVE YATS!!! It is something I have been craving in this pregnancy. Their Chili Cheese Etouff'e is the BEST! I have been there twice in the past week. I want the same thing every time. There are other really yummy things there too. They are only local to the Indy area but they are so yummy.

On to the rant. I was so PSYCHED to go see "Where the Wild Things Are". I was so disappointed! It was awful! I was asked to go by my 6 year old friend Will who also was very excited. We were both very much looking forward to this movie, so much so that we couldn't wait till Saturday afternoon. He was scared! The monsters are not too scary in the beginning however when Carol, the main monster chases Max through the forest telling him "I will eat you!" that was it for him. He crawled up on mom's lap and was crying. This is a children's book and they made it into something very morbid and very scary for little ones. Yes the book is a little strange on its own account, however it is still a children's story. This is NOT a children's movie. I am not the sheltering type, but there were obviously others who shared my sentiments because twenty minutes into the movie they were taking their children out of the theater. Not only was it scary for kids, it was boring. The plot was weak and over most children's heads. The only good thing about the movie was the costumes of the monsters. Those were neat. That is my only like of the entire movie...It should have stayed a book.
Well there you go, there's my rant and rave, nothing exciting but that's my post.

My Favorite Time of Year

I feel like I just posted about this not long ago. But it is Fall again! Somehow it went from 80 degrees down to 60's but the leaves are changing and it is fall. It seems strange changing so quickly and I am worried about not having a hot summer and that we will pay for it this winter. We will be traveling through some country areas this weekend and I am so excited to see all of the lovely leaves and scenery (if I'm not sleeping). I really want to plan a trip to Brown County to see the colors change and of course to shop. They have all sorts of fun shops and really yummy resturants to eat at with good southern cooking. I am craving Chicken-n-dumplins lately. I will have to go to Cracker Barrel or something, maybe sweet talk my mother to make some.
Fall also brings time for new fabric lines to come out! WOO HOO! Clementines just got the new Amy Butler line in and I am all but salivating to see what is in store! She just posted on her blog about the new fabric...I am two quilts behind but really have till December or so to start on my own but new fabric starts me to thinking. I just need the energy to start...

News Flash

Well things will be changing in our house in the Spring. The long prayed for baby will be arriving. After four years of waiting and praying we found out we are expecting. After feeling crappy in general for over a month I have felt sick when I ate, sick when I didn't eat and I was so drained I couldn't function; plus there were some other issues....so into the doctor I went. It was not my normal doctor and he kept saying, "well hun, it sounds like you could be pregnant." I let him know that he was surely mistaken and that it couldn't just happen and we would find out on Monday when my blood tests came back. Well Monday morning I get a voicemail from my regular doctor telling me the blood test shows I am pregnant! I couldn't believe it so I called him back and the office staff handed the phone right to him and he confirmed it. The first call was of course to Nate and he was speechless for sometime and asked am I sure? Of course I am sure I told him, I checked twice with the doctor! So we went into celebration mode! The doctor wanted me to come in asap for an ultrasound since there were some issues (nothing serious) and got me in that very day. So we saw the baby bean on that night and all is healthy and it was so very cool to see the heartbeat and everything else about the baby. It just amazed us and made it real, kinda. It still seems surreal and we are so very happy that God has blessed us with this child. We just ask for prayer for a healthy baby and that I keep up my energy. I have learned the key to my feeling well is small amounts of food through out the day and a nap after work. Whoever thought of "morning sickness" is very inaccurate; it is all day sickness! But I won't complain even if I am sick, I am just so very happy to finally be pregnant. Please keep us all in your prayers!

Okay, I'm a Few Pictures Behind

Here is the Picture of Epha & myself on the IndyMom's nite out I crashed.

It's a bad photo but I have a label now for my products

My Swap bag, I traded my Facialist an hour facial and 1/2 hr massage for this bag, so worth it!

The Lilly Bag. This is a medium sized diaper bag for my sister-in-law Sarah. It is some of my favorite fabric Chocolate Lollipop.

So I have been busy, but not busy sewing. We have had so many things to do, not exciting things but the mundane things of life. I am not quite sure how it is already September but it really is. This year has flown by so far!

This weekend, I get to meet my new niece, LillyAnn. She is about two months old and her & my Sister-in-law, Sarah are coming into town and we are traveling to visit with them this weekend up to my in-law's home. I cannot wait to meet her. I made her a couple blankies and the Diaper Bag above. I think she will like it; if not I'll keep it or sell it and we'll go for a different fabric. So off to bed after finishing the bag, another fun day at work tomorrow. I wonder if Martha Stewart needs someone on staff to sew, what a nice dream!

This weekend was so much fun! We had Jonathan on Friday and went to Bible Study. Saturday morning we woke up and went to Sofia’s for breakfast; this place has the best pancakes I have ever had! After Jonathan went home and we had some down time, we went to WAMM Fest with the Turks and it decided to rain. So we left, went to dinner and then it turned into a beautiful night, so we went back and walked around. I was a little disappointed because I thought it would be some free samples of food since you had to pay to get in. No such luck. Everything was reasonably priced but there were so many places you just didn’t know which to pick, so samples would have been fabulous. WAMM stands for Wine Arts Music Microbrew so it was really my type of event. Sunday was church as usual, it was a great service and then lunch with The Riche’s. We normally go out for dinner but we stopped by KFC and got something to go and spent the afternoon at the park for a picnic and short hike. We then went to dinner at Morton’s steak house for our anniversary; 7 years on August 24! They had something going on in Indy called Devour Downtown. You could choose from several different restaurants for $30 per person. Morton's, Ruth’s Chris, Oceaneare, several others. But Morton's had the best menu for us. So steak it was! For the $30 you got salad, main course (3 selections), a side and dessert, now if you have been to Morton's before you know that a steak alone normally costs over that. It was great. I love a good steak sometimes. We had a glass of wine with the meal and can’t wait till the do it again in January for another Devour downtown. They do 2 a year. We will go some place different for that one just to try something new. So great weekend all in all; lots of fun!

A weekend in Pictures

Carter, our NephewSome of the buggies from ShipshewanaMe & MomThe Stage at Conner Prairie

Nate & Ben napping

Epha and some of the ladies from Indy MomsMe and Ben (bottom left) and Will

Nate

We had a busy weekend. We went to Shipshe on Friday with Lori, the step-mom-in-law and then to her birthday party that night. Saturday was the trip home and then we went to Conner Prairie for the Symphony on the Prairie, it was Beatles night and it was really cool. They had four people that were dressed like the Beatles and they really sounded like them. I had a great time. Epha had to work and so did her husband so we offered to watch the boys and she gave us tickets and when she was done working the event came down and had a picnic with us. There were a few sprinkles but for the most part it was a beautiful evening.

Posting to post

No major updates, I am quilting away on a quilt and have been playing in my garden. I have harvested a few zucchini and some green beans. The cucumbers are just about ready and I have tiny little cantaloupes. I am so excited for those. My herb garden is doing well and the zucchini about to go crazy, most are still little tiny ones. I am going to Shipshewana this weekend in Northern Indiana with my mom and staying with my in-laws. My step-mom-in-love is coming with us. I love my step-mom-in-law, she is really sweet. I should post pictures on that trip soon. We are going for all day on Friday and I am very exited about spending time with both of them. Saturday night we are going to Symphony on the Prairie at Conner Prairie with my friend Epha to help watch the boys. She has to work and is getting us free passes to help with the kiddos.



Last weekend I went out on the town with Indy Mom's group. They had a mom's nite out and I was invited to go. It was at a little shop in downtown Indy on MassAve and it was so much fun. We went to Eye Candy; they had snacks, wine and some very lovely lemon meringue tartlets and the cutest jewelry for very reasonable prices. I would post a link for the website but they don't have one. I have a picture of me & my friend Epha but it is not loaded onto the computer yet. I will post this weekend probably with other pictures. Paul the owner and I did discuss him carrying a few of my purses. I have no idea what possessed me to do this; (well it could have been the few glasses of wine) but I did follow up with him on Monday and I am going to take a few purses in as soon as I have some done. So I will be back to designing a few new purses that are bigger and more chunky. So I will post pictures soon!

Mammas got a brand new bag!

I needed a new bag. My other one was well loved and had the smell of coffee, funny how that happens when you spill it on it a couple times huh? So this is my new Sassy Stripes bag. I really like how it turned out. It is a hipster bag and has big pockets inside. It is pretty big, about 19" wide by about 15" tall. It is exactly what I wanted. So sewing wasn't completely out of the weekend.

A new pic of my MagPie baby. She just got a haircut! Isn't she too cute?

My God Son's 1st Birthday

Happy Birthday Micah! He turned a year old on July 1st but we celebrated on July 4th.

A year goes by so quickly!

Friday plans down the drain...

Okay, I was so excited for Friday; a day off work to do work I love, sew. Well that has been pushed to the wayside. The dog needs a haircut, BAD! Her furry little self is all knotted and won't let me brush them out. Her puppy fur gets so tangled since it is so soft. I will be driving down to Columbus to get her cut at my aunts. I am so sad. I still have my own purse only half done and need to start the next baby quilt, plus...I need to finish the other crochet things that should have been done a month ago. Why, oh why do I start twenty projects at once? Answer: because I love to work on different things and find something more fun to start in the middle. Not a good answer but an honest one, sorry. The rest of the holiday weekend will be filled with Family coming in from Elkhart, Nate's side and also with my God son's first birthday party on Saturday. Sew long sewing, such is life.

The Lovie

I made my sister-in-law a lovie and thought I'd share what it looks like. I really liked how it turned out. It is my version of a taggie...My new little niece, Lilliann will be on the way soon!

Oh yes, and the perfect helper for all your sewing projects, Zeke, he's great at keeping my projects warm and fuzzy. He adds his own love to them :)

Shhh...don't wake him, he's working hard!

Well, he did kill two bugs yesterday, he earned his keep!

Oh the Zucchini I will have...

I thought I'd post for my garden and show the lovely zucchini plants that are just about to bloom! I am so excited, I will have zucchini running out of my ears but all is well. I love to share! I also wanted to post my new friend who is the "Guardian of the Garden". My friends little boys picked him out for my birthday back in march and I just found the perfect little spot for him. He needs a name though, any thoughts?

Getting a little greener...

Okay, I have a hybrid, I have a garden, compost bin and recycle...so I am taking small steps to becoming more green. Not bragging by any means because I still do some pretty un-green things like Ziploc bags and such. I however have gotten into eating local produce. I really started thinking about it when in California. So many neat places around there in Northern Cali that are using fresh, local produce and meats. Since I still love chicken and do occasionally eat red meat, I prefer to use the best. My garden is going well but for supplementing it I do need other additional produce plus I am not going to raise cattle or chickens. I will pay a little extra for the good stuff. My friend Epha gave me a great site to visit to get on a weekly/bi-weekly delivery system for fresh local meats, produce and groceries. It is http://www.farmfreshdeliveries.com/. I also bought some chocolate milk from a local grocery store and found that it is local as well and is right down the street from my work. It is Traders Point Creamery, I stopped by yesterday so I could get some milk and yogurt and found that they also have beef from their farm as well. There is even a Friday night farmers market that I could stop by on my way home too! So exciting. (it doesn't take much for me) I had my chocolate milk with breakfast today, it really is like drinking a chocolate bar! I get my first bin delivery from Farm Fresh on next Friday, it will have leaf lettuce, cherries, strawberries, blueberries, carrots, peaches, plums and many other yummie things. It is costing us $35.00 every other week which is about what I would spend for 2 wks of produce but since it is local it will last longer in my fridge since it has not been shipped across the country. Half my produce goes bad in a week because of that very reason it seems. So all that "green" I may not be but I am happy to support locals :)

Purse-Diaper Bag

This is the most recent bag I have made. It has large, multiple pockets inside. It has been one of my favoirtes so far. My camera is back in action with recharged batteries so I will be uploading more pictures soon!

May garden

I know its a little late in posting it but here are a few pics of the beginning of our garden. It has grown so much more with the 8 plus inches of rain we have had in June. I will post those soon...

Some lettuce in a container garden

Nine rows of veggies: Mixed lettuce & cucumber together, brussels sprouts, broccoli, zucchini, green beans, jalepenos, canteloupe, watermelon, and leaf lettuce.

The strawberries were really great. The one and only one we got to eat. Something is eatting them, we put coffee grounds out which is supposed to scare away squirrels but we have a little hole in the back yard in our hill and we think we may have a chipmunk. I bet that is what is havin my berries for a snack, that and my basil. Yummy combo huh? I was going to post new pictures of the garden but the batteries to my camera have croaked and I need to get some new rechargable ones. Well as soon as I get them, I will post the current pictures of the garden and the fun things I did this weekend with my sewing machine.

Got to go to Clementines too! WOO hoo! Love that store! I cannot wait to get started on the new quilt. I really need those batteries to get some new pictures.

My cup runnith over...

I got into my car this morning and smiled. I do most everyday I get in my car. Last summer my husband had some welding type work in the garage to do and with some of the extra sauder and shaped it into a N <3>! Such a simple little thing and it makes me so happy. So I decided to remind myself of all the things I am thankful for or make me happy.
God
-He is good to me and has blessed me with so much! He loves me unconditionally even when I am not happy about what He is doing in my life.
My husband
-he’s a child at heart and it is so much fun.
My Mom
-She’s one of my favorite people and a great Mom, I would be blessed to be like her.
My Family
-There is sooooo many people in our family; Uncles, Aunts, Nephews (and one niece), Mom-in-laws, Dad-in-laws, Cousins, and brothers & sisters. I love my crazy extended family that I inherited when I got married.
My animals
-They are goofy and make me smile all the time (I’ll specifically leave out the things that drive me nuts about them though…)
My friends
-they encourage me and add joy and fun to my life.
My Sewing machine
-tons of fun and I make things with it.
My garden
-it will produce lots of yummie veggies for the fam and friends this year
My composter
-it makes me feel just a little bit more green and it will help my garden grow yummie food J
My job
-I have one. Short and simple…
My Bible study
-They are encouraging and everyone gives their own individual insight and thoughts on what they learn/know and I am blessed each time I go.
My Kitchen
-I love to cook and have so much room in which to do it. (It also brings joy to Nate.)
Side note: when my garden grows it will be even more fresh food and Zucchini bread yum!
My home
-I love my home. Not everything about it but that it is HOME. Where I can rest and enjoy my family. It is also a welcoming place for guests and I am thankful to be able to have people in my home.Well I am sure there is more…but that is the majority of the things I am thankful for.

Stress, stress, oh the stress...

"We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us, we are wondering

how painful the best will turn out to be." -C.S. Lewis

So I have had this quote for some time. It is in my rolodex of scripture/quotes I keep at my desk. (It was given to me in college as a gift from my friend Emmie and it has gone to each job since then; it's a busy little thing.) I came upon it again today and found myself thinking how true it is. I know that God's got my, and my families, best in store for us, but it is not always easy. God has never promised a smooth paved road, he promises to be with us and guide us along the way, but we can hit "character building" road bumps along the way. My pastor says. "When you squeeze a lemon you know you get-lemonade. but, squeeze a Christian and you get? It's unknown." I want to respond with love and kindness and prayer when I am squeezed. Now in Rachel-land, not everything comes out roses and pretty words. It is hard to stay under and let God do his work in me. I know He will complete His work and that it will be in His timing and His way- "He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus." Phil 11:6-but the process is not simple or short. It leaves me thinking what's next? I'm not one to dare or tempt God, so I will not really ask Him that question. I know He will answer with more "opportunities" for me to learn. Now while I am thankful for the learning experience afterward, I am not longing for the next one either. God has his own timing and I don't understand it, nor do I really like it at times of course, but He has his reasons. He is building my trust and reliance on Him. There are some very tricky things coming up in our life soon and I don't know how it will turn out...but it will all be according to God's will.

Mission Accomplished!

At 1:00 am on Saturday morning the last stitch was made for the Mom-in-law quilt. It was delivered on Sunday to her for her Birthday/Christmas and every holiday in between present. I really do like this quilt. It was in shades of blue, her favorite color. I got to Bloomington to give it to her and thought with alarm that I completely forgot to take a picture of it. I was so upset. I made my mother-in-law promise to send one. It is by far the largest quilt I have made yet. It was nice to be done with it and I was very happy about how it looked. So pictures are dependent on when she sends it to me...
On to the next quilts. I have so many lined up plus one of these days I need to start on the one for our nursery so I have one made for "our child" to come hopefully soon...(more about that later.) But for now on to the next project.

Mom-in-law Quilt

Okay, I admit I have probably at any given time around 5 projects going on. I have two afghans I am crocheting, one for my cousin's graduation, one for my Sister-in-law's baby girl who is due the end of June. I also have two bags in progress, my quilt from a year ago. That keeps getting pushed back till I have time and can find 6 other squares to make. Then there is the Mom-in-law's quilt. It needs to have some finishing quilting touches and the binding put on. My goal tonight is to finish it. Done and out of my hair. I love the quilt but it is time for it to move on along...I have others to get to. I am anxious for the baby quilts I have to do. Those are small and easy to quilt, this thing is a full size quilt and the biggest I have ever made. It has been a bear to quilt and arrange around the machine while quilting. I will post a pic on Sunday because it will be done; has to be. Note: This is also the same quilt that gave me fits last year when I had the perfect fabric, ran out of it, couldn't get it any more and had to change the fabric in the middle of making the quilt. Wish me luck, say a prayer!

Resolution to the emergency

Okay...well maybe not really an emergency but it was to me. When my sewing machine dies, it is a very, very bad thing. Especially when it is brand new.
So I have it now. The man at Joann's plugged it in and it beeeeeeeped at him too. I was so scared I'd get in there and look like an idiot and it would work for him (that always seems to happen). So I took Nate along for moral support, plus he heard the awful beep too. The guy was actually really nice (Nate said of course he was nice, it is the third time you were in for this). He got the same beep I did and just went and got a new machine, rang it up and it was done. He also asked it I would be interested in an upgrade to a Viking Husqvarna machine...well of course, how much I asked. It would only be the difference in cost between what I originally paid and the new machine cost. It should only be around $80.00 sooooo, nate said to check it out when it comes in sometime this week but in the meantime, I have a working machine. Since Singer is now made in China it is reflecting that. The Husqvarna's are made in Sweden. I think I will probably be going with that option instead since it is a much better sewing machine. This will hopefully be to an end soon.

On another note, I chose the fabric for my next baby quilt. It is called Chocolate Lollipop. There are other corresponding colors with it but I am so excited about the fabric, I really love it. I attached the link to some of the colors in it the main is D1650-390 and then one of the others is D1652-390. I also pulled out the dark pink, lime green and light blue as a solid corresponding colors and there is a fun stripe I found as well. I will be sewing on it soon, I have two afghans to finish first though, but I am dying to get started on it. That is all for now, I'll post pics along the way.

Beyond Frustrated!

Okay, so I just posted about how much I love my sewing machine... I don't anymore. I am very angry at it. Here is the saga:
For Christmas Nate bought me a sewing machine. I got it early, in October because it was on a huge sale. It was exactly what I wanted. It had many decorative stitches and had all the special quilting accessories I wanted. Two weeks after I got it the display lights went out. I took it in to Joann's where I bought it from a "special" sewing machine department and they told me that they would send it in for repair and give me a loaner for the time being. FINE, not happy but FINE; a new sewing machine that already has problems in the first month is not a good sign...So almost two months later I get back my machine. It is working right until my next class I took at the quilt shop in May. The lights went out again...I took it back and gave the ultimatum; either a brand new machine or my money back. They then upgraded me to a better machine and it was great! It had even better options and would do the alphabet and numbers too. I was psyched! I quilted on it on Sunday and Monday this week and sat down before company came on Thursday night and to my surprise it beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeepppped at me then the display went blank. I could not sew, or push any buttons. Now I am really not happy. This is the second reject I have received from Singer. I am off to Joanns tonight after work to discuss this with the manager at the sewing department, not a very nice (read: grumpy old) man. So please pray I keep my patience and don't try to strangle this person. ALL I WANT IS A WORKING NEW SEWING MACHINE....not a unreasonable request. So that is my gripe. Grrr.
Oh yeah, I have two purses to finish, a quilt to put the binding on and two new quilts to start on as well...So much to do and no machine.

My Sewing Machine

Sew Mamma Sew is doing a questionnaire on their blog about what type of machine you have, so here is mine:

What brand and model do you have?
Singer Confidence
How long have you had it?
1 week
How much does that machine cost (approximately)?
$500 but I got it for $300; they upgraded me since my other Confidence Quilter had some mechanical issues.
What types of things do you sew (i.e. quilting, clothing, handbags, home dec projects, etc.)? Quilts, clothing, home dec & handbags; generally anything that sounds fun!
How much do you sew? How much wear and tear does the machine get?
I try to sew at least twice a week for a couple hours
Do you like/love/hate your machine? Are you ambivalent? Passionate? Does she have a name?
I LOVE my machine! No name yet.
What features does your machine have that work well for you?
It runs very smoothly and I love that the feed dogs go down (my last machine did not & it was very hard to quilt)
Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine?
Not yet, too new
Do you have a great story to share about your machine (i.e., Found it under the Christmas tree?
Dropped it on the kitchen floor? Sewed your fingernail to your zipper?, Got it from your Great Grandma?, etc.!)? We want to hear it!
My hubby bought it for me for Christmas.
Would you recommend the machine to others? Why?
Yes, I really like it. It is new and it has so many stitches!
What factors do you think are important to consider when looking for a new machine?
I wanted a machine with a few decorative stitches and a wide arm for quilting. I also wanted a drop in bobbin case.
Do you have a dream machine? Oh yeah, I would love a long arm quilter!

Dreaming in Fabric

I have some really fun new fabric! I don't want to work...I want to sew. I have two new patterns I made up and am dying to get them done. I need a new purse! It will be striped and in many different colors. I am also scoping out for new fabric for two baby quilts. My friend Erin is expecting end of June and my friend Emmie is due in the Fall. Erin is one of my closest friends and I have known her since right before Junior High School (a long, long time ago!) She is doing the room in Pink & Brown which is easy to find fabric for; those are the "hot" colors along with Teal/Blue & brown. Now just to narrow them down. I will be going to Clementines Dry Goods to pick up some new fabric for those projects. I love that place, the fabric is great. They have a lot of Amy Butler fabric which I love! I have to pick out patterns as well but that normally comes for me after I pick the fabric. So little time and so much fabric and ideas! So that is all for now, busy weekend ahead again...fun but busy. I think next weekend maybe I'll stay in my jammies all day!

Busy Memorial Day Weekend

We had a very busy weekend! My mom came up to visit on Friday and we went out for dinner. Saturday we babysat our Godson, Micah. Then we went to a Indy 500 party that night. Sunday we had miscellaneous things around the house and Mom went home. I made up a new purse pattern and finished a purse in about 4 hours. I love the new purse!!! It is striped with a big bright flower pattern and I actually made up a new pattern for a flower to pin onto the purse. There will be a picture soon. It has 4 big pockets inside with lots of room. It is by far my favorite purse I have ever made! I loved the colors and the style. It was really fun! It is red, black, cream and also has some burnt orange and maize (dark yellow) colors in it. I made it for my friend Christina whom we saw yesterday on Memorial Day. They were our Monday treat! It was great to visit with them. They came in from Seattle to visit family in Chicago so we drove up for the day and met at the Brookfield Zoo. It was a cruddy day outside and of course Nate & I wore summer clothes, it was 75 in Indy and 55 in Chicago but we didn't remember to check the weather. It rained off and on, was cold & very busy but it was great to visit. They have three of the cutest kiddos and the newest addition Luci is really sweet (9 wks 0ld) I was a really bad baby hog and carried her in the little snugly. We got back home around 9pm Monday night and were tired but very happy to have visited with good friends.

This weekend looks to be busy as well. We are stealing a friends little boy (6 yr old) for Friday night so she can have a Mommie nite out. He is a blast to steal and loves Nate; I'm kinda chopped liver compared to him. Other than that we just have more paperwork to fill out for the adoption agency. As soon as we get that in they schedule us to meet with a case worker, set up home studies and attend meetings/classes and within about 6 weeks we have the home study done and get our profile out there and birth moms can see us then. If we are picked we'll meet with the birth mom and then so on from there. So say a prayer that we can come up with a good profile to represent ourselves and that we are chosen quickly by the right mom. I know its all in God's hands but prayer is so helpful!

Wine Country

Well we are back. It was a wonderful trip. We stayed at the Petaluma Sheraton for our stay. We traveled all over the area. Wednesday when we got there we just drove around for a little bit and went to Sonoma for dinner at a little Thai restaurant. Thursday we went down to San Jose and went to the Winchester Mystery Mansion and took the tour. It was a very bizarre place but very beautiful. We we drove up Highway 1 for the afternoon and and had dinner at a restaurant called Lucas's on the coast and they served their own fresh fish they caught that day. Friday was San Francisco and out to Alcatraz. The tour of Alcatraz was really neat and the view from the island was great of downtown and the Golden Gate Bridge. We walked around Ghirradeli Square and Pier 39 and drove down Lumbard street. That night we went into downtown Petaluma and ate at Dempsey's. I really loved the place! They grow alot of their own produce and they are a brewery as well. Their rootbeer was great! Saturday we traveled through wine country and ate at an Italian market at Venesias's winery and we drove up to The Olive Press and Jacuzzi Winery; it was our favorite. I loved the wines at Jacuzzi, every single one we tasted was wonderful, they are not cheap so we bought one bottle but look forward to ordering more! The Olive Press was a really neat place to stop by as well, they grow alot of olives and make many different olive oils and blends. We brought back a bottle of one with crushed red peppers in it. We ate that night at Dempsey's again and it was just as good as the first time. I really liked the area. I really liked that at a lot of the restaurants they used fresh produce & meats that are local. I really wish we had more of that availability in Indiana. All in all it was a great vacation. We are not looking forward to going back to the real world.

The Winchester Mystery HouseThe Door to NowhereThe view of the vines

Alcatraz Island

Help! I've been locked up!

Lombard Street

A view from Highway 1

The Golden Gate

New Bags

My Sister-in Law Katie's Tote
My Friend Kelly's Chunky Tote

Dawn's Messenger Bag

Me Modeling the Messenger Bag

I sure hope Dawn likes her bag, its in the mail on Monday. I made it with two small pockets in the inside and one really big pocket in the middle. The straps are on the side and have metal rings to secure them. Different Pattern completely. I couldn't sleep Saturday night and so I finished the drawing of this one and then three other sketches; at least the sleepless night was productive.

Just an update...

Short post today. I have officially sent in the first part of the adoption paperwork. That is it. Won't post for a week or so since we will be on vacation but will post pics when we return.

The Refuge

Thursday nights is normally our Bible Study night, but yesterday instead we were blessed to go serve instead. It was wonderful being able to get out and do something for people in need. The Refuge is a place started by a man from our church and it is a food pantry first and foremost but it is becoming more than that. They have an additional area for clothing and household goods and volunteers help people get the groceries from their list and then they can go over to the clothing area to pick out what they would need. This place is really nice, it is set up like a department store almost with different sections to "shop" from. Of course when serving you feel much more blessed to be the one serving than it does to receive in my opinion. The people seeking services from The Refuge are just about anyone...someone down on their luck, single moms and even a few dads coming in to get clothing for their kids.
Nate mostly stayed in the upstairs area to sort through clothing and hang them to get them ready to take to the clothing racks. I was fortunate enough to get to talk to some of the people and help them with picking out their clothes and chat for a while. One lady coming in had her cousin and her two children with her; the cousin and children had just been kicked out of their mothers home with nothing in hand. One of the children was a 2 month old and they found some burp rags and you would have thought they had won the lottery. It was a pleasure to help them and help pick out items we take for granted and don't even think to be thankful for. It really made Nate & I want to go back more often than what our Bible Study is going to do. They really have a need for grunt work, hanging clothing, packing seasonal items, labeling things, stocking clothing and food, etc. I came home feeling full. Not happy, sad or proud, but greatfull and full. I forget how we are supposed to serve others in our community. I get so caught up in my life and trying to sort through it that I forget the others who are in need. We have been blessed with much and do share it willingly, since it is given to us in the first place to be stewards of. We are good stewards of the money God provides I believe, but I feel we are being called to be better stewards of our time. Giving two hours a week or so instead of two hours in front of a tv is so much better used by helping others in need. I hesitate to make plans during the week since I feel so tired and worn out by the end of the day. This was the case yesterday, I was exhausted when I got home from work but after coming back from the Refuge felt energized. My body was still tired but my heart was full and I could have worked another two hours or more. My goal is to do this more often and not let my life get in the way of helping.

"Do nothing out of selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others." -Philippians 2:3-4

Sushi Rolls

Saturday I thought I'd try my hand at Sushi...here are the pics. I thought it turned out really well. I made them with cooked shrimp. I know its cooked but I am not a raw seafood person and I figured since we are in Indiana that fresh seafood would be hard to come by as well. It was really yummy though with shrimp.

Two more...

A friend of a friend wanted a chunky tote with animal fabric. Now I am not a animal print person but really like how it turned out!

Also a lady from work wanted a cute little bag for her daughter. She explained what she wanted and here's what I came up with...She wanted fringe at the bottom and wanted an outside pocket for her cell phone, also wanted something that would hang right about at the hip, so thus the Hip Bag.On to new patterns and orders. I have two bags in the making and am happy to have one that will be easy and not challenging and the other I have to think of a whole new pattern for. Thanks for a challenge Dawn...

The king eats from the dog bowl

So I know from the title that it is weird but the one who thinks he is "king of the house" came down from his lofty perch to eat from the dog bowl. I will explain....
When we got the puppy, we put Zeke's, our cat, food up on a table so the dog could not eat it. She LOVES cat food among other cat things (we won't go there). When Zeke eats his food he is messy, leaving all kinds of crumbs laying about on his tray and he will not eat the crumbs at the bottom of his bowl unless he is starving....so we give them to the dog as a treat. This morning Maggie was outside and Nate gave Zeke new food and poured the mass of crumbs into Maggie's bowl. I am in the bathroom getting ready for work and hear Nate cracking up in the dining room. I walk in and he tells me to be quiet and we look into the kitchen and there is the "king cat" on the floor eating his crumbs out of the dog bowl...What a brat! Well he saw us laughing and kept eating till he had his fill then flicked his tail and walked off. Maggie then came in and polished off the rest of the treat. I just thought that was hilarious and had to share our funny story of our in house royalty.

More fabric...

Blue Indian style fabric

Fun Starbursts

New chunky tote fabric

Bingo Bag

My friend had been whining that she wanted a Bingo Bag like the ones the "serious" bingo ladies have. She told me that if I loved her I would make her a bag; if not I was off the Christmas card list. Yes, to answer the question bingo is fun and we go about once a month. I have one money too. It is fun. I was bored one day and decided to go get some gaudy fabric and designed a bag for Angie. So I am officially back on the Christmas card list again...