Saturday Enjoyment!

The name Feist is new to me, but after I figured out who she was and where I'd heard the song before , I had to look up her other (cuter) version of the song - and see her sing 1234 with muppets.
Enjoy!

Unexpected Journeys...

I've been working on a project for someone who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. She is our pastor's wife - to read about her journey or leave a "prayer note" check out the blog below:

Live Forgiven

There have been many prayers for her, but as much as I love the Internet and love to leave "comments" I am the type of person that wants to have tangible evidence of thoughts and prayers. I like to look at past cards and notes that are tucked away in my bible...special words of encouragement that may have been penned long ago, but still hold so such much meaning and feelings.

I thought I would create several "tags" she could take with her in a book, place in her Bible, or just put on her bedside table to remind her of the love and care that God has for her, and a special reminder that many are praying for her as she begins her journey into health.

To finish off my afternoon I completed recovering the cushions on the "friend" chairs in my office. I like sitting on this softer material much better...so does the cat!

Projects, Meetings, Shopping

During our time in Canada this summer we visited with my husband's elderly Uncle. He is 87 years old and lives alone. He loves tending his gardens (floral and vegetables) and he has many varied beautiful roses that he has grafted himself. He also keeps himself busy with his many hobbies. His basement is filled with his works completed and currently in progress. He said he likes to keep busy but his eyes get tired pretty quick, but he works as long as he can, then gives his eyes a rest.

One of my very favorite things he does is a type of Scherenschnitte(paper cuttings.) However, the patterns he cuts are his own creation and he cuts them from aluminum, wood, paper, etches them in glass...each pattern more beautiful then the last. He was so humble in his explanation of where he gets his pattern ideas...he just draws them up! So there!

We took a lot of pictures of his patterns while we were there and I had an idea to honor him by making a small quilt. I copied one of his patterns onto fabric and quilted around the picture. I then built the rest of the quilt around the block, keeping with the black and white theme. I haven't finished quilting it because Ashley and Austin showed up to pick me up for a lunch meeting. We meet with the other members of the McKinney Cowgirls Market to discuss our next event (Roundup on the Range) and debrief about our last event (Cowgirls of Faith.) Lots to plan and lots to do before the October date...plus just to keep motivated so we can finish strong at our December show!After lunch at The Pantry we wandered down to Market Square Antique Store to look for scrabble tiles. (Ideas are always rumbling around the brain for new things to make.) However, while we were there, Austin found something he liked! He took a little ride! He kept trying to make it jump like his horse does at home - but I think he enjoyed the ride and the opportunity to get out of the stroller!
He like that horse!

Lions, Tigers and Stephanie - Oh My!

Today we drove to Wylie to visit Stephanie at the Wildlife Preserve where she volunteers on Saturday's. We didn't get there in time to see them move the big cats from one cage to another (some other day)...but she showed us around while she was working.

It was hot, so most of the Tigers were sleeping. The large one in the back ground (behind the blue barrel) decided he didn't like Peter getting too close to the cage.

He decides to get up...he came right up to the fence and hissed at Peter then lunged at the fence and stood u p on his hind legs...I didn't get that picture...I jumped!
The young female was in the tub - the big male tiger even scared her when Peter came around to her side to take a picture with his camera that big guy lunged and growled loudly!
Stephanie with her "pooper scooper".
Stephanie's "safely" in the cage! I'm on the outside!!!!
Here she's feeding marshmallows to distract the animal while another girl gets in the cage to clean up.She loves those Marshmallows. You can't really see the Coati Mundi (part of the raccoon family) but Stephanie is keeping her in another cage inside the main cage because of her sharp claws...The lions were napping...
as were the leopards...and the white Bengal tiger. All in all we had a great time with Stephanie and watching her work at something she really enjoys. We left there about 2:00 p.m...hot and hungry, so on the way home we stopped for Barbeque! Then...home for a nap!

Moving - Back on Track!

It seems like life and work have gotten in the way of my upstairs move project the last few days...but I have been "hunkering down" (a hurricane terminology) yesterday and today...and working like a mad woman upstairs. I have felt the NEED to get these rooms in order and no longer feel it hanging over my head. Once they are organized I know I can begin creating again. I pretty well "thought" I had finished the sewing room last night, but alas...on my sister's last visit she left me with bags of her cast off material....is there a place for this also? There were also other items hiding in the Art room once I got moving stuff around in there...so, still things to put away in the sewing room.

This morning - GOOD NEWS! I have been able to make big progress on the Art side of the big room and get things in place and organized. I declare that room finished (just the art side). Peter brought his wooden drafting table upstairs and I put it next to my glass one with a bookcase in the middle (to share supplies.) I think we can get along and work side by side! :>) The other side of the room has shelving Peter installed so I could have all my paints and painting supplies close at hand. I use my metal table for soldering jewelry and Lauren uses it for her art projects (wipes off easily!)
Everything has a place - and for today - everything is in it's place! However the other side of the room is holding all the "extra" furniture that is now being offered to the "relatives" before I sell it. I have my couch I'm in the process of recovering (still needs the ruffle) and another chair that has to be recovered (the stuffing is coming out). But, once the other pieces are gone I'll have a nice little sitting area to entertain my best girlfriends!
Lauren has been begging to come over and play in her new room - so she's peeking into the new nooks and crannies to see what all she has in her room to be played with. All her art supplies are organized and easily accessible for her to create...but for today she's playing with her "girls" and dressing them all in "new" clothes!
Now that she's entertaining herself I'll finish the very last of the sewing room....back in a few!

Well...it is done. I have an old shelving unit (from when the girls were small) in the closet and I have been able to store a lot of my "extras" (batting, purse parts, interfacing, etc.). With the last of what Prissy brought over stored away, I'm ready to begin creating in my new sewing room. Peter came up to hang my red shelf last night (even during the Olympics - but I did have the TV on for him!) I can store some of my inspiration books and bluebonnet pictures - and on a whim change them without making a new hole in the wall! (There is still a lot of trays and art to hang in here, but I need more hangers to get that part done.)

This table holds the new embroidery machine. Can hardly wait to try it out and see if I can make heads or tails of the instructions. (Heads and Tails makes me laugh....we have a street by that name in McKinney and Miss Jani thinks it's a stupid name for a street ~LOL!~)My serger is on the return of the desk area. Peter hung up my white board and my thread holder under the shelves so they are easy access now.
The sewing machine is right under the window - maximum light. Looking down all the cabinets toward the closet, I love the clean lines of the cabinets and knowing all the fabric is in hiding (and not becoming faded) behind the cabinet doors. I have my comfy chair so I can sit and "shop" my fabric, when the doors are open, and decide what I will create next.

All in all - I love my new room. I also entertained my first visitor in my new sewing room! Maybe he'll learn to crawl in this room!

A Festival!

Exodus 5 - The Desert
I didn't make it passed the first verse of this chapter without getting stopped. Here is what Moses and Aaron said to Pharaoh: This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the desert.' Isn't it interesting that the first thing God wanted His people to do was go into the desert to hold a festival for Him? I mean the desert isn't typically known as the best place to hold a festival. It's hot. It's desperately barren. It's the kind of place where people die if they get lost. So why did God want to hold a festival there? I think it's because there aren't any distractions in the desert. It's quiet. It's empty. It's the kind of place where I can be still enough to actually hear God.

Sometimes, in my own life, I find myself in the same place. I'm alone, empty feeling and desperate. I'm in the desert...and it's tempting to run. To see the desert as a bad place. As a place to flee from as fast as I can, but maybe God wants me there for a reason? Maybe I'm exactly where I need to be. Maybe God brought me there for a festival!

Cabinets All Here....

I now have 4 of these large cabinets. I started happily filling them this morning...only to discover that even 4 will NOT be enough! (Peter is now claiming he will NOT bring another one home...where would I put it?) At this point...I'm thinking "purge" is a very good word! BUT what to purge? Every piece begs a "project" in my mind. Maybe I could purge it to Washington and Shannon and Aaron could find "projects" it can be utilized for in their business? They need to show up with a U-Haul! HA! I love how neat and clean it looks with the doors closed. It will also keep the fabric from fading while they await use...but oh how lovely to sit in front of all the opened doors and view all the colors, textures and ideas that dance through my brain. I just don't have enough hours in the day...week...month....probably my lifetime!
There is still much to do on the other side of the room. I have things to put in the overhead bins of the desk...and there are projects that are in various phases of being completed. I want to finish all of the ones started before I begin some new ones, but in looking at all the fabric as I put them away - I have some new ideas I want to start on right away! The table below houses my new embroidery machine - and I have much to learn before I can begin using it to make new items. I think I'll have to look around and see if there is a class I can take that would facilitate my learning curve! The antique wardrobe houses all my trims, laces, ribbons and essentials for finishing off my projects.
Well...break for today. The "kids" have invited us over for dinner (steaks). It's Mike's birthday and I'm looking forward to a break from cooking and a little break from moving! More to come....

Swim Break - No Move Today!

Well, no fabric cabinet...as yet! I'm at a work stoppage...but life goes on! So, how 'bout a day at the pool? Lauren and Austin were in! I'll have to have my laptop outside...not my first choice, but I'm in the middle of a repair ticket with the website. Thanks and great upgrade - but they break something every time we get a "free" upgrade, so I need to get the ticket resolved!

Austin was excited when he saw we were going swimming! He's ready. Just gotta get slathered up with sunscreen. Lauren spent her day diving, diving, and more diving....
And, when she wasn't diving she was under the water looking for her "toys" she was placing on the bottom of the pool to retrieve. I had to get the ones that made it to the drain!
Lauren and Austin have their first race!

All this activity just wears him out!!! A few back and forth of the swing and he's gone!

After the kids went home I thought I would have a quiet evening at home watching the Olympics alone - Peter was at a furniture trade show all day and would not be arriving until much later. But, Miss Jani extended an invitation to have dinner with her on her front porch. What a perfect end to an already relaxing day.

As you can see...I picked up dinner on my way over to her house (Taco Bueno - yum!) We didn't want to cut into our catch up time by having to cook dinner~we were both busy today! She contributed a nice "cold" beverage...then out to the porch to eat and catch up. (It's still 96 degrees ya' know!)

With her new job, and her travel schedule during the week...our time for chatting during the week is greatly reduced! We had weeks to catch up on...our trip to Canada, her recent trips for work, her on-going Tech support problems at her home office and her dad's recent death, so much talk...so little time!

After dinner we like to move to the comfy chairs to continue our conversation. (This set was one of Miss Jani's great garage sale finds...bought from a friend...and minus the cushions. BUT WAIT...luckily I had fabric to make all new cushions! Hmmmm!)

Peter arrived later with his bag of "goodies" from the trade show - supplies! We love office supplies - especially when they're FREE! He also brought lots of good "bags" to carry all those supplies.

A perfect end to a relaxing day (and it's not even the weekend!) Time spent with a good friend...catching up, lifting our needs up in prayer, discussing issues and problems (not always able to be solved in an evening) and generally encouraging each other! My day was complete!

Still on the Move - Sewing Room!

Today is one of my two days a month to go into the "office" - so no time to move today. I phoned Peter as I left Heath to head home to McKinney - and he decided I should come through Dallas to pick him up for lunch (it was already 1:30 PM) and then decided he would work the rest of the afternoon from home.

We stopped on the way home and had a great lunch...sitting outside next to a waterfall at a new restaurant called Brio. It was a relaxing time with delicious food, good conversation and great company. It was a nice treat for the middle of the week (and no dinner tonight!)

When we arrived home...I had to call an official meeting with my personal "Facility Planner" about the need for another fabric cabinet! I needed his thoughts on how the room should be changed to accommodate another large piece of furniture. I wanted him to map it out for me on his autocad, but he wouldn't fire it up to change the original drawing. I wanted an official document...but he's not convinced I need it (HA! That just means he doesn't want to move another cabinet upstairs!)

We met briefly in the sewing room to assess the situation then moved to my office to discuss a plan of action (and I have a place to put my feet up for a more official meeting! Luckily I had painted my toenails!) He's really into this meeting. I'm sure he's thinking "NAP!" He did discover all the good books I had on my bookshelves! I think he'll be borrowing from my library. He will be out all day tomorrow at an off site meeting - so it won't be until Friday that another cabinet can come home - so I guess tomorrow will have to be an official SWIM DAY! (Lauren will be happy!)

While I had him upstairs I had him look at my craft chair. I wanted him to take the seat off so I could recover it... it used to be the girl's computer chair - and I think they spilled everything on it. Nasty!
Alas, no avail - the screws are stripped, but Baby Kitty doesn't mind...he just wants his chair back so he can sit next to me and watch me work. He doesn't mind at all the stains on the chair - it's his throne in the office. So, I guess Friday (since I won't have the cabinet early in the day) I'll work on recovering that chair...no work in the sewing room until Saturday. So sad!

On the Move - Lauren's Room

Well...I got all the fabric off the shelves in Lauren's room (don't mention the closet yet!) I have pretty well filled the shelves in my new sewing room - so I'm going to have to decide what to do with what didn't fit (purge?) I worked hard in the sewing room all morning and when I realized it wasn't going to all fit - I moved on to Lauren's room, figuring I could at least finish another room today! Her bed is made and her pictures are hung. Her kitchen area is set and ready to cook a meal for her "girls."
Her dresser is stocked with all manner of dress up clothes and various jewelry items and hats so she can be anyone she dreams up (usually a cowgirl!)
The shelves are now filled with books, art supplies, little girl toys (and of course boy toys for when Austin gets big enough to want to play in the room.)
And last, but not least, a bed for Austin...and one for Lauren's girls!
All in all...good progress today, but not sure now when the sewing room will be finished. I'll have to consult my "Facility Planner" and re-group! More to come!!!!!!