oh you aint got a thing…

if you aint got that swing!

 

The BG and I took our first swing dance lessons Saturday night.

You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do it, and it was worth the wait!!

I’ve got sore calf muscles, but a grin on my face.

We aren’t this good yet, but if you don’t grin while watching this you must be dead. LOL

Later Gators!

Melissa

a good life

After I mentioned that I was tired Friday night, a female acquaintance of ours that works outside the home  asked me,  ” what did you do all day?”

I thought about it.  Was this a trick question? It sounded somewhat accusatory.

  Should I mention the dishes, the homework helping, the laundry, the constant picking up shoes and papers and toys, the food preparation, the kid question answering (that wears me out the most)

the note signing, the bill paying, the doctor and dentist visiting, the running to and fro kid activities?

No, I don’t think I should mention those things because she has to do them too, AND she has to go to outside work on top of that.

Then I realized what I really HAD done that day was sew, and  go antique shopping with my Mom while the kids were at school.

So I said unabashedly, ” I went shopping.”

Which of course was groan inducing on everyone’s part but my own.

But ya know … it’s true I do have a good life.

So instead of feeling guilty about it, I decided to feel grateful.  Because being grateful is a much better feeling. LOL

I’m so very grateful for my good life.  We’re not rich, but we have what we need and my kids will never wonder where I am.

I’m right here waiting for them when they get home everyday with hugs and kisses, and that’s the best job I’ve ever had!


So what’s been going on in my good life?

Making lots of these:

We only have a few apples left from our orchard trip…probably 2 more pies worth.

Mom brought some mini quilts she made to show me on our sewing day Friday, aren’t they cute?

Here’s our awesome loot from the antique store:

I love those wooden boxes with leather handles, we each had to get one.

Mom found this great box of vintage Clark thread….the wooden spools were never used. What a great find!

She also found this adorable wooden baby shoe form.

Check out my vintage sewing notions, zinc lids for pincushions, and new aqua shelf ! I also found a good deal on some wooden shoe stretchers.

After some serious shopping we got down to business sewing our little bird pincushion (pattern by Renee Plains)

I didn’t get a picture of Mom’s, but here is how mine turned out.

That is a blackbird designs x-stitch I made last week behind my new birdie bottle.

I’ve been collecting vintage sewing notions lately, and had a great score at our local Bible Thrift last week.

I put them in here for now until I get enough to make a BIG JAR.

I’ve also been sewing up some new quilt designs.  But I am saving them to submit.

I haven’t forgotten my 2011 new year goal to try and get a pattern published in a magazine.

I had a dream the other day that I accomplished that goal and I woke up feeling so good.  To bad it was just a dream….sigh.

I’m on the hard part, which is writing out the instructions.

I’ll leave you with some parting shots of my girlies.

Patience with her Native American project for school.  She even helped to grow the corn in the community garden.  You go girl!

Here’s Minate.  She and I went on a field trip with her class to Pioneer Cabin.  It was really a fun day.

We made apple sauce, and stew from scratch with “Ma and Pa.”  The kids made candles and chopped wood and learned how pioneers lived.

Here’s Ma and Pa greeting us at the log cabin:

Chopping the stew veggies:

Making cornbread:

Eating our stew:

Later Gators!

Melissa

pincushions and peg boards

In between a plethora of Doctor and Dentist appointments last week I did a little sewin’ and craftin’.

 The BG helped with this one.

We took a plain old board,  some paint, and some square head nails and made some little peg shelves last week.

 Now I have a place to hang new cross stitch projects!

One I stuck on a wall:

(that’s a Stacy Nash cross stitch pattern I whipped up)

And the other I stuck on a ladder to have extra places to hang do-dads:

Rusted up some cans for a few new fall arrangements:

Made a little burlap sack to hold some Sweet Annie:

On sewing day with Mom we made pincushions galore!  We had so much fun.

awww isn’t it a wee little cute thing?

This one was out of a Whimsicals book.  We used wool roving to form the ball.

Then there is this jumbo sized one for my sewing room:

We definitely have plans to make some more pincushions….we’re addicted!

I’ll take off on a parting shot of the sweet little deer I found while antiquing this weekend.

Hope you all have a fabulous week!

Later Gators!

Melissa

Scary Candy

I had to share my very GHOULISH  treat I picked up from an early morning gas station stop.

Isn’t it delightfully creepy?

My kids keep trying to steal it from me…like candy is for kids or something , right?

I think I might need it for my Halloween costume  (wink) .

What are you going to be?

Later Gators,

Melissa

Rustic fall craft idea…Early Drying Board.

I puttered around crafting yesterday,  creating some new fall arrangements for the homestead.

Today I wanted to share this easy idea with you.

I’m calling it an Early Drying Board even though I know the drieds need to hang upside down to dry.

But it’s my craft world so …whatever goes in my craft world. LOL

What you need:

1. A piece of old barn wood or scrap wood.

  ( I literally picked mine off an old abandoned barn.  I saw it hanging there and whipped my car over and jumped out and grabbed it! Don’t tell on me!)

2.  A piece of burlap to fit your board. (1/2 yard should be plenty)

3. Feathers, cattails, flowers, weeds, etc.   The dried real thing or faux, whichever you prefer.

4. 4 upholstery tacks.

How to do it:

1.  Don’t clean off your wood the grungier the better! LOL

2. Measure the width of your board and cut your burlap about 1 inch less.

Cut with the fabric on the fold so that you only have to sew up the sides to make a pouch.

3.  Decide how long you want your pouch to be.

This will depend on how long your board is, so  eye ball it then cut your burlap adding 1/2 inch for turning under.

4. Press the top raw edges down 1/2 inch.

5. Sew using 1/2 seam allowance on both sides, back-stitching at the ends to secure.

6. Turn inside out and press.

7. Tack the burlap pouch to the board using upholstery tacks in all four corners.

8. Stuff your pouch with lovelies from the fall harvest.

I’m going to find a spot to hang mine on the wall, but you could drill two holes in the top and thread twine through to make a hanger for a peg board!

Later Gators!

Melissa