Needles and Pens

Two pounds down, ten pounds to go! I can't believe how slowly these last pounds come off, but sure enough, they are coming, so I really can't complain. It's especially comforting to know that I'm still losing, even though I've had a lot of diet indiscretions these past few weeks. Broke down and went to the doctor on Friday, only to find out that I'm going through the same virus as so many others right now, and there is nothing to do but wait it out. My doctor did recommend I take Sudafed and Robitussin DM and those have helped immensely with the congestion and coughing. Last night I had my first good night's sleep in a week, so I'm feeling much better. So much better, in fact, that I had my kitchen wiped down and floor scrubbed before 6:30 this morning. LoL Besides me, three of the four kids have been sick with various symptoms. Emily is home from school today after throwing up all day yesterday. I have that feeling I want to soak my whole house down in ...

Still nursing this cold/flu/whatever crud, and getting very little done this week (which is driving me crazy!) Nevertheless, thought I should post today just to say that I'm still alive and kickin' -- but if I'm not feeling better by Monday, I'm off to the doctor. Seriously. So here is a bit of the very little I've accomplished this week. I found these two finished schoolhouses among my orphan blocks and want to make ten more for a quilt to give to a special teacher this year. Though it has taken me three days, I did get the cutting done for the ten blocks. I'm pretty sure that's all I'll manage for sewing this week. Between this nasty bug requiring periodic naps and my kids being home for spring break, it's been a challenge just checking my email each day... ...and speaking of naps... ...zzzzzzzzzzzzz...

For some reason, holidays always seem to make me sick. Not after the holiday is over, but just before it starts. On Saturday, I came down with the crud, a sore throat, earache, and stuffed up sinuses, with a nasty cough thrown in for good measure. But we did manage to have a nice Easter anyway. Busy, but nice. I felt awful, but pacified myself by eating anything and everything that looked vaguely enticing. Therefore, I had a one pound gain to face this week for my Monday weigh-in. Today, I'm fighting the temptation to crawl in to bed and stay there indefinitely. I hope things are looking up by this time next week!

It's " Tackle it Tuesday " at Five Minutes for Mom, and since I've been so busy with my office project, I've let a lot of other things slide. My tackle for today is in two parts; first, a major cleanup of my living and dining rooms, second, I think it's time I pulled out the Easter decorations. I can't believe it's only four days away! I don't have a "before" picture taken yet, but I wanted to get this down in writing before I changed my mind. So, I'll be back later with an update AND pictures. Update - 5:30 p.m. Okay, this is embarrassing... but then, it could be worse. I do remember the "wall-to-wall toys" days. Anyway, here's the promised "before" picture of my living/dining room. My daughter was home sick today, so I had to sort of work around her on the couch: Phase one, the clean sweep, clearing out the clutter, removing a thick layer of dust from every surface and vacuuming probably a pound of dirt and c...

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Guess I had a little "luck o' the Irish" today for my weigh-in, because I managed to drop two more pounds, despite being less-than-perfect about my diet again. Attitude-wise, I'm doing much better than a week ago. Of course, actually losing some weight didn't hurt. lol

Smorgasbord Overflowing bins Stacked high, in lofty towers Behind closet doors Multi-colored piles Yellow and green, red and blue Which shade do I feel? Pattern in my hand Motivation in my heart Now, a choice to make Satin, flannel, fleece, Cotton, velvet, corduroy Denim, woolen, knit A color, a cut, One must be chosen from this Fabric smorgasbord. Heather Haapoja © 2008

In honor of National Quilting Day today, I decided that no matter what the Photo Hunt theme, I was going to make today's post pertain to quilting in some way. Well, the Photo Hunt theme is "I Spy," and oddly enough, there is such a thing as an I Spy quilt. Basically, it's a quilt that involves fussy-cutting small pictures from various novelty prints and working them into your quilt design. If you want to know more about I Spy quilts, check out this article at About.com . Unfortunately, I have never made an "I Spy" quilt, so I don't have an original photo of one to share. I have, however, made a few quilts with a lot going on, visually, so I guess they'll have to do. I spy a button and a gingerbread man... I spy a teapot and a house on a stand... I spy... a leaf, and the house that Jack built... And since today is Quilting Day... I really should go quilt! Happy Quilting Day, all -- and Happy Photo Hunting !

It's Show and Tell day over at Kelli's House , and after weeks of blogging about my office/sewing room in progress, I'm finally proclaiming it finished . This project has come a long way , so for Show and Tell today, some pictures of my new room... The view, as you walk into the room: The "office" area: The "sewing" area: And where the two worlds collide, writing books meet quilting fabric: I'm sure there will be more little decorative touches to come, but here are a few items that just had to be in here right from the start. I made this mini-quilt to cover up the big hole in the back of my Freecycle desk: Wall space is at a premium in this room, but every office needs a few certificates on the wall. Here is my diploma from the Institute of Children's Literature , and my sixth-place award for a children's story entered in the 2001 Writer's Digest Writing Competition . Wow... has it really been that long? This little writer bear was a sp...

More bunnies! Must be Easter in the air. Today I finished this crib quilt, for a new great-niece we're expecting in April. I'm calling it "Bunny Love." I originally bought this bunny/heart fabric to make an Easter dress for one of the girls years ago, but since that never happened, I thought it would be perfect for an April baby quilt. I bought the friendship star blocks from my friend, Connie, some time ago, so with the blocks already made, the quilt came together really quickly. I love the old-fashioned look of the scrappy blocks. And everything, right down to the batting and thread, came out of my over-abundant stash. ;o) Here's a closeup of the bunny border (They're actually bears, dressed up as bunnies. They even have little bunny slippers!): The quilting (since the border is reversed at each end, I quilted some hearts going each way. No top or bottom!): And one more view, with a little different lighting: I'm really happy with the way this turned out...

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." Philippians 4:4-8 Word-Filled Wednesday couldn't come at a better time. I've noticed this repeatedly in the past few weeks. Mondays are a day to catch up after the busy weekend, Tuesdays, I'm ready to tackle those projects I've been dying to get to, but by Wednesday, things have slowed down somewhat, giving me pause to reflect on the goings-on in my life. Unfortunately, along with the reflection often co...

It's "Tackle it Tuesday" at Five Minutes for Mom . What are you tackling today? Finally, my sewing room/office project is nearing the end. Over the weekend, I moved my desk, file cabinet and computer into the new room. Is it ever crowded! Very den-like, and I don't mean the spacious, walls-lined-in-bookcases type den. More the small-cave-where-a-bear-might-go-to-hibernate type den. Cozy, it is. And by the end of the day, it'll be cozier yet -- but finished. Update - 10:30 p.m. I've decided to add my updates after each picture, with the text in red. Makes it easier to compare the "before" and "after" pics, I think. Hope it's not too confusing! With all of the crafting, sewing, scrapping and writing projects about to take place in this room, I'm in serious need of a work table. So I've hauled up from the basement an old drop-leaf table, once salvaged from a house that was about to be torn down. My big tackle for today is to give ...

...little project finished last week. I made a little bear like this one for my niece when she was maybe about two-years-old. My youngest son, a year older, wanted one, too! I cut out all the pieces and then, as with so many other projects, it was promptly forgotten. Found the ziplock bag with all the pieces last week and finally finished him up. Another potential gift for grandbaby-to-be?

Computers can take over your life, if you let them. I’ve noticed, increasingly over the past few years, that I spend an awful lot of time in front of the screen, much of it very unproductively; playing solitaire, reading email, blog-hopping, web surfing. Had I spent all of that time writing, researching, and finding markets, my writing career may be going somewhere other than the dusty back shelf. Even worse, all that time in front of the computer would have been much better spent interacting with my family. But it’s hard when the computer resides in your main living space. Beckoned by the ever-changing wallpaper and the promise of a friendly email at the click of a mouse, I’m drawn to the screen like a magnet. And if I’m not glued to the computer, one of my kids certainly will be. It's high time the spell was broken. And so began, “The Experiment.” I’ve spent weeks now, clearing out an unused bedroom, painting, decorating, organizing, until there was only one thing left to do; mov...

Due to a few diet and exercise indiscretions this week, I have gained one pound. Bleh. Measurements remain the same. :oP

It's Show and Tell day over at Kelli's House , and since I've been on a sewing spree this week, finishing up several long unfinished projects, I thought I'd just share what I've accomplished. (And maybe bask in the glow a little bit. LoL) First, a pair of sweatpants originally cut out for oldest son, now the perfect size for my youngest daughter, Emily. Nice pose, huh? Next, a doll nightie I cut out long ago, to match pjs for the girls. Finished the pjs, forgot all about the poor doll - until now. Finally added a zipper and hem to this dress for my oldest daughter. I started it last winter, but found at the last minute that it was too small. In my frustration, I lost interest in the whole thing. Ironically, she's lost weight since then, so now it actually fits. Couldn't get her to model it for a picture, though. Next, four sets of pajamas cut out by my husband's grandma... who knows when? Probably when my sister-in-law was a little girl. Grandma gave me...

A quiet moment last summer, with my youngest son, Timothy... "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer." ~ Psalm 19:14 At times I question whether I've said the right thing, or made the right decision, where my children are concerned. Sometimes years after the fact I wonder, had I done this or that differently, would they be more self-assured, more directed, more content in their lives? These are the times when - if not for my faith - I would drown in a sea of self-inflicted mommy guilt. As much as I would love to be the perfect mother, always knowing exactly the right thing to say or do, I'm only human. So I continue on doing the best I can, in all my human fallibility, praying for God's forgiveness and guidance in all things, but especially in raising my children. The purpose of Word-Filled Wednesday is to share God’s word through photos and a verse. Click on the logo above for mor...

It's Tackle it Tuesday over at Five Minutes for Mom , and as I wrote in my last post, I've been tackling a lot of unfinished sewing projects this week. The latest, a bunch of little girls' pajamas, cut out ages ago by my husband's grandma. The pajamas are too small for my girls now, but should be a perfect fit for my sister-in-law's two little girls. And they have birthdays coming up soon. Perfect! I got one set finished over the weekend: But now I have this left: Three more sets of pjs to sew, one purple, two blue. I may be overestimating what I can do in a day, but I hope to finish these up and reclaim my dining room table. I'll post an update this evening. Wish me luck! Update: 10:00 p.m. Well, I almost made it. I got the second purple set done, then started on the blue, only to find it was a different pattern than the purple. I had to figure out which pattern it was , because the actual pattern pieces weren't attached, and there were four different pat...