A Quilty Update

 Happy 4th of July!!! Our day has been HOT!! We did go see Brave, and  the kids spent the rest of the afternoon in the little pool. Now everyone is just "moping", as Sweetheart calls it. 

I thought I would pop in and give you all a quilting update. I will be honest....I lost my quilting mojo several months ago, and am just getting it back, so maybe being back on the blog will help with that. I started working on Emerson's "Star Quilt" last spring.....so far I have 5 out of 12 blocks done. She can't pick her favorite, because she "loves them all"!

It is too hot to hand quilt on that big UGRR Sampler, so I have put it away for now. Hand applique seems the answer. I am working on block 3 of Henrietta Whiskers....still. I bought this neat lap desk at Target yesterday. I LOVE it!!!!

It makes my time with the block in my lap much easier and more enjoyable. I duct taped that pincushion to the desk for easy use. It is the best $12 I've spent in a loooong time! I also have a new case to keep my applique supplies in. 

It is a cosmetics bag from "31 Bags". Actually, it is the double one, and has a whole other zipper section. It will be nice when I have 2 applique projects going at once.....which I plan to......

This quilt is my next big applique project....Folk Art Blooms, by Buggy Barn. I won't start it til I finish the Henrietta Whiskers quilt top, BUT.....see that bottom right hand corner block? That one is getting done for a wall hanging. Each block measures 20x20, so they are big. I will start it as soon as block number 3 (or maybe number 4 since it is all prepped) is finished....it will be a nice break and get something in the hoop small enough to tolerate in this heat. I have the fabrics pulled already.

Those colors are much nicer in person. :( 

So that is my quilty update. Hopefully there will be more to share before another 3 months goes by without touching a needle!!

The grandkids are here til Friday. Sweetheart goes back to work tomorrow after 4 days off. It will be a quiet day here....I may even stay in my jammies!!! The temps are suppose to be triple digits again, so we will lay low, which means lots of applique time!

Hope your 4th was as blessed as mine!

Bren

Update on the Kids

Thought I would pop in and give a little update on the kids. I have the grandkids this week while their Daddy works. TJ is 7 now and such a smart kid! He and Emerson love coming to Grandma's house! They are keeping busy, playing in the water, building Lego masterpieces, playing board games, feeding baby dolls, and watching movies.

That laptop is hooked up to the large television, but the girls prefer the little screen! LOL

Emerson goes with me on my Tuesday's out with the girls. Last time she got all dolled up and fit right in.

Charlotte turned 15 the beginning of June. Can you believe it? She is doing exceptionally well this summer. I am really enjoying her!

Zach will be 11 next month. He loves his cats, and spends a lot of time playing nerf guns with his best friend. 

Kyle turned 26 last March and is doing very well. Here he is with his service workers. They keep him on track! He will be going on a short trip with me and my mom this month. He chose Rain Forest Cafe and a trip to Gurnee Mills.

And what about those girls?? They continue to be the best of sisters and you most likely will find them together any time of the day or night! 

 Sassy has such a sweet spirit about her. Calm and loving, and is definitely a Mama's girl. Cammy is a SPASTIC little thing, and loves trouble. Kyle remains her most favorite human, and we all know when he wakes up in the morning...we can hear Cammy crying wailing for him to pick her up.

Well that's the update. I'll come back soon and share some things we've done around the house.

5th Anniversary Giveaway Winner

We have a winner!!!! The Mrs!!!!!  

(thanks to my own personal number generator, Zachary)

Thanks so much for reading my blog over the last 5 years. My goal is to try to post once a week (sometimes more if things are interesting around here). I have updates to share on the girls, of course. 

The kids....yes, we  had some worrisome days, but all is well now.

My diet.....

....and some results.

Some home updates, and of course....

...some quilting updates. See you next week!!!!!

An Update Post

Just a quick update post to share what is going on here at Life With A Little Sass.

HOMEMAKING:
Lots of baking....cookies, banana breads, Italian bread...lots of carbs. Here's something I do with my homemade banana bread....sprinkle some brown sugar (I use a lot) on top of the batter just before baking. It makes an incredible crust on the top. You can add chopped nuts too, but we just like the sugar. I have maintained the kitchen take over. I have to say, I am happy to be back in my place. Once in a while Charlotte can do a clean up for me, but on a daily basis, I will be handling it. Zach has taken over his own laundry. He is doing a wonderful job. Charlotte has been doing her own for some time. I never did that with my older boys...I am wiser ;)
HOME SCHOOL:We are learning The Shema....a Jewish tradition for children. The kids and I are memorizing the above verses (actually we are memorizing more...Deut 6:4-9)....OH! I forgot to tell you...we have a new student!Kyle has joined us. I took him out of Center of Hope. For us, it was really becoming like a bad daycare/nursing home situation and I fought with myself for months. I even cut him back to part time hoping that would make things better. Finally, Sweetheart and I decided to pull him out. He has joined us for math, and I am doing life skills with him. He raked the yard (for cash) and is learning The Shema with us. We are going to begin a new style of Bible learning here....I need to liven it up for them. The Word of God is ALIVE....it is exciting. I want to share that excitement with my little ones. Supplies are on today's shopping list, so we will begin tomorrow!

QUILTING:Triangles. Need I say more? Zillions of them....I am using triangle paper so there is a process...pin, sew, cut, rip, press, clip...only then can I put them into units. I am enjoying it. Very soon this project will need to be put aside for some Christmas quilting. The Hidden Star is done and packed away til Christmas morning, and the sailboats have ONE more block to be quilted and then on to the borders. It is stunning, if I do say so myself.

SASSAFRAS:My quilting partner is still on the job. She is my shadow most days. How did I get along with out her?? She is a joy. She totally approves of the new project!

THE LITTLES:They are doing well. Charlotte has calmed and is doing MUCH better. Isn't she beautiful? Your prayers carried us through a difficult month. I can now enjoy her and the fall season. Zach is still toothless. Not a sign of adult teeth (though xrays show they are there). He shocks us everyday with words we have no idea he knew. "combustible materials", "catastrophic", diplomatic"....the kid is something.

FAMILY:With Thanksgiving coming, I am excited to have my family all together! I will fix Thanksgiving dinner for all of us and we will have a wonderful time making memories. This Thanksgiving will have some specialness to it. Next year we will not all be here. Life changes and you just never know. For now, I am anxious for that day next week when we will all gather to give thanks to the Holy One who sits on the Throne. He is in control...I am thankful for that!!!!

An Update Post

Two posts in one day! I have much to share, but with all these updates, I may not have much to say for a while!! Here are the updates from around our home....

Homemaking:

I have really gotten off track here. My house has that "ick" feel to it. You know the one, don't you? Please tell me you do! Since I had the cooties here for a whole week, it has not gotten a clean feeling. I read on a friend's facebook status about a Lavender Pine Sol....I plan to grab some of that. Have any of you tried it?

Laundry has been done and that is a plus!Gardening:I am not meant to garden. Sad to admit, but so true. My tomatoes are bursting with lots of green plump tomatoes, and my 2 pepper plants are straining with the weight of all the peppers..........but my cucumber, lettuce and onions died! UGH! Oh, well. Plus I have not kept my end of the bargain. Not that the garden is not weeded and watered regularly, but it is not me doing it....no, it is not Sweetheart either...it is Charlotte and Zach. They are anxious to enlarge the garden so they can grow pumpkins! I think I will give them the other end of the space we have. Maybe I can convince Sweetheart to put clotheslines where the garden space would have been........

Spiritual:I am reading the Sermon on the Mount. It begins in Matthew 5. I love these verses and I can imagine what it would have been like to be there......I may have to spend a week or more in this section of scripture. It is speaking to me.

"Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men." Matthew 5:13

The Kids:The kids are all doing well. Sickness has left the building!!! Kyle worked on this piece of "art". He wanted his Grandma Dianne to see this picture...make sure you tell him you saw it Grandma!

Charlotte......Charlotte has been Charlotte. What can I say. She is great one day and the next she is struggling. Still, I am so amazed at what she can accomplish. Debi sent her a gift card to Michael's and asked her if she would use it to purchase yarn of her choice and make a Project Linus blanket for a child. Debi will donate this in her name. She finished it yesterday and and I think it is beautiful!!!! I was surprised at the amount of yarn it took to make this....crochet is as costly as quilting!Such pride in a job well done. I think it is her best work yet!

Zach Attack.....he is a pistol and I am grateful It is better than that lethargic little boy burning up with fever last week! He slept alot.....and anywhere he landed. Here he is half on and half off the couch.Quilting:UGH!!! This is not fun. I have made myself work on it and prohibited myself from basting the sailboats until the center blocks of this quilt are done. I just want to get through it and move on.

Grandchildren:

Let's talk about that mohawk....Personally, I do not like it. He is my baby. My TJ Stinky Pants. My sweet little guy who loves to collect rocks, just like I did as a child. (note his few new additions in front of his dirty little feet) However, he is still a dolly and I find it growing on me. *sigh* One day he will be doing stuff to himself that his parents will HATE....it will serve them right! HA! A rite of passage for ALL parents.

Emerson will be the one to put them through their paces. You can be sure of that!!Tomorrow (Wednesday), their Mommy has a birthday. Happy birthday Rachel!!!!!

Sweetheart:

I usually do not update on Sweetheart, but he needs prayer. He took a very big beating today. Yes, I WHIPPED HIS BEHIND in Phase 10! He thought he had me for most of the game, but I came from behind and WAILED on him! He never saw it coming. The winning hand......Zach thought it was "mean" that I was taking pictures of Daddy's failure and Sweetheart told him, "Don't worry Zach. We will start our own blog and take pictures of Mom losing next time!" I don't think so......Sassy:

I think Sassy is a bit upset.People keep saying she is "fat". I think she looks just fine! Look at those lines....she is sleek!Or maybe it is the lighting, cause in this one her butt sure looks BIG! Sorry Sass!Those are the updates. Have a blessed week!!!