A Package In the Mail...For ME....

Quote for the Day:

“Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them,

 is the true measure of our thanksgiving.”

~W.T. Purkiser

A little over a week ago, Angie over at Sew Scrappy Quilts held a giveaway and I won!  I was so excited because I've never won any of the giveaways that I've entered on quilting sites before.  So imagine my surprise when Angie contacted me and notified me that her dogs, Mr. Cooper and Miss Piper, had chosen MY name from the plastic grocery bag that all the names were put into!  

Okay...I'm really liking Miss Angie already!  First, she is unpretentious and resourceful by using a plastic grocery bag to hold the names of the entrants instead of some fancy-schmancy, high-faluton thing-a-ma-jig!  AND...her dogs are intelligently trained to select a name from the bag!  Okay!  What's not to love about this scenario???  :)

Anyway...today the package arrives in the mail!  I don't know about you, but packages in the mail rank right up there with Christmas in my book!  :)

Inside was this nice, neat pile...

OHHHH...be still my heart...

TWO half-yard panels and EIGHT coordinating fat-quarters!!!  It really IS Christmas!  :)  Or maybe this is a belated birthday present (April 21)!    :O

Panel 1...

Panel 2...

This will make a wonderful, fun baby quilt!  :)  Thank you, Angie for hosting this giveaway!  

BTW, you can reach Angie at www.schenleyparkdesigns.com!

I was going to show a close-up of the FQ's, but Picassa is telling me that I've reached my limit of "free" photo storage so I'm not sure what I'm going to do to be able to keep uploading pictures to my blog for free.  If anybody out in blogland has any suggestions, please let me know!  :)

Loretta

Organizing the Linen Closet...

Quote for the Day:
"There are two different kinds of people in this world:

 those who finish what they start, and....."
---Brad Ramsey 

Many moon ago I started this blog to ramble about many things, but also to keep myself accountable with some decluttering and organizing.  I haven't done any "projects" for a while now, but I knew that I HAD to do something with the linen closet because it's been "bugging" me for a while.  It's clutter that *I* knew was there even if it was contained behind a closed door.

I did a little research online for ideas how I could organize it and "pinned" some inspiration pictures on Pinterest to motivate me.

Yesterday, I pulled EVERYTHING out of the closet and started the process of sorting and organizing and today I finished the project...complete with pictures!  :)

Here is the "before" picture...

 

This closet it REALLY deep and stuff is just crammed in there!  :(

And here is the big reveal...the "after"...

I used rectangular laundry baskets for the sheets...organized according to size.  I tossed a LOT of old sheets and pillowcases...and could have downsized even more by getting rid of some more (I didn't realize how many sets we had for our bed).  However, because the sheets for our bed are fairly new, I decided to go ahead and save the newer ones and then just "downsize" by attrition when they wear out.  No more sheet buying for me for a LONG time!  LOL

The cardboard box on the very top shelf holds our beach towels and the basket above it holds the sheer and lace curtains that I pick up when thrifting.  :)  To the right of those are 2 space bags holding the mattress pads we use on the beds that we put up when company comes.  (Those beds do not stay up all the time because the extra bedrooms are where I sew and quilt.)  And on the left side of that shelf is a bag holding the couch covers that we used to cover the cushions when we had our dog.  Right now they aren't needed.

On the bottom shelf, I used a variety of baskets to hold pillowcases (embroidered in one, plain in another), cleaning cloths, and twin sheets.  Behind the baskets of pillowcases I lined up some of the smaller purses I wanted to keep.  (I only change my purse about twice a year, but I like to keep some small purses to take on vacation to carry just the essentials when shopping or sight-seeing.)  I felt safe in putting them towards the back since they don't get used much.

The bag on the floor towards the right holds a large roll of bubble-wrap.  The picnic basket in front of it holds those zippered plastic bags that linens come in.  I save those and use them for holding quilting projects, protecting quilts when mailing, etc., and a myriad of other uses.  The basket on the floor on the left is holding all my extra rugs.

Like I said, these shelves are VERY deep so I tried to avoid storing too much in the back because it just gets forgotten back there, which does us no good, anyway.  

Everything is labeled.  I could have gone all fancy-dancy making hand made labels, etc., like a lot of people do.  But I went the easy-peasy route...my trusty garage-sale-purchased label maker!  :)

Towels and washcloths are stored in the linen cabinet in the bathroom so that's why you don't see any here...just in case you were wondering!   :)

Loretta

Introducing..."Jim"...

Quote for the Day:

"Scratch a dog and you'll find a permanent job." 

~Franklin P. Jones

We have an overnight visitor this weekend and he will also be staying with us for several days next weekend, too.

May I introduce to you... Jim ...

Oh...wait a minute...he's got his nose through the banister guarding the upstairs from the evil that lurks downstairs!!!

Here he is...facing the camera...now that all evil downstairs has been banished and can no longer be a threat to those of us upstairs!  :)

His name is "Jim" and is a 5 year old rat terrier.  He is the adorable service dog to my friend that is hearing impaired.  He tells her when someone is at the door, and I think he also tells her when her phone is ringing...but I'm not positive about the phone one...but I'm sure about the door. 

My friend and her husband had to go out of town overnight and they asked us to dog-sit for them.  I readily agreed!  They will be going for a longer trip next weekend and we will be keeping him during that time, too.

Jim is well behaved and loves to give affection and kisses.  :)  He has settled in well already and is seen enjoying Lady's old dog bed in the above pictures.  :)

It's good to have a dog in the house again...even if it is only for a short time.

Loretta

Happy Thursday...

Quote for the Day:

"Women are like cell phones. They like to be held and talked to,

but push the wrong button, and you'll be disconnected."

~Unknown

 

Here we are...we've made it to Thursday so far this week!  Sometimes that can be a major accomplishment! 

I was awakened early this morning by the sound of a pneumatic gun nearby.  :(    It appears as though one of the neighbors is having some home improvements done to the outside of their house...looks like a new roof and possibly new siding...and the construction sounds woke me up.  Arghhhh...

I don't have much for you today, except that I thought I'd share another book review with you all.  :)

I just finished reading "Silent Partner:  A memoir of my marriage" by Dina Matos McGreeevey.

The truth behind the lies.

It was an unforgettable scene. Dina Matos McGreevey, an attractive woman in her mid-thirties, wife, mother, and First Lady of the state of New Jersey, watched silently as her husband, then New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey, resigned his office with the revelation that he was a "gay American." The picture of grace and loyalty, perfectly composed in her pale blue suit, Dina Matos McGreevey gave no sign of the tangled mixture of fear, sorrow, and anger she felt that day, no hint of the devastation that was to come. Since then she has been asked repeatedly about the nature of her marriage, about what she knew and when she knew it. Since then, she has remained silent. Until now.

Speaking up at last, Dina Matos McGreevey here recounts the details of her marriage to Jim McGreevey. What emerges is a tale of love and betrayal, of heartbreak and scandal . . . and ultimately, hope.

It all began with so much promise. Dina Matos was a responsible and civic-minded young woman who fell in love with the passion of political action. When Jim McGreevey walked into her life, he appeared to be a kind and loving man, someone with whom she could build a life based on shared ideals, a strong spiritual commitment, and a desire to make a difference in the world. Beyond their initial chemistry, Dina Matos was attracted by Jim McGreevey's principles and his unwavering devotion to his work. She didnt know that his life, and thus their marriage, were built on a foundation of lies; that his past was littered with casual sexual encounters in seedy bookstores and public parks; or that, by his own admission, he began an adulterous affair with another man while she was in the hospital awaiting the birth of their child. "Could I have known," she asks "How could I have known"

With scalding honesty, she tells of her life with the former governor, of the politics and public service that brought them together, and the lies that tore them apart.

Here is a story of a marriage that was anything but happily-ever-after, told by a strong and resilient woman who can, and finally will, speak for herself.

This book was actually written in 2007, and from a Google search, I found that even more legal stuff has transpired between the couple since then.  But even with the "age" of the book, I still found the book to be a very interesting read.  In fact, I have already turned the book over to a friend to read!   (Most of my books these days are either ebooks or audiobooks, but this was a REAL book that I had picked up at Goodwill!) 

Thanks for stopping by...have a great day!

Loretta

 

A Weekend Get-Away...

Quote for the Day:

If in the last few years you haven't discarded a major opinion

or acquired a new one, check your pulse.  You may be dead.  

~Gelett Burgess

This past weekend Andy & I took a "mini" vacation and went away for a few days to the historic area of Shephardstown, WV.  This is a historical area associated with the Civil War and close to Antietam National Battlefield. 

Though we are not necessarily civil war "buffs", we are interested in history, and I think that's why we are so into antiques, vintage items, and old architecture. 

On Saturday we decided to take a day trip to Hagerstown, MD, about 20 miles away, to go "thrifting" so we hit the road bright and early!  On the way, we decided to take a side road to see where it led and ended up driving past Antietam.  We were going to stop on our way back by it after we turned around so that we could read the memorial plaques and look at the cannons on display, but ended up getting "lost" and never found our way back to Antietam.  

However, during our "lost" phase, we did drive past this and we just had to stop to get a closer look.  It is an old iron works that was built into the side of a hill.

Each of those archways is an "oven" where the fire was made that heated the metal so the smith could work it into whatever it was he was making.  Here is a close-up picture of one of the ovens...

This thing is HUGE!   The archway is easily 10-12 feet high!  And the "oven" area itself, there in the back, is probably 5 feet high.

There was no sign telling us the age of this structure, but it was near a railroad track that still runs through the area.  All I can say is that this was an amazing and impressive sight!

After getting "lost" on the back roads for a while, we finally made our way to Hagerstown with the help of "Jill", our GPS, and found some antique and thrift stores to visit.  After thrifting, we ate an early supper at Cafe del Sol in Hagerstown (excellent food, btw!!) before heading back to the motel in Shephardstown, WV, where we FORCED ourselves to stay awake till a normal bedtime!  LOL  We were EXHAUSTED...but in a good way...we had been out all day just enjoying the good weather, siteseeing, thrifting (our favorite sport), and even some good deals!

These are some the quilts that I found in the antique store that DIDN'T come home with me... 

 A BEAUTIFUL appliqued quilt...asking price...$1295.00!

A stunning quilt from the Civil War era...asking price...$895.00.

Green and red "Hens & Chicks" quilt...probably 1890-1910's...don't remember the asking price, but nice craftsmanship.

 

On Sunday, we decided to visit a local auction house in Martinsburg, WV, that was having an auction that day.

I love funny auctioneers...they keep the auctions from getting boring...and these guys were funny...cracking jokes and making quick remarks about the items and the bidders!

The attendance was only moderate, so Andy was able to get some good deals on some crocks to add to his inventory.  His hobby is "wheeling and dealing" in antique stoneware crocks and vintage glassware, especially "Fire-King".  He "collects" these, but not to keep...to resell.  He loves the thrill of the hunt!  :)

We had a great time and got to visit an area of West Virginia that we had never investigated before.  We definitely need to do this kind of thing more often!  :)

Loretta

A Book Review for You...

Quote for the Day:

"You cannot open a book without learning something."
~Confucius

I realized that I hadn't done a book review lately, though I have finished a couple of books recently.  So let's get right to it...

The first book that I want to tell you about is "The Devil in Pew Seven" by Rebecca Nichols Alonzo and was a 2011 Retailers Choice Award winner.

Rebecca never felt safe as a child. In 1969, her father, Robert Nichols, moved to Sellerstown, North Carolina, to serve as a pastor. There he found a small community eager to welcome him—with one exception. Glaring at him from pew number seven was a man obsessed with controlling the church. Determined to get rid of anyone who stood in his way, he unleashed a plan of terror that was more devastating and violent than the Nichols family could have ever imagined. Refusing to be driven away by acts of intimidation, Rebecca’s father stood his ground until one night when an armed man walked into the family’s kitchen . . . And Rebecca’s life was shattered. If anyone had a reason to harbor hatred and seek personal revenge, it would be Rebecca. Yet The Devil in Pew Number Seven tells a different story. It is the amazing true saga of relentless persecution, one family’s faith and courage in the face of it, and a daughter whose parents taught her the power of forgiveness.

WOW, is all I can say about this book!!  It kept me on the edge of my seat!  It's another one of those books that makes you realize that non-fiction is definitely more thrilling than fiction!  I highly recommend it! 

The second book is "The Pioneer Woman:  Black Heels to Tractor Wheels--A Love Story" by Ree Drummond.

That’s when I saw him—the cowboy—across the smoky room.

I’ll never forget that night. It was like a romance novel, an old Broadway musical, and a John Wayne Western rolled into one. Out for a quick drink with friends, I wasn’t looking to meet anyone, let alone a tall, rugged cowboy who lived on a cattle ranch miles away from my cultured, corporate hometown. But before I knew it, I’d been struck with a lightning bolt . . . and I was completely powerless to stop it.

This isn’t just my love story; it’s a universal tale of passion, romance, and all-encompassing love that sweeps us off our feet.

It’s the story of a cowboy. And Wranglers. And chaps. And the girl who fell in love with them.

I had never heard of Ree Drummond until this book, but evidently she is a blogger and has some sort of a cooking show.  (I don't watch cooking shows because to watch a cooking show would imply that I am, in some way, interested in cooking!)  The book started out as blog entries where she started telling her readers how her and her husband met.  I guess she got to a certain point and decided to stop blogging about it and turn it into a book.  

The first part of the book was enjoyable.  She has a self-depricating humor that is funny.  However, about two-thirds of the way through the book, her sweet, sappy love story just got gaggingly boring.  In the beginning of her and her husband's dating relationship she seemed to try to keep a lot of things from him so that he wouldn't know her "imperfections".  Okay.  So we all do that when we first meet someone.  We want to impress them.  But there comes a time for complete honesty about what's going on with you, etc., and it never seemed to happen.  Well...if it did, her writing was misleading.  Her trying to "impress" him and keeping things from him that were happening in her family seemed to be an ongoing theme, even after they were married.  I just wanted to scream!  I know of people who hide things from their spouses/significant others all the time and then can't figure out why they don't have a good relationship.  

DUH!

Anyway...I did see the book through all the way to the end, but definitely lost interest when I was about 70% of the way through the book.  I really began to feel like I was reading the Christmas letter that my former close friend/fellow nursing student/maid of honor sends out every year where she... (I kid you not)...LISTS, by month, in chronological order, the places she and her husband have traveled throughout the past year.  You know...one of those "my life is so much better than yours" Christmas newsletters?  Well...that's how the book began to read after a while once I got past the funny self-depricating parts of where Ree was trying to get used to some of the differences between her fiance's rural, ranch upbringing and her own father-is-a-doctor, house-in-the-country-club childhood.

Mrs. Drummond has quite a following on her blog, so there are a lot of people who like her style.  Her blog isn't too bad to peruse.  But the book got too sickeningly sappy.   

Let me just add, when I was searching for a picture of the cover of her book, the search engine brought up a site named "pioneerwomansux.com" so I guess I'm not the only one not overly impressed with Ree Drummond!   Just sayin'...

I see that the book has a rating of 4 out of 5 stars on Amazon and Barnes and Noble websites.  Personally, I would give it 2.5 stars out of 5.  

Those are my opinions...they are free...and you get what you pay for!  :)

I'll leave you with this cartoon from The Oatmeal:

Loretta

A Teacup Pincushion Tutorial...

Quote for the Day:

"If you can't convince them, confuse them."

~ Harry S. Truman

I thought I'd share a tutorial with you on how to make a cute teacup pincushion like this one!  I've made several of these before and even helped my daughter-in-law make some for herself and her sisters.  They are fun and easy to make! 

Start by getting a tea cup and saucer.  You can find them at thrift stores for CHEAP or you can use an old one that you no longer need/want.  This particular cup was given to my daughter and she gave it to me with this specific project in mind!  Sweet daughter, huh?  :)  Thank you, I think so, too!  (Love you, Erin!)  

You will also need a piece of coordinating fabric, some fiberfill or leftover batting (I use leftover batting, myself), and some craft epoxy (can be found at Walmart, etc.).

Look at a close up of the trim on this cup.  Isn't it GORGEOUS!  

Start by turning the cup over onto the fabric and marking a circle about 2" larger than the diameter of the top of the cup.

Cut out that circle and you will end up with a piece that looks something like this...

Make sure all wrinkles are ironed out of it and it is nice and neat!  Take it to your sewing machine, and using the longest stitch available...

...sew around the perimeter of the circle, stopping about 1/4" before you get to where you started stitching.  

Cut the threads leaving a long tail about 6" long.  Stitch another row of stitching about 1/4" inside of the first row, stopping and starting at the same places so all the thread tails are in the same area.  

GENTLY, pull on both of the BOBBIN threads that are to the right and GATHER the circle...GENTLY, so as not to break the threads.  After you have gathered about 1/2 of the circle, pull the BOBBIN threads that are on the left to gather the second half of the circle.  Continue gathering until you have something that looks a little like a boufant shower cap.

Now you are going to take the leftover batting scraps or fiberfill and stuff the pocket with LOTS of batting/fiberfill.  Pack it in tightly!

When you have it packed in nice and tight, pull both the right and left side bobbin threads TIGHTLY but gently.  When you have the hole almost closed, tie the 2 sets of thread together into a knot so everything stays where it is.

Apply the craft adhesive/epoxy around the inside of the cup about 1/2" below the rim. 

My craft adhesive was old and glumpy, but it worked anyway.  :)  Now take the ball of batting/fiberfill and place it down into the cup.

You are now going to turn the cup over and apply adhesive around the base of the cup...

...and press it down onto the saucer where you want it.

At this point, you can leave it as is and let it dry overnight, or you can embellish it.  I've seen them embellished both around the top and around the bottom where the cup meets the saucer.  For this one, I decided to embellish the top with a string of craft pearls that I had. 

Using a skewer or toothpick, apply a thin amount of craft adhesive where you want the embellishment to go.

Working quickly, apply the embellishment.

After letting the adhesive thoroughly dry overnight, add your favorite pins and enjoy!  :)

How is that for quick and easy?  The entire project took me about 30 min. from start to finish!  

Here is the one that I made for myself a couple years ago.  I use the saucer to hold things like bobbins, needle packages, etc., next to my sewing machine.

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial and found it useful!  

Thanks for stopping by!  

Loretta