Excuse me.. I have a lot to say today.

Before I get to some news I need to hop up on my soapbox and have a "moment".

If you have been with me awhile you may remember this post when I was laid off my job 1 1/2yrs ago. During this time we moved across country closer to family which I told you about in this post. The move had been planned way before I lost my job.

I had planned on quitting as our move got closer - but was instead blessed with a nice severance package and unemployment insurance. Two things I wouldn't have had otherwise.

Now as most of you are aware, the economy here in the US is horrible and jobs are scarce. As I searched for a job - we started to realize how bad things have gotten in the job market. It was looking bleak and we lost sleep thinking about it.

And since we had no idea if or when I would ever be able to find a job in my career field, my husband and I worked to stretch our savings to the ends of the Earth.. Much farther than we ever thought we would need to. And we learned that the security blanket we had may not be large enough at times like this. But, at the same time, we also counted our blessings.

One of those blessings is my husbands job. Unlike some people suffering - he has an excellent job and makes a good living. And for that we are thankful!

But at the same time we had to pull our family together. And, along with our children, we learned the true meaning of a "want" vs a "need".

And knowing that times like this can be scary for kids - we continued to assure them that even though they may not get what they want - they would always have what they need! And explained that this way of thinking was their parents being responsible for their future rather than indulging them in their present.

During this time we have seen a change in our kids. They are more aware and they also have a whole new level of appreciation that I'm proud to see. They aren't perfect by any means.. Let's be real, if I took them out today and offered to buy the hottest toys - they'd take em! But the foundation is there and its a good start.

We have asked ourselves - when they are grown and in college, will they remember how many gifts they received for their birthday or Christmas 2011?? UM NO! I bet if we asked them - they probably don't remember what they got last year!! But they will remember having a secure upbringing and a paid for education!!

And I'm sure some of you may have noticed a slow down of fabric and projects for me. Unfortunately, fabric falls into the "want" category. I know... I know.. Its a fine line. But it had to be drawn.

So with all that said - I'm happy to say that after hard work and a lot of prayer, I have finally found a job in my career field. I will be a Systems Analyst in Clinical Research beginning in July. YAY!!!!

But our family has pledged to ourselves that we will continue our new way of thinking. And we won't save for a rainy day.. But rather for rainy YEARS!!

And we will continue to pray for other families who are suffering along with families who think "that won't happen to us! We have a savings and we have secure jobs". Because guess what.. Your savings needs to last longer than 6 months and no job is secure in these troubled times. It's getting worse.. not better. Let's not fool ourselves people!

And now I will step down from the soapbox. If you are still reading.. thank you for listening to me.

But before I let you go.. I want to say that I will be taking a little blogging break. Not a long one though - I will be back for the July Friday Night Sew-In on July 22nd. (July also happens to be the 2 year anniversary of the FNSI and Bobbi and I are planning a celebration to mark the milestone. So stay tuned)

During this small break from the blog I am planning to maximize my time as a "stay at home mom" and focus 100% on my boys and my home before I become a working mom again!

I appreciate all of you and love having this blog. I read each and every comment! Enjoy your summer, or winter for you across the equator, and I will see you in a month!

Hugs,

Heidi

I'm a slacker

Yes... I'm a slacker this month. I admit it. I cleaned and organized my sewing room this FNSI. But it really needed it. The inspiration actually came from my husband. He found the perfect organizer for me and brought it home last week.

I can't show you a picture yet... But soon.

And I want to thank Bobbi for doing all the work this month in the middle of her busy world right now!! And if you haven't been over to www.craftyvegasmom.blogspot.com yet to see who the winner is.... Go check it out.

I have some news to tell you about tomorrow too! So enjoy your Sunday... And I'll see you tomorrow.

The Apron Winner!

The winner, selected via random.org, of the Shabby Apple Apron is.....

Comment #5  The Vegetarian Hunter said...

"Love the print on this apron! Thanks for the chance to win it =)"

Congratulations! It's such an awesome looking apron! Send me your information and I will pass it along to The Shabby Apple!

Also.. Don't forget that tonight is the June Friday Night Sew-In!! Are you ready? Have you already started? I hate to admit it.. but I probably won't be sewing tonight. My sewing room is in desperate need of some TLC.. so I'm committing to getting it organized! But hey, that counts!

It's time for a GIVEAWAY!!!

Have you ever heard of the "Shabby Apple"? They are an adorable online clothing boutique and I'm hooked on their stuff! They have women's  dresses for every occasion. And we all know it's graduation / wedding season!

Their line of fitness clothes are so feminine.

And if I was pregnant - I would be scooping up their maternity dresses! Very chic!

Well because it's summer.. and because all my readers are the best - I've partnered with Shabby Apple to giveaway an apron to one lucky reader. But don't worry if you don't win because Shabby Apple has been kind enough to also offer a 10% discount to everyone for the next month! Just use handmadebyheidi10off when you check out!

Here is the apron...

I love the retro photo for such a modern apron!

To enter the giveaway - just leave a comment.

If you would like a 2nd entry - you can "Like" Shabby Apple on Facebook. Then come back and leave a 2nd comment letting me know you did.

The giveaway will end Thursday Night at Midnight. I will announce the winner Friday just in time for our Friday Night Sew-In.

Something pretty..

It's Lilac season... can you smell em? My entire house smells like Lilacs and it's intoxicating!

It makes a Quilter sad...

Have you ever been to a garage sale.. or a thrift store and seen handmade clothes or quilts? It seriously makes me sad when I see this. I always think about the person who made it.. and gave it as a gift.. thinking it would be treasured forever. But instead - it makes it's way to the donation/garage sale pile.

I found this quilt at a garage sale recently for $4. Yes.. only $4. It's a good size.. not huge but nice. It's made with all polyester..

even the back.

One thing about 100% polyester quilts.. although durable - they are not warm! I learned this the hard way when I brought this to a recent baseball game for my son. The wind was brutal and cold.. and it came right through this baby.

It reminds me of quilts that my grandma used to make. Her's were full of polyester and corduroy. Although her backings were either flannel or cotton which added the warmth factor.

So next time you go to a garage sale - or thrift store.. do a fellow quilter a favor and scoop up these treasures!

Signup for the June Friday Night Sew-In

The signup for the June 17th Friday Night Sew-In is here!!!

Bobbi, my cohost and cousin, from Crafty Vegas Mom has the signup on her blog this month. I know it can be confusing sometimes when we move it from Blog to Blog.. but just know that it is always on one of our blogs.

So what are you waiting for? Get over there and sign up! And say "Hi" to my cousin for me.. I moved 2,000 miles away and miss her dearly!

www.CraftyVegasMom.blogspot.com

Fair Trade?

A few months ago - one of my husband's coworkers approached me about making a trade.

She wanted to make me an Afghan in exchange for me to make some living room drapes for her.

I agreed..

then proceeded to procrastinate for months.. and months..

Well, the other day - my husband brought home the Afghan. So now the pressure is on for me to get these drapes finished!!

We love the Afghan.. it's heavy and warm.. and we have all been fighting over it. I think I definitely got the better end of this trade!

Our Garden...

We started our garden indoors back in April. This is our very first garden and we have already learned quite a few lessons.

I couldn't wait to get things in the ground because they were starting to take over my windows and I was tired of it.

 Our Tomato plants were BIG and getting tomatos already.

 First we had to scout the perfect spot. This was difficult because we have alot of hills and trees.

 Once we had it roped off - we the husband had to dig out the giant rocks.

 Then we rented a rototiller and broke ground!!

 Next we told the kids we would pay them 50 cents for every bucket of rocks they removed.

 Now I grew up in North Dakota which is just one state over - where the dirt is BLACK and full of nutrients. It's some of the best farm land in this country. But - up here in Northern Minnesota, the soil is sandy and full of rocks. So we had some good black ND dirt delivered...

 We spread it all around...

And this past weekend.. we planted. Being bent over and squatting all day has made me walk funny for days to come. But it's totally worth it!

 I planted my Cherry Tomato plants in pots up on the deck.. see them up there?

I also planted melons in these hanging planters.. can't wait for them to grow. The little tryke was something we found in the woods one day. Makes me wonder where it came from and how it ended up in the woods.

And this... this would be our offical waterer.. ready at a moment's notice!

Garden Rocks

We have been working away on our garden and it's finally planted! YAY!!!

We wanted to find a fun way to mark our plants.. and this is what we came up with.

First you need some rocks.. washed and dried.

Then you need some paint pens and a sealer. We used a "matte" finish for the sealer.

Next - start painting...

When they are completely dry, find a well ventilated spot to spray the sealer. We went outside to do this.

We applied 3 coats of the sealer.

Next - we decided to paint a large rock that we had dug out of the garden a few weeks back.

This one didn't turn out as good because our paint pens were starting to leak.. but we love it anyway.

Swap Fun

I have been participating in the Once a Season Swap for 2 seasons now. It's fun and for some reason.. both times.. I forget that I'm expecting a package too.

So yesterday, I stopped at the post office to pick up our mail since I hadn't been there in a week. And what did I find... A box for ME!!

All of these lovely little packages were wrapped..

My youngest asked if he could help unwrap.. I said "Sure". And soon he says "Ah man.. fabric.. ugh" and I said "YAY!!!"

This great book that has a ton of ideas for the holidays!

This sweet embroidered snowman picture...

A great little zipper pouch for sewing notions...

And this little tissue pouch and buttons. (Excuse the angle - I can't get the picture to stay turned for some reason)

Thank you Donna from http://donnaslavendernest.blogspot.com/! You are very generous and I love all of it!!

Baseball

Baseball has consumed my evenings lately with both boys playing on two different teams.....

These shoes have seen alot of dirt and dust these days...

There's nothing like watching your boys play ball...

And get a black eye from catching a popfly!

It's been a busy spring.

From Bad.. comes Good

Have you ever had your computer crash? And you weren't wise enough to have a backup?

Well, that's what I'm living through right now. My laptop is hopeless and I'm mourning all the data (pictures and documents) that I can not recover!!

With this hard learned lesson - I have been working on the family PC. I have many things on our regular PC that I don't want to lose.

Now this may sound like a daunting task - but it's actually been kinda fun. I've been looking at old pictures.. reminising of days when my boys were small. I came across a set of some of my favorite pictures of my youngest. He is now 7 years old.. but these are from when he was 3.

But - before I show you the pictures let me tell you something that you don't know about me. I have ALWAYS had a thing for firemen. Yes.. I know many of you are with me on this. I'm not sure what it is about them but I think it's a combination of many things. They have those sexy pants with the reflector stripe on the bottom.. they could rescue me from a fire.. and they also cook. SOLD!!

Now for the back story. When my little guy was 3 yrs old - I belonged to my neighborhood "Mom's Club". It's basically a group of Stay at Home Mom's who do things together. Like playdates, field trips etc. I must add that these women drove me NUTS! They were catty and judgemental and all they ever wanted to talk about were their kids. But being home with my kids all day.. watching "The Wiggles", I was usually starving for adult conversation. I wanted to talk about World events.. or politics.. not whether little Johnny wet the bed last night!

Anyway - back to the pictures. The Mom's Club organized a field trip to our local Firehouse. I'm pretty sure I moved Dr appts.. and cancelled a visit with the President to make sure I was free to go on this field trip!

Fireman Matt showed the kids the Fire Truck and also had my little guy try on his gear..

Not sure if you can tell - but my little guy is holding one of those sets of baby keys. My heart melted when I noticed that.

The gear is so heavy - Firefighter Matt had to hold him up so he wouldn't tip over. *sigh*

When was the last time you sat down and looked at old photos? I highly recommend it. It does the heart good.