tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38488852333754215242024-02-07T23:39:57.027-06:00Domesticity EvolvingOne young wife's attempt at homemaking- The good, the bad and the ugly.Cayleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04362312387097470393noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3848885233375421524.post-55337041131270834382011-04-03T01:02:00.000-05:002011-04-03T01:02:25.125-05:00Oh boy what a month!!Is it me or did March just fly by at the speed of light? My husband's entire family visited from Boston for about 5 days and it was really nice to see them. Because they live so far away, I'd never met our 2 year old niece or 1 year old nephew, so it was great to finally get to meet them. They're both so cute, I wish they lived closer so we could see them more often. <br />
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Steven's sister is very pregnant right now with a little boy and is due in early May. I made this small quilt for him out of a fabric line that just screamed "little boy" to me. The fabric is Pure by Sweetwater for Moda. The pattern is my own half square triangle variation, super simple. These pictures are just the finished top, it isn't quilted yet. I know, I know, shame on me!<br />
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March also brought the beginning of our fertility treatments. We are right in the middle of the 1st cycle now, so its been a fun few weeks with me pumped full of hormones, lol. We are praying our hearts out right now. Please keep us in your prayers too.<br />
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<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"></div>Cayleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04362312387097470393noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3848885233375421524.post-53506876183669544042011-03-08T00:22:00.000-06:002011-03-08T00:22:58.377-06:00Every Day I Love You<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58788854@N06/5508037671/" title="Every Day I Love You new by CayDA82, on Flickr"><img alt="Every Day I Love You new" height="271" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5134/5508037671_a3b7e3b175.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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What a nice sentiment, don't you think? I've seen this simple, heartfelt phrase popping up on wall art lately and I just love the straightforward statement it makes. So when it came time to find something new to put on the wall over our bed in the "new and improved" master bedroom, I knew I had to use this somehow.<br />
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Enter the very large "oops" frame I purchased at Michael's for $8 on a whim, and I knew I had myself the beginnings of a project. I decided to use the same fabric that inspired the colors in my bedroom, Martinique by 3 Sisters for Moda. I printed letters the right size for my project using a font from Microsoft Word. I then traced those onto template plastic and cut the templates out to trace onto my fabric. I used Heat n Bond to adhere the letters to my background fabric. Once I had that done, I went to Lowes and had them cut the thinnest piece of plywood I could find to fit my frame and I used spray adhesive to first attach the batting the the plywood and then the fabric to the batting. Voila, new art for my wall (yay!). My only regret is the fabric I used for the lower case "e" in "Every." That fabric doesn't show up against the background as well as the others.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58788854@N06/5507976343/" title="Every Day I Love You 4 edited by CayDA82, on Flickr"><img alt="Every Day I Love You 4 edited" height="300" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5179/5507976343_329220cb1b_m.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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Of course my crappy camera took awful pics again that I could not even edit into anything great, sorry!<br />
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I love walking into my bedroom and seeing these words. It reminds me how blessed I am to have love in my life, both to receive and to give. I'm hoping that everyone who reads this also shares that blessing. <br />
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<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"></div>Cayleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04362312387097470393noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3848885233375421524.post-50246001994337281632011-03-06T04:16:00.000-06:002011-03-06T04:16:14.645-06:00Baby Boy Onesies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix5PxSuxHFDps5slFiEP5q29zCY0ZTbxzhS8TvdUcSAXqllf2un8BskVIu9lVYk9C8CUTOQHf7nn_M92ddqJxdsebcMOcKvdTz5Mhor0TN-EHVn1hbC9TOGmVzRNeZ8SVgIF6KjkkLBLYa/s1600/5502033516_d5fb9f5dd7_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix5PxSuxHFDps5slFiEP5q29zCY0ZTbxzhS8TvdUcSAXqllf2un8BskVIu9lVYk9C8CUTOQHf7nn_M92ddqJxdsebcMOcKvdTz5Mhor0TN-EHVn1hbC9TOGmVzRNeZ8SVgIF6KjkkLBLYa/s400/5502033516_d5fb9f5dd7_m.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3QMkzmwMbJ7lj99cDnZB2l_F0PkV71WLJDvxMCrhg9XlZVgEQQlNlHDnaFZfQpC4TB6LMT0JyWjfOLJ4q9jcHyOF26KTfZSw3Ou6JnKNWa6JWM__5ZAPcJ4jVxF6Lz7ZTYJi3SbVh7aOn/s1600/5501922416_97cc88f68e_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3QMkzmwMbJ7lj99cDnZB2l_F0PkV71WLJDvxMCrhg9XlZVgEQQlNlHDnaFZfQpC4TB6LMT0JyWjfOLJ4q9jcHyOF26KTfZSw3Ou6JnKNWa6JWM__5ZAPcJ4jVxF6Lz7ZTYJi3SbVh7aOn/s400/5501922416_97cc88f68e_m.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Just popping in for a quick little post. The master bedroom project is STILL not done. Unfortunately I'm at the point where I'm in need of my father and my husband's assistance to finish some last minute details, and getting those two to do anything quickly is close to impossible.<br />
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In 9 days my husband's entire immediate family will be here for a visit. I had intended to have a baby quilt finished for his pregnant sister by the time they arrived, but so far I've only completed one block! I'm going to make this my priority this week and try to get it done and quilted and binded by the time they get here. Keep in mind that I've never machine quilted a project before and you'll understand how scary that last sentence was to me. Fellow quilters, please please keep your fingers crossed for me!<br />
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A family friend has a baby boy that I've had the pleasure to spend a little time with over the last few weeks. He is about 6 months old and chubby and sweet and I want one just like him. I had seen and idea on homemade by jill (<a href="http://homemadebyjill.blogspot.com/2009/06/appliqued-onesies.html">click here to see</a>) for a baby boy onesie with a neck tie and sweet little Tucker gave me the excuse to give it a try. <br />
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I had a few other ideas too:<br />
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</div>Those little letters were SO hard to make that I almost didn't do those last two. I'm not crazy about the polka dot fabric on the Honey Bunny onesie, but oh well ...<br />
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I have a few other ideas for some little girl versions and a few more for little boys so hopefully I'll get the chance to try those soon. If I do, you'll be the first to know!<br />
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Adios Amigos,<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDe-l4H0Y3rtm_7fao3MJ9ELxw-2Yyj4baxvvoyl4VXhPpYxIDtmPaJJSAZCZQp9TP-04yxUAz_-fH5J89Ij_nQIquRkGFbPG9POFKJegmYXEl7UvNjaVQr4OrlE9zd4oFqOXjAsWN7FCm/s1600/Blog+Signature.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDe-l4H0Y3rtm_7fao3MJ9ELxw-2Yyj4baxvvoyl4VXhPpYxIDtmPaJJSAZCZQp9TP-04yxUAz_-fH5J89Ij_nQIquRkGFbPG9POFKJegmYXEl7UvNjaVQr4OrlE9zd4oFqOXjAsWN7FCm/s1600/Blog+Signature.png" /></a></div>Cayleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04362312387097470393noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3848885233375421524.post-82674574266189750822011-02-28T23:12:00.000-06:002011-02-28T23:12:40.637-06:00Bedroom Furniture Revamp<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnnS-sMUVdLLprRPxa8WBCvXVaf7HMZzWOXw-7pxaGO97RWKC86KmlGvLzcp01ygFnSkLnGF8bOErF0TLzKrwVTUDd_tEU11ZphzS0zEpURhyphenhyphenqlVeCeLwXwGcC_wkZyxeI8kX6M-A9UmYM/s1600/5487231787_f695ea9469_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnnS-sMUVdLLprRPxa8WBCvXVaf7HMZzWOXw-7pxaGO97RWKC86KmlGvLzcp01ygFnSkLnGF8bOErF0TLzKrwVTUDd_tEU11ZphzS0zEpURhyphenhyphenqlVeCeLwXwGcC_wkZyxeI8kX6M-A9UmYM/s1600/5487231787_f695ea9469_m.jpg" /></a></div>Hello lovelies! I hope everyone has been having a pleasant few weeks since we last talked. I've been keeping myself very occupied trying to juggle all of the projects I decided to take on at once. The master bedroom overhaul is so close to being finished I can almost taste it, but alas a few little details are keeping me from posting the final pics. What I can show you are pics of the largest, and most time consuming part of the project and that is the repainting of my dresser and nightstands.<br />
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Being the complete goob that I am, of course I forgot to take before photos (I'm SO annoyed by this, grrr...) I was able to find our exact nightstands online, here is a before pic:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfsWLMmxCDW2nuq8sOZDSqAEjVzK4Dh6Ss_nITOchUvbqtA8BcFwkIIjSklGXhC5p9PlYf1ohBC1aVBKR4QdEmqIKcTaVgGXVM8s5DQvAgSN2JHNs_8VGRyGuFmuZiDJDRMmZZ3N3pC9qG/s1600/nightstand+before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfsWLMmxCDW2nuq8sOZDSqAEjVzK4Dh6Ss_nITOchUvbqtA8BcFwkIIjSklGXhC5p9PlYf1ohBC1aVBKR4QdEmqIKcTaVgGXVM8s5DQvAgSN2JHNs_8VGRyGuFmuZiDJDRMmZZ3N3pC9qG/s1600/nightstand+before.jpg" /></a></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Mysears.com</span></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I got my nightstand when I was in my early twenties and then years later when helping my then-future husband buy bedroom furniture I talked him into buying the exact same one because then we'd have a matching set someday. Then we bought an equally dark, huge wood dresser with very mod silver knobs, and a huge dark wood headboard at a going out of business sale right after we got married. My dining room table, and living room tables are ALL dark wood and at this point I'm just sick of it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Sooo... with a wonderful Christmas gift of a new vintage-ish bed, I saw my chance to make a change! But buying all new furniture was not in the cards, so I decided that we should paint what we already have. My new color palette for the room is aqua and gray. The bed is black metal so the hardware on the furniture would also have to change.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">After several coats of paint, distressing, and 2 coats of poly, meet our new nightstands:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMmREas8iMA_smHPPQ5QnibIMrduIWD1dw6XyD3aCpiNZBcvJdvCrAP2L5kOV04fauFILQfXjIhUxh1xWLp9YshF39TduBSczWLVRbnznVIMs0LVffe5mF940WYeYZRrgqCjr7nPUqOosw/s1600/5487180633_de19d01df3_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMmREas8iMA_smHPPQ5QnibIMrduIWD1dw6XyD3aCpiNZBcvJdvCrAP2L5kOV04fauFILQfXjIhUxh1xWLp9YshF39TduBSczWLVRbnznVIMs0LVffe5mF940WYeYZRrgqCjr7nPUqOosw/s1600/5487180633_de19d01df3_m.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoLPRgXZmyIqxaaYRg4EXS25PE5saK2hR0IOSd2fwVWjGi_mgkIeKkuTm-eSZb2JiZmiwzdyP7gNeTuUCGivRSUfSvBUeXI-hnCfsfM3Ms1fajP7EgGlqiI6wqq9BqECIXgFTR0unDXtIJ/s1600/5487380031_57fe297323_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoLPRgXZmyIqxaaYRg4EXS25PE5saK2hR0IOSd2fwVWjGi_mgkIeKkuTm-eSZb2JiZmiwzdyP7gNeTuUCGivRSUfSvBUeXI-hnCfsfM3Ms1fajP7EgGlqiI6wqq9BqECIXgFTR0unDXtIJ/s1600/5487380031_57fe297323_m.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib78SMMzYmhGNgs3xL1qdxnou_3Bz4obm8fOGyEaqK-QqzrCNXhA9x20qcrKC_Evzi-cVa_DsC23vzgt1I4a4KBl_hortqCviz5GXhaQ-RKC1rTFIAfyGJtQwaWa20b5jG8txUugdCLLf4/s1600/5487793222_9711a4f094_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib78SMMzYmhGNgs3xL1qdxnou_3Bz4obm8fOGyEaqK-QqzrCNXhA9x20qcrKC_Evzi-cVa_DsC23vzgt1I4a4KBl_hortqCviz5GXhaQ-RKC1rTFIAfyGJtQwaWa20b5jG8txUugdCLLf4/s1600/5487793222_9711a4f094_m.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNPc5l-WiH7_Sm0drVV3ZGxfOybD-vm6RfCKPpgjocIbaIV7KwPnEXvRmrhl5hrefsnHXJu557_4a3_hPlcCdqht-r1OGhU3yXoYboHZbNZVqJZLgQ3iqp-xmneVnc3xlxnP18LDvIREfd/s1600/5487771310_10f352497c_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNPc5l-WiH7_Sm0drVV3ZGxfOybD-vm6RfCKPpgjocIbaIV7KwPnEXvRmrhl5hrefsnHXJu557_4a3_hPlcCdqht-r1OGhU3yXoYboHZbNZVqJZLgQ3iqp-xmneVnc3xlxnP18LDvIREfd/s1600/5487771310_10f352497c_m.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Please bear with me in regards to the color and quality of these photos. I literally detest my camera, but I'm stuck with it right now. I've recently discovered photo editing with Flickr/Picnik but I think it takes a little finesse.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I really wanted to get these knobs from Anthropologie:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLiOWN_2oV5XMJ_aDGdPLTzGX1J34ydEagVkmBhs4ZpkMRfNhwDeb7uwADhwPjxjCyLxPOmc3zS-xdOL8NEWmpZ5HSN1RBuTNMmE8i8lz8BWVYVeLeZvbj1KOTzR7AOfpc-slD6FHqD7Xu/s1600/cursive+knobs+from+anthro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLiOWN_2oV5XMJ_aDGdPLTzGX1J34ydEagVkmBhs4ZpkMRfNhwDeb7uwADhwPjxjCyLxPOmc3zS-xdOL8NEWmpZ5HSN1RBuTNMmE8i8lz8BWVYVeLeZvbj1KOTzR7AOfpc-slD6FHqD7Xu/s1600/cursive+knobs+from+anthro.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Anthropologie.com</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">But they're something like $12-$14 each. so they'll just have to wait. Instead I spray painted the existing hardware black and in the process discovered that if the can says to use between 50 and 90 degrees farenheit, take it seriously. I tried it one day when it was in the 40s and had severe issues.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Now the dresser. I also wanted new knobs for this because I hate these mod looking knobs. They are very weird and each have two screws holding them in place, which a normal knob would not cover. In an effort to save time and money I painted these also and will revisit them later. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmx5MAiMHJ15L8GJPwERjMJ-tDZPhL_qd3KHk2_Jb66ANNXhwkBn9ta7Nx4SEnjRTYSwYaABfOVNI7bKexQuomx7t7ChAuNUK1ku7Nzwr6-XRR_-PcXUbB9un5IUL27Yxhv_IHXpWrFsHX/s1600/5487231787_f695ea9469_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmx5MAiMHJ15L8GJPwERjMJ-tDZPhL_qd3KHk2_Jb66ANNXhwkBn9ta7Nx4SEnjRTYSwYaABfOVNI7bKexQuomx7t7ChAuNUK1ku7Nzwr6-XRR_-PcXUbB9un5IUL27Yxhv_IHXpWrFsHX/s1600/5487231787_f695ea9469_m.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHNHNyfRa5oNpBstCd08CTHZ2SzammK3I6oJaF4i2CoxgMnvjRdvtMlwAJz_h-7E90hO4X2GzqBMkR0pg3Iwwy-B47L3SHmrrd8nZNau7IDkx5H8ICnSNtgf1djfzKNFsNy2TF6h7qIi7N/s1600/5487253905_dbcc293471_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHNHNyfRa5oNpBstCd08CTHZ2SzammK3I6oJaF4i2CoxgMnvjRdvtMlwAJz_h-7E90hO4X2GzqBMkR0pg3Iwwy-B47L3SHmrrd8nZNau7IDkx5H8ICnSNtgf1djfzKNFsNy2TF6h7qIi7N/s1600/5487253905_dbcc293471_m.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj13sIh8s8O_aWk5lfUjdVNgR-o4czq-ingpXAUKh7k2jBU6VcWlJdWfU4kyowQyKj7uXkd92QH_1tpxnXOz2_B3XBcx6j2PjgiRy9z74GBK02YOw8CJup1AJMCfZKYbIbIgWbnBkyqEMjG/s1600/5487285977_3fab80967f_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj13sIh8s8O_aWk5lfUjdVNgR-o4czq-ingpXAUKh7k2jBU6VcWlJdWfU4kyowQyKj7uXkd92QH_1tpxnXOz2_B3XBcx6j2PjgiRy9z74GBK02YOw8CJup1AJMCfZKYbIbIgWbnBkyqEMjG/s1600/5487285977_3fab80967f_m.jpg" /></a></div>The door in the middle used to have a wood panel in it, but it had been damaged at some point. I decided to take it out and replace it with fabric. It's not the best job in the world, but it'll do in a pinch.<br />
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So that is my bedroom furniture revamp. I can't wait to show the finished room soon!<br />
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I'm off to bed. Good night, sleep tight, and don't bite the bedbugs!<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-6h3E5ePVx7wskhSSOYHl3jmXiV3vMgZqkzjGqjPKluv6QW8QZUGttCZGCuTkolHk7uAAC0f_h134sBvF5DjCqS-pr_Sj0tXTaudzHTXrhi9CjpwmvnF_-2zpiuL4My9r5pSl7e2kqpqA/s1600/Blog+Signature.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-6h3E5ePVx7wskhSSOYHl3jmXiV3vMgZqkzjGqjPKluv6QW8QZUGttCZGCuTkolHk7uAAC0f_h134sBvF5DjCqS-pr_Sj0tXTaudzHTXrhi9CjpwmvnF_-2zpiuL4My9r5pSl7e2kqpqA/s1600/Blog+Signature.png" /></a></div></div>Cayleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04362312387097470393noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3848885233375421524.post-34631307594114346002011-02-14T16:06:00.000-06:002011-02-14T16:06:20.928-06:00Happy Valentine's Day BloglandToday is the day we celebrate love. Traditionally I've never been very hyped about the whole commercialization of the holiday. I think we should celebrate love, and those we love every day. This year there were a few crafts I've been itching to try my hand at, so I took a homemade approach to Valentine's day and had fun doing it! <br />
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I got some Clover pom-pom makers a few weeks ago to make some stuff for my master bedroom overhaul (which is almost done, YAY!). I picked up some yarn, paper covered wire, and mason jars and made these home-made flower arrangements for my mom and sister. What I love about these is they'll still be just as good as new in a few weeks instead of in the trash.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Y6ZGf-aOWtX5ewl6i_V8HBSoJG5ZXT3F_z9tfp-WB4xwLhBrFBS12MzQxAlXyu7uURKmwC0LDqj6erdea0xQnSCAi5GtFAcY9DMw9rwjXyhR3sS_5cxoH5BtZ6qMbPqpxm-ojDgL3oHg/s1600/vday+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Y6ZGf-aOWtX5ewl6i_V8HBSoJG5ZXT3F_z9tfp-WB4xwLhBrFBS12MzQxAlXyu7uURKmwC0LDqj6erdea0xQnSCAi5GtFAcY9DMw9rwjXyhR3sS_5cxoH5BtZ6qMbPqpxm-ojDgL3oHg/s1600/vday+2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Another craft at the top of my "To-Try" List were these cute felt flowers from <a href="http://iammommahearmeroar.blogspot.com/2010/10/last-felt-flower.html">I Am Momma - Hear Me Roar.</a> All that these required were some felt, hot glue, and ribbon. I glued them to the top of these little treat boxes instead of using a bow. These also make adorable baby headbands, which I hope to try soon for a friends baby girl.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrtlJRQ84xzOqqcjTpdFovt_77tc_NBJWn1S4iLXyJGpgWCQFW2twmYM9dVOol_7ETB2tejeoLh8OXGplnn7jsk7GFJ6XGEMb69e0Izd9Qlre1E70Z2INTCKEbDBJbcXD9DYmXnmNgPsxh/s1600/vday+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrtlJRQ84xzOqqcjTpdFovt_77tc_NBJWn1S4iLXyJGpgWCQFW2twmYM9dVOol_7ETB2tejeoLh8OXGplnn7jsk7GFJ6XGEMb69e0Izd9Qlre1E70Z2INTCKEbDBJbcXD9DYmXnmNgPsxh/s1600/vday+3.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Even better than the flower on top is what was inside. These super yummy brownie bites were so cute at the store, I couldn't resist buying them. One or two might have accidentally jumped into my mouth while I was packaging them up (oops!). I had wanted to make Parisian Macarons but the book I ordered from Amazon was delayed due to the horrible weather across the U.S. last week. Oh well, these little guys were still pretty tasty, even if they were store-bought.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHeiD3SSVax88KQDHBgE45OOvBe_gfvTNnBQ2flTTfYX8ehP6-Q22t4J0gGrKXmmM1evo_2OrUNNXUZKmgA4jTgJyJNvSkvi3t4lQ2mTcPf3bngmzcrA0EiSyXVFM97hS-U4R8AfIRbod7/s1600/vday+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHeiD3SSVax88KQDHBgE45OOvBe_gfvTNnBQ2flTTfYX8ehP6-Q22t4J0gGrKXmmM1evo_2OrUNNXUZKmgA4jTgJyJNvSkvi3t4lQ2mTcPf3bngmzcrA0EiSyXVFM97hS-U4R8AfIRbod7/s1600/vday+4.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Here is a pic of the whole little assortment, all put together.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUel9BIWJcPCMGZf1uzCd6JoQr9HaGS_hSU1PSx_5JW7N_DF8dqj8d-w7qvIgzCV2MBlmkSygSxA9907AevgtlSYsjcJz14ynABb2N-uR0yStIaXZBTd7xj6ThtzlzfyhvlHupb6s7Ynpa/s1600/vday1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUel9BIWJcPCMGZf1uzCd6JoQr9HaGS_hSU1PSx_5JW7N_DF8dqj8d-w7qvIgzCV2MBlmkSygSxA9907AevgtlSYsjcJz14ynABb2N-uR0yStIaXZBTd7xj6ThtzlzfyhvlHupb6s7Ynpa/s1600/vday1.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I hope everyone out there has a wonderful day filled with love and happiness. The husband and I are going to take in a movie tonight and try a new restaurant. I know, what thrill-seekers we are. Truthfully, paying full price for a movie these days is about as wild and crazy as our budget allows, lol! I'm just thankful to spend the evening with my true love .. who could ask for anything more?<br />
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XOXOXO,<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;"><em>Caylee</em></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div>Cayleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04362312387097470393noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3848885233375421524.post-37466998458624733312011-02-02T21:39:00.001-06:002011-02-06T02:12:58.389-06:00Anything is cuter with a ruffle on the butt!At least anything to do with baby and little girls that is. With this in mind and a friend expecting a new baby girl, I set out to add some ruffles to the rear ends of some cute little onesies I bought at Target. I decided to use t-shirts for the ruffles, because I didn't want them to fray. Click <a href="http://firefliesandjellybeans.blogspot.com/2010/01/how-to-make-rock-star-ruffle-butt.html">here</a> to see a blog with a great tutorial on making a ruffle-butt onesie. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpG8TOOVVybcy2nsEO6nwYdkDEpN8nGara-o_hltywy8hEibJxycPMPDlgpC4V1S6S9w2JZsJ6PkyFamiT96w80tILIhGY-60pyIiXUfJEfRRshrRn9IQf7xlTdUaDEdUhAAoUOILIL9ou/s1600/2011-01-31+15.29.53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpG8TOOVVybcy2nsEO6nwYdkDEpN8nGara-o_hltywy8hEibJxycPMPDlgpC4V1S6S9w2JZsJ6PkyFamiT96w80tILIhGY-60pyIiXUfJEfRRshrRn9IQf7xlTdUaDEdUhAAoUOILIL9ou/s320/2011-01-31+15.29.53.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center">My ingredients: Cute little monkey onesie and t-shirt strips</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrmyl2DO5dxE4LuFPOklP9aEGs2Yx8pypDFAaB3Bc3wGGmjWqdHZGRJ2Q2i9gpI-NVm-2rnoAoBzlToARV50XBYJvzGV-9wc38l2e_ZGazBk0Xg93TX8eG-bPhANOIQ6KpzB2F03ITFeqp/s1600/1296509488791.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrmyl2DO5dxE4LuFPOklP9aEGs2Yx8pypDFAaB3Bc3wGGmjWqdHZGRJ2Q2i9gpI-NVm-2rnoAoBzlToARV50XBYJvzGV-9wc38l2e_ZGazBk0Xg93TX8eG-bPhANOIQ6KpzB2F03ITFeqp/s320/1296509488791.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">My ruffles, awaiting a onesie-butt</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3vqizcCcCoTvEAiB7kfmg-m0bd51zrbt64QNFOzdN2U4jEUG0dVCdDGd4Mpp3kmoKpH0GVNAw9TxRAd22_9iYDC3kTDXb-Fq_Devgxba6y57PkdERWHpyBnf2tIbQjtb_iavcxGOtK483/s1600/2011-01-31+15.39.40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3vqizcCcCoTvEAiB7kfmg-m0bd51zrbt64QNFOzdN2U4jEUG0dVCdDGd4Mpp3kmoKpH0GVNAw9TxRAd22_9iYDC3kTDXb-Fq_Devgxba6y57PkdERWHpyBnf2tIbQjtb_iavcxGOtK483/s320/2011-01-31+15.39.40.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Pinning the first ruffle on (making sure to unsnap the onesie first so I don't sew it closed!)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcxSdIuVjhDbn_QFVISZatnHxtB5JIdRWHf6TeYxLtutJf07PtQT7PpNJAfyyKGwbU2p4qsiQQMCYgTHzCdZn6kxEtaoybxoX3pIC3sgMEWquREu_CKAt2oVI07PE_rPyNe33EJP4I41_p/s1600/5419530989_d345b4f77c_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcxSdIuVjhDbn_QFVISZatnHxtB5JIdRWHf6TeYxLtutJf07PtQT7PpNJAfyyKGwbU2p4qsiQQMCYgTHzCdZn6kxEtaoybxoX3pIC3sgMEWquREu_CKAt2oVI07PE_rPyNe33EJP4I41_p/s320/5419530989_d345b4f77c_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;">And the finished product! </div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">If I ever have a little girl, she'll never go a day without a ruffle trailing behind her. I've also got my eyes on a few other baby projects to tackle for this little lady, as well as a new nephew we're expecting some time this spring. I started a baby quilt today for him which I hope to finish lickety-split. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">We're right in the middle of redecorating our master bedroom right now, which HAS to be done by the time Steven's family visits mid March. At least that gives me a deadline to work with. But until then my house is turned upside down. Aaaahhhhggg!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">To much of the USA covered in feet of snow from the Feb 1st blizzards, I'm sending warm toasty thoughts your way! God-willing, we'll all be seeing Spring soon. I hear ol' <span style="font-family: inherit;">Punxsutawney Phil did NOT see his shadow yesterday so perhaps soon we'll see more of this:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpxljI04laC2uUF5-Jeqq9fnGPRKDpIFHhbzrJsrqugZA-gdRBpCo4w-HZW5snfw4MOJC8-Uqy4pjdgV3uzJp8PGpWeFlVcohhBFHXxv3cdxFQ2sxz7y6j5Bix31fx9UuJMMaNkBeqHAvQ/s1600/2010-04-05+11.43.37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpxljI04laC2uUF5-Jeqq9fnGPRKDpIFHhbzrJsrqugZA-gdRBpCo4w-HZW5snfw4MOJC8-Uqy4pjdgV3uzJp8PGpWeFlVcohhBFHXxv3cdxFQ2sxz7y6j5Bix31fx9UuJMMaNkBeqHAvQ/s320/2010-04-05+11.43.37.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>And even if that means my husband will have our television overtaken by this:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwy7nnsN8HXnR3Ql9dMsN50h9URf6KGijZwXJFxdI9sCVdVztn9dEO2C6Nn7wwRORC5p1szBx_tGzZC40bhqPFGawgqp9eMDMhczm2Knc_oQFNmtdX9VZ1WlOVeYFPWk6Ke_jMBRiHHhbP/s1600/2010-04-17+18.19.47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwy7nnsN8HXnR3Ql9dMsN50h9URf6KGijZwXJFxdI9sCVdVztn9dEO2C6Nn7wwRORC5p1szBx_tGzZC40bhqPFGawgqp9eMDMhczm2Knc_oQFNmtdX9VZ1WlOVeYFPWk6Ke_jMBRiHHhbP/s320/2010-04-17+18.19.47.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Keep warm everyone!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizwNoar9GZWYwFOSiNd-sgd2zjTWYzYsLQgF1qLNp71Qw4jmzqdU-jEsUPdTxClaob4xf9VSQISr_r27fLAJ3-KkVT-pqOX9m3l6k48lYDpafYrew_btNonuCvtgoLdAZdkBCHN7qa4T7S/s1600/Blog+Signature.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizwNoar9GZWYwFOSiNd-sgd2zjTWYzYsLQgF1qLNp71Qw4jmzqdU-jEsUPdTxClaob4xf9VSQISr_r27fLAJ3-KkVT-pqOX9m3l6k48lYDpafYrew_btNonuCvtgoLdAZdkBCHN7qa4T7S/s1600/Blog+Signature.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Cayleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04362312387097470393noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3848885233375421524.post-1319876468357227572011-01-24T00:49:00.000-06:002011-01-24T00:49:07.870-06:00Winter, I'm SO over you!Every year I look forward to the the cooler crisp temperatures, the smell of wood burning in fireplaces, and the changing leaves that fall brings. fall inevitably gives way to winter, which I'm usually ok with. You see, I live in the southern U.S., Tennessee to be exact. We experience fairly mild winters here normally. You wouldn't find many years in the record books that we had more than 1 or at most 2 light snowfalls accumulating more than 2 inches. This year is one for the record books though. We've had 4 or 5 snows with accumulations this winter, and its not over with yet. We even had a good snowfall on Christmas Day, which was really beautiful. But now, I'm just sick and tired of frigid cold temps, gray cloudy skies, and cold wet stuff messing up the roads and making me worry about my sweetie driving to work at 4 in the morning. The kids here have only gone to school maybe 5 days total since they let out for Christmas break a week before Christmas. I know many of you out there have far worse winters than this, but this is Tennessee--the south, where its usually mild in the winter and HOT in the summer, and I didnt' sign up for this!!! lol<br />
Here is a photo outside our front door a few weeks ago.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXbYL6jL4yhUHIQjapNPGTDB_pcBKDXFB4cYJijFwCjtIz01nke9UVMXbGWjv-ZuFUjsvaek9TEJQ9CnajiaykAJXwOjPcH15AqxvA3ZD_V_mf-B4rziP2WpTMcj5jlwYe8hPE8_VmCTQa/s1600/January+2011+Big+Snow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXbYL6jL4yhUHIQjapNPGTDB_pcBKDXFB4cYJijFwCjtIz01nke9UVMXbGWjv-ZuFUjsvaek9TEJQ9CnajiaykAJXwOjPcH15AqxvA3ZD_V_mf-B4rziP2WpTMcj5jlwYe8hPE8_VmCTQa/s320/January+2011+Big+Snow.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>During all of this cold weather, I did manage to get a few finishes under my belt, YAY! Below are two quilts that I worked on off and on from about June of last year until now. They were meant to be Christmas presents for my niece and nephew. I wanted to get some good pics of them finished, but the dreary, snowy weather wouldn't cooperate so here are a few crappy dark, pics =(<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHczbDCWomTu1zrcj3X9aa-_dWcraIpkbc7Ci3FtAIeB3APV1oRECqNMcoOd3DrvUudMtejeFL1YniiHQhkiQWtY4EHnXtrnirvuGXcZFQyjoVoRUZtf9acz9zHtUuDvtShgvblW8tGUN/s1600/Kerrins+Finished.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHczbDCWomTu1zrcj3X9aa-_dWcraIpkbc7Ci3FtAIeB3APV1oRECqNMcoOd3DrvUudMtejeFL1YniiHQhkiQWtY4EHnXtrnirvuGXcZFQyjoVoRUZtf9acz9zHtUuDvtShgvblW8tGUN/s320/Kerrins+Finished.jpg" width="291" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKtUvQfy_kHMBWEAiReCs1W3IbOcv2sLcPqUJmVYvG_Gepj8drjs9QhHkU06Yup0Hc8jRvFgce_1R97lAxwnYGu3IR-EF87JvnDojli9Cy-7V9uj9h-izDATlFaAA6q8a2DTXD9KAe8uPZ/s1600/Brendans+Finished.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKtUvQfy_kHMBWEAiReCs1W3IbOcv2sLcPqUJmVYvG_Gepj8drjs9QhHkU06Yup0Hc8jRvFgce_1R97lAxwnYGu3IR-EF87JvnDojli9Cy-7V9uj9h-izDATlFaAA6q8a2DTXD9KAe8uPZ/s320/Brendans+Finished.jpg" width="290" /></a></div><br />
Our little niece is two and her little brother is one. I made these bigger than an average baby quilt because I wanted them to be able to snuggle up with these for years to come. The long arm quilter did a great job with the quilting. She did swirls all along the border and added little swirls in the zig-zags too. It gave the quilt a bit more whimsy I think. Here is the best detail shot I could get with the bad lighting.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2crHA5WPkXyqOKYxu1fD2g2EvsJEm-0YkjhH2eXSsUNQbAt6a9BYSdYtlyfC77lgmo5fzl8XZkR_M1yu6b2R19xQqm8JR3FCDYbg8XolQoV0_S061mjc4hyphenhyphennLe7LJvDz2cVS_o2eLNv5e/s1600/Kerrins+quilting+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2crHA5WPkXyqOKYxu1fD2g2EvsJEm-0YkjhH2eXSsUNQbAt6a9BYSdYtlyfC77lgmo5fzl8XZkR_M1yu6b2R19xQqm8JR3FCDYbg8XolQoV0_S061mjc4hyphenhyphennLe7LJvDz2cVS_o2eLNv5e/s320/Kerrins+quilting+detail.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
I've also been working all week in my spare time on a flannel quilt for my friend who is having a baby girl on February 1st. I used some Bliss flannel fat quarters and red thread and I really like the way it turned out. Again, dark photos, sorry!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj88CSbXKb0VSj6mmHgWoFIcwToSo6jV57LJ1LlpSrfDod8FKQfVsSwLxCkr_OZDty2igOYalfk-vlfUvCHZz_cktP2KCj8aqcCMXD3Kq83djGLH7SdmdAgRTwu1zBiQ9nBgvvTU_7DmtrF/s1600/Rag+Quilt+Fuzzy+Side.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj88CSbXKb0VSj6mmHgWoFIcwToSo6jV57LJ1LlpSrfDod8FKQfVsSwLxCkr_OZDty2igOYalfk-vlfUvCHZz_cktP2KCj8aqcCMXD3Kq83djGLH7SdmdAgRTwu1zBiQ9nBgvvTU_7DmtrF/s320/Rag+Quilt+Fuzzy+Side.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5woK1Atq1YxnVdGBRB15DBYc3e4eIm7diLS5RllbKQ5dqCkkUkUUAtRGa0bXAXrLJW2i55VxlGNxWdsJCpFlARLgBq-rxLFSpUOdiVaqL8WhfNLHNr5WbSFpfP8oEoz2kreYVNI6SqBBk/s1600/Rag+Quilt+Smooth+Side.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5woK1Atq1YxnVdGBRB15DBYc3e4eIm7diLS5RllbKQ5dqCkkUkUUAtRGa0bXAXrLJW2i55VxlGNxWdsJCpFlARLgBq-rxLFSpUOdiVaqL8WhfNLHNr5WbSFpfP8oEoz2kreYVNI6SqBBk/s320/Rag+Quilt+Smooth+Side.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I also started another baby project that didn't quite get finished in time so I'll post pics of that soon.<br />
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If you are also feeling the winter blues, let me suggest you try these YUMMY Krusteaz Key Lime bars. They're like sunshine in your mouth! A friend turned me onto them a few years ago, and I've loved them ever since. I made them for the baby shower this weekend, and everyone loved them. Even if you aren't usually a key lime fan, you'll probably still like these. They are SO easy to make.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwTAdzIOqzEZYYiCTnm-cFNhpSxLoGhV-mOHTrAvHiSf-Pr8rv2tpaBfnga-5DzqNjHjC7wshAb1ln41IguXd-cMfOaEikxty9OwL2G-hNqxCxLSxRFNN5N3JdIYeOAodd06m21Il0Etvb/s1600/Krusteaz_-_Key_Lime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwTAdzIOqzEZYYiCTnm-cFNhpSxLoGhV-mOHTrAvHiSf-Pr8rv2tpaBfnga-5DzqNjHjC7wshAb1ln41IguXd-cMfOaEikxty9OwL2G-hNqxCxLSxRFNN5N3JdIYeOAodd06m21Il0Etvb/s1600/Krusteaz_-_Key_Lime.jpg" /></a></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: ContinentalMills.com</span></div><div align="center"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Until we meet again,</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGytY6yrXqyEC-ZuabH0XKBaFqZ3wclo3PRx0qxjaRt2CKGnUjCPhMBHC-jag40WDkWZFaFLIqQNdAUuHjmEi40cfkuNprDss4VyS4Dx5rrBNwYVd2jKliM6zaapBHcPsQBdA6migVtVm/s1600/Blog+Signature.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGytY6yrXqyEC-ZuabH0XKBaFqZ3wclo3PRx0qxjaRt2CKGnUjCPhMBHC-jag40WDkWZFaFLIqQNdAUuHjmEi40cfkuNprDss4VyS4Dx5rrBNwYVd2jKliM6zaapBHcPsQBdA6migVtVm/s1600/Blog+Signature.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div>Cayleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04362312387097470393noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3848885233375421524.post-25697945827962683842011-01-06T23:19:00.000-06:002011-01-06T23:19:26.370-06:00Merry Christmas, Happy New Year-- Better Late Than Never!!As usual I'm a day late and a dollar short with the holiday greetings. Actually, more like 2 weeks late, but who's counting (hopefully no one). The holidays around here just get so busy, as I'm sure they do everywhere. I feel like there hasn't been a spare minute since three days before Christmas. <br />
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Speaking of Christmas, I hope everyone was blessed to spend it with people they loved and enjoy being with. Steven and I always go to my parents house in the wee hours of the morning on Christmas to open presents with my parents, my sister, and her boyfriend. We all received such beautiful and thoughtful gifts from each other that I can't help but think that we are truly blessed, and a bit spoiled to be honest. <br />
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Remember the "Sweet Broderie" fabric from Lecien that I fell in love with a few posts ago? Well one of Santa's helpers got wind of my fabric crush and this kit was waiting for me under the tree.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDaUR04G2ujmA5Mifsphehsiwe7uG2WNmAs0EeCbVbqA251jno3ecbEdfx2yWZeoFavbFbM17MQMzN_WLaDb0CSHQISb5V5BofQKsB7QimO8tjzAQjtZjfOcGrUPXYwc-hfps_03RYb-qJ/s1600/Sweet+Broderie+kit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDaUR04G2ujmA5Mifsphehsiwe7uG2WNmAs0EeCbVbqA251jno3ecbEdfx2yWZeoFavbFbM17MQMzN_WLaDb0CSHQISb5V5BofQKsB7QimO8tjzAQjtZjfOcGrUPXYwc-hfps_03RYb-qJ/s320/Sweet+Broderie+kit.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I can't wait to make this quilt! The fabric is so expensive, but this kit is surprisingly affordable. It can be purchased at <a href="http://www.woodengatequilts.com/items/sweet_broderie_pinwheels_quilt_kit.aspx">Wooden Gate Quilts</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I caught site of Santa's handsome helper as he tried to sneak out after delivering this last minute gift. After much begging, he conceded and let me take a picture of him.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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I didn't know that they let the elves wear Redsox hats ... must be casual Friday. Actually Steven and I spotted this funny Elf t-shirt at Target a few weeks ago, and being the goofballs that we are we had to try it on and take a photo. We're weird like that. Don't judge, lol.<br />
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Right before Christmas I had pre-prepared homemade orange rolls to easily pop in the oven that morning. They smelled divine baking. I wish with all my heart that I could give this recipe rave reviews, but alas, I cannot =o(. It turns out, there is such thing as too much butter. It was just TOO much! I may try them again as cinnamon rolls far, far in the future and with far less butter. But right now, the Pillsbury dough boy and I have such a good thing going, why bother?<br />
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One new recipe I tried for Christmas dinner that I can completely recommend is <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/mac-daddy-mac-n-cheese-recipe/index.html">Guy Fieri's Mac Daddy Mac n' Cheese</a>. Most homemade mac n' cheese comes out to dry or too bland in my opinion. Not this stuff! It was soooooo good. Everyone who tried it gave it two enthusiastic thumbs up, and Steven wouldn't even let anyone else take home leftovers of it because he wanted them all to himself. If you decide to try it, I would suggest add more of each cheese, and cooking more bacon to add into the mixture as well as on top. You can't really go wrong with more cheese and more bacon (but not more butter!!)<br />
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Did anyone else try any great recipes over the holidays??<br />
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Hasta manana,<br />
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</div>Cayleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04362312387097470393noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3848885233375421524.post-89947285661052580212010-12-20T23:40:00.000-06:002010-12-20T23:40:46.474-06:00Eau de Homemade Orange RollsFor the past two nights I've been making Pioneer Woman's famous homemade cinnamon roll recipe, except I used the modified version and turned mine into orange rolls. This is probably one of the most complicated culinary procedures I've attempted in my 28 years. Scalded milk, had to google that. Active dry yeast, turns out has to be put in the milk at <em>just</em> the right temperature (learned that one the hard way). Then as if all that scientific stuff weren't enough, I had to roll out the dough and slather it and roll it back up and... Sheesh, you get the picture! I'll never lie and say these were easy to make, but they sure do smell GOOD, like REALLY REALLY GOOD!! <br />
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The recipe made 7 pans of rolls so I'm going to freeze some, and give some away. I actually made these early in preparation for Christmas morning. It'll be so much easier just to pop these bad boys in the oven for 15 or 20 minutes then to try and make something from scratch that morning.<br />
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Here they are fresh out of the oven, smelling divine<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRe4ROeAwatiRbguTy5bB2BJVZqPZ20-yOecbIaPEPzX4QUoXaEizZvNByRwHaM5tVVq9qW5CmXa3IOyjeO7n9Ty5QVzQRa6mpmgoGy-STiG80sUOA4QM376RHuRjPV4GmYNdUNvWcQ-Fm/s1600/orange+rolls+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRe4ROeAwatiRbguTy5bB2BJVZqPZ20-yOecbIaPEPzX4QUoXaEizZvNByRwHaM5tVVq9qW5CmXa3IOyjeO7n9Ty5QVzQRa6mpmgoGy-STiG80sUOA4QM376RHuRjPV4GmYNdUNvWcQ-Fm/s320/orange+rolls+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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And after I added the orange icing (which I did taste and it was delish)<br />
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I'm hoping they taste as good as they smell. I'll be sure to let you know the reviews once they're in. If you'd like to make them you can find the recipe by clicking <a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/cinammon_rolls_/">here</a>.<br />
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I love getting in the kitchen and making yummy stuff this time of year, with Christmas music blasting from my iPod. Two of my favorite Christmas albums this year (and every year) are Christmas by Rebecca St James, and Wintersong by Sarah Mclachlan. Do you have any favorite holiday music? How about recipes to share? <br />
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Jingling all the way, <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiszx7dwCLDiS9szNvz8eqdVaHiAKEpJ97JMpZKd1KXxRhBbd1zjwv3dV0NCjqudYReFcYYYOMGxn4Y0J4BwHrpq0c1Z4zcIziuuiULk460fk_kcJlzi9oxScU5eXmuJSIch1S_2nOlGpQT/s1600/Blog+Signature.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiszx7dwCLDiS9szNvz8eqdVaHiAKEpJ97JMpZKd1KXxRhBbd1zjwv3dV0NCjqudYReFcYYYOMGxn4Y0J4BwHrpq0c1Z4zcIziuuiULk460fk_kcJlzi9oxScU5eXmuJSIch1S_2nOlGpQT/s1600/Blog+Signature.png" /></a></div>Cayleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04362312387097470393noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3848885233375421524.post-47665782579934997512010-12-20T00:18:00.000-06:002010-12-20T00:18:40.630-06:00Hello Again!So I think I've come to terms with the fact that my blogging is sporadic, at best. If I could just squeeze an extra 3 or 4 hours into each day! I'm sure so many people out there feel exactly the same way. I don't even have children yet! I know once that happens my available time will dwindle to near non-existence. To all of the ladies (and guys) out there who manage to hold down jobs, keep the household running, put meals on the table, AND raise children who turn out to be contributing members of society, my hat is off to you. To take it a step further, those same folks who also find time to create beauty in their world, whether it be quilting, baking beautiful cakes, decorating spaces, painting, building, you name it-- you guys absolutely ROCK! I hope to be just like you when I grow up (wink,wink-- get it? lol) <br />
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So since we last met I've had a birthday, and turned 28. It was a tough birthday for me. I was kind of down-trodden and slightly emotional all day and couldn't really figure out why. I mean, it isn't as if I was turning 30 (which will probably be a hard one for me). I finally figured it out towards the end of the day that deep down I had never pictured being 28 and not yet having children. Turns out, it really bothered me. I hate it when I let stuff like that get me down. So many people out there have so much bigger problems, it seems petty to dwell on such insignificant things. But dwell I did. I had myself a good little cry about it and now I've resolved to move on and leave that behind. However, if I find myself in the same predicament next year on my <span style="font-family: inherit;">birthday,</span> then I reserve the right to cry and stomp my feet and whatever other unreasonable actions I feel are deserved.<br />
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I've been exploring a lot of blogs out there lately and have come across some really beautiful lines of fabric that I'd never even heard of before. I could look at fabric all day, every day and twice on Sunday I think. Usually I gravitate towards some of the more well-known designers/manufacturers. I like a lot of Moda fabrics. Some of my favorite designers are Bonnie and Camille, Fig Tree, 3 Sisters, French General, Kate Spain, among others. I also like a lot of Free Spirit fabrics. Tula Pink, Tanya Whelan, and Anna Maria Horner ( a fellow Tennessean!) are some of my faves. And who doesn't like Amy Butler or Kaffe Fassett?? <br />
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This past week I stumbled across this Japanese manufacturer called Lecien. Two lines in particular really caught my eye. One called Sweet Broderie is designed by an Aussie named Rosalie Quinlan and it is just adorable!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtYgIq8K7U6tvfRLzbdiQtY20zGNijuylQhN4DDpjjQjFtKc92yDNwpA2oBuiObhvuFTOWbSr1ZC7e83tIN-xoyoFtAN0iPXWSr1lUTiUlXMHhHgQ428LXSNrBBsGUzTT0kHpTUPty5AUQ/s1600/SweetBroderie-cherry-bundle-450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtYgIq8K7U6tvfRLzbdiQtY20zGNijuylQhN4DDpjjQjFtKc92yDNwpA2oBuiObhvuFTOWbSr1ZC7e83tIN-xoyoFtAN0iPXWSr1lUTiUlXMHhHgQ428LXSNrBBsGUzTT0kHpTUPty5AUQ/s320/SweetBroderie-cherry-bundle-450.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div align="center">Photo Credit: Fatquartershop.com</div><div align="center"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">The other fabric line was from an American designer who I had actually seen before on Moda Bakeshop. Monica Solorio-Snow, aka Happy Zombie, designed Happy Holiday for Lecien fabrics. I had never before considered a palette like this for Christmas, but I really do like it!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCyMmITtZhmmZxqsBTpklazuivRlX-FnlZHc8BmpNy57riBRIlUGOUGK6ggNjM7LH8h15xt6mzMtnXDpWIieg7Z9XcVYayT4bsAriaoUORBQaxbg3oR67ps1BQMKjO3zxZGf6YUHaEXaUs/s1600/HolidayHappy-JellyBean-bundle-450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCyMmITtZhmmZxqsBTpklazuivRlX-FnlZHc8BmpNy57riBRIlUGOUGK6ggNjM7LH8h15xt6mzMtnXDpWIieg7Z9XcVYayT4bsAriaoUORBQaxbg3oR67ps1BQMKjO3zxZGf6YUHaEXaUs/s320/HolidayHappy-JellyBean-bundle-450.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho5LlbjTOgs5f4gdrb8VFxtb-qImySWNsKPbiZXk0CqBhyUVZejOJjVxeyTNVclBwAsppOfYLmSwffxqhmRNnl8Yt6s7DFeWjtDV7f7CgEwKihjpTFhYIyUCy1snV8hgr90uPwPrws2ai-/s1600/HolidayHappy-CandyCane-bundle-450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho5LlbjTOgs5f4gdrb8VFxtb-qImySWNsKPbiZXk0CqBhyUVZejOJjVxeyTNVclBwAsppOfYLmSwffxqhmRNnl8Yt6s7DFeWjtDV7f7CgEwKihjpTFhYIyUCy1snV8hgr90uPwPrws2ai-/s320/HolidayHappy-CandyCane-bundle-450.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center">Photo Credit: Fatquartershop.com</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Head over to the <a href="http://thehappyzombie.com/blog/">Happy Zombie blog</a> to see some of the cute stuff made with this fabric. Both lines can be purchased at Fatquartershop.com, as well as other online retailers. LOL, I swear I'm not trying to sell this stuff!! I just hate it when I see something I like with no mention of where to buy it. Both of these are going on my Christmas wishlist. What did you ask Santa for??</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I could keep rambling now, but I think I'll leave well enough alone and save some off whats in my head for another post. And next post I promise to include some of my own photos!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Until next time, Be Good For Goodness Sake!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Cayleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04362312387097470393noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3848885233375421524.post-63087953020934189602010-10-27T19:05:00.000-05:002010-10-27T19:05:21.196-05:00Something Old, Something Blue<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A few months ago I mentioned that I was looking for a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>cabinet to keep sewing supplies in so that my dining room didn’t look like a disaster area when I want to sew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My parents were at an antique store around that time and found a great antique dresser with one long drawer on top, and a large cabinet with two doors on bottom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The color of the wood was ugly, and the hardware was hideous but the piece was just the right size and had great lines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I decided to paint it blue to go in my blue and brown living room and then picked out some really beautiful antiqued mercury glass knobs at Anthropologie. I couldn't be happier with the finished product. It is just what I needed and gives me much needed storage, and what household couldn't use a little more storage space?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvIrlAtwIChMoqN6TpV7cI-G7S8sA9148_tXwEPXFQziqGPzi5KjKJNdvizxOx9jBNDBIwuu8S-kj_icKLiirvqLew5lfoy2cioRZgJ_IqvU1fI0EPtivs4PBFdw7bantrYd1FSaN91kLH/s1600/Painted+Livingroom+cabinet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvIrlAtwIChMoqN6TpV7cI-G7S8sA9148_tXwEPXFQziqGPzi5KjKJNdvizxOx9jBNDBIwuu8S-kj_icKLiirvqLew5lfoy2cioRZgJ_IqvU1fI0EPtivs4PBFdw7bantrYd1FSaN91kLH/s320/Painted+Livingroom+cabinet.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh7UCdwasuzYH8Rj9YfCIAfOBvIaZJvlXhi8fLjAb1xRcvqvi2BcRud5hoiZAnqEohzVKA_r6uTLzjI7RFQzCxQdtfWqRaRz9cyIxlKfnXV05TGTwJUaMns3Y4NEN9SJGsBfaVbkRV9Xmf/s1600/Mercury+glass+anthro+knobs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh7UCdwasuzYH8Rj9YfCIAfOBvIaZJvlXhi8fLjAb1xRcvqvi2BcRud5hoiZAnqEohzVKA_r6uTLzjI7RFQzCxQdtfWqRaRz9cyIxlKfnXV05TGTwJUaMns3Y4NEN9SJGsBfaVbkRV9Xmf/s320/Mercury+glass+anthro+knobs.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Unfortunately we didn't get any before pictures.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I LOVE these mercury glass knobs. I really love mercury glass in general. I wish it was easier to find. All I come across seem to be candleholders and you can only have so many of those. I did find some stuff at Pottery Barn, but really don't want to pay their prices. I'm hoping to have the chance to go to a few antique stores before the holidays and maybe I'll find some there. Oh, and milk glass too, love that milk glass!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Steven is getting annoyed with me because my birthday is coming up in a few weeks and I can't think of anything I want him to get me. For some odd reason I just can't think of anything that I can't live without right now, and if I can live without it, then I don't want to waste a birthday present on it! I told him I'd rather just wait until I come across something that I REALLY want but I'm not sure he's going to let that one fly. If I could have anything I'd probably wish there was some way I could stay 27 instead of turning 28. 28 is practically 30... too close for comfort!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I had my last (and most painful!) diagnostic test today and we finally were able to meet with the doctor and develop a treatment plan. The doctor was very optimistic which really helped. Looks like its Clomid and IUI for us. Hopefully this works!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Later Gators!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfbaa32RRIwPKk7uB9CnucrvINCOUaIDegfTztJxL0CGUCNO8KpKEbJXIE_gd5-3aBai3dv-tVqy_NYM2TAQYnHSuZbio1T8Nh3n6RT3bKToNqafkySWvM8CxUAU5p3k0LEjzctjRTAW80/s1600/Blog+Signature.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfbaa32RRIwPKk7uB9CnucrvINCOUaIDegfTztJxL0CGUCNO8KpKEbJXIE_gd5-3aBai3dv-tVqy_NYM2TAQYnHSuZbio1T8Nh3n6RT3bKToNqafkySWvM8CxUAU5p3k0LEjzctjRTAW80/s1600/Blog+Signature.png" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div>Cayleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04362312387097470393noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3848885233375421524.post-82885847459983730522010-10-25T21:17:00.000-05:002010-10-25T21:17:35.369-05:00Long Time No See ...It’s been so long since I last posted here that I don’t even know where to begin. Truth be told I’ve started to post several times, but I’d let it go for so long that I couldn’t find a good starting point. Do you ever get so behind on something that getting back into the swing seems a little overwhelming? That’s what happens to me. <br />
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So, where to begin… last time I was here it was August. After my work load increased we undertook a moving/combining of two offices which was really a big mess but seems to finally be settling back down to normal. At the same time, my Mom turned one room in her house into probably one of the cutest sewing rooms I’ve ever seen and I helped her with that also. I’ll try to get a picture sometime this week.<br />
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I can’t believe that it’s fall already! The leaves here are changing and some trees have gone faster than others. There’s one huge beautiful old tree that I pass on my way to and from work every day that looked like it was on fire when the sun hit it. Tens of thousands of golden orange leaves, sometimes I had to stop my car and stare. I took a picture with my cell phone and the quality isn’t very good (not to mention my windshield is in the way) but you get the point.<br />
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I only wish it would get a little cooler. Even today we got up to 80 degrees. It’s staying very mild and even slightly warm most days. I’m ready for cool crisp weather that warrants sweaters and boots and the smell of people burning wood in their fireplaces. Fall really is my favorite time of year. I’d love to be able to have fall/harvest touches in my house but that will probably take years of slowly buying up little odds and ends and crafting. In the mean time, I did score a few things at Wal-mart the other day that I like. <br />
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These yellowish orange glass pumpkin jars were on clearance for $3 each. They would be great to put cookies or candy in. I got one and snagged three for Mom, but she may find herself missing one pretty soon because I think I’ve decided that I need another.<br />
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I also found these pumpkin and leave vase fillers for $6. The pumpkins have kind of a candied texture to them that I really like. Right now I have them in this little black wire bowl that I found and loved, but I also think they may look good in one of my clear glass hurricane vases.<br />
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Another thing that’s been occupying my time and thoughts lately is something that I was hesitant to mention here. While I want this blog to be an open and honest little window into our lives, I also don’t feel comfortable putting everything about our lives onto the internet. I’m sure many people out there probably feel the same way. The question is where do you draw the line?? Since this looks like it’s going to be a BIG chapter of our lives in the coming months, I’ve decided that I’ll be talking about it some here because this was intended to be something we can look back at over time. <br />
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I’m talking about infertility. I never ever EVER thought this would be something I’d have to deal with. Steven and I married in 2007 and decided to take some time for ourselves before we started a family. It never occurred to me that once we were ready to start a family, we wouldn’t be able to. We decided we were ready in early 2009. Fast-forward to summer of this year and still nothing, nada, zero. We knew something must be wrong so I saw my GP in July and was referred to a fertility specialist. Since then we have been doing extensive testing and have discovered that we both have fertility problems and the possibility of us ever becoming pregnant on our own was about as low as it gets… it would take a miracle. Now we’re finally nearing the end of the diagnostic testing phase and soon will find out what our treatment plan and costs are. So beginning next year we will be going full speed ahead and by the grace of God, hopefully become parents.<br />
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While all this is going on, it seems like everyone we know is getting pregnant and having babies. While we are happy for our friends and family who have or are expecting babies, it is really hard for us to be around them. I’m actively boycotting baby showers at this moment. Even though I am currently about to start 1 baby quilt and have another to pick out fabric for as soon as the gender is known. One thing you never realize until you experience infertility yourself is how inadequate it makes you feel. Since we both have fertility issues, neither of us could really be objective and just be an active participant and cheerleader for the other. If anyone out there believes in the power of prayer, as we do, please pray for us during this time.<br />
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Ok, enough about that!<br />
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Last month my aunt and uncle came to Nashville and stayed with us for a few days. Even though they weren’t here for long we had a blast. We introduced them to my favorite store, HomeGoods. I think my aunt really liked it and she ended up leaving with several things, including the cutest little white cabinet with sliding doors for her sewing room. We also hit a nearby outlet mall where everyone found something they liked and we drove home that day with my car so full of people and purchases that I’m surprised (and relieved) that a door or two didn’t pop open. I’m still not sure how they fit it all in their car to drive home to Oklahoma, but somehow they managed. <br />
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I haven’t been sewing much but I have managed to finish the zig-zag quilt top for my nephew’s Christmas present. If you remember, I was making identical quilts in different colors for my niece and nephew. Now that they are both done, I’m going to get them to the long-arm quilter hopefully in the next week and then pray that I get them back and get the binding on in time for Christmas. One of these days, I’m going to tackle machine quilting. I just don’t want my first time (which I’m sure will be wrought with mistakes) to be on a gift that I’m giving to someone.<br />
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Wow, how many directions did this post go in? Hope I didn’t lose anyone back there. I’d say that I’ve finally lost it, but to tell you the truth I’m not quite sure that I ever had it in the first place! lol<br />
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Que Sera, Sera!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSOX-quFw3f9q2kR6o3_pqOAbb3qyDSLHzkAD2R0PhKvncHzxMYUvqQ9WWPrYbARawZ1ix0Cl6yY1V8NPxXc3Uz4Dvdqt9SUAvKz1sBVqfrCItpXurVqIdcQuO7j-TQWAElko9YcCeaRZ4/s1600/Blog+Signature.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSOX-quFw3f9q2kR6o3_pqOAbb3qyDSLHzkAD2R0PhKvncHzxMYUvqQ9WWPrYbARawZ1ix0Cl6yY1V8NPxXc3Uz4Dvdqt9SUAvKz1sBVqfrCItpXurVqIdcQuO7j-TQWAElko9YcCeaRZ4/s1600/Blog+Signature.png" /></a></div>Cayleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04362312387097470393noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3848885233375421524.post-5667963168176627862010-08-17T22:18:00.000-05:002010-08-17T22:18:25.877-05:00Birthday SurprisesMonday was my beautiful, kind, thoughtful, caring, and generally all-around wonderful Mom's birthday. We celebrated on Sunday night with the family by going out for Mexican food and Margaritas, both of which were muy bueno. Mom doesn't care much for cake. In fact, if there's a cake left around her for any length of time it will become a poor, bald version of its former self because she'll eat all of the icing off and leave the cake part behind. That being said, she requested cookies for her birthday. Not just any cookies though. She found a recipe for red velvet cookies (which happens to be one of only two flavors of cake that she likes) and dropped about a million hints that she wanted these cookies for her birthday, and would make them herself if she had to. So I obliged and made her <a href="http://peaceocake.blogspot.com/2010/02/red-velvet-gooey-butter-cookies.html">Red Velvet Gooey Butter Cookies</a> (click on the cookie name for the recipe). They are by no means a pretty cookie to look at, but Mom said they tasted delicious, and even our waiter at the restaurant kept hinting around for more cookies after Mom gave him one.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqR233_Go8l5KcAEYMUlgHCNHevvBeGOFBACQDFZZIrOi8izq0ZvzUzOnkWt1MJmPVFun4RDaaebiSGivLXtrBAa55Y_dokqFjsJguWH4x91HagufgIYW3EhYrUdfp9uYXG0WgKcoiAeFb/s1600/2010-08-16_17.00.49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqR233_Go8l5KcAEYMUlgHCNHevvBeGOFBACQDFZZIrOi8izq0ZvzUzOnkWt1MJmPVFun4RDaaebiSGivLXtrBAa55Y_dokqFjsJguWH4x91HagufgIYW3EhYrUdfp9uYXG0WgKcoiAeFb/s320/2010-08-16_17.00.49.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After dinner we came back to my house so I could give Mom her birthday present. She had been wanting rocking chairs for her front porch and I found 2 jumbo rockers at a local Thrift store. We decided to paint them black to match the shutters. Mom loves them and I'm so glad she does. They're still sitting in my dining room now after receiving the last coat of paint on Sunday. We're letting the paint cure for a week before we attempt to move them. I can't wait to get my dining room back to normal! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJq4s1S8KyZ8aAB7HgeAAAh8YFwPi21yyp9RlljI_zDS61jxeS1E-FvO7YlvUx1ak-AKp-s-fOBC01dInoRi3jHey6u2IJNXC-yXSr1JIbVTYdzGZEP8e0RMatBEjXTAWFvb7B2DeM6cU4/s1600/rockers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJq4s1S8KyZ8aAB7HgeAAAh8YFwPi21yyp9RlljI_zDS61jxeS1E-FvO7YlvUx1ak-AKp-s-fOBC01dInoRi3jHey6u2IJNXC-yXSr1JIbVTYdzGZEP8e0RMatBEjXTAWFvb7B2DeM6cU4/s320/rockers.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Monday on Mom's actual birthday I showed up with Birthday Cookies Part II. I had found a recipe for cookies similar to Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies and I couldn't resist. These were so good! I can't seem to get the site with the recipe to open right now so I'll post that later. Again, these weren't the prettiest cookies, but very tasty.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ETULXJyGNKmbFaO9dbRLk3jrJWrEIMLTE0JFyWpjo2tMs8ZuJTwadS_yf5dxa-UK5yHuX-UIeU2ug7yWbmMVvnAZT_jVU5vnNOw7oGMWTh9y5ldXSLdnEmQ46enH7emWjOKj9WDDpvrS/s1600/thin+mints.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ETULXJyGNKmbFaO9dbRLk3jrJWrEIMLTE0JFyWpjo2tMs8ZuJTwadS_yf5dxa-UK5yHuX-UIeU2ug7yWbmMVvnAZT_jVU5vnNOw7oGMWTh9y5ldXSLdnEmQ46enH7emWjOKj9WDDpvrS/s320/thin+mints.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>To finish up the birthday festivities, my sister and I took Mom out to lunch and then we went shopping for a few hours. We ended up at an accessories store taking silly pictures of ourselves in hats. We even got a great picture of Mom with a "Birthday Girl" sash and tiara on her head, but she's too chicken to let me put it on here (lol Mom).<br />
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My mom's birthday is the start of the birthday season in my little family. Things are just going to get crazier and busier from now until the end of the year. I seem to remember a time when it took FOREVER for my birthday or Christmas to roll around. Now they seem to show up pretty quickly and always leave me wanting to scream, "Wait, I need more time!!!" I guess it doesn't help that my birthday, wedding anniversary, and Thanksgiving are within two weeks of eachother. What was I thinking?!<br />
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Tomorrow is my Aunt Ranette's birthday. She too is a beautiful, kind, thoughtful, caring, and generally all-around wonderful lady. Aunt Ranette I hope you have a great birthday and wish we could be there to help you celebrate.<br />
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And Many More ...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMQGz_YDntLdjKMe_zg0yry-ScdaLCB8yF9lckbcaAMFvqjTHVnsQmk2NmueMVvtmQrh6UVDcWd0gY2EeZaFv8eSU9F7P2laPG6OGaGTygSnzCtQw9EtVJrA8BsZ7jgm1DiVY35hlXe_Uw/s1600/Blog+Signature.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMQGz_YDntLdjKMe_zg0yry-ScdaLCB8yF9lckbcaAMFvqjTHVnsQmk2NmueMVvtmQrh6UVDcWd0gY2EeZaFv8eSU9F7P2laPG6OGaGTygSnzCtQw9EtVJrA8BsZ7jgm1DiVY35hlXe_Uw/s1600/Blog+Signature.png" /></a></div>Cayleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04362312387097470393noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3848885233375421524.post-48459576629201925382010-08-14T23:38:00.000-05:002010-08-14T23:38:53.462-05:00Cupcakes and Coffee Rolls?Hola Blogland! Some changes at work have left me much busier there than usual this week. These changes are most likely permanent so it looks like I'll be staying super busy, but that is great news to me. Over these past two and a half years we've had more downs than ups it seems. I'm hoping this is the start of better things for us. One thing I think I've learned from this "Great Recession" is to really be thankful for what we have and to appreciate the small stuff more. But, enough about that.<br />
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Steven, like most men, doesn't really get into quilting. He'll take a look at a finished top or have a fabric budget discussion every now and then, but thats about it. Today we were talking about fabric and he starts talking about "cupcakes" and "coffee rolls", it took me a minute to figure out he was talking about pre-cuts such as layer cakes, honeybuns, and jelly rolls. He just got the names wrong, but I thought it was kinda cute and made me laugh. A few months ago I got a quilting book by Carrie Nelson called <u>Schnibbles Times Two</u>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_i4l1Yd_fnMSeUy7naoY3LAC_htUCEnZ1D5T15Hg-YX-O1-R6O0-UPey6sfK_SIQqAsLqEO5g3neDjcn7xvz6zL5BZYn9NylxsPG4MVCXx_8vrDerNEl0_xKrtv5nw2dPZ74Xila_nuYm/s1600/schnibbles+times+two.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_i4l1Yd_fnMSeUy7naoY3LAC_htUCEnZ1D5T15Hg-YX-O1-R6O0-UPey6sfK_SIQqAsLqEO5g3neDjcn7xvz6zL5BZYn9NylxsPG4MVCXx_8vrDerNEl0_xKrtv5nw2dPZ74Xila_nuYm/s320/schnibbles+times+two.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Amazon.com</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div> I was looking at it one night and left it on the coffee table and the next day I couldn't find it any where. After turning the house upside down I finally asked Steven if he had put it somewhere. He told me to look in the cabinet where we keep the cookbooks and sure enough, there it was! I asked Steven why he put it with the cookbooks and he said Schnibbles sounds like something you eat. LOL<br />
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Today and tomorrow are being spent working on a few surprises for my Mom's birthday on Monday. Hopefully everything comes out good and I'll have some pictures to share next week.<br />
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Until we meet again,<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2rHNit7dsp-GUD2Oxg8hDBqGg6WVAo3QafUwT4F_lXTKsEQXutKmfbfY45smpos6_T6-WAd9HuRj2gU4aYid8IytoJLIqwoNNWxp7FgiYVSO2rOw-r61dXAOmt252Ren_gBUTnzojievu/s1600/Blog+Signature.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2rHNit7dsp-GUD2Oxg8hDBqGg6WVAo3QafUwT4F_lXTKsEQXutKmfbfY45smpos6_T6-WAd9HuRj2gU4aYid8IytoJLIqwoNNWxp7FgiYVSO2rOw-r61dXAOmt252Ren_gBUTnzojievu/s320/Blog+Signature.png" /></a></div>Cayleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04362312387097470393noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3848885233375421524.post-52476518118686714402010-08-09T19:27:00.000-05:002010-08-09T19:27:41.117-05:00Fuzzy Wuzzy<div style="text-align: center;"></div>Fuzzy Wuzzy lives at my house. And he sheds constantly, as in all the time, as in on EVERYTHING. The poor guy can't help that he's so furry. Just look at these paws. They kind of remind me of the the Grinch.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio2aM9uF-3XXZZPqADrjF2V_MXmwJ-QwFcsT61FBDoy822_FZLK1GqKvOyk-HENpAs4dwrjeNb90ZIJ8kOqXDrW3kLX63J8TtjBj-yEAyLfoynUr7Svrrmrv0xP-ZRp4MwjrEy2z-MxUtT/s1600/2010-08-08_13.40.00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio2aM9uF-3XXZZPqADrjF2V_MXmwJ-QwFcsT61FBDoy822_FZLK1GqKvOyk-HENpAs4dwrjeNb90ZIJ8kOqXDrW3kLX63J8TtjBj-yEAyLfoynUr7Svrrmrv0xP-ZRp4MwjrEy2z-MxUtT/s320/2010-08-08_13.40.00.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP46AXFsxmwgcfHizSM2RIhkKD1Q_PC5_93T-aAVUcZx6MK_QDjI0L97-XszgOn3DQmRocb06dO-24S_wwtPR-IB9D4fYjpXXpPvJl3Nc4_4K6cYwIgMKWY6WNZGV2luDQBKEgZXCBEWvj/s1600/2010-08-08_16.54.45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP46AXFsxmwgcfHizSM2RIhkKD1Q_PC5_93T-aAVUcZx6MK_QDjI0L97-XszgOn3DQmRocb06dO-24S_wwtPR-IB9D4fYjpXXpPvJl3Nc4_4K6cYwIgMKWY6WNZGV2luDQBKEgZXCBEWvj/s320/2010-08-08_16.54.45.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After not feeling so well on Saturday, on Sunday I had to spend the day cleaning and de-furring our lives. I'm always telling Steven we should buy stock in those little lint roller sheets. We use them all the time. Another total lifesaver in the battle of the fur has been our Dyson vacuum. We got it as a bridal shower gift from my parents and its one of my top 10 favorite things that I own. I'm always amazed at the amount it picks up. It keeps me sane. This whole de-furring ritual we have going is a weekly thing, sometimes twice weekly, and always before company comes over. It's a big job. After I've been at it for hours and right around the time I'm ready to start locking all 3 cats in a closet and never let them out again, I see this face and I can't stay mad.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>At least I got to start my week out with a nice clean house. Today I got the chance to sew for a few hours with my Mom. I've been needing to get a start on a quilt I'm making for my nephew for Christmas and today I finally got the ball rolling. I started out with 111 five inch squares ...<br />
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</div>And by the time we finished for the day I had 111 half-square triangle blocks. Now I just have to square them up and then they'll be ready to start sewing into rows for a boy's version of the Zig-Zag quilt.<br />
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</div>I wish I could sew all day every day. But then I guess it wouldn't be as much fun as it is now. Hope everyone enjoyed your weekends. <br />
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That's all folks!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQTsn6_e7S-uihP4GFuQAYJUiEKl5mY7Gx1lXmPWsrbC_qAp6ivl-KpcduTjtavml2snfB2YFN5gCcjrRSqObk-IZQFMV5JM3G17geJfyYfeJTcmOycYXxqnTmoirDE34U-5C8P6m023k/s1600/Blog+Signature.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQTsn6_e7S-uihP4GFuQAYJUiEKl5mY7Gx1lXmPWsrbC_qAp6ivl-KpcduTjtavml2snfB2YFN5gCcjrRSqObk-IZQFMV5JM3G17geJfyYfeJTcmOycYXxqnTmoirDE34U-5C8P6m023k/s320/Blog+Signature.png" /></a></div>Cayleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04362312387097470393noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3848885233375421524.post-42353307983264922552010-08-05T22:39:00.000-05:002010-08-05T22:39:23.493-05:00Hexies and A Treat!Wow this week has really flown by! It's been another busy one here with work and appointments and, well just life in general. You know how it goes. It seems like this year just started, and its already August. It's been another hot and sweltering week here. Yesterday the temperature was in the triple digits, and the heat index was 118 degrees. When I saw that number on the screen I had to look again to make sure my eyes weren't deceiving me. We had a nice little rainstorm this afternoon that cooled things down a bit for a few hours at least. <br />
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On the sewing front all I have to show for myself this week are hexies. They're so convenient to get out and work on. I even got a cute little bag this week at Target to keep my little hexie kit together, and it fits into my purse so its easy to grab and go. I heart Target. I'll take it over Walmart any day.<br />
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<div align="center">WARNING: CRAPPY PHOTOGRAPHY AHEAD!</div><div align="center"><span style="font-size: x-small;">PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK.</span></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And with my little kit so handy I've been able to pop out more of these </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Lately I've been drooling over a quilt called Swan Lake that a very talented lady over at <a href="http://sue-anne-buddyandme.blogspot.com/search/label/Swan%20Lake">Buddy and Me</a> has been working on. When I did a little research via the internet I saw that it was a version of an antique Australian quilt called Dancing Dollies. I started looking for the pattern, but couldn't find anything until I came across one on Ebay, but the auction had already ended =( I contacted the seller (who I later found out wrote replica pattern) and she had more (yay!!) So, when the mail arrived today I was in for a treat. My Dancing Dollies pattern book arrived!! I know that it's waaaaaaaay beyond my skill level right now, but someday I'll definitely be making this quilt. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyzx5JdrcOp2sYIVOi1Ba4oer8IKUZDTp5DH1BcRk4YSiFE7Q4WIJOaukoUmIxDDEYZv_LYElA4hYJ93ohPYOjk9t6ZBgKp_PxFacnFamWwBA0lKeTliXW6EAK94oSGBF3BS9709qumOut/s1600/DSCF1336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyzx5JdrcOp2sYIVOi1Ba4oer8IKUZDTp5DH1BcRk4YSiFE7Q4WIJOaukoUmIxDDEYZv_LYElA4hYJ93ohPYOjk9t6ZBgKp_PxFacnFamWwBA0lKeTliXW6EAK94oSGBF3BS9709qumOut/s320/DSCF1336.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7puByUlqu3wU6_X1nuTMZIeyTSprBjlBmc-OQhF3lwD7nx-GPHUA-kqYw9QGshajHD0C7qmeDLbkkjHNpfF-jOZABlNgGzZidhAj9gI4IspvyPXoo-epL1Rc1hDa1VcA9F4SOE2ISG6m0/s1600/DSCF1337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7puByUlqu3wU6_X1nuTMZIeyTSprBjlBmc-OQhF3lwD7nx-GPHUA-kqYw9QGshajHD0C7qmeDLbkkjHNpfF-jOZABlNgGzZidhAj9gI4IspvyPXoo-epL1Rc1hDa1VcA9F4SOE2ISG6m0/s320/DSCF1337.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Steven always gets to the mail before me and he was so funny, "Um, honey... why do you have mail from AUSTRALIA?!" We don't get out much. lol<br />
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Peace!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMWXKzUXIpT91g4PECwZYgW6ymHwnlsqgiQHfG3fQj0EVywzuXdO0Ctj_puL3FSoKlQtla_9gkjblJ4ySvykbbWX3dGRmfPSiUYISeIQXc91MMqmZLi5WHVYziIy4MgSMCgPF6lk-r3gv/s1600/Blog+Signature.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMWXKzUXIpT91g4PECwZYgW6ymHwnlsqgiQHfG3fQj0EVywzuXdO0Ctj_puL3FSoKlQtla_9gkjblJ4ySvykbbWX3dGRmfPSiUYISeIQXc91MMqmZLi5WHVYziIy4MgSMCgPF6lk-r3gv/s320/Blog+Signature.png" /></a></div>Cayleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04362312387097470393noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3848885233375421524.post-62083393598511581732010-08-02T10:01:00.000-05:002010-08-02T10:01:28.786-05:00First Time For EverythingMy Madeline quilt is completely finished! This wasn't my first quilt, but it was a lot of other firsts for me in quilting. First time making flying geese, first time making star blocks, and the first time completely putting a binding on by myself (thanks to some good instruction from Mom and YouTube). I just love this little quilt and I'll definitely be making another one someday to keep for myself. This one gets to go live at my bestie's house now. <br />
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</div>Steven and I both had the weekend off of work which is very rare, so we enjoyed spending the time together and I didn't get much sewing done. I did however learn how to make little 1" hexies with paper hexagon pieces and I got about 100 of those made. I'm finding with doing the binding and then the hexies that I think I like hand sewing. These little hexies will be a great project to keep around and work on while watching tv or waiting in doctors office waiting rooms, etc. After making 100 this weekend, my hands are a little sore, but I'm sure once I get used to hand-sewing more often they'll be fine. I hope everyone had a great weekend, and I'm wishing you all a happy Monday as well!<br />
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See ya later!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjawQAlZeXCcSUrA5PgZnSzgzKBnFhxRE-nxGly_hxaZynjz-1QYdsvY9tpp8SQQd4_OkwOa87zTeIrTWCheqPhCIiJCGy07CDltwOEbUYNo5dgYn-PBG-NSqF9l_e2NM2n37RTG7aDg1-F/s1600/Blog+Signature.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjawQAlZeXCcSUrA5PgZnSzgzKBnFhxRE-nxGly_hxaZynjz-1QYdsvY9tpp8SQQd4_OkwOa87zTeIrTWCheqPhCIiJCGy07CDltwOEbUYNo5dgYn-PBG-NSqF9l_e2NM2n37RTG7aDg1-F/s320/Blog+Signature.png" /></a></div>Cayleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04362312387097470393noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3848885233375421524.post-52119449609829723042010-07-30T10:43:00.001-05:002010-07-30T21:11:13.515-05:00I think my camera is mad at me.We bought a little Fuji Finepix point and shoot camera a few months ago to replace our huge Kodak monstrosity that was really just too much camera for us. Since we've had the new camera, I can't get a single picture to turn out right. Either the flash is waaaay to bright, or if I turn it off the picture is fuzzy/blurry. So I've resigned the camera to a drawer until I figure out what the problem is. Either its some magical skill that the rest of the world possesses and I seem to be lacking, or my new camera is as I suspect, a piece of crap.<br />
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I do have a finish to show you, but I'll have to borrow my mom's camera to get the pics. It's my Madeline quilt, I finally got the binding on! I'm probably the slowest quilter I know. Part of the problem is no real space to dedicate to quilting. When I do quilt I take up the entire dining room and the kitchen island and its still a pretty tight fit. When I'm done I have to pack everything up neatly and then it still takes up the better part of my dining room table. So if I want my house to appear put together, or to have dinner at the table, or company over then I have to find somewhere else to shove everything at the last minute. I've decided to find and armoire or a cabinet of some type on Craigslist that I can easily put everything in while I'm not using it. I've got my eye on one already, but it will have to be painted before I'm truly happy with it Wish me luck!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx-Rz5aP2N9dSoY67DbMc20bckM6bGLQXqF_k4eZ4aK0-ig5O2k8o7UeVXGHiyvOhiWQzPpqzgA_2Qd6ZHX8QMrg1lfzxoUaG6e6n78sDKgaGULv47U6MyCFZ7eRi0sonPZzTi6bhn0lua/s1600/pa0904_tomatoes1_lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx-Rz5aP2N9dSoY67DbMc20bckM6bGLQXqF_k4eZ4aK0-ig5O2k8o7UeVXGHiyvOhiWQzPpqzgA_2Qd6ZHX8QMrg1lfzxoUaG6e6n78sDKgaGULv47U6MyCFZ7eRi0sonPZzTi6bhn0lua/s320/pa0904_tomatoes1_lg.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Food Network</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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Finally, I promised the recipe earlier this week for <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/tomatoes-stuffed-with-chicken-salad-recipe/index.html">Chicken Salad Stuffed Tomatoes</a>. Its a recipe from Paula Deen and its probably my favorite summer dish. I usually serve it it with garlic bread. It's light and yummy, great for these oppressively hot evenings. <br />
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*You can even roast the tomatoes first for a slightly different flavor, I've done it both ways.<br />
* I always add a little bit of honey mustard too, just to taste.<br />
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<strong>Ingredients</strong><br />
6 large tomatoes <br />
2 cups cooked and cubed chicken (Paula Deen recommends using a rotisserie chicken and I concur!)<br />
1/2 cup minced red bell pepper <br />
1/2 cup corn, drained <br />
1 1/2 tablespoons minced red onion <br />
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil <br />
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice <br />
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley <br />
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard <br />
1 tablespoon mayonnaise <br />
1 teaspoon ground black pepper <br />
1/2 teaspoon salt <br />
Leaf lettuce or spinach leaves <br />
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<strong>Directions</strong><br />
Cut 1/2-inch off top of each tomato. Scoop out pulp from tomatoes. Lightly salt inside tomatoes and turn tomatoes upside down on paper towels to drain.<br />
In a medium bowl, combine chicken, bell pepper, corn, and onion.<br />
In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil and next 6 ingredients. Pour over chicken, tossing gently to coat.<br />
Line tomatoes with leaf lettuce or spinach leaves. Spoon chicken salad evenly into tomatoes. Refrigerate or serve immediately.<br />
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Tata for now,<br />
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</div>Cayleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04362312387097470393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3848885233375421524.post-53565245693155412732010-07-24T18:06:00.000-05:002010-07-24T18:06:24.688-05:00Baaaaad Blogger!I'm such a bad blogger. It's been 6 days since my last post. But in all fairness, there were two posts last Sunday, so that should count in my favor shouldn't it? It's just been a busy week for me here. With work and appointments all week I didn't get anything else done. Nothing, nada, zilch, you get the point. My laundry is piled high, my house is filthy, and my husband doesn't remember the last time I cooked something that didn't start out in a box or a jar. My quilting took a hit too, nothing has been touched since last week. It doesn't help that temperatures here have literally hit the triple digits the last few days and the heat index has been well over 105 most days. This kind of heat just zaps the energy right out of you.<br />
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I intend to remedy all of that this weekend though. The house WILL be clean, laundry completed, and some cutting prep work for the boys zig-zag quilt done by Sunday night, come hell or high water! And I'm actually cooking dinner tonight. It's called Chicken Salad Stuffed Tomatoes and its one of my favorite summer recipes. I'll share the recipe and pictures here within the next few days. <br />
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Yesterday we acquired a used Nintendo Wii and Steven and I have been having a ball ever since. We've been battling it out in Golf, Tennis, Bowling, and boxing. It's so much fun and it really does get you up and moving around. Steven really likes the tennis and he is so funny to watch while he's playing it because he does little victory dances, and trash talks the Wii opponents. I snuck and used my phone to record a short video of him playing Wii tennis and we both watched it and were laughing so hard we had tears coming to our eyes. I told him we should put it on YouTube and see if it goes viral and he was actually OK with that idea. That boy has no shame! In all honesty he's just really easy going and laid back and isn't afraid to laugh at himself. I love that about him.<br />
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So along with my looong list of quilting projects that I have yet to start, I've added another. <a href="http://amybutlerdesign.com/pdfs/Sexy_Hexy_Love_Quilt.pdf">The Sexy Hexy Love Quilt by Amy Butler</a> is going right to the top of my to do list. This pattern is a free printable one. I saw it months ago and showed it to my mom. She loved it too and got the fabric and started it at <a href="http://ranettesdailystitch.blogspot.com/2010/07/quilt-camp-2-has-come-and-gone.html">Quilt Camp 2</a> with my Aunt Ranette and cousin Kara, who are both making the quilt as well. I was in a serious state of quilt envy and then I found a great coupon for Fabric.com who carries Amy Butler's Love fabric. I ended up getting fabric for around $4.50 per yard which is awesome so then I knew that I just had to make this quilt. So hopefully I'll get that started some time in the next few weeks and have some pictures to show.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwO9Aq2PBuywXqK0YdeP8CoZbGy03ZoDXgeooOqDj3Cd5SRXYZD_8bXb4Gpq5j6fgfMZLgraRWjxOJT3Y8wemmltvIJtKmuGPmssuC4x3raNd9sDQj4NsPDXQOJEG82RomdvClrHUK6EM/s1600/sexy_hexy_quilt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwO9Aq2PBuywXqK0YdeP8CoZbGy03ZoDXgeooOqDj3Cd5SRXYZD_8bXb4Gpq5j6fgfMZLgraRWjxOJT3Y8wemmltvIJtKmuGPmssuC4x3raNd9sDQj4NsPDXQOJEG82RomdvClrHUK6EM/s320/sexy_hexy_quilt.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">photo credit: amybutlerdesign.com</span></div>Sayonara,<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyAwZYZutT6zSSx49xwLzhqJjfO6jVR9BK1eihUCHoaOZnFcKXrQ8b5APEgxbVOu7rF7cuodny1R43SWVjqbZGuhlJyxiVL6jyFGMwa4RwvUvP7udxY11QtWk46vFK_WozzYSIZJc7qqX8/s1600/Blog+Signature.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyAwZYZutT6zSSx49xwLzhqJjfO6jVR9BK1eihUCHoaOZnFcKXrQ8b5APEgxbVOu7rF7cuodny1R43SWVjqbZGuhlJyxiVL6jyFGMwa4RwvUvP7udxY11QtWk46vFK_WozzYSIZJc7qqX8/s320/Blog+Signature.png" /></a></div>Cayleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04362312387097470393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3848885233375421524.post-33068573477675310302010-07-18T13:34:00.000-05:002010-07-18T13:34:27.750-05:00Rainbow Around The BlockI was checking out <a href="http://grandmarockton.blogspot.com/">this</a> quilting blog today and saw a button that caught my interest. <a href="http://www.annamariahorner.com/rainbow.html">Rainbow Around the Block</a> is a quilting project for families in Middle Tennessee who lost their homes to flooding. I live right outside of Nashville and I think this is just a great way to help all the poor people who lost their homes in the flood we had here in May. Here are a few pictures my husband took near his work during the flood.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLTmQk7xNxSo9DXFi1S13Wf1WV1-NQCZJ9YfyrX3twhkgUrFPfDAgVzuqtUMevktqHIgUKcUhIC_5IWrdgUFUL30MTy8V6TJBB2IWB-fM-bBaIjFu_ib_6DHT9RFCVERqH7nnts1umuQ3/s1600/flood+pics+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLTmQk7xNxSo9DXFi1S13Wf1WV1-NQCZJ9YfyrX3twhkgUrFPfDAgVzuqtUMevktqHIgUKcUhIC_5IWrdgUFUL30MTy8V6TJBB2IWB-fM-bBaIjFu_ib_6DHT9RFCVERqH7nnts1umuQ3/s320/flood+pics+2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3QMpIqMQ2SJLuqtzpkOQqtSpyo9cimWHI00AQdeKczIyI9e8w9G7oN39sDN9sJTTTO6FQAH0Jz4FdFqaFvWCnd8LNsv7wpQOfcwb4UdNR6-G-h2JUG4PMennw4OBB1dyFbugViKrOvPmr/s1600/flood+pics.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3QMpIqMQ2SJLuqtzpkOQqtSpyo9cimWHI00AQdeKczIyI9e8w9G7oN39sDN9sJTTTO6FQAH0Jz4FdFqaFvWCnd8LNsv7wpQOfcwb4UdNR6-G-h2JUG4PMennw4OBB1dyFbugViKrOvPmr/s320/flood+pics.bmp" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>So all of you quilters out there, here is your chance to help out and have fun making a few blocks at the same time!<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.annamariahorner.com/rainbow.html">http://www.annamariahorner.com/rainbow.html</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Cayleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04362312387097470393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3848885233375421524.post-85716748431834725332010-07-17T22:28:00.000-05:002010-07-17T22:28:32.664-05:00Caylee's B&BWe moved into our new town home last November and for the first time ever, I had a nice large guest room to decorate. On an unlimited budget this would be a breeze. However on my strictly limited budget it was still fun, but a much slower process. I'm by no means a skilled decorator, so when I approach a room I usually start with the color I want to use in the room, and then try to build around that. I know some people use themes in their decor, but that would involve a lot of theme-related purchases, and that just won't do for me. <br />
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I love the color combination of red and white, so I decided to use this in my guest room. I found a great Better Homes & Gardens striped red and off-white comforter for sale at K-Mart, and that was my jumping off point for the room. I also picked up some really cute mirrored lamps on clearance for $15 each.<br />
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I used the iron scroll headboard and bed that was mine all through high school and into my twenties, and also a dresser that has been in my room since I was about 8 years old. The only problem was that the dresser was a deep honey colored wood, and that didn't go well at all with the red and white look I was going for. So we had the dresser painted a nice white semi-gloss, and changed out the dated early-nineties hardware for pretty glass pulls and knobs that we got at Lowe's. I really like the overall look now.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlBQnTDY6tz9h3g_mgzPkHxZu6vWXxRksj5eizhQkZz9PjfTzHIp2YTbkxPmf2aNbOzGA-ePJ2p4I1u7-7uhKzj2gIgnKGJptpxZV-1E-57i5itBokIGIqLTDrwv7h92ihGxe-McLR8Hnn/s1600/DSCF1152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlBQnTDY6tz9h3g_mgzPkHxZu6vWXxRksj5eizhQkZz9PjfTzHIp2YTbkxPmf2aNbOzGA-ePJ2p4I1u7-7uhKzj2gIgnKGJptpxZV-1E-57i5itBokIGIqLTDrwv7h92ihGxe-McLR8Hnn/s320/DSCF1152.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKdyP4Zu2T_QXhrKVAy2Po6-n71ifzYLuiQDi_U8yH3oHWMAMZFq5Ni2yk9Ux9nmTSTPi4QSkELEy-Dg5EbnnUdx2vjTwxxv8UfySQEMV1boRWa_8qrMTJuj-JHhgCSuIPucznZ7SGYNk0/s1600/DSCF1156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKdyP4Zu2T_QXhrKVAy2Po6-n71ifzYLuiQDi_U8yH3oHWMAMZFq5Ni2yk9Ux9nmTSTPi4QSkELEy-Dg5EbnnUdx2vjTwxxv8UfySQEMV1boRWa_8qrMTJuj-JHhgCSuIPucznZ7SGYNk0/s320/DSCF1156.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheXWrZsSOEWSQMc2jmuoECKpU6eTXNDiSrrvyV2gDjwnhszIpsTDHaYXTmXY71bvsF_OQi4jKq2I1Mp9RfLdP7MzxbeKhge25H3QcGhaOA2VRXVdLvciPchcvSPeFT1A3EqlYEprd3n2iE/s1600/DSCF1157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheXWrZsSOEWSQMc2jmuoECKpU6eTXNDiSrrvyV2gDjwnhszIpsTDHaYXTmXY71bvsF_OQi4jKq2I1Mp9RfLdP7MzxbeKhge25H3QcGhaOA2VRXVdLvciPchcvSPeFT1A3EqlYEprd3n2iE/s320/DSCF1157.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>The room still needed another shot of red, and some help with the bare wall that the bed is on. I looked every where and couldn't find anything big enough to fill up that wall that I really liked. Right around this time a new line of fabric from French General for Moda called Lumiere de Noel was about to be released. These fabrics were inspired by 19th century french textiles, and I just love them. The red and white go really well with the creams and taupes. I was lucky enough to find an online seller who had some early release layer cakes from this line and I knew that this was what I needed to fill up the blank wall.<br />
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</div>I decided to pick my favorite 10 prints and frame them in white distressed frames and hang them on the wall over the bed. Sounds easy, right? Turns out white distressed frames are not so easy to find at a reasonable price. The best price I could find was $18 per frame from an eBay seller and there's NO WAY I was paying $180 for my little project. My mom suggested I try Dollar Tree, and while they didn't have white distressed frames, they did have plain wooden frames for just $1 each. I bought these and with my dad's help stained them a dark rich walnut, sprayed them with a white spray paint, and then distressed them with a sanding sponge. After that I cut and framed the selected fabrics, recruited my masterful dad again to hang them on the wall evenly, and VOILA! This project cost me around $40 and most of that was the fabric, of which I only used a few pieces and will be able to use the rest later on other projects.<br />
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</div>So now my guest room is complete and ready for guests. It even has its own en suite bathroom which is also decked out in red and white. At least I'm consistent if nothing else. So far only my mother-in-law has come to stay with us for a few days, but I'm hoping that more family will make it our way soon and the room will be put to good use. When the time comes, this room will be converted into a nursery, and then we'll need an entirely new game plan!<br />
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If you enjoy transformations with paint, then you should definitely stop by <a href="http://www.inthefunlane.com/">Life In the Fun Lane</a> and check out some of the amazing things Holly does. I check her blog daily, and I'm always inspired to hop on craigslist and buy the first banged up old piece of furniture I see and try my hand at revamping it with paint. If I ever get around to actually doing it, you'll be the first to know.<br />
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Hasta la vista, baby<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcHIME0v7vdIftkqHl0U7g64sKYSsETrhSmm_In3TVEeH-cEd6f9cQ1WshqbLArr1X5v6W_tQwDomJszIy-3MjuH8JbGXUIb6bb44dObW6Jq2KvlxCJPOTHvoJVxbtgnThJNjPSJCmSTZx/s1600/Blog+Signature.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcHIME0v7vdIftkqHl0U7g64sKYSsETrhSmm_In3TVEeH-cEd6f9cQ1WshqbLArr1X5v6W_tQwDomJszIy-3MjuH8JbGXUIb6bb44dObW6Jq2KvlxCJPOTHvoJVxbtgnThJNjPSJCmSTZx/s320/Blog+Signature.png" /></a></div>Cayleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04362312387097470393noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3848885233375421524.post-30103598259857030112010-07-13T21:40:00.001-05:002010-07-13T21:41:55.920-05:00Is It Christmas???Recently my parents traveled out of state to visit our extended family in Oklahoma. While they were there, my mom and Aunt Ranette had their second annual "Quilt Camp." It started last summer when my mom had decided that she wanted to learn how to quilt. They cram tons of learning and quilting (and I think a bit of shopping too, shhhhh) into a few days. Unfortunately I haven't been able to make the trip out to OK to attend one of these adventures, but I'm hoping one day I'll get to participate. Luckily, Mom brings home all of the wonderful knowledge and skills that Aunt Ranette bestows upon her and teaches me. So when my parents rolled back into town this weekend I was excited for this week because I knew I'd get to see some of the great stuff that they worked on, as well as learn something new. I didn't expect that they would come home with a bundle of gifts FOR ME!!! The women in my family are so generous. I guess even though I wasn't there in person, they kept me there in thought when they visited the shops. What a lucky lady I am!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKd5ElQikAIs_kGjfo-svNkRDw6DFGcszm2TyQgtvBh-qXfnXpip8Nqd-wz01C2QN7VrjArWCO4Wet9QsaCktCV1f7fs6T3MokXvcBpc7tSU01gExMwvkhQmIDHHyigLOMwGVFnTTYk0sp/s1600/DSCF1203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKd5ElQikAIs_kGjfo-svNkRDw6DFGcszm2TyQgtvBh-qXfnXpip8Nqd-wz01C2QN7VrjArWCO4Wet9QsaCktCV1f7fs6T3MokXvcBpc7tSU01gExMwvkhQmIDHHyigLOMwGVFnTTYk0sp/s320/DSCF1203.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">An adorable bag, patterns, a pincushion kit, 2 charms packs, a fat quarter bundle, a pretty new Olfa rotary cutter, 3 books and a little notepad! Wow, somebody pinch me!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje9a0xVP1knH2-3JzzDId8uEGVO29CRU_ZZEqLzQtkexm8zNcQzaIhT7HlNl8etUnq9FLrJrREXU129pYdp876z-Ymu2Mj3fLY8JkCn-s8aIV_CEeWCrON_Xv2eVbH2GFmZMIWiU9XaCwH/s1600/DSCF1224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje9a0xVP1knH2-3JzzDId8uEGVO29CRU_ZZEqLzQtkexm8zNcQzaIhT7HlNl8etUnq9FLrJrREXU129pYdp876z-Ymu2Mj3fLY8JkCn-s8aIV_CEeWCrON_Xv2eVbH2GFmZMIWiU9XaCwH/s320/DSCF1224.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This Schnibbles pattern called "Good Fortune" is one that I've had my eye on for about a month. I think I've even had it in a few online shopping carts more than once and for some reason hadn't purchased it yet. I LOVE it. I can't wait to make it and I think the Park Avenue fabric from 3 Sisters for Moda will look just right. Thanks Aunt Ranette!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxC0dyOugqeOfst5iYq8FAdNXDq3gR4DZjIH581PfK7PRtcFr8OdLffXIUqRIiCJeKIexH0sNrHO_e-mimjieWuN61IEG30bupoUrsGTv4oSmXFAjUsRTBiORzqlKzQ6WxR_VWarKkncFS/s1600/DSCF1227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxC0dyOugqeOfst5iYq8FAdNXDq3gR4DZjIH581PfK7PRtcFr8OdLffXIUqRIiCJeKIexH0sNrHO_e-mimjieWuN61IEG30bupoUrsGTv4oSmXFAjUsRTBiORzqlKzQ6WxR_VWarKkncFS/s320/DSCF1227.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Just look at this Olfa cutter covered in Gerber daisies. How cute is this? I can't wait to get to cutting (which is usually my least favorite part). Thanks Mama!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Someday when I have daughters and nieces, I hope I'm even half as thoughtful as these two wonderful ladies are.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">On a side note, I picked up my <a href="http://domesticityevolving.blogspot.com/2010/07/works-in-progress.html">Madeline quilt</a> from the long-arm quilter today and it looks fantastic. Now I have to get the binding on and then I'll post a picture before it goes off to live on my bff's new dining room wall. Now that I see it quilted, I really wish I could keep it. I guess I'll just have to make another one for me.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">See ya later alligator!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHHQqB0IXr70JPBa3gl1JK0lw0WQc6THIs5i4TKFj9I7CIAnaSJDgEiRnohb4QHzQCdEmId0U6uxuHWpsQ54CiPBVBdsPnbc4XygfDXuz66jb4t8vHtBL7Y54nGSKUqYrrY7JBrJ2Hy62/s1600/Blog+Signature.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHHQqB0IXr70JPBa3gl1JK0lw0WQc6THIs5i4TKFj9I7CIAnaSJDgEiRnohb4QHzQCdEmId0U6uxuHWpsQ54CiPBVBdsPnbc4XygfDXuz66jb4t8vHtBL7Y54nGSKUqYrrY7JBrJ2Hy62/s320/Blog+Signature.png" /></a></div>Cayleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04362312387097470393noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3848885233375421524.post-7216409460059728332010-07-10T23:09:00.000-05:002010-07-10T23:09:34.388-05:00Read Anything Good Lately?I love to read, always have. I like to have a good book going in the background at all times. The problem is that I read them pretty quick and then I'm left with nothing to read until I go on another book-buying binge on Amazon. Speaking of Amazon, lately I've been slightly interested in the Kindle e-reader, but I'm not sure how much I'd like the feel of it rather than a traditional book. I wish I could just test-drive one for a while.<br />
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My favorite books are historical fiction. I also like Nicholas Sparks. His stories even make great movies. A Walk to Remember, Message in A Bottle, The Notebook, are all thanks to the talented Mr. Sparks. And I'm ashamed to say that I did get dragged into the Twilight saga. I started reading it at the urging of a friend, fully intending not to like it. However, it pulled me in and by the time I got to the 4th and final book, I stayed up all night reading it just because I couldn't bring myself to put it down.<br />
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Here are a few of my all time favorites <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(all pictures from Amazon.com)</span>:<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Israel-My-Beloved-Kay-Arthur/dp/0736903704/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278818309&sr=8-1">Israel My Beloved</a> by Kay Arthur tells the chronological story of Israel and the Jewish people from a fascinating point of view.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMKAJDxnw5uxjEh5zDr2hSTwJCqU2VHgde1Z_bnx8I7zbjU-0D54e0o1WR6-NlzNhLFYe-sXBiQPKJEy0CFIOk09p4YCeuHv-1IfSrOFMGj0dJLtrV134gpu1pr92_scHepDvQy6Yli-MF/s1600/Israel+My+Beloved.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMKAJDxnw5uxjEh5zDr2hSTwJCqU2VHgde1Z_bnx8I7zbjU-0D54e0o1WR6-NlzNhLFYe-sXBiQPKJEy0CFIOk09p4YCeuHv-1IfSrOFMGj0dJLtrV134gpu1pr92_scHepDvQy6Yli-MF/s320/Israel+My+Beloved.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Queenmaker-Novel-King-Davids-Queen/dp/0312289197/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278818647&sr=1-1#_">Queenmaker: A Novel of King David's Queen</a> by India Edghill is very entertaining, albeit embellished tale of King David's first queen, Michal. I re-read this one every few years.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTywzRg4CFDPKT0I3J0sC3EDTqW0N7NUOV8q1FNTWbW4gFe2DkiW782pjQ0HauUcqesfID95Q5HwLnXAF6785mZHW9gHaArgqHnKSpCNFGY4ild77KggwQfvoilN6y06xy6msN2XKmtLLz/s1600/Queenmaker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTywzRg4CFDPKT0I3J0sC3EDTqW0N7NUOV8q1FNTWbW4gFe2DkiW782pjQ0HauUcqesfID95Q5HwLnXAF6785mZHW9gHaArgqHnKSpCNFGY4ild77KggwQfvoilN6y06xy6msN2XKmtLLz/s320/Queenmaker.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Memoirs-Geisha-Arthur-Golden/dp/1400096898/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278818995&sr=1-1">Memoirs of a Geisha</a> by Arthur Golden is another great read. The story follows a young girl as she becomes a geisha in tradition-rich Kyoto Japan in the twentieth century.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJGOgDdcv2BbCxelkLwaefQ5U0YbUGpTE6q0rVxrlTgmM3oWfNgOqaHkgFt_gL6FNV8MA5Un-v5nTqHWnhM9qd7i49cN7f0BgC7vbRXxePFO4LdNg-9yU6M9aJBWjBNIZE4epyD-w5ltzj/s1600/memoirs+of+a+geisha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJGOgDdcv2BbCxelkLwaefQ5U0YbUGpTE6q0rVxrlTgmM3oWfNgOqaHkgFt_gL6FNV8MA5Un-v5nTqHWnhM9qd7i49cN7f0BgC7vbRXxePFO4LdNg-9yU6M9aJBWjBNIZE4epyD-w5ltzj/s320/memoirs+of+a+geisha.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Time-Travelers-Wife-Audrey-Niffenegger/dp/015602943X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278819453&sr=1-1">The Time Traveler's Wife</a> by Audrey Niffenegger is another one that I really enjoyed. The main character is consistantly and against his will transported through time over and over again. He meets his wife when she is just a little girl and he's already married to her in his own time. Hard to explain, but a good read. The book is way better than the movie in this case. But the movie is better if you've already read the book.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWj3w5RHuo8G9aylt34koOmAHwCzBZSte8h43VP78pfLeQ9XLuIkhjWBFa62KuAKv-4AB4gyJQBwMZ9VYXetlcplHz9OjaIlVYDEjAJd3FkSspLvS51Q4doE7qvmEvonY2-X3Yy7rgCqNf/s1600/the+time+travelers+wife.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWj3w5RHuo8G9aylt34koOmAHwCzBZSte8h43VP78pfLeQ9XLuIkhjWBFa62KuAKv-4AB4gyJQBwMZ9VYXetlcplHz9OjaIlVYDEjAJd3FkSspLvS51Q4doE7qvmEvonY2-X3Yy7rgCqNf/s320/the+time+travelers+wife.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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And let us not forget the classic <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gone-Wind-Margaret-Mitchell/dp/1416548890/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278820497&sr=1-1">Gone With The Wind</a> by Margaret Mitchell. Scarlett O'Hara, Rhett Butler, need I say more? This is one case where the movie is just as good as the book.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfDU0gxpz_sPM3Nr4uGfs5LbN8IlWuDfIoUwEub9e2tiD7aloZ2rd2jZKMd17na3jqQVKtWTcsHRZQ5nPZFnVx_qRh8nhIU2w9CEhrGjpDba9fYI5j153q_Z7UXkwrYrnuKgLWhzmRdb2g/s1600/gone+with+the+wind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfDU0gxpz_sPM3Nr4uGfs5LbN8IlWuDfIoUwEub9e2tiD7aloZ2rd2jZKMd17na3jqQVKtWTcsHRZQ5nPZFnVx_qRh8nhIU2w9CEhrGjpDba9fYI5j153q_Z7UXkwrYrnuKgLWhzmRdb2g/s320/gone+with+the+wind.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQggri0TqbvXTx5zk46_DjT_Wldyc1tDTqkJmX4Rpfmkg_t_nPjkaBcJOqvB011oiep-yLvHBqO4xEqWGFZglcngrg1vAQgYpCVpC2JwmeQVwd0yDiIKp4-crQ-MpqUtxxYHcTNgC1whi/s1600/Blog+Signature.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQggri0TqbvXTx5zk46_DjT_Wldyc1tDTqkJmX4Rpfmkg_t_nPjkaBcJOqvB011oiep-yLvHBqO4xEqWGFZglcngrg1vAQgYpCVpC2JwmeQVwd0yDiIKp4-crQ-MpqUtxxYHcTNgC1whi/s320/Blog+Signature.png" /></a></div>Cayleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04362312387097470393noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3848885233375421524.post-30942956000640644652010-07-08T10:26:00.000-05:002010-07-09T07:33:58.192-05:00Cheesecake and Quilts<span style="font-size:180%;color:#990000;"><em>Thursday is upon us</em></span> which means that Friday is just around then corner and then the weekend! I'm almost finished with the little table runner for my mom, so I'll probably post pics of that tomorrow. Last night I was supposed to go over to my <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">bestie's</span> house for dinner, but her husband wasn't feeling well so we had to cancel. I had already made the dessert earlier that morning to bring with me, so now I'm stuck with almost an entire cheesecake (notice I said almost, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">hehehe</span> yum!). Steven hates cheesecake and I couldn't, or rather shouldn't, eat the whole thing myself. I think some time today I'll drop it by my friends house so she and her family can enjoy it too. <div><div><br /><div>I want to share the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">recipe</span> here because its super easy and super yummy. When I was in <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">high school</span>, one of my friends mothers used to make this and I asked her one day what was in it. The ingredient list was literally so simple that I've never written it down and I still remember it to this day, 14 years later. Whoa, I sound old! <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">LOL</span>. You may have seen this recipe before. If you haven't tried it and you like cheesecake, then please do. It will only take about 5 minutes to make.</div><br /><div><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><em>No Bake Cheesecake</em></strong></span></div><div></div><div><em>1 graham cracker pie crust</em></div><div><em>1 15oz can sweeten condensed milk</em></div><div><em>1 8 oz package cream cheese</em></div><div><em>1/3 c. lemon juice</em></div><div><em>1 can pie filling of your choice</em></div><br /><div><em>Mix together the condensed milk and cream cheese with an electric mixer. When that mixture is mixed well, add in the lemon juice and mix until smooth. Pour mixture into graham cracker crust, cover and put in <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">refrigerator</span> for at least 2-4 hours to allow it to firm up. While my pie is firming up, I also put the can of pie filling in the fridge to so it can do the same. When you're ready to eat it, just spread the pie filling over the top of the cheesecake and voila! You have a delicious yummy dessert. Remember to keep it <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">refrigerated</span>. If left out for any length of time it will start to get too soft and you don't want that.</em></div><br /><br /><div>See how easy that was? I told you so. =o)</div><br /><div>I hate to do a post without a picture, since I know that when I'm looking at blogs I love the pictures. So I'll end this blog with a picture of a quilt my mom made recently (picture taken by my Aunt <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">Ranette</span>). Its called Red Velvet by Thimble Blossoms. The fabric is <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">Rouenneries</span> by French General and Simple Abundance by Bonnie and Camille, both lines are <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">Moda</span> fabrics. After she made this quilt she gave it to my Grandma for her birthday. I love this pattern so much I think I'm going to have to make one, but I think I'm going to use the new Bliss fabric <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">that's</span> coming out soon. </div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491561464043981314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPFCiJ95wwZAV-YwRZGsb8bAaF-vTofVcIJqhh4gy_eeSwb1E6Xb0YFxJoo95s5LhCPpV3F2ZUXXMlhoIG_JckRbNWTXcJc0TOssZDMYSUZXRzwH7m0T-OWSqig1zOX7-VE6CzmG0NVwV2/s320/Moms+Red+Velvet.jpg" /></div></div></div><br /><p></p><br /><p></p><br /><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491562391865087954" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Q43ycXaMQPd1kpnJnaI47WQqOpwhUJYHkzaAh9FnwTcuyZz5Uxt_abpaGixjgRbAdahFO-WSofFwhs9nOtrh5Y4tBiPxY-qiWhCPsylbcAFvoq1op_zSAye0VP1V1R0Bouq3oFYBeqje/s320/Bliss-bundle-450.jpg" /></p><br /><p></p><br /><p>Au <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error">Revoir</span></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0JxwAa-cF0L8f1KDTsHCZBi7l7OoFw1y2eMpXYN_qjCrRPU7oGMD29yqZklyu-qZRTklIBWinA2cWmkkUG6x5NSZZei9pZ7jsuCZykIWt-z2mmUwxi0aX6Zsr9EkG0TjaSuF4on5pAb2k/s1600/Blog+Signature.png"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 136px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 102px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491563222046231170" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0JxwAa-cF0L8f1KDTsHCZBi7l7OoFw1y2eMpXYN_qjCrRPU7oGMD29yqZklyu-qZRTklIBWinA2cWmkkUG6x5NSZZei9pZ7jsuCZykIWt-z2mmUwxi0aX6Zsr9EkG0TjaSuF4on5pAb2k/s320/Blog+Signature.png" /></a><br /><p></p><br /><p></p>Cayleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04362312387097470393noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3848885233375421524.post-42241182893594074372010-07-06T22:25:00.000-05:002010-07-06T23:53:10.594-05:00What a nice long weekend!<div align="center">We had such a beautiful weekend here in Tennessee. Steven had to work, but I had three days off and I thoroughly enjoyed it. On Saturday I spent the day working on a table runner for my Mom out of the new line from Fig Tree Quilts for <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Moda</span> called Breakfast at <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Tiffanys</span>. I'll post some pictures as soon as I get the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">sashing</span> and borders on. I also got the borders put on the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Zig</span>-<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Zag</span> quilt I've been working on. I still need to put some <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">ric</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">rac</span> on. Steven and I actually went to get the thread for this on Saturday evening and got to Hancock's just as it closed, so it wasn't meant to be. Instead we went to eat at a new place called <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">Newk's</span>, which is kind of like <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">Panera</span> Bread but yummier! I had a baked chicken sandwich and salad and it was <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">soooo</span> good. They also have wine by the glass so you can relax and enjoy a glass with dinner. After dinner we went to a little bakery called Gigi's Cupcakes which I had been wanting to try because I just love cupcakes. The cupcakes were pretty good, but <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error">waaaaay</span> to much icing in my opinion.<br /></div><br /><div align="center"><br /></div><br /><div align="center"><br /> </div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491014030575748162" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR7ejPs3oKMo7HamvQMdco6BipRNQ5zuzLejIOCoHSA1v12Nh4mV498WwRVbUMDKqfRGQyhGizHm46OZPMbk3V5Ayx8wu_2GC4IkNXB9aXFWu3gRrjltQl5hPUB_wz9l0qeqQ8aGmh7mOs/s320/DSCF1158.JPG" /><br /><br /><br /><div>On Sunday we laid low and didn't go any where. We didn't have any special holiday plans since my family is out of town at the moment, and Steven had to be at work around 5 am the next morning. I did make some homemade chocolate chip cookies using a new recipe from V and Co. that has instant pudding in the dough in place of white sugar. The cookies are good, but very soft. I like my cookies a bit crunchier. If you prefer soft cookies, this is <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">definitely</span> a good recipe for you. </div><br /><div><a href="http://www.vanessachristenson.com/2010/07/recipe-chocolate-chip-cookies-with.html">http://www.vanessachristenson.com/2010/07/recipe-chocolate-chip-cookies-with.html</a> </div><br /><div>I also caught the last day of the semi-annual sale at Bath and Body Works online. Hand soap was 4 for $10 and I had a 20% off coupon and free shipping. My soap ended up being $2 per bottle which is such a great bargain for their terrific smelling soap. I always stock up once or twice a year when its on sale.</div><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491014550475490498" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5a0A3gu1ldCb-zj3Xw-DyKXoaTCZIULkf97suISucWc21wvDUFU4rcStB9YQR9oguNSIQ8tgGzbPasImx1slimurBYUKytAvP4McI7B1reOJUVTnDwAlzl7Bwmn0ldI3l2MXzAYUmREN/s320/DSCF1170.JPG" /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>On Monday we went to lunch at the new Panda Express in our town. Steven is a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Chinese</span> food junkie. He'd probably eat it every day if I'd consent. After that we went to see Eclipse. Steven is Team Jacob, I'm Team Edward, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-error">LOL</span>. We enjoyed the movie. I noticed almost every preview stated that their coming attractions were in 3D. Am I the only person who hates 3D movies? I feel cross-eyed most of the movie and then for the next few hours or more I get "3D hangover" dizzy feeling, headache, blah. Give me a 2D move any day please! After that we picked up a few groceries and headed home.</div><br /><p align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">My fortune from Panda Express</span><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491018501089028386" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjumm830gYywao7hGhRZ8Nbe3Rysa3TUmYkzH_YBOQon3UFLRtmk_3u4BXKI3s5NIWAgGNIOfXK5Ni9P-SxC4kheMzJIJuhiXOuVI50LUTbfZT3-df_YpPrgw_Txhz9Kj5Hs6oK4WW4PdOV/s320/DSCF1187.JPG" /><br />Today my sweetie requested that I make my homemade potato soup. It's his fave and since the poor guy worked all weekend I obliged him. A couple of years ago after trying several different recipes and not coming up with anything great, I decided to get brave and just make up my own. My measurements aren't exact because I've made it so many times I just wing it now, but below is my potato soup recipe if you'd like to try it:<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491015789961145218" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv5KY_LyxvjQZPeaUiWa4VaJfO-uCmEvBJcvBtAD38J535LQaUbLVJ_BUGWr4i_JBUoUI1lqpTTa4kFYTtZdLwyCWruu_nud28l1YMiWKRYHNgpdZ19H08ikOzjfcu2DVISJNK0vQbQKr2/s320/DSCF1182.JPG" /><br /><br /><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-error">Caylee's</span> Potato Soup</p><br /><br /><div>Potatoes peeled and diced, enough to fill up a large mixing bowl or 6 15 oz cans of diced potatoes</div><div>1 regular size can cream of chicken soup</div><div>1 2lb box chicken stock</div><div>Water</div><div>Flour</div><div>1 lb bacon</div><div>1 medium yellow onion</div><div>1 cup half and half</div><div>3 to 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese depending on how much you want for topping</div><div>1 Tbsp dried basil</div><div>1 tsp <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_15" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Tabasco</span> or more to taste</div><div>Salt to taste</div><div>Pepper to taste</div><div>Garlic powder to taste</div><div>Chopped green onions for topping</div><br /><div>Chop uncooked bacon in to small bite-size-<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_16" class="blsp-spelling-error">ish</span> pieces and cook in a skillet until fully cooked (but not over cooked). Reserve 4 Tbsp bacon grease and drain bacon on <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_17" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">paper towel</span> lined plate. While bacon is cooking, finely chop the yellow onion (I used a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_18" class="blsp-spelling-error">Vidalia</span> Onion Chopper and it works great!) In a large pot (I used my biggest pot, the one with 2 handles) cook the chopped onion in the 4 Tbsp bacon grease until onion starts to turn light brown. Add the chicken stock, the cream of chicken soup, and 1 can of water to the pot over medium high heat. Stir until well combined. Add basil, garlic, salt and pepper. Add the diced potatoes and 2/3 of the cooked bacon. Bring to boil over medium high heat. If you're using raw potatoes, then you'll need to boil the soup long enough for the potatoes to become tender, this could take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour depending on the size you cut the potatoes to. I used to be a stickler about using raw potatoes here, but have lately discovered that there is no taste difference if I used canned, and it saves a lot of time and cleanup. If you use the canned potatoes, then I let it sit at a rapid boil for 10 minutes and then take it off the heat onto a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_19" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">hot pad</span>. Now here's where it may sound weird to you. To thicken the soup, I take a large <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_20" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">ladle</span> and put three <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_21" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">ladle</span>-fulls of BROTH ONLY (try to leave the solid stuff out of this) into a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_22" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">separate</span> medium sized bowl. Start gradually adding flour little by little to the broth you just sat aside. With a rubber <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_23" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">spatula</span> mix the flour and broth together until it begins to resemble the consistency of mashed potatoes. Now add the "mashed potato" mixture back to the large pot of soup a little at a time mixing in between each addition to combine thoroughly. This thickens up my soup nicely. Now stir in the half and half, 2 good handfuls of cheddar cheese, and the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_24" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Tabasco</span> sauce (<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_25" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Don't</span>' be afraid if you don't like <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_26" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Tabasco</span>. I hate the stuff but its good in this) Once everything is well combined, then you're soup is ready to eat! Garnish with the remaining bacon, cheese, and green onion. I usually make yeast rolls to go with this. This makes a lot of soup. Each time I make it we have it at least twice for dinner and then we both have it for lunch here and there also.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Wow, that was longer than I thought!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Tata for now.</div><br /><div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVlB_9et82-v7nGi12rgF6L4bYm7kC5zO8Gwhy-cdO5TURI_MTM2b9azlmXLJogSapNNvsMdnbU-IsoJ3gqNlrDMofRPiIBmbFqmnQtxmUQAY2HJcqMyvcyQplhljB1YoWIWBSDMb0JqI8/s1600/Blog+Signature.png"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 136px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 102px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491021757414760802" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVlB_9et82-v7nGi12rgF6L4bYm7kC5zO8Gwhy-cdO5TURI_MTM2b9azlmXLJogSapNNvsMdnbU-IsoJ3gqNlrDMofRPiIBmbFqmnQtxmUQAY2HJcqMyvcyQplhljB1YoWIWBSDMb0JqI8/s320/Blog+Signature.png" /></a><br /><div></div>Cayleehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04362312387097470393noreply@blogger.com0