There more but... isn't that always how it is?!

Greetings--

This week has passed in a blur. It is the last week of school for us before the BIG VACAY!! Big Daddy has been traveling an ridiculous amount---- and

--- Yup, that was me taking a sigh break. I can't believe it, but yesterday in the hallway AT school, I said to a few other moms that I didn't really care for the new therapist I have been seeing. BUT, I think that I am going to keep seeing her, BECAUSE it forces me to find help for my kids and be "not mom" for ONE WHOLE HOUR A WEEK! We all laughed. They did, because it was AWKWARD (and a bit identifiable) and me because, once again the old MOUTH was moving light years faster than my SOCIAL filters. The rest of the afternoon was just a free-for-all because Big Daddy was FINALLY coming home and I was pondering what I had realized...

Having my youngest turning 2 has been kind of an underground weirdness... at this point with the boys I was already planning my next pregnancy. There aren't going to be any more, so the paradigm shifts and I am floating out here in uncharted waters. I am seeing that there is going to be a day (sooner than I think) that I am going to be "not mom" for hours at a time. What is that going to mean for me? Do I really think that I am going to fill that time cleaning and doing housework?!! What is the next phase? I think THAT is the fetus I am gestating now... (I just wanted to write fetus)

Frida--- I have been thinking a lot about Frida these days. The colors she used, the dark and light aspects of her art, the intimacy of her self portraits-- I just want to know more. Is there anything that you just want to know more of? Curiosity is a comfort.

So-- I bet you all have been sleeping restlessly, tossing and turning, wondering WHO won the STITCH Gifts 2011 magazine. The random number generator picked #4 and that was a lovely lady named Hilda. We have been in touch and it is winging its way to her house. I was so surprised to see all the new people who commented. It was like THIS year there are an entire DIFFERENT 9 people reading this blog. You poor people, it has been a rather rough year. I am really sooooo much different when the whole Cancer-thing is not a part of everyday life. It has been nice to have a place to put some of those feelings, a safe place, with nice people. Isn't that all any of us want?

I may be back this week with something lighter... I did find a AWESOME silver tinsel tree for $3 and it has been cheering me up as the Willamette Valley has moved in to the damp freeze zone.

CHeerio!

JMB

We are almost at 400!! Give-away time!!

Hey there-- I am busy sewing a Xmas quilt top that I started over a decade ago... yes, for some reason I got bogged down with making it PERFECT, instead of just MAKING IT! Thanksgiving was hard for me this year, so after the family trekked to Grandma and Grandpa's for the PRE-MEAL festivities I stayed in and pulled out something to work on. I got out all of the Christmas fabrics that I have been collecting and somehow the last time I worked on this quilt I packed up all the parts in a bag and set it on top. What I found on Thanksgiving, looked OK to me (not totally ugly, but I didn't have to think too much), I am adding some sashing and some borders and by the end of the week I should have a QUITE large finished top! I had already given up on this project a few times, it's a Christmas miracle!

Because I like to get others in a celebrating mood as well, I am giving away the "STITCH GIFTS 2011" magazine. Why? Because I like to give people more reasons to craft a holiday surprise or gift-- and also I love to toot my own horn! See below...
That sweet little Elf Baby was hatched in my craft room earlier this year. The folks at STITCH did a beautiful job with the project pictures and also put him in the table of contents!! So exciting!

If you would like to get one of my extra copies of "STITCH GIFTS 2011" please leave a comment about your favorite things to do for the holidays by Monday December 5 @ high noon PST. We will draw a name and I will drop the LOVELY magazine in the mail that afternoon after I get the boys from school. (I am partial to my Elf Baby, but this issue is LOADED with beautiful projects. I liked how they picked some that would take a half hour and some that would take a little longer-- a really fun bunch!)

I hope you are all getting cozy and crafty-- I have been knitting a simple lace cowl and fashioned some doll pants for Mango's bare bottomed baby. Handwork soothes and brightens!

JMB

One, Two, buckle my shoe...

There you go! It was as easy as that, two little boys picking two happy friends. The hard part was finding a time to post. I will email you for all of your particulars. Thanks for the happy wishes, thanks even to those who read and don't comment (I know you are there!). It takes all of us for the online community that we have built.

This week was busy because we were getting ready for the County Fair. I entered some new categories this year soft original toy and knitted baby garment. All it takes is the fair to get me to finally sew the little buttons on Mango's new fall sweater.
Isn't it cute? I discovered that I absolutely LOVE knitting little sweaters! I even blocked it. Not too shabby for a first try (I have completed a grown-up sweater, but it was not out of pretty yarn and it was too itchy and smelly....I think that it is in my pile of felted items to be repurposed!) This one was so easy and fun.

The brothers both entered paintings and recycled art. Brownie also entered a Lego sculpture and Blondie entered a "mixed" painting and drawing. Entering for us meant Mommy running around scrounging frames and adding hanging wire the morning of the drop off day (luckily the boys were in camp). I even swiped the frame from my wedding photo to frame one of the paintings. That is love for you! Maybe things run smoother in other families, but I am so proud that we got it all together this year!

I have also been working on getting a website together for a modern quilt guild for my little town. Learning a new website format is challenging, but I am diligently trying to get it together for a meeting this fall (my dream is September, but it is sneaking up.) I did tell a woman at my guild to keep me accountable and on task! It is working!

See you soon!

JMB

There's a party going on right here...

OK, the "Celebrate Good Times" song was running through my head when I was writing the title, I can't help it. Maybe it isn't a big party, but I am celebrating right here and now about being around blogland for four years. (OK so it is a month late, but I had to finish those quilts and that takes time.)

Thank you all for meeting with me here and in this space. It is very special to me. I enjoy writing what I want, hearing what you all have to say and then visiting your own corner of blogland. It is a nice little circle we have going on.

To continue the "Good Vibrations" I am giving away three of my little quilts. I am keeping "North" for myself and "South" is going to live with a certain friend, "East" and "West" are looking for a home. If you would like them to come and live with you just leave a comment here and maybe leave your favorite party song too, that would be fun. I know my boys would love a new list of dance music.

Fiesta Forever!

JMB

*EDITED*

Ha ha ha, the joke is on me, in my excitement and haste to post I forgot to add when I was going to draw the luck winners... how about Monday August 9th at high noon PST?

A sneaky look at what I have been makin'...

Most of my days are spent doing this...
But a few times over the past couple weeks I have sneaked in some work on these...

They are going to be finished soon.... one of them could come to live with you.

Stay tuned!!

JMB

Oh my....

There they all are... if you look closely Brownie added an orange slip for himself.  I explained to him that we could not rig the contest like that...he was displeased.
Here he is "subtly" picking his name 3 times in a row...
There was a brief prize committee power struggle, he told me that he didn't want me to give away the Olivia fabric, and I said that I wasn't.... Order was restored and he closed his eyes and picked a name...
Hooray for you Emily!!  It is fitting that the lady that made me get on the blog train was my winner.  What a day....this contest has just worn me right out!

JMB

Return of the Garden royalty...

Shhhhh, quiet, they think that we can't see them...
Here they come, full of pomp and circumstance...
It's Prince Brownie and Prince Blondie on their Garden Royalty Leaf tour!  

I don't know where Brownie comes up with his schemes, but I do know that I laugh a lot when he's a-plannin'.

Our chicken coop arrived yesterday and was installed with much fanfare and leaf dancing.  The chooks (kind of Aussie eh?) like their new space, but still need to come in at night (I think that my father in law asked my mother in law "They are keeping all of their chickens in a bucket"  Not, exactly, but it is a fine line between them freezing outside at night and then being squished in the little brooder during the day).  Mr. Dad said that when he went out to bring them in, they were all staring at the house with their feathers all puffed out like they were freezing.  They were happy to come in, but then happy to go out again this morning.
Last week we had some bizarre weather for Oregon....it was hot and HUMID.  Two things that DO NOT work for this pregnant lady.  I have been doing OK, when it gets hot, we have had a few days when it has gotten in to the upper 80's.  I stay in the shade, drink some ice water, read a magazine while the boys do their water scheming in the back yard.  Humidity?  I just don't do that.  Too much sweating and it seems hard to breathe.   I have lived other places that have the hot humidity and this is why I live in Oregon...we have damp in the winter, but not in the summer time.  BUT, my garden did like the 3-4 days of moist heat that we had.  My nasturtiums got huge and bloomed.  I was so happy to find them amongst the rain forest of weeds that also got a boost this last week. (But what would I do in my garden if I couldn't weed?)
So pretty!
June is MY month for the virtual quilting bee that I am in.  I accidentally forgot that I am one of the 12 in our group and made 12 packets.  Today I made my contribution to my own quilt.  I haven't been quilting much the last few weeks... I think that this could have been contributing to my sour moods, because since I made my block I am so happy!   I just love it.  My hope is to have all of the bee blocks surround my rainbow tree from a while back.  I am thrilled to see what everyone else comes up with.

This is my last post for blog birthday week.  Comment on this or any one of the others this week and you can have a chance to win some fabric and other fun things.  We will be picking tonight at 7:00 pm PST....which is in about 1.75 hours...

I am so EXCITED!

Thanks for all of the nice thoughts this week and for the last 3 years!

JMB

This is going to be like AA for fabric gluttons and hoarders...

I used to think that it was only me.  Only me that walked by bolts of fabric and tried, desperately to control my fingers as they gently touched the smooth, smooth colors.  (my latest obsession the whole darn "Good Folks" line by Anna Maria Horner) (I was doing a good job resisting but then I read this post.  Darn you Soulemama!)
I try to leave the fabric in the store and the money in the bank, but I just can't.  They call a siren's song to me, those colors do, and there I am completely helpless as I crash upon the rocks and hand over my bolts...

a half yard of each please...

wait, you better make it a yard of the Kaffe Fassett.

(These were from this past Friday's binge...some are just scraps from the studio bins, but I had to have them anyways...$4.75 for as much as you can stuff in a sandwich bag?  Yes, please!)
I suppose like other addicts, because for me it is an addiction, I feel a bit guilty after I plunk down my pennies (and dollars and more dollars.)  But then I get home and I am able to sort them and wash them...and then pull them still warm from the drier (then they don't wrinkle as much) I don't feel bad anymore.  They are all so beautiful, so colorful, so ready to be arranged and re-arranged in a myriad of ways on my fabric shelves.  (Should I sort be color, or designer, or type?  Or all of the above?)  (these up here were on sale a few weeks ago, I love christmasy type fabrics that are not too christmasy...but I also love the too christmasy types too!)
The thrill of the fabric chase is even sweeter when you win things on people's blogs.  I won these from Amy, over here.  It was such a thrill and I talked about it for days.  I think my sister's comment to me was "Why are you going to the fabric store again when you just won all that fabric online?"  I had to go.  Simple.
I had always thought that I was alone in my desires...until I joined my local quilter's guild.  My eyes were opened!  I met all sorts of women who just loved going to fabric stores as much as I did.  They liked to buy fabric just for the look of it, because it reminded them of something, because they might make something out of it one day.  They were just like me and so I kept going back.  (I hadn't intended on making such a purply arrangement here, but I really like it.  Something about the purple, brown, and greens really speaks to me.)
Here I am, dealing with this affliction. (which I only say sort of jokingly.)  When I get really bad I just have to stay out of the fabric stores all together.  I make myself go in to my sewing room and arrange the fabric that I already have, maybe even cut some of it and sew it together again.  What an idea?!  (most of these repros are from the scrap bin, but I just really like them.)
I was also heartened to hear from so many other hoarders in the comments from the last post.  It is nice to not be alone, to be among friends

If you are interested in adding to your own stash I am having a give-away this week to celebrate my 3 yr blog birthday.  You can read about it here.  Hooray!  I am having such fun reading all of your comments!  Until tomorrow!

JMB

The cake's been eaten...

Mmmmmm, it was so good!  This here blog is three years old today!  Very exciting! (if I look a bit different in this picture, it is just the pregnancy hormones!)


At first I thought that I should buy a lovely coordinated assortment of FQs to give away, because who doesn't love fabric.  Then I thought, Jessica, are you ever coordinated??  You are a fabric hoarder!!!!  It is time to break free, and cut some of your favorites and give them away to your bloggy friends...

So here is my wicked plan... for my Blog birthday I am going to give a lucky reader friend a "Jessica, JMB Box of fun" above are some of my favorite hoarded fabrics and I will include the newest "Stitch" magazine (Because I just love it and I am actually going to make something from a pattern!) and an assortment of my most loved notions....my favorite sewing needles and the like.
What you all have to do is this...

Make a comment, preferably sweet, on this or any other blog entry this week.  You will get one entry for each comment (only one per day please.) and you will also get one more entry for mentioning my blog birthday on your own blog (isn't it great to network?)  We will pick the winner Sunday June 7th @ 7:00 pm PST.  (I will do it early so that the boys can help before they go to bed.)

I am so happy to have "met" you all and I appreciate how much "closer" we can make our great wide world through sharing our lives, our ideas, and our creativity!

Peace to you all!

JMB

Sometimes you find just what you need...on a friend's blog...

I wanted to post today to kick off my blog birthday week...  But I just wasn't inspired yet (it is 11:00 PST) Then I found this little video on my friend Emily's blog.  It is nice to watch.  Nice to watch while my little Blondie boy crawls over my shoulders while I sit in the computer chair.  Nice to watch while he smiles at all of the different shoes.  Just nice to watch.

Tomorrow is my actual blog birthday, 3 years!!  I was very sporadic at first, you know afraid of all those creepy weirdos that stalk you down from the Internet.  But after a time, I found some really nice friends here and I think that blogging has helped me through some tough times with depression, becoming a "Stay at Home Mom", it has helped my creativity and quilting dreams blossom.  

Here is an early thanks to Emily, who told me I could get my own blog (What is that? I said.) and to all of you who have shared the journey with me.  Stay tuned this week I am going to post every day to celebrate and will announce the give away tomorrow (and who doesn't love a give away?!)

Dream a dream today.  Who knows where it will get you by next week, next year, 3 years from now?

Who knows?

JMB