Baby Shower Gift for BF

My sweet friend is having her baby shower tomorrow.  Of course I wait till this afternoon to start making the quilt.  I had been tossing around ideas in my head all week but just had to sit down and start cutting to decide what the end product would be...

I ended up piecing a 'disappearing nine patch' out of flannel I had left over from other projects.  My friend is a scrappy kinda a girl and loves the eclectic.  I was able to boarder the quilt before time to whip up something for Dinner.
 

The D9P is my favorite quilt to piece, it is so easy but looks complicated.  

I love the little star pattern the boarder and backing...just shouts boy to me.  I just cannot wait to wee it when I have it all quilted.

Here is the topper, ready for a sandwich and quilting....got my work cutout for me tonight.

Challenge Your (MY) Self

For the new year I challenged myself with keeping up my blog on a regular basis.  Like life, I am getting a slow start.  *grin*  I have taken the last week just enjoying the kids being kids in all their loudness and chaos.  A lovely visit from my mom and a wonderful afternoon in SanAntonio.  What a joy to be able to infuse history, that the kids can see and touch, into a beautiful sunny day.  I only wish I had brought my REAL camera.

My three babies plus friend at the Alamo.

My cotton stash.

While the kids were in school last week I was able to FINALLY work on organizing and finish unpacking my craft room from our move back in March.  Don't judge, it is my last room to apply myself and I wanted/needed to take my time.  It was also the room where things go when noone knows where it should go.

More fabric

I can close the doors!

A clean table - Amazing.

I have come to the realization that I am not going to get the Craft Room of my dreams, no pristine setup out of a magazine, so clean and organized will have to do.  I still have a few thing that are waiting on shelving but so excited that things are in their place and organized - for the most part. 

Gotta put the Antiques somewhere, might as well put them to use.

Shopping, Coupon Newbie on the Loose!

First, I got a pleasant surprise in the mail, a free 1 year subscription for Better Homes Magazine.  My hubby bought me a new, very nice, ironing board recently.  On the underneath was an offer for a free subscription for BH, which I had totally forgotten about sending off.

Today, I strapped on my sandals and took myself out to do a trial couponing run.  I realized I was not as prepared as I thought I was.  While I was out I decided to go by Target instead of two other stores I had prepared for.  All in all I saved 45% of my grocery with sales, promos and coupons at Target.

Which is pretty darn good considering that does not include my $10.00's in Target gift cards that I earned.   SWEET!

  

Summer Recovery

 The kids are back in school *smile* and mommy gets some much needed down time.  I have had a long 'To Do' list running for the last month.  I have been excited to get to it once the kids get into the school routine but it hasn't quite happened the way I expected.

  The first week I was down with a sinus cold (okay, that is what I call it), the second week I have been stuck in first gear.  My mom swears I am entering Menopause...she may be right.

  My hubby and I have made an agreement to start our diets/health plans this Monday.  It should be much easier doing it together.

 My most recent project is developing mad (Krazy) couponing skills.  My kids are really getting into it and I am finding the research and clipping very calming.  Our first FAMILY (scary thought) grocery run is this weekend to see how well we can do.  My goal is to do well enough to be allowed the grocery shopping in the future.  Right now my hubby completes that chore, he is much better counting pennies than I am.

  I was able to cross one little thing off my list...duh duh duh... de-fingerprint my refrigerator.  With 3 messy kids and a stainless steel fridge it was pretty nasty (forgot to take a before pic).  I sprayed it down, cleaned all the nastiness off.  THEN I made it pretty with a good wipe and buff with Mineral Oil.  I continued with the range and dishwasher.  All in all it really sparkled up my kitchen.

  Today, is polishing the granite counter tops...after I scrape off all the dried and caked on jelly, honey, oatmeal....  You got the idea.

To Do:

- Gym 3X's a week with running program.

- Sewing room 1 hour a week.

- Front hall cleared.

- Lay Master Bedroom rug.

- Organize Master Bath Closet.

- Chore Chart Routine

- Set a Morning Routine (and stick w/it)

Just gotta love 'em.

  You just have to love 'em.  <3<3<3<3   Today, my little 5 year old stayed home from school due to a fever and potty trouble, poor baby.  He was pretty miserable first thing this morning but about 10am his fever broke and he decided he was right as rain.  While I was speaking to our builder about our 30day recap the little scrap took himself out the back door.  He was GONE!  Took me half an hour to find him at a neighbor boy's house playing.  I strongly advise all parents to buy their children bright neon colored bikes, makes it very easy to spot wayward children.  After our little talk about rules on leaving the house, why he could not play with his friend today and what contagious buggies mean, he was back to finding something to keep himself busy.  One delightful project was to wash the breakfast bowls that were in the sink.  Just something about seeing young children doing dishes warms my heart .. cools my floor (wet and cold) but nothing a towel would not fix.  

  Sunday I printed up 'Responsibility Charts' for my three kiddos (trying this again).  They have been so excited to see who could complete more tasks than their siblings.  I also added detractors which will cost them allowance, such as arguing, back talk and lying, along with extra pay chores.  Of course the extra $$$ chores are where all their excitement is focused.  I do have to admit that getting them up and dressed has been easier the last 2 days and their bedrooms are cleaner than the rest of my house.  Now, I just have to catch up with them so they can keep the maintenance housework going.  I just cannot imagine my house clean again, clear of boxes!  We shall see how well the kids and I can keep things going through the Summer weeks.

  Today, instead of unpacking boxes, I have been procrastinating by working on our Summer Bucket List and brain storming with my Auntie K.  AK and I will be tandem driving from Tampa Bay Area to Central Kentucky in June and I don't want to make the trip all about getting there, I want it to be an adventure for my three kids and their two cousins that will be on the trek with us.  We will be spending a little of our two weeks of our 'Out of Town' vacation with my parents in Central FL and a bit of time with my extended family in Central KY, fishing and swimming with Cousins is the theme of the vacay. We have already bought our round trip tickets from TX to FL so my husband can feel easier about us returning.  For some reason he has this fear that my family won't let us return.....LOL.....then again, it may not be unfounded.....They just want us to pick up and move closer, him included.

Two years ago when I took the kids to Kentucky for the big surprise birthday bash we had for my dad my dear dear dear husband was so happy we came back that he took me shopping and bought me the camera I so terribly wanted, not that I expected it but it was nice to have and nice to be missed by Mr. Gruff-n-stuff.  This time I expect a new car in the driveway.......just being silly.  We have been looking at replacing my ten year old Escalade, which I love, with a newer set of wheels with MUCH better gas mileage.  I believe hubby has decided on the Toyota Sienna.  I could be happy with that, I doubt I would love it as much as my current set of wheels but.....it is worth a try.  It is like driving my first apartment around, they probably have about the same square footage just not the head room.  You would think my SUV would have that much room but I don't know where it went.  The Sienna reminds me of one of those suitcases on Harry Potter where you just keep pulling things out and it has a never ending bottom.

Still unpacking....Yikes

It has been nearly 2 months since our big downsizing move and I am still unpacking.  It really brings home the realization of what is important and what is frivolous possessions.  The important boxes are unpacked, cleaned and put away.  The rest, collections of my hubby's parents and grandparents are still well packed.  The major problems it causes is the stress and unrest I feel with a house in total disarray and I am unable to set up my craft room.

 I cannot find anything I need in my crafts behind all the boxes of china and cut glass.

 Last week I was able to focus on polishing all the antique breakfronts with furniture bees wax.  Now that they are all clean and glowing I am having a hard time finding reasons for putting it off.  LOL.  My hubby told me he wanted everything arranged the way we had it back at our last house but since I am the 'arranger' I think I will be mixing it up.  Our wedding china mixes well with my M-in-law's. I would love to mix in some of his grandmother's hand painted china with the glass.  I also think I may repack some of the glassware for storage in hidden places around the house, why does it have to be out to collect dust?

Another thing I have been postponing is my trips to the gym, workouts of any kind and my diet has regressed into a 'see food diet'.  Correct, I found most of the weight I fought so hard to loose last year.  I think I may try this cleans I found on Pinterest to jump start pistons.  

Spring Liver Cleanse Tonic

(makes 2 servings)

16oz Dandelion Root Tea

2 medium sized beets

2 large carrots

1 inch ginger

1 lemon

Source: Spring Liver Cleanse Tonic | Free People Blog http://blog.freepeople.com/2014/05/spring-liver-cleanse-tonic/#ixzz32gTETSCX

Summer is just a few days away and keeping myself and the kiddos on a routine can be difficult.  Shortly after school lets out we (kids and I) are off to visit my parents in Florida.  The idea of a bathing suit gives me visions of thunder thighs and rumbling sand.  A bit of an exaggeration but how many 47 year old mommies are thrilled to be seen in a bathing suit?  My lack of workouts has effected more than the look of my body, it has effected how I see myself.  The best thing is it is something I can, and will, change.  One of those continuous journeys.

Reality

I should have known better....I killed it.  One must not have too many distractions when starting a Sourdough Starter, rule number one.  I just could not give it the time and attention it needed at this time so I gave up - till after the move.  

We close on the new house TOMORROW! is it here already?  Just amazing how time can speed by.  I still have so much packing to do before we move this weekend.  My hubby is a scheduling dynamo extraordinaire.  How he keeps it all straight I have no idea.  He keeps mumbling that he hopes he did not forget or schedule something wrong.  I really doubt it, he has double, triple and quadruple checked everything on his list.  Thankfully, he took several vacation days this weekend to get the move settled.  

My big question about the move, "Is everything going to fit?"  I have purged and purged and purged, but somethings you just have to get into the new house and figure out if it is a 'must keep' or 'why did we keep'.  Most of what we have now are antiques that have been passed down to my husband from his family, which is all gone now.  How do you get rid of things that have so much history but serves only a small purpose and usefulness?

I still believe the kids have no idea what is really going to happen.  I have to keep reminding them that next week they will not be in our current house.  They will not be able to hang out with the neighborhood kids, but make new ones.  They have been so excited about decorating their rooms that reality is far from their focus.