Happy Thanksgiving

Hehe... not sure how to start the post...

So I'll start in the middle. (I'm a complicated gal.)

I've had boring appointments, taken the kids to the dr a couple of times and had a trip to the DMV. Exciting stuff. The DMV by far was the best experience. I had to renew my license (two months late, oops). I was in and out in 20 minutes. They asked me if I'd like to renew for four or 8 years. Me being the laziest person in the world, chose the eight year renewal. So I'm good until 2022. Is that a real year? SERIOUSLY??? 2015 is hard for me to comprehend and it's only a little over a month away. That was a shock to the system.

Update on my CI (Cochlear Implant) upgrade- I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!! It only took a few days for it to feel like a favorite pair of shoes. Very few issues to be tweeked and music sounds so much better now. I've also been using a gadget called a ComPilot, which works with both hearing aids and CI's. I can pair it via bluetooth to my smart phone and I can listen to music and answer phone calls. (I don't answer phone calls except my dad. Yick. Phones. Don't love them. Text me!) I've never been able to use headphones well, so the Compilot has been fun for music. Overall I'm super happy with the upgrade, it was well worth the struggle with insurance.

Market is keeping me busy. I've had several custom orders over the last few weeks, as well as several sales. I'm all out of king and queen quilts so it's slim pickings lately. I've got lots in the works but time is not on my side. Sometimes I feel like I can work non stop for days with not much to show for it. Other weeks I'll have a ton of finishes (and few pictures because again, I'm a complicated gal!)


I bought this book...


I'm a big Nancy Z fan. If my mom didn't teach me, Nancy Z probably did. I remember being in about 3rd grade and watching her show for the first time on PBS. I remember seeing her and asking my mom why she looked the way she did. It wasn't an insult, I was young and genuinely curious. My mom explained that Nancy had Bell's Palsy and that she was just as normal as she and I were, she just looked a little different.

I remember my mind sort of went *BAM!*I was literally mind blown. Here was a nice lady, with a slight imperfection, on national TV. She wasn't embarrassed or shy about it. She didn't try to hide it. It was there and that was so cool to me. At the time I was trying to hide my hearing aids to fit in. I didn't know anyone else that was deaf.I realized she probably didn't know anyone else with Bell's Palsy either. She didn't need to fit in, instead, she made her own place. In my book, she rocked. I started learning to sew about that time and Nancy continued to inspire me to this day.

Back to the book! The pictures and directions are spot on, and I love her take on modern quilting. Lately I've been really feeling the mod quilting vibe but I haven't jumped in quite yet. I think I may have to start with the "heartbeat" quilt and get my feet wet. I'll let you know how it goes.

I'll see yall later, have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Funky Friday

What a week huh? I'm sure it's been as busy for you as it has for us.

Good news- I've received my cochlear implant processor upgrade!

Bad news- I have to get it programmed and that won't happen until Tuesday.

Good news- I'll be able to hear better and I can even get my implant wet!

Bad news- My current processor broke. Communication is hard.

Good news- I've got closed captions and a patient family.

Bad news- I can't go to market tomorrow.

Good news- Paul is going for me!

Bad news- Microwave broke.

Good news- I have a stove.

Bad news- my kids don't use the stove.

Good news- We got a new printer!

Bad news- Need a new laptop.

Good news- ITS FRIDAY YALL!!!!!!!!!!

<3

me

Wacky Week!

When you have a family as large as ours, the good and the bad come fast and furious. We've learned to roll with the punches and make the best of it, even on our worst days.

Read on after the break!

Sunday in the sun!

And welcome to homeownership!

This is what I woke up to this morning. I didn't even see it at first! I went to take a look at the tomato plants and I thought, "hmm.., that tree looks deader than usual..." Then I realized it was actually laying on the roof. The tree had split off about 4 feet up the trunk and was just hanging from the roof. Paul ended up climbing up to push the tree down and the fence got bent in the process. I'm glad it wasn't any bigger than it was! The roof wasn't damaged so we're safe there. The fence will need a little mending. I think we'll just get the tree chopped up and use it in the fire pit.

However! Piece of unasked for advice- If you have a dead tree in the yard, get rid of it before it falls on it's own. The damage and repairs could be much more stressful than getting someone in to fell a tree! This tree was actually on my neighbor's property line but since it's so close to us, we're just going to deal with it. No harm, no foul.

Later in the day we took the kids to their grandfather's house today for a swim and burgers on the grill. I think they stayed in the pool for a good 3 hours straight. Bedtime should be easy peasy tonight. Catfish is crazy about the water. His nickname fits him perfectly! Even with just 2-3 inches of water in the tub he can make a huge mess. When he saw the pool today his eyes got huge and you could just see his little brain working... "This. Is. The. Biggest. Bathtub. EVER!!!!" By the time he got out he barely had the energy to eat. He was asleep in the van as soon as we left Grandpa's street.

Today was a nice chill day. Soon we'll be back in school, homeschooling and so many other big things changing around here. I'm looking forward to most all of it but I might need someone to remind me of that when I'm in the middle of all the chaos!

Much love!!!!

The red dress

Don't get me wrong, I love making quilts. There are a bajillion trillion patterns I haven't tried yet, still waiting on my "to do" list. Buuuut.... A few weeks back I was looking at my fabric stash and I thought, "I want to sew something different." And I realized I have this DARLING 4 year old baby girl that had almost zero mama made dresses. So I decided I would sew not just one, but TWO dresses at a time. So she'll have one and since she doesn't have a twin, I'll sell one also!

So without further ado (ok, hang with me here. Just a little more ado!) The first shop dress, in red polka dots.

I love simple, easy to wear styles. Aralyn loves all things dressy and all things polkadots, so this dress was a hit! The arms and neck have a bias trim, and a simple bow closure makes getting in and out a snap. The dress is fully lined and perfect for a size 4-5. Pair this dress with your favorite longsleeve tee and leggings for super adorable fall wear!

Want it? Get it here in my shop.

Thanks for stopping by. :)

The Farmer's Market is back in full swing!

Yesterday the Farmer's market was opened for the first time this year. I wasn't as prepared as I had planned to be but you know how that goes... plans, smans. Babies, family, LIFE sometimes has to take priority over goals and plans. I did have a few new things but boy oh boy was it a reality check when I hung my sparse collection of quilts! On the other hand, it felt really good to know that almost every single thing I made last year sold almost immediately!

Here's a peek of my booth. It's not much but it's a "preview" of things I want to add to the booth as well as more quilts. I know, I know... you can stop rolling your eyes now... I know I don't need more things to do, but sometimes I need some downtime between quilts. It's fun to switch back and forth between small projects and larger ones, so yes, I NEED to do this! Like I said before, my quilts are SPARSE!!

I can't tell you how much I LURRRRVE the wreaths. Gosh they make me happy! I'm not a huge Valentine's Day fan (the hubs is way awesome about showing me mad love every day, so we really don't need a special day) but this is just so... awwwwwww!

Here's a close up of another wreath I made, same burlap just a slightly different bow and hanging on me very own front door. It's probably not going to come down for a good, long while, I love it THAT much.

I don't love my front door. Hopefully It will be making a huge change soon, because EWWWW. It's poopoo brown, painted and that glass is a weird dirty shade. It's impossible to whiten it, so blah. *Maybe* with tax refund $ we'll be able to change it. Maybe. I hope. Pray for my door yall! ;)

I'm rambling so I'm going to wrap this up. I hope yall are having a wonderful Sunday! If you're in the south we've got some beautiful weather going on. No jacket required today! WOOT! (Yes we had the ice storm last week. Yes it was really bad. Yes you can make fun of us but only if you've been down here during an ice storm!)


Much love.


Kristy

My Zen 2014

“When walking, walk.  When eating, eat.”
~Zen Proverb

This is something I've struggled with for most of my life. I often find myself rushing though one project or activity in order to move on to the next. We live in such fast paced, instant gratification culture, where success is based on how much we've accomplished vs how we've appreciated the journey to those accomplishments. It's no wonder many of us don't stop to really think about what we're doing as we do it.

Deep breath, smile, keep the seam ripper handy and enjoy the journey.