No idea. . .

Really. I. Have. No. Idea. How. This. Happened.

Here's the true story. . .

uh-oh. what just happened?

 what have I done?

cheerful whistling will somehow disguise the fact that somehow 

 

THIS:

 somehow just showed up in my online shopping cart. 

THEN, it had the actual nerve to arrive, completely unannounced yet somehow addressed to me, at my house. Hoo-rumph!

(I'm just kidding, wonderful Mendocino fabric. You know I couldn't resist your charm and charisma. Plus, the mail carrier saw my happy dance from the mailbox to my front door. Not even joking about that.)

It's not exactly cheating on my fabric diet. I did say that I could buy supplies for projects that need to be finished. Well, this is for the bathroom project that certainly needs finishing. My plan is to frame a few of my favorites. (but how to decide which are my favoritist favorites?) The rest will be cut up, added to and made into a shower curtain. I love them. All of them. Here are a few more pictures. Look at your own risk. You may end up wanting them too. . .

This was a completely true story. Even the bit with the coffee stain.

What I learned from this:

1. You can't trust that Mendocino line. It has a mind of it's own and it does what it wants. Including following me home.

2. Be careful where you set your coffee when blogging.

3. I am a way better artist than I thought. My actual office chair is not that nice.

House Things

Last month we went to visit friends in Virginia and family in Ohio and the thing that struck me the most when I got home was just how bare my house is. I don't mean empty. Just not decorated. I don't have a lot of pictures on the walls. No art. No cohesive themes. Unless of course toys scattered everywhere in every room counts. Or dog fur. So I'm going to spruce up a bit around here. I wasn't going to blog about the sad state of my house at first. Not because I don't love you all, but because I secretly want everyone to believe that my house is beautifully put together and everything is always perfectly in it's place. That's just not so. We live in our house. My kids play here, my dogs shed here, sneaky snakes find their way in, we track in sand from the beach and dirt from the garden, and I love it. And I know that most of my friends live in their houses too. So. I'm going to show you my not-so-perfect house and my endeavors to make it more beautific. No, really, that's a real word. Beautific. Doesn't it just roll off your tongue?

Since I'm not a bajillionaire I'm going to go slowly as time and my budget allows. I'll try to remember to take "before" pictures and not just skip straight to the "better" pictures. I'm starting with the guest/kids' bathroom. I decided on a chic, underwater, mermaid, sea creature theme. It's going to be so much fun! I can't wait to share all of my projects. So far my list includes a seashell mirror, new shower curtain, tentacles wall hooks and some art. Be sure to let me know what you think as I go! That way I don't do anything too crazy when the clevers attack. Hopefully.

So here goes. Here is my "before" picture of the small hall bathroom. 

 Hmm, wish I had thought of closing the toilet seat before right this minute. Oh, and the drawer.

Any ideas?

New Projects.

Hey there! I just wanted to share some pictures of my latest projects with you all. I'm having a lot of fun and keeping myself all kinds of busy! I recently reorganized my sewing area and sorted through most of the fabric in the china hutch. My plan is to systematically go through and finish all of the already started projects before allowing myself to buy any. More. Fabric. That's only because this is the only way for me to store. More. Fabric. Do you see where this is leading yet? That's right, More. Fabric. 

Yep, another attack of the clevers bites the dust. Anyhow, back to the pictures. 

baby quilt

I love these colors!

soon to be needle case

As of yet I have the following in various stages of completion:

Quilt for Kaitlyn I finished the top for a long time ago, in 1999, who cares anyway? 

Origami flower quilt

Turkey wall hanging

Dress for Chickadee

Romper for Gus

Renae's Quilt

I have plenty of other projects planned but not started yet. I do hereby solemnly with a somewhat straight face, swear to diligently work only on the projects that I already purchased supplies for. Unless I need more supplies to finish the project. Or just more supplies.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Holy Macaroni!

Whoa! I can't believe that I've let a month go by with no new post! Wow! Time sure flies around here. In my own defense I have been a teeny, tiny bit busy. With the big trip to Ohio to visit family, Aaron leaving for the other side of the world, taking care of the kids, the house, the garden, the dogs and the spotty internet connection. (Why, cruel internet service provider, can't you just let me have one whole, uninterrupted hour of internet?) Phew. 

I have been meaning to post. I've been composing long, eloquent, humorous blog posts in my head at random times during the day. The only problem is that my thoughts aren't remotely transmitted to blogger instantaneously. Including the fabulous pictures (which never turn out quite so well in real life.) Finding a quiet moment to sit at the computer and write has been difficult. And not just because of the guilt I feel about the piling up laundry and dirty bathrooms. It's more because it's in these quiet moments that I'm not too busy to think about everything going on. When I'm busy I don't have to think about my mom still being in the hospital. After more than four months. My poor dad staying there with her. Going to work at 3am so he can be at the hospital from 9am-9pm, sleep a few hours and get up and do it again. Aaron deploying, again. Katie dealing with his deployment, again. (She asked in her very first email to him if he was hurt. We had just dropped him off.) And possibly the worst news of all. My grandmother has lung cancer. Stage 3. 20% survival rate. It's killing me. It's killing me because she's my very best friend. She's always there for me. Always. I can talk to her about anything. And she knows me better than me. She's been witness to my most unbearable mistakes and my greatest joys. And it's killing me to not be there with her every second through this. She's not supposed to be around the babies and I couldn't not be here to see Aaron off. We're heading down there next weekend. Don't tell her doctor that I'm letting her hold her great-grandkids as much as she wants. So please, say a prayer for us. I could really use it right now.