Moving Day is almost here!!!

Lord, help me to enjoy Your blessings, but not to hoard them or think too highly of them. Help me to use them to bless others.

Loving Out Loud -- Joyce Meyer

Moving day is tomorrow.  I still have some stuff to pack but I'm almost at the end point.  I am so excited!!  I will be just down the road from my daughter & grandkids.  How sweet is that?? I'll still have the 3+ hours commute a day for work but at least I'm commuting from a place closer to my family instead of further away from them.  I'm going from an apartment to a townhouse but probably just about the same room.  I'm currently in a apartment complex that was built back in the '70s and the idea of smaller apartments mean more to renters hadn't come about yet.  I'm still going to downsize what I have as far as my sewing & crafting stuff.  I didn't realize I was such a good organizer until I had to start packing my sewing room and found all the stuff I had tucked here & there.  Wow!! I was amazed.  I'm also excited because I won't have to carry groceries up three flights of steps since now my kitchen is on the ground level.  A large eat in kitchen with lots of counter & cabinet space.  And with family close by I'll have plenty to come & eat all that I cook and bake.  I'm already making my list of what I want to start cooking.  Here's outside of my new place.

Update

Well I decided to get some sewing time in yesterday because I don't know when the next time I'll be able to do so.  I worked on the Americana Wall Hanging I'm making for my mother for Christmas.  I got it pinned & started to quilt.  I did finish the two t-shirts I wanted to embroider for my daughter & I for our scrapbooking crops.  The turned out great. We will be styling at the next crop.  I LOVE my new embroidery machine.  I got the Brother PE-700 and it is so easy to use.  Stitches so smooth & looks good.  Her's is the purple & mine is the pink. 

I know that I'm going to be doing a lot of embroidery with this machine.  It is so much easier to use than the one I had.  I had a Simplicity SE3 machine and it worked great and was easy to use. That's what makes this new machine so awesome. The Brother is easier than the Simplicity and now I can do 5 x 7.  Look for more in the future.  I'm already creating more projects to do as if I didn't have enough before.  :)

This Past Month --

Lord, show me who You want me to bless even if they don't appear to need a single thing.

Loving Out Line -- Joyce Meyer

This past month has blown by.  Here it is almost the end of September and I've gotten nothing on my list done - I've worked on some things but nothing done. However, I've got reason's why. The beginning of the month I contracted an infection and then had an adverse reaction to the antibiotics.  Yuck for me.   My daughter found out she is pregnant so I have another grandbaby on the way.  Yea Me!! I've been fighting a cold so that's been difficult. I have a hard time with cold medicine, puts me in a fog.  Yuck for me. I'm moving next weekend over to the Shenandoah Valley so that's time consuming but exciting.  The move is earlier than I'd planned. I wasn't going to move until spring but I found a perfect place and it's close to my daughter & grandbabies.  What fun for me!! 

So all of my September Bucket List will have to move to October.  It's going to take me some time to get my sewing room & craft room organized.  My son is going to come visit the second week of October so I know I won't get much done that week.  Actually, as I'm writing this, I think I'm going to have to completely revamp my Bucket List.  Make the list to be the Christmas presents I want to do.  I always seem to be a season behind in my sewing & crafts.  I need to get with the program and plan my projects better but it's hard to sew winter stuff in the summer and summer stuff in the winter.  That's like trying on winter coats in the heat of summer. Yuck! I'll get back with you when I have my new Bucket List planned.  :)

September Bucket List --

Lord, I believe I can do anything with Your help!.

Love Out Loud -- Joyce Meyer

My bucket list for September --

Sewing --
Bed Caddy
Embroider my clothesline flip-flop t-shirt
Americana Wall Hanging
Buttons & Bow Quilt
Blue Car Caddy - Mine
Purple Car Caddy - Laura
Black Car Caddy - Carl
Embroider Laura & Mine scrapbooking t-shirts for Scrapbook Crop
Turquoise t-shirt
Purple crepe skirt
Frying pan handle holder

Scrapbooking --
Finish Advent Calendar
Scrapbook Cake Pop Baking page
Carl's Ice Cream page
County Fair page
New Year's Eve page
Grayson's school album

Cooking/Baking --
Pink Lemonade cupcakes
Spice cake balls
Croissant roll cups
Orange cream cupcakes
Spicy Parmesan Chicken Breast
Pizza Poppers

I've loaded myself up pretty good this month.  But that's okay.  Laura & I are going to a Birthday Crop mid-September so I'm going to work on the scrapbooking projects there.  I have to get the t-shirts embroidered before that weekend so we can wear them.  I do have to get some bits & pieces from fabric store to finish up some of the projects I have on my list.

I just have to decide what I am going to reward myself with when I complete all the projects on my list and what will be my reward if I complete half of the list.  The reward for the whole list will have to be something really special so that I'm motivated to get everything marked off.  But I still need a reward if I get half done because that will be less projects I'll have to do later.  I'll have to think on this for a bit - it's a really big decision.  :)

Lord, I place my absolute trust in your power, your wisdom, and your goodness.

Love Out Loud  -- Joyce Meyer

I'm modeling my new pink top that I was extremely challenged getting completed.  I think it fits good and is flattering.  I really like how it turned out.  I do like that I lined it.  The bodice finished nicer than I think it would have if I had used bias tape.



I got a couple of more items done today.  I had journaling left to do on 5 page kits and got all 5 done. I got the page kits from Out on a Limb Scrapbooking.  They have really cute two page kits for a great price.  Check out the website.

 I also got the top of an Americana Wall Hanging I'm making for my mom for Christmas.  My brother, Mark is in the Air Force and I thought she would like something that is a tribute to him.

Each of the stars has a word written on them -- Peace, Honor, Freedom, Spirit, Pride, Life, liberty, Happiness, 1776, America, Faith, Patriotism, Virtue, Courage and Justice. 
The cream colored bordered has sayings written on it --
Across the bottom - (Star Button) Land of the Free - Home of the Brave (Star Button) Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. 
Down the right side - (Star Button) Red for Courage, White for Purity, Blue for Courage (Star Button) It's a Grand Ol' Flag (Star Button) One Nation (Star Button).
Up the left side - With Liberty, Justice for All (Star Button) The Red, White & Blue (Star Button) Long May She Wave (Star Button) Old Glory (Star Button)
Across the top - Stars and Stripes Forever (Star Button) America the Beautiful

The pattern is from a flyer I got from Jo-Ann Fabrics not long after 9/11.  I made one for myself and got it finished in March 2002 in remembrance of 9/11 and those that lost their life that day.

I also have some other projects I did beginning of the summer that I've never posted. 

My daughter Laura was going to be spending a week at the beach so I make her an album to put her memories in.  I just did the front & back but left the inside empty so she can make her own pages.  I used the Cricut Cartridge Life's a Beach and added glitter glue to the center of the sun and along the waves and sand.

I put together a pocket album.  I got the idea out of Cricut Cartridge Fabulous Finds cartridge booklet. I used the new punch I got at the Scrapbooking Expo to make the epoxy embellishments. The punch is made by Epiphany Crafts and comes in a variety of shapes.  My daughter introduced it to me. I gave the album to my daughter so she can have a brag book of my grandchildren.

I made a birthday layout for my grandson's third birthday.  I got really cool sketchbooks by Scrapbook Generations.  What's so great about these sketches is that it shows the breakdown of each page.  I don't have to do any guesswork.  It's great!!

And here's the page I did from the above sketch --

As I special treat for my grandchildren for 4th of July I made Cakes in a Jar.  I used store bought mix and frosting but turned out really good.  I cut circles out of scrap paper to cover the metal lid for decoration. I used red, white and blue sprinkles for decorations.  I got this idea from a website - I don't remember which one.  I have so many small mason jars around from jelly making.  These are easy to make and would be great for picnics - cupcakes are so hard to transport and baking them in a jar makes that so much easier. 

Check off another project

I got another one of my August Bucket List projects done.  Okay, I didn't get it done in August but I got it done. :)  I think it turned out pretty good although as I look at it I think the design may be crooked. But as long as my grandson likes it that's all that counts. 

I got the pattern from Embroidery Library.  I get most of my embroidery designs from there.  Embroidery Library has so many designs and they are really great designs for a great price.

Another PHD Finished . . .

Have you ever been discouraged when trying to do something nice for someone? 

 Keep being nice anyway!!

Love Out Loud -- Joyce Meyer

I completed another one of my PHDs (Projects Half Done).  I can now mark it off my project list. It's a scarf I started last winter and when the weather got warm put it down.  I wasn't sure how wide to make it or how long but I think it looks cool.  The yarn is variegated and without planning crocheted up into a nice pattern.  I do think the next one I make won't be as wide - maybe only 5".  This scarf is about 9" wide.