Paisley Quilt (part 2)

So the brainstorming doesn't take long. I was able to sketch up this diagram of what I want the quilt to look like. The main colors in Goosie's quilt are the paisley and pink, outlined with purple, framed with teal and the backing will also be purple. I need a total of 84 6" squares to make her quilt. I will need another 84 6" squares to make mine. The main colors are light pink and paisley, outlined in chocolate brown,framed in purple the backing will also be chocolate brown.. Both quilts should be the size of the one I made for my sister N's new baby. I am excited and hope I can wait until Friday to go to the fabric store here in town to find the coordinating fabrics. What can I say I think I have once again caught the quilting bug!!

Pasiley Quilt (part one)

So all of my quilts have a story, this new quilt starts something like this.. I found this fabric about a month ago and at first wanted to use it in my sisters new baby's quilt. It turns out she is having a boy so I made a cute cowboy quilt for her. I was thinking I would use this to make myself a quilt since I have yet to do that, but now my Goosie wants a blanket from it. And I have a feeling that if I were to make my self a quilt from it, she would claim it anyway.
Did I mention how much I like this fabric. There are few times when a quilter can find fabric that they feel they really connect with. It's like finding the perfect truffle or ice cream. It really depends on the taste of the quilter. The colors in the fabric are vibrant and I want to bring as many of the muted colors out as I can. I was also thinking that I want to do something a little different with the paisley quilt like actually fallow a pattern this time instead of drawing one out on notebook paper, eyeballing the measurements and not pinning a thing. Yea, I don't think I am the average quilter. I thought it would be nice to let others see my creative process. It all starts with the fabric.. Now I just have to find the rest!

Late Night Rambelings

Hubby and I were talking the other night, I thought I had come clean about everything that happened in a previous relationship and had to give a refresher to him. It seems he forgot. I felt the guilt, shame and dirtiness that comes with that particular conversation and in the end, once again he forgave me and told me I have nothing to fear.
For a long time I did not trust myself around other people of the male species. I know that in the past I had allowed a "friendship" to go to far and a long term relationship paid the price. I still feel the guilt and shame. I don't know if the guy will ever forgive me and I am sure that his wife is pleased as punch to say bad things about me and I guess that is their right. I will not hold that against either one of them. I am thankful that despite all the crap I put that poor guy through he has been able to find happiness and if he never forgives me that is okay, at least I have come to terms with it. Needless to say I probably think about them a heck of a lot more then they think about me.
Hubby is so wonderful to me. I told him all my faults, baggage, and garbage up front and he still wanted me. I know that I can never take back any of the things I have done to other people, but I do try to make up for those things with the new people I meet. I think in some way we all do. I know that screwing up as bad as I did in a past relationship is what partly makes me such a good wife. I try very hard to live in such a way that no one even thinks to question my loyalty to my husband. I love him so very much. I have very few relationships with men, as it should be. And I am trying something new for me, relationships with women. I have never had too many female friends to say the least. I was always surrounded by guys in high school and when I did talk to girls they were usually bitter and spiteful (except a handful of course). I didn't want that in my life so I shut many good possible friends out. I regret that now, I wish I could go back and be a better friend then so I wouldn't have to try so hard now.
When I meet people for the first time I seem to give the impression that I have it all together. And that is so far from the truth. I don't have it all together I just have really good blankets to cover it all up. In all the times we have moved I have made friends..only to loose those friends due to time and distance. In my heart I long for a friend that I can have the rest of my life (outside of my sisters and Hubby). A woman who knows me all my faults and failures and loves me anyway. I am not looking for the perfect friend, just a relationship that will sustain though all the time and distance that may or may not come. I have been praying for this friend, so I know that she will show up one day. I just hope I don't scare her off (I have been known to do that). My new found friends are great, no complaints. I look forward to seeing each one of them and regret it when I am not able too. They all challenge me to become a better person and for that I am thankful. I pray that I am able to help fill some need in their lives too. If you are a friend, new or one I have known for a long time but never truly got to know. Thank you for hanging around. I can be a bit of controlled chaos at times, but life is a fun ride and as I see it we are just getting started. So strap in and hold on... this is gonna be the ride you never forget!

Arbonne

I went to a women's conferance at church the last week in January. I had fun. I was both refreshed and more learned about myself and those around me. There were facials, pedicures and manicures. I laughed a good bit and Bubbles was passed around like a bag of candy. The line of products we used were Arbonne. I was impressed, but thought that the quality was only in the stuff we used as can happen with some lines. They put the "good stuff" in the things you will rarely use.
Earlier this week I was invited to a friends house for a girls night in. Thank you K! We once again used Arbonne products and I was lucky enough to get a sample of the body wash. I tried it the next day when I took a shower. I thought that I would have to lather up with lotion when I dried off, but was surprised when I didn't need to. It has been 24 hours since my shower and my skin is still feeling wonderful! It is not dry, itchy, red, or irritated. My skin is mositurized, soft, and looking better then ever. I am thinking of becoming a consultant and wanted to tell people about it. I have ordered the shaving cream for Hubby and the baby wash for the kids, I can't wait to get the products in and see how my big little family does with them.
So here is the link http://arbonne.com .

Quilts I have made..

This is Miniman's Quilt, it still fits him, but I know I am going to have to make him a new one soon,

This is a close up of a current quilt I am working on for my sister N's bab that is due in April.

Here is the full image. It is the biggest one I have made so far, but I wanted it to last the little guy for a while. I hope you like it N!

This is Bubble's quilt. I made it for her in a week.

This is the quilt unfinished. I had it laid out to pin so I could start quilting it. Hubby and the kids left me alone, so I was able to piece it together in a day.

So many things, So little time..

Things have been going lately and that is about all I can say. No news is usually good news (in the ARMY anyway) and there is not really anything new to report. Yesterday was my 6 year wedding anniversary. I spent most of the day without Hubby as he had to work, instead I invited my new friend H to go with me to the chocolate festival. We arrived there a little late and most of the vendors were out of chocolate, I am almost sure some of them were stashing it as they saw two women with 8 children coming at them! H is a new found friend and we have blended very quickly with each other. She was raised and is a practicing Mormon, but we have many common grounds. The more H and I talk the more I realize how alike we are. The kids and Hubbies get along too so it is a good time!
Today we didn't attend church, more because Hubby and Miniman are both sick then anything. Miniman was throwing up every hour on the hour last night. Hubby has the sick I had a month ago that I am still getting over. So that's why there wasn't much happening yesterday. The good thing that came out of yesterday is that I was able to get my sister N's baby quilt pieced together, it is measured out and pinned. All that is left to do is the quilting and then the binding. The quilting is my favorite part. It relaxes me. I find the biding to be troublesome at times, and would prefer not to do that part if I could help it, but I can't so I just remind myself it is the second to last thing to do before the quilt is complete. The last thing is dedicating, signing and dating the back top left corner. I will post a picture after I know she has received it, as it would be unfair to her if everyone got to see it before her. Hubby is already telling me that he wants me to make him a bigger quilt..so is Goosie. We will see.
I will post a picture of the quilt I recently made Bubbles, I must admit it is one of my favorites. I really should post pictures of all the quilts I have made, but I have given some away and forgot to take pictures. Oh well. For me the most enjoyable part of making a quilt is in giving it away. I can hardly wait to give this one away..!
Well I think that is enough from this peanut gallery I will post another recipe later, and maybe some pictures.. we will have to see!

A Little Rant, Maybe a Vent, but I am better now..

I have come to decide that some days I am done with the job I have. I love my children, my husband and my big little family. I just get overwhelmed. I have to remind myself to breathe. Goosie has a yeast infection, Bubbles is teething and Miniman has taken this time to start testing his limits. My house is a wreck, the laundry is piled up and I will be running the washer and dryer for at least two days. I haven't felt like cooking so I also haven't felt like cleaning. I swear some days if the Dept. of Child Services were to stop by they would probably put me on probation.
I got the budget for the month figured out yesterday and I did our taxes last week. The garbage still needs to be rounded up and thankfully I have already cleaned the kitchen.
There are some days I am just done. Do you remember a brain teaser that went something like this: " Pete and Repeat were sitting on a wall, Pete fell off, who was left?" " Repeat". It keeps going and going like that.. until someone gets highly annoyed. Well, that is what my vocabulary seems to consist of, repetition. There is nothing that I say once, it is always repetitive. I am tired of this. The teaser annoyed me as a child and it annoys me now. We are planning to see Hubbys side of the family this month so I need to have things ready for that. Then there are the responsibilities I have outside of my big little family that also need to be taken care of.
An old friend called me today at the start of my morning and after being on the phone with me for a few minutes said "wow, you do stay busy don't you" I am paraphrasing of course because there was so much going on in that time frame I only usually catch the jest of things. Yes, I get busy and it seems I stay busy. My three kids keep me on my proverbial toes and things get done when they get done. I choose my battles, meaning if no one is bleeding, crying, or hurting someone else in general also there has to be no destruction of property. The kids can do what ever and I don't get upset. Already if they make a mess they have to clean it up, and the more independent they want to be, the more I ask of them.
Miniman is regressing a little but that is almost to be expected. He is going through a number of changes right now and is unsure of many things. I try to set clear boundaries and ground rules. Should he decide to "test the waters" discipline is swift.
All of this being said I was able to got to a women's conference this past weekend. It was refreshing. I was able to make some new contacts and I felt both challenged and fed. I look forward to the next one. Bubbles of course was the "belle of the ball" so to speak and had a wonderful time. I think she made more friends then me. So yes, in this craziness that I call my normalcy, there are times when I am done and a part of me wants to walk away from it all just for a break, a few minutes alone. But the larger part of me says " breathe, they are only so young for a short time and then they are gone. Enjoy them while they are there to be enjoyed and if the house doesn't get spotless, at least make it so it is livable and spend time with the kids". That is it. I have laundry to switch over, and I think Bubbles is ready to nurse again. Let me know if you stopped by!