Making Things Pretty

As I dusted my family room, I was thinking about a post I read with my coffee this morning. My friend, Copperswife, shared a quote in a post titled, Gracious Living. It was a simple, yet powerful quote and had me thinking as I polished my tables. When I came to "my" table, this is what I saw.....
I sit next to this table and do all my hand work...applique, quilting, binding. That little brown pottery bowl holds ALL my supplies for all of these tasks. The dip container (I know...kinda tacky) holds my prepped leaves for my current applique project. Note the little papers from last night's finished leaves. I decided to make this area look more "gracious". The dip container gave me an idea..... My Mother-in-Love had bought me this beautiful set of ceramic bakeware and included were 2 small dip bowls with rod iron/wicker holders. They are very pretty. I pulled them out and filled one with all my applique supplies. The other holds all my hand quilting supplies and I left my binding supplies in the brown ceramic bowl. Right now I am only using the applique supplies, so the other bowls are on my sewing table in the studio, ready to pull out when I need them. The area looks much nicer and more inviting than the "Helluva Good Dip" container sitting there.
Gracious Living....it is in the smallest of details. Go read the quote....I am writing it on a card and posting it on my frig!
Yesterday, I did go back to the dry cleaners, and yes, the same lady was there. Zachary and I entered the store with a smile and and a cheerful hello. I chatted with her while she completed my order and again, thanked her for being so kind as to forgive my harshness from the last visit. She was very sweet and treated me with the utmost kindness. I wished her a very blessed afternoon and left with a smile, and Zachary with a sucker...compliments of the lady. ;) Making that phone call was NOT easy for me. It was a big slab of humble pie and I did it KNOWING she was wrong and I was right...at least in theory. I read this post after dinner last night and my attitude about making that phone call changed instantly. I was so glad I did it.
My mom and the kids and I went garage sale-ing yesterday. I got some great stuff. I don't buy junk...usually. This item, may appear to be useless...and in my home it is.
It is an old bag filled with old time clothespins. I have no clotheslines...that is another rant, but I will keep it to myself...and there is no usefulness to this, but it makes me happy. It looks quaint hanging in the laundry room near the washboard my Father-in-Law gave me years ago. It is the washboard used to scrub diapers in their home some 60 years ago.

I did find some wonderfully useful items. These books were a treasure to find!!! At a buck 50 each I could not pass them up. Little did I know the value that would be in those pages!Great American Quilts 1989 caught my eye, because it is around the time I started my first quilt. It has patterns for so many quilts I could see myself making! Lovely stories of quilt-makers and their designs from the 80's. A perfect book for my library!The Bazaar Patchwork book is loaded with "Gracious Gifts", a gorgeous sampler quilt and some great Christmas projects! I plan to try a few of these soon. Look at that cute heart and hand needlebook in the lower right-hand corner. Too cute!And who can pass up an Amish/Mennonite Cookbook??? Especially one filled with quilts!!!! I plan on using some of these recipes very soon. The photography in this book is incredible!!
There were some other wonderful purchases made, especially one from my mother for Charlotte, but you will have to wait to see that one. ;) Kyle and Zach came home happy too. Kyle with a couple of movies and a WoW Worship CD, and Zach with a new-to-him baseball glove (that was like new anyway) and a softball, so now he can throw the ball with dad and big brothers! It was a good day for all of us.

Today will be sweltering hot so I plan to finish up my dailies, get my laundry done, and applique leaves! I am on side 3, and hope to see side 4 before bedtime!

Thanks for stopping by!!!!

Up the Down Staircase

I have been trying to get a sewing day for more than 2 weeks. I plan it out and something always ends up stopping me. Add to that homeschool and housework and it is close to impossible to get more than a few minutes at my machine at any given time. I decided today to bring up my machine and other tools and have a real sewing day....this would make it possible. When Sweetheart saw what I was doing, he said, "Why not set up a table in the livingroom and then you can just stay set up and won't have to tear everything down." Goodness....if you knew Sweetheart you would be picking yourself up off the floor!!!By the time I got set up, he was back with my 64 oz. Road Ranger Diet Coke!

MUCH sewing has gotten done today and I have several hours left to sew. Homeschool got done, and nothing was sacrificed in order to have my time at the machine. Oh, and the lighting is AWESOME!!!!!!Of course this is temporary until I turn the new project into a top. But then....I do have the Pine Ridge that is half way pieced, and the UGRR needs it's last set of borders......we'll see.

My view to the left is looking out onto the front yard.

You can't see it because of the glare, but this is what I get to look at......Kyle.....outside raking leaves!!!! I love that boy!

I received some early birthday gifts (I meet 50 early next week). Sweetheart sent me on a shopping trip to the quilt shop. I got the fabrics I mentioned the other day for my new project, but also I grabbed this book... I love every pattern in this book!!! That is rare. I also got a package in the mail from Winona!!! What a surprise! She made me a beautiful Bow Tucks bag! I have seen the ones she has been making on her blog and was THRILLED to get one from her.She has such high quality of work.....Kyle said, "Now that's art!" LOL I was on the phone with Winona when he said it, and she said, "I knew I liked that boy!"

The inside is wonderful. FULL of pockets and just as beautiful as the outside. I took a pic, but mine was too dark, so I stole this one from Winona's blog....mine has coffee cups instead of polka dots on the inside, otherwise it is the same.It is a nice size bag and I already have all my "stuff" switched over from my purse to this bag. I can't wait to use it tomorrow!

I better get back to my machine before daylight is gone. We had a huge sleet storm a while ago and everything is cold and dreary now from the bright sunshine that brought the day. My view is no longer what Sassy is enjoying in this picture. No matter. Sewing upstairs with the family is what I am most thankful for today.