link to a give away

So, I can be one of the most frugal people you've ever met. I have spent the last 2 years struggling with guilt over the decision of whether or not to drop some good money on a quality made camera bag. So when I saw another give away for the bag, I had to do everything I could to have a chance :)
Head on over the Tatertots and Jello and have a look see...

subtlety.....

I came upon this poem today. I have seen one of her other poems and I love who very raw she is with her heart. "Subtlety was never my specialty." AMEN!! I am that person who cries in public as well. I hope you enjoy....

and mother nature laughed in my face.....

A lovely spring blizzard.... how thoughtful. Its just what I wanted. Mother Nature heard my taunting post and delivered us a lovely pile of 12 inches of snow. The snow plows were working like mad to clear the roads. Our alley, on the other hand, was not a priority until late in the day. So all of this excitement earned me a snow day from work. B and I watched Rob shovel out the sidewalk and steps. I brewed extra pots of coffee. Libby, being her usual agreeable self, let B love the begezus out of her.


Feeling guilty for staying home, I cleaned, sorted and boxed up piles of give away stuff from our craft room. One of the things that digs at me is the pile of old stock from when I would sell patchwork clothes at festivals. So the pile of dusty never worn clothes have been hauled out and I'm cutting and reconstructing into new fresh pieces. It's been far too long since I put anything up on etsy. Feels so good to see boxes disappearing from the corners of our catch all room. I think I lived in denial all these years, not realizing just how much stuff we had accumulated and held onto simply because we had the space. I'm an avid thrift storer. If it were an Olympic sport, I'd probly compete. Looking at all of this stuff that is heading right back, it helps to remind me to only bring home what we really need. Watching Hoarders helps too. hahaha. One mention of that show and nearly everyone I know can name at least one person in their life with a hoarding problem. I'm glad to say some of my biggest thrills lately are when Rob tells me what old furniture was swooped up today from our freecycle posts or when we get a load of boxes in the car and dropped off at St. Vinnies. Now I just need to add Etsy to the mix and I'll be a happy girl.
Speaking of happy girl, thank you Jesus for holding off on the blizzard until the day after our weekly milk delivery. Filling this carrier with the empties gives me a giddy little joy each week. Emptying those bottles and running around with the carrier makes B a happy girl. And knowing we are supporting the local dairy farmers makes Rob and I feel all warm and fuzzy. We are blessed.

Signs of spring

You know its been a long winter, when you look into the yard and see a big white thing in the yard and you think someone threw a garbage bag on your lawn. Then you look closer and realize that it is a pile of snow... that the yard is more grass than snow. I can not wait!!! But I feel really guilty thinking it because it happens like this every winter. 2 years ago, I was giddy with the knowledge that I was to have a baby in a couple weeks and loving the buds on the lilac tree. I thought I would be barefoot in the back yard any day. Then along comes the weekend she was born, and we get socked with a small blizzard. So I hope Mother Nature doesn't have a sick sense of humor and send me another blanket of cold and wet.

So here is to driveways that are snow free!! Bridget is a big fan. She is also a fan of her boots. They are about 2 or 3 sizes too big. But don't tell her that unless you want a kick in the shin. I made her this dress at least a year ago. Children's patterns always frustrate me with their sizing. I think this guy was stated to be for a 12 month old. B is just now able to fit it and will definitely be in this for a while to go yet.

It is a dress from Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones. While I didn't think I was a fan at first, now that she is big enough to fit it, I dig it. Especially with leggings and her chunky boots. I am determined to get to my sewing machine more often. Part of our massive "empty out the basement" project is me either donating or finishing projects that I have horded down in the original sewing space. Plus, spring is on its way. We deserve new dancing skirts and little dresses.

holding pattern

It's always strange when you're in that holding pattern just before a change. Or atleast what you've prayed to change. Maybe it's presumptive for me to assume change is around the corner. Until the unknowns start moving, I'm doing my best to create or stimulate change around me. Long ago I put some stuff up on etsy but then lost any free time thanks to my job. So I'm delving back in and trying to decide which mediums to hone in on. My first start is an homage to our beloved Nashville. I thought I would share a look at our work table. I have loads of tshirt ideas but I wonder if Etsy's tshirt market is saturated enough already.

This is how I feel inside waiting to see what the next year or two has instore for us.

And I thought the progression of these shots were funny. She is obsessed with the computer keyboard so we bought a $2 keyboard at Salvation Army and I cut off the cord so B could have her own to "work" on. She hauls it around the house with the old cordless phone. I told Rob, I might start to worry if she includes a coffee cup under her arm. Basicly, here is my work day...
9am... coffee is flowing and I'm wide awake

noon.... more phone calls, more complaints, and I'm starting to fade....

5 oclock and I'm still not going home anytime soon... ready to pull a Costanza and hide under my desk.

Ugga Mugga & Happy Birthday babe!

Oh if only every day could be like today.... No worries, just soaking up eachother and laughing. Happy Birthday to my sweet wonderful best friend!!!! Thanks for rolling with the punches. Thanks for taking another huge leap of faith with me. Thanks for taking a chance with a daydream prone nanny from Seattle. I hope you know that B and I are the luckiest girls on this planet. Thanks for trying on granny wigs with us at the thrift store. Here are some of my highlights from the week...

insanity....

Insanity, as it has been described to me many times, is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. If this is true, I'm nuttier than trail mix. Seriously, lock me up in that padded room cuz I think I've been on this hamster wheel for so long that I forgot what I was running for. The last few days have had a cloud of despair hovering over me. The kind of cloud that you know there isn't any kind of immediate solution beside pray for some sort of healing touch from above to alleviate some of that funk. And I swear, I just got some sort of an answer..... I've been fighting to maintain the very thing I don't want. This job, this house, this unhealthy body, this town..... the fact that it feels like we've let the day to day survival things build up a brick wall to make me forget that I had very different dreams for our family. Dreams that involved living in a community, living closer to nature, living my life for my family and not for the job that I thought held me hostage. In the midst of this revelation, tears streaming down my face while I'm asking God to show me where he wants me, I hear my little girl call out gently "Aww huney.... come 'ere." She puts her arms out and waves me in. And in that instant, I have my reason for living right there wiping away the tears and patting my cheeks and kissing my eyes. Thanks little B. So, the problem isn't solved... but its reminding me to keep close the only 2 things that I really need to keep safe. The rest, well the rest needs some major changes.