All wet.. and happy!

Need I say more?

My husband and I decided that since we are about to move our family to the middle of America.. far away from the ocean.. the kids needed to see the Pacific for one last time. So, me, the brave and fearless mother that I am.. brought them for a 4 day weekend.. by myself.

Yesterday we went to Sea World.. it was only my youngest son's first time and boy did we have a blast. The best part of course was Shamu! We sat in the "Soak Zone" and did we get soaked!!!!

I didn't use my zoom on any of these photos.. it was so awesome to be this close.

One funny "ah ha" kid comment though that I need to share. My kids have both seen the ocean more than once in their lives.. but this was the first time we drove along the Pacific Coast Highway for any length of time. We had an hour long trip down to Sea World.. and you could pretty much see the Pacific the entire way. So after about 20 minutes - my youngest says to his older brother "Dude! Did you know the ocean was THIS big??!!"

It had never dawned on me that he didn't grasp the enormity of it all this time... and he still doesn't. lol

Today we are hitting the beach and also - one quilt store. I can't travel all the way here and not go to atleast one quilt store. It wasn't easy finding one that was open on a Sunday and easy for me to get to. I'll be sure to let you know what kind of stash I find at the quilt store!

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40 years ago TODAY....

A family secret was born. Yes.. 40 years ago today, someone in our family delivered a set of twins. But for reasons unknown - they were seperated - yet raised by other members of the family. They were even told they had different birthdays, one a year ahead of the other, to throw them off. They went to the same schools.. lived in the same community.. spent holidays together.. play together at family gatherings.. giggled and played tag.. all those things that regular cousin's do.

Well.. ok.. we don't know if that's actually true. BUT it is our theory.. Bobbi and Me. Why else would we have so many things in common? I'm serious.. the similarities are unbelieveable sometimes. When something funny or interesting happens.. she's the one I talk to. We chat every.single.day! And I truly don't know what I would do without her.

She is the kindest.. most generous person I know. She loves me even when I can't "let it go" when trying to prove my point.. she treats my children like they are her own.. We laugh til it hurts ALL.THE.TIME!!!

There isn't a thing in the world that could change my mind either.. nothing she could do or say that would make me love her any less!!

(since it would take me too long to dig for a picture of her and this post wouldn't be there when she get's up.. here is her favorite flower instead.. Gerber Daisy's)

Happy Birthday Bobbi Jo!!! I hope this day (and decade) is better than the one before!

Now go on over to Crafty Vegas Mom and wish that old bag a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!! Pin It

Sloppy Joe.. slop sloppy joe...

With moving on my horizon - I haven't been sewing as much as I want. But the kids need to eat.. so I can't escape cooking! I thought I would share a simple recipe for a quick and easy meal. And who doesn't like Sloppy Joe's?

You will start with
1 1/2 lbs hamburger
salt/pepper
onion (optional) I use dehydrated onion but fresh is fine too.

Brown all that in a pan.

Once complete add the following:
1 cup of Ketchup
1 cup of Coke

Yeah.. that's it. Just Coke and Ketchup! Allow to simmer for 20 minutes or so.. they will cook down and thicken.

Grab a bag of chips, shred some cheddar and whaalaah... dinner done!

If you try this recipe - let me know what you think!

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Teacher Delivery

I finished the quilt for Mrs Curtis this morning.. so my little one could deliver it to her before school.

I tried something new - fusible batting. Have you ever tried it before? I did NOT like it! I don't remember the brand - but I bought it from Joanns. It had way more loft than I like and frankly, it didn't fuse well at all. If I had more time - I would have ripped the quilting out and re-basted with some of my favorite "Warm n' Natural".

We wrapped it up and my son made her the cutest little card. He was so anxious to give it to her this morning. I'll be seeing her in a couple hours when I pick him up - I'm sure there will be tears from both of us. We will truly miss her! She is a wonderful teacher!

Now.. here is my favorite self portrait.. his hair makes me smile!

This is a little boy in my son's class who happens to have autism. He's super sweet and my son talks about him all the time.

Early in the school year - we had issues because my little "class clown" realized that Roman likes to repeat things. So my fiesty little boy would say things to get Roman going. Well, his teacher and I came up with a plan to hopefully put an end to it.. and it worked. My son loves to be a helper (like most kids) so his teacher made him Roman's personal "helper". He walks Roman to the learning center.. helps him with his backpack everyday.. and pats and rubs his back during school assemblies to keep Roman calm.. and so much more.

In the end - it created an awesome friendship... and taught my son a valuable lesson at the same time. He looks out for Roman and his Mom thanked my son this past Friday at their class party! He was pretty proud of himself. He told me that he's going to miss Roman when we move.. and I'm sure Roman will miss him too! Pin It

Winner.. Winner...

We have selected two winners from the Friday Night Sew-in participants....

The lucky person over here is #106 - Tiffany from A Fabric Affair

Congratulations Tiffany!! Email me your address and I will get the following goodies in the mail to you! (sorry about picture quality.. I used my cell phone since I have a 6 yr old begging for attention and this was quicker)

If you haven't been to Bobbi's blog to see who the other winner is.. head on over there now and see who random.org selected for her!

I'm off to swim with my little monkey! (for the 2nd time today) Pin It

My Friday Night Results

I have been looking at a lot of your blogs and pictures today and let me just say WOW! So much was completed on Friday Night. Way to go!!

I wasn't as productive as I had hoped. I was REALLY in the mood too!! I was working on some Corduroy bags that a friend requested and I finished one of three.

The exterior is black corduroy - wide wale and the interior is from the Cotton Blossoms line from Moda. One of my all time favorite lines of fabric.

I was getting ready to start bag # 2.. but then.. my older sister called. She lives in North Dakota and we talked for an hour.. by the time we hung up I had lost my sewing mojo. 

But I did manage to get bag #2 cut and pellon attached so it's ready to assemble when I have some free time.

(orange fab is also from Cotton Blossoms)

If you love these bags.. check out Bobbi's Tutorial on how to make them.

Come back later today to see who the winners are for the Giveaway.. Bobbi and I will announce once we connect and coordinate using Random Number generator. Pin It

Get ready.... get set...

SEW!!!!

It's time for another fun and production Friday Night Sew-In. Bobbi (my cousin cohost) and I are so ready for tonight! I have some commission projects that I must finish and this is the motivation I need to get them done.

We have quite a few "first timers" tonight - that's very exciting. I hope you all get hooked on the virtual motivation like the rest of us. Sometimes after a long day of doing everything we do (without complaint.. mostly).. we just want to collapse into a soft chair - but not tonight! We will gather in spirit and check some of those projects off the To Do list.

If you haven't signed up for the Friday Night Sew-In, what are you waiting for??!!! Click HERE and commit to yourself!

And.. since it's not a post without pictures.. here are some pretty pics of my flowers on my back patio.

"See" you all very soon! Don't forget to share on your own blogs and/or on Flickr. We will draw 2 winners on Sunday from all who participated! I can't wait to surf this weekend and see what you all worked on. Pin It

Forgive me bloggers... for I have

.. been absent. And yeah.. I'm sure I sinned a time or two. But that's not what this post is about - if you want those juicy details... you'll have to call me.

Anyway - I am working on a teacher gift for this Friday. This is for a teacher that has taught both my boys and we love her. I don't think I could explain to you how much we love her. Besides the fact that she's an awesome teacher.. she's special to me for another reason. I'll quickly tell you why.

My oldest son has an August birthday - he made the "age cutoff" for Kindergarten by 3 days. And me, as a young foolish and fairly new parent (heavy on the foolish), thought "My kid is bright and he's smart enough to keep up with all those older kids.. I'm going to enroll him". So - for the first 3 weeks or so of Kindergarten, he was only 4 yrs old. That was a decision that I will regret for years to come!!!! So to all you young mothers out there - don't be eager to enroll your brilliant child in school - WAIT if you can!!!!

We weren't lucky enough to have this awesome teacher - we were at a different school and had a BAD TEACHER!!! I thought things were going along just fine.. I walked into my VERY FIRST Parent/Teacher Conference.. eager to hear how bright and sweet and funny MY CHILD was!! Instead the teacher kept saying over and over how small he was.. and he's just so immature.. and she even had the guts to show disgust for his table manners!!!!  (She was a mother to a 2 year old little girl).

I walked out of there in TEARS.. cried all the way home!!!!! That was a teacher who shouldn't be in the classroom!!!

Needless to say - we happened to move and he started 1st grade at our current school - and Mrs Curtis was his 1st Grade teacher. She fell in love with him - she says that both our boys remind her of her own son.

SO - with all that said (not so quickly).. My youngest now has her for Kindergarten and he loves her too. Since this is the last child of ours that she will teach - I went a little overboard on her end of year teacher gift.

I got this idea for a quilt from "Carly of Quiltville". I had all the kids in my son's class (and Mrs Curtis) do a self portrait on fabric.

Here is the quilt top - I'm going to finish this week and I will show you more pictures when it's done. 

Have you ever had a 'bad' teacher - who probably shouldn't be in the classroom? Or a super awesome teacher that you wish your child could have year after year? Pin It

A nice Touch...

I made this cover today for my iTouch...

It's a first attempt.. I'm going to try it again and make a few improvements. I don't have the headphones plugged in - but there is a hole at the bottom for the cord and a pocket on the back side to tuck the headphones in while not in use.

Have you ever made one? Or do you know of a good tutorial? I'd love to see it. Pin It

Super SImple Burp Cloths

In the past I have made baby burp cloth's using cloth diapers.. I do love them and they are easy to make - BUT I found something that I like even more.

Not only that.. but the new burp cloth's are cheaper to make.. and quicker. I used the tutorial from Shaina and I decided to use my left over flannel from the quilt I made for my friend. I added these to the gift.

You only need fabric and some chenille.. so simple and super cute at the same time! My favorite combination (simple and super cute).

Here is a link to Shaina's Tutorial.. she has some really cute samples too. Careful if you go to her blog.. cuz you're going to fall in love with her little baby Kimble! Pin It

Winners!!!

Happy Thursday!! The winners have been selected using random # generator... and they are....

#32 Kim from Kim's Kreations - you are the lucky winner of the flannel!! 

and..

#17 Sara from Life at the Covered Bridge - you won the "Recipes in a Jar" books.

Congrats to both winners!!!! Send me your mailing address and I'll get this in the mail to you.

AND... to all who didn't win.. don't fret - I have a feeling there will be more of these as I go through my sewing room. I can't move it all. Pin It

impromptu GIVEAWAY!!!!!

The husband and I have been working in the garage all morning.. going through boxes and boxes of stuff that we never unpacked when we moved 5 years ago.

I came across a box of fabric from "back in the day" - and based on what was in there, this was before from when I was pregnant 11 yrs ago!!

And rather than move it across 10 (or so) States - I would rather stuff it all in a flat rate box and mail it to one of you.

Now keep in mind - this was before I understood the value in quilt store flannel. So this is all from JoAnns and/or Walmart. Still adorable.. and perfect for receiving blankets or burp cloths. There is a lot of yardage.

And... to a second lucky winner - I'll send these two books. They have recipes and instructions for layering recipes in jars. I'm sure you've seen them before. The books are a little bent from being in a box for the last decade.. but otherwise in perfect shape.

To Enter - Just leave a comment... that's it... no extra hoops to jump thru. Giveaway ends Thursday morning at 6am Pacific Time.

Now I'd better get back to the garage before the husband comes looking for me. Pin It

May Friday Night Sew-In and a Giveaway!

Finally - the sign up for the May Friday Night Sew-In. Bobbi and I have set the date for May 21st. Hopefully that works for everyone who wants to participate!

If you are new to the FNSI - here is how it works.

1. Enter your blog info below. **If you don't have a blog - you can enter the Flickr group link as your URL.

2. Make a post on your blog - letting all your readers know about the sew-in. Spread the word.. we could all use the virtual sewing support and encouragement.

3. On Friday – 05/21/10 - Get your house settled, put on your comfy jammies.. maybe make a cup of tea.. and sit down to work on some of those projects (or anything else that you want to work on.. maybe you want to knit.. or catch up on scrapbooking).

4. Then, sometime on Saturday - Make a post about what you worked on.. show us a picture or two on Flickr.

And finally - on Sunday 5/23, we will enter all participants into a GIVEAWAY for something fun! Maybe some fabric.. or a sewing gadget or two. Bobbi and I both pick winners - so you each will have 2 chances to win!!

Friday Night Sew-in Participants

1. Bobbi - crafty vegas mom 2. Erin 3. Cornelia 4. Kristen @ beautifulordinary 5. Polly 6. lisa 7. jane 8. Krista - Poppyprint 9. kwiltmakr 10. Lisa 11. Joy N. 12. Pam in Texas 13. Cara 14. Patty 15. georgie 16. Jamie 17. Deanna 18. Susan 19. Crystal 20. Celine 21. Carol L. 22. Rachel 23. Kay Lynne 24. Sandra 25. Jennifer 26. Dawn Burchett 27. Kim 28. Helen Koenig 29. Ashley 30. Meghan 31. Annie 32. Sue 33. Lis 34. Kerry 35. Maria 36. Amy

37. karen walker 38. Kim P. 39. Libby 40. Tammy 41. Debbie Semple 42. dawn 43. Bev C 44. Jacque. 45. Cleary Kipe 46. Joy P 47. Manuela 48. Marta 49. Valerie 50. Alice Grace 51. sshooey 52. Kate quilts... 53. Mary K. 54. abi @ lighter side 55. Lynne RidgeAndFurrow 56. SandyK 57. Melody 58. Karen W. in Fairfield OH 59. Erin 60. Annette @ Jindi's Cottage 61. Cheryl B 62. Lochside quilter Teresa 63. Madelyn 64. Tracey 65. Susan 66. Mrs Moen 67. Carbonated Creations 68. Joanne 69. Sunny 70. Rachel 71. Dolores 72. marie

73. Watermelon Diva !! 74. Satu 75. jamleft 76. Kirsten 77. Jill R 78. dianne 79. Melissa 80. Linda - Texas 81. michelle wholaver 82. Rene 83. Shelly 84. linda 85. Suzan 86. gardenpat 87. Jill M 88. Susan @ Blackberry Creek 89. Kristi 90. Sweet P 91. Carlotta 92. Angie @ Crafted Angles 93. Terry 94. CraftyMaineMom 95. Farm Girl Stitching 96. CJ 97. cityquilter 98. Wendy in New Brunswick, Canada 99. Stephanie@sandandstarfish 100. Kathleen Y 101. GigiElle 102. Janet 103. Crystal F 104. Jane 105. Kim in Pokeytown 106. Tiffany 107. Becky 108. Cheryl

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