Mondays. Thursdays. Whatever!

I have had this post sitting in save since MONDAY.  Just ridiculous. I finally deleted it and started over. :)

So - happy almost weekend, folks! I can't tell you how happy I am that the week has calmed down some for me. You know I asked for my boring life to be reinstated and we are getting there! I like boring! Because when it isn't boring, my family is having medical drama. So boring is GREAT!

I'm actually surprised how much I've been posting on Instagram lately and thought I'd share some of my photos here with you.  It does kinda show you what I've been up to. I know I posted the buttons pic, but I'm in love with it, so I'm posting it again.

Now I want to do an initial one for the aunt that gave me all these buttons AND hemmed four pairs of pants AND took in the waist on two (no, don't think I'm losing weight, they've been big from the get go)... and I need her to hem some shirts where the hems are ripping out. *smile* I love my family!

I saw this on Pintrest where you fold felt in half, sew the folded side, flip it over and sew the open side and cut every inch or so.  It works! But what am I going to do with all these random hearts? They made a cute banner with it, but I'm probably just going to trash mine.  I had to see if it works, and it does! Now I'm done with it.

Last week, I had training classes for one of our elections.  I didn't see many of my workers last year because I had help covering the training classes (which I'm so very very thankful for!), but I missed my peeps! So it was really nice to see some of them again.

Ya'll know I got a sewing machine for Christmas... I finally took it out and set it on the dining room table.  A few weeks later, I threaded it! I know, amazing! So I had this baby quilt kit for beginners from Fabric Editions - I won it from them! (you can buy the same thing at Walmart).  It took just about my entire Saturday, but I DID IT! And I was actually pretty proud of it - planned on giving it to a lady in our church expecting her first child! ... ... AND then Macy saw it and claimed it for her own. Bye Bye gift, guess I have to find something else.

The election happened this week and it doesn't matter how large or how small - you never sleep the night before an election. It's this crazy paranoia you will sleep past the alarm and THE WORLD WILL END.  So I was awake about every hour... but at this point I finally got up and got ready. That would be AM. So evil.

 And we'll wrap it up with this little Sweet Niece, who saw her daddy and pawpaw in hats and she wanted a hat, too! She ran to her room, grabbed up her straw cowboy hat and it was on! This kid cracks me up on a regular basis. She is Sassy with a Capital S!

Well folks, there you go.  Something to look at from my life.  Thanks for the prayers, thanks for the happy thoughts and comments - I appreciate it! :)

One Little Word 2015

Well y'all, I think my stray kitten has left me. I haven't see a trace of her in several days. I quit putting food out because every time I looked outside a different random cat was dining on my front porch. It's like my house is the cool singles bar everyone wants to hang at. Well, everyone but Noelle. Oh well. 

I'm very excited to announce... [drumroll please]... I found my one little word!!! ENCOURAGEMENT. 

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I wasn't going to do One Little Word this year. I've been unsuccessful in the past few years. But I was praying that The Lord would surround me with encouraging people this year. Positive people, faithful people. And that He would use me to encourage others around me and be a good reflection of Him. Lightning zapped me, causing the thought - this is your One Little Word!! So I feel like this year will be a success.  Encouragement! 

I can't believe it's almost nine and I'm not really moving yet. Let me get up and get the day started. Y'all have a great weekend!! 

Crafty Bethie

I'm pretty excited about two projects I did over the weekend - a Happy Thoughts Jar for a dear friend and a piece of Valentine's Day decor for my house.

First, the Valentine's Day decor - burlap and buttons heart! I took the time to type out some steps so others can do this for themselves at home - posted over at my craft blog, Pressed Clovers.  So for more of a how-to, go visit there.  My aunt heard I was trying to learn to sew and gave me a ton of thread and a vase full of buttons. After sorting them by colors, I knew I wanted to make her a gift to say thanks... so I'll be working on something for her this coming weekend.  I'm not sure she's the bright-red-and-pink-button-heart-decor kind of person.  But I really loved how it turned out and REALLY like the buttons with threads still attached. Something from the previous owner.

 


Then the Happy Thoughts Jar for my dear friend, Paulene.  I started one for myself with scraps of scrapbooking paper and an empty kleenex box. This is one much cuter.  I took a vase I already had, added gift wrap tissue and watered down glue and made a scene I thought would be fitting for Paulene - a You Are My Sunshine theme! I took the first picture at home, but couldn't find my ribbon so I did a quick trip into Hobby Lobby for that and took a final photo in the car.  Inside the vase are strips of paper waiting for her happy thoughts.  At the end of the year, she can dump them all out, open them up and see all these blessings she's received in 2015.  So easy but so cute.  A coworker brought me more vases so I'll be making a few more of these!

I mentioned receiving a sewing machine for Christmas on here before.  Well, I finally got the sucker set up and let me tell you - it's all kinds of Oh-La-La! It sews with the press of a button.  Cuts the thread and pulls up the needle with another button. Crazy? But I'm so excited.

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I have a quilt kit that I won from Fabric Editions that will be my first attempt at real sewing. It says for beginners so it better be telling the truth! So cute? I think so! It's very similar to this one - just cute baby girl elephant print instead. Let's hope I can do this thing right. We have a baby on the way at church and I thought if it works out ok we can gift it. :)

I'm off for home and some tacos with my family.  Looking forward to some good food tonight! :)

Friday Inspirations.

I think I mentioned here before Santa brought me a sewing machine.  I have managed to pull it out of the box, but that's about all at this point.  That doesn't stop me, however, from drooling over all these quilting inspirations across the web, a few of which I'll share with you. I'm too tired to think about my Friday's Letters, so this will replace it.

These just rock.  Source

These kitchen accessories are from Grits & Giggles.  I just LOVE her blog in general, but fell in love with these adorable pot holders.  What a cute idea for a housewarming! She said it was to use up scraps! *sigh* I long to have scraps... scraps for adorable projects...

Oh my gosh, that grey mixed with color. LOVE source

This. Is. Beautiful. Love Love Love it! The grey and the colors, the patters and that crazy hard looking pattern (they say it isn't as hard as it looks, .... hmmm...) anyway, I follow The Long Thread to see things like this.  So pretty.

Incredibly ADORABLE! source

I follow this crew on IG, but found this on their website - Fabric Editions offers so many cute free patterns, you gotta check them out.  This skirt - don't you think Macy needs one of these? I thought so, too. So, who is going to get my sewing machine hooked up and ready to rock and roll? 

Another scrap quilt? You gotta be kidding! source

This crew is totally new to me (My Quilt Infatuation), introduced in another blog, Southern Gal Thoughts, whom I adore. She is a very "real" person who loves God with all her heart and has been quite an inspiration to me with the depth of her faith.  I'm so glad I found her online! And her quilt, (below), her FIRST EVER full sized quilt I must add, was featured on the blog above! I love both of these quilts so much.  The riot of color in the one above and the fact she was using scraps - wow. And below - these colors are so perfect for her granddaughters and I love the triangles all the way around! I want this quilt!!! And this is her first? Oh my gosh, I can't imagine what my first will look like. I'm worried. 

Find her quilt journey here

Granted, I don't need to worry since I haven't even put the dang sewing machine together yet! When have I had a chance?! Hopefully life will SLOW DOWN and become... well, boring. Boring is good because you can rest and all of us are needing a little rest. 

Under a beautiful quilt. 

:) 

Hugs ya'll - have a great weekend! 

A Squeaky Clean Nap

Just woke up in the tub. Accidentally turned my relaxing bath into a nap! Not unusual, I often wake myself up with the sounds of my snoring echoing of the walls :)

I attempted soup tonight- it's cold, everyone is sick and it just felt right. I gotta say, it's ok. Not exciting but yummy in my tummy! With my incredibly crumbly cornbread. ;)

Last night didn't work out quite as well. I was so excited for the barbecue beef I'd tossed in the crock pot before leaving for work. Called mom, texted the b-i-l and had it arranged to feed everyone some BBQ beef. I walked in the house after work- smelled delicious! ... Until I discovered a meat paper/pad in the crock pot with the meat! I'd cooked it nine hours with my BBQ! Didn't trust it to be safe so it was all dumped and we had take out BBQ instead. :) Daddy to the rescue! Thanks Pop! 

Have you seen my stray kitten, Noelle, lately?  Isn't she beautiful? Tonight I was talking to the neighbor at the mailboxes and who came up grousing for her supper?! Sure enough, she came after me and got me moving so she could have her kibble. Cracked me up! What a clever kitten! 

Serious focus on crumbling crackers into soup she didn't eat. 

No new pics of the sweet nieces. They've had the crud for a while now and haven't felt like pictures. Baby sweet niece is in the terrible twos and wow, it can be impressive. But then she'll throw me a dozen kisses as I leave for work in the morning. Or say things like, "I like PawPaw a bunch."  Adorable! 

Since my bedtime is 10:00pm and it's pushing 11, I better get moving to bed. Night friends, and sweet dreams! 

A Chilly Friday's Letters

I'm Southern. I'm not made for cold weather - and I'm definitely not made for 12 degree weather. I so hate cold weather!! But it does usually give us beautifully clear nights with the sky filled with brilliant stars.

Let's dive into the week's letters!

Dear Downton, I'm soooo happy you are back! I missed you - your characters, your drama, your amazing clothes!  Like an old friend, I'm glad you are back! 

Dear Macy, it's been quite a roller coaster ride. Your dad's surgery, your sickness, your mama's sickness, two weeks staying at MawMaw and PawPaws... It's been a rough ride but tonight, you go back home!! Hooray! 

Dear B-I-L: so thankful this surgery is behind you, you are home from the hospital, the staples are out- so thankful! Lots of people have kept you in their prayers - God is Good! 

Dear cold weather: you can totally pack it up and move on with it now. 

Dear Lord, thank you. Thank you for all you have done for my family these past two weeks. Thank you for being with dear friends in difficult times. Your love is beyond my comprehension. Please help me find Your purpose for me. 

So many are sick right now. Y'all please take care of each other out there. I'm hoping to goodness I can avoid it. Let's get moving. Tomorrow is a massive clean up in my house! Then setting up the new sewing machine!! Woop! Y'all have a great weekend!

2014 Wrap Up

2015 has already been quite eventful, and I haven't even had the chance to wrap up 2014 yet! So let's do that before 2015 totally overtakes me and I just blow off the 2014 wrap up all together.

January - It seems I started doing a photo a day in January.  Here is the first post. I'm not sure how long this lasted - I guess we'll find out as I move through the year.  I kinda hate I quit because it's great to look back and see what you were doing on a day by day basis!

February - February brought snow to the South.  Yes, we kinda lose our freakin' minds when it snows because we don't see too much of the fluffy white stuff around here.  So photos galore and happy children playing in the snow is the theme of this Photo Challenge Wednesday.

March - I was pretty darn happy in March.  The ice and snow melted and Spring slowly started to emerge.  Lots of fun photos of pretty sunsets and flowers and all things nature. And sweet niece voting! See more here from one of my Photo Challenge Wednesdays!

April - I love otters, did you know that? I think otters rock! I also love Spring, flowers, mild/warm temperatures, and cuteness on babies. :)  April I only posted three times - all three Photo Challenge Wednesdays, which I find impressive.  Check one out here.
























May - Spring time photo shoot with the chappies!  Sweet niece #1 is a perfect princess to pose for photos. She is really photogenic, too.  Sweet Niece #2 ... well it's a bit harder.  You can check out some of the pics here. Just looking back over May, I can see how work was pushing me under without a breath, trying to drown me!

June - Things got ugly in June.  June was sickness for me and about 8 doctor visits?  June was sickness and emergency surgery for my sister, too, which was obviously stressful.  And an election, which is what my job is all about.  Read some here, which was written before we realized she would have surgery.  It also shows photos of my house all cleaned up!, thanks to the goodness of my mom and sister. But there was a lot of good in June, too, as this post shows. Painting party being one of them!

July - Let's finish up the medical drama, including mom getting shingles, in this first post.  You'll also get fighter niece! HI-YA! And then, because I know no one wants all that drama, I shared fun photos of both kids and great scripture verses.  

August - Ahhh... August.  With August came EDISTO.  (Or Edislow as it's called).  Man, if we all didn't need a break to soak up salt water mist and melt into warm sandy beach.  Yes, Edisto is good, and you can see how good here and here. I also got crazy crafty with my LOVE canvas here and the office-grown pumpkin, fru-frued up for the fall holidays, which is featured here. :) 

September - It's my birth month! But during an election season - yeah, it's not as much fun.  But I got Downton Abbey so WHOOPIE!  Also took Baby Sweet Niece to a pumpkin patch - loads of fun! Check it out here! 

October - Man I love autumn and the beautiful leaves of the season.  Love it.  Enjoy lots of it here. And a stroll down a Friday's Letters Lane here. 

November - This is a very excited Ellie! She's part of this Friday's Letter! Along with Shrek, Sunsets, Macy baking cookies, ... all kinds of funness.  And one little Thanksgiving blog with no photos here. 

December - Obviously, the Election is over bc I finally caught up on Halloween and Thanksgiving here!  A new kitten appeared in this post "Run Faster, Catch Up With Life!"

And I think I will end it there.  Of course there were dozens of posts outside of those highlighted here, but eh, that's the past! Onward to the future! :) And to the first post of 2015! :)  Thanks for joining me on the journey.