My friend, Danielle, requested a photo of Brody on his quilt (to get an idea of the size of the quilt). Great idea! The only problem is that with a toddler, it’s hard to get them to sit still. I tried to put snacks on the quilt and he got interested in a book, so I took some quick snapshots and here’s the best of the worse. LOL!

It’s done! IT’S DONE!

I can’t tell you how great it is to have that sense of completion. I love this quilt and love the meaning of it (all of the memories from Brody’s first year of life). I love that it will be a treasure forever!

After putting the quilt together, it dawned on me that I didn’t include the shirt I had made for him for his 1st birthday. Duh! It would have been the perfect finish to this quilt. So, I did the next best thing. Since this shirt wouldn’t be worn again, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to cut it up, so I cut out his name that was on the front of the shirt and just stitched it on to the bottom of the back of the quilt. Done! Memory added. I then took the sleeves from this same shirt and used them to stitch on to a t-shirt to make it long sleeves (sorry, I don’t have a picture of it and it’s in the laundry now). Turned out great! Perfect use of the scraps!

I also added on my three14creations label to his quilt. I took a close up picture of it, but it’s a bit blurry, but you get the idea.

Here’s a more detailed view of the front of the quilt with a few stories to the onesies (in case anyone is interested).

Thanks for your patience. I have no clue why this took me so long to complete. Sheesh! What a treasure now!

I started working on it again today. I used the sewing machine to sew one half of the binding on (the rest will be by hand). Brody had to assist me and was quite funny. I captured a few photos and a video of him playing with my binding. He was having so much fun!

At the end, I had to use my iron and took the cover off of my wall iron. He immediately grabbed it, drug it around for a while, then popped a squat in it with his frog. And look at one of the photos of Brody “marching” through the binding (it’s a blur, but still funny).

Zen what?  Exactly!  I wondered the same thing.  In a word, it’s a doodle. A structured, contained doodle.

I just heard the term “Zentangle” for the first time a week ago.  I immediately was interested in finding out more, so looked it up online.  I joined a swap (more about this swap place in another post).  What better way to try this Zentangle thing out than to join a swap and be forced to create not one, but two for my swap partner.  Thankfully everyone involved in this swap are new to Zentangles, so I’m guessing no one is going to judge me too harshly.

I have to say that I had so much fun creating my Zentangle pieces.  It was quite relaxing and to now sit back and look at my mini pieces of art, I feel very proud of my creations.  I will state that one of my pieces has a “C” in it because my swap partners name is Celine.

Here are my two creations.  My very first Zentangles…

To read more about Zentangles, go here and here.

Key word is “looked” (past present). LOL! I guess it could be titled, “What I Looked For In A Husband”, because that’s truly what it was all about. I remember hearing a sermon message one Wednesday night while in High School. The Pastor said that there was no reason to waste your time dating someone unless you could see yourself marrying him. That’s when I made this list. If I couldn’t find a boy that measured up to this list, it wasn’t worth my time to even be dating him.

I wrote this list back on October 21, 1992 (that’s almost 19 years ago). Holy cow, I’m old! LOL! I just came across this list this weekend and wanted to share it with you all. Thought it was a fun read and realized, I found that perfect boyfriend who I now call my husband (insert “Ahhhhh’s” here).

Today has been a great day!  My son has been sick lately and hasn’t eaten in days and today, he’s starting to eat something.  I can’t begin to tell you the relief it gives me.  Phew! The weather is nice outside (and only going to get nicer as the days go on).

The day started out with Brody and I meeting our friends at the brand new Whole Foods in Raleigh.  They were giving out coupons, free samples, and freebies for the kids and adults.  The store was packed!  I loved every minute of it (although would prefer to get around easier without the crowds).  Their customer service is just amazing!  I didn’t get much, but did take advantage of a few freebies and coupons for this visit.  I even left with a free recyclable bag (love those things).

This afternoon, we went to Gap.  I had a coupon for $50 worth of merchandise for $25, plus I had a gift card to use.  I was also handed a coupon (while there) for 45% off of one regular priced item.  Score!  I left with items I actually needed too (all for either Jason or Brody).  As the cashier rang me up, she said I had $4 left on my gift card and she would just give it back to me in cash, then proceeded to tell me to get a cup of coffee.  And you know what I did….I did just that.   Starbucks, here I come.

Then as nap time rolled around, Brody was tired, so I put him down.  Then an hour later, he’s still chattering away in his crib.  *sigh*  That little stinker.  I decide to go in there to make sure he didn’t soil his diaper and there were no other distractions for him (like a cat sleeping in his changing table or something…happens quite often).  Upon entering the room, there are no distractions and he’s sitting in his crib.  I pick him up and he puts his head on my shoulder (I love this).  I decide to sit down in the rocking chair with him and he falls asleep on me instantly.  When does something like that ever happen?  I was in heaven, so sat and enjoyed it for a while before putting him back in his crib.

Today has been a day of smiles for me.  Pure relaxation.  And I just wanted to share it with someone.

A fun little game I’ve seen going around on some blogs. Thought I’d join in.

(A) Age: 35

(B) Bed Size: King

(C) Chore You Hate: I have to pick just one? Probably cleaning off counters (bathrooms/kitchen)

(D) Dogs? Nope, but I have one cat (Oscar, 13 years)

(E) Essential Start Your Day Item: Coffee!!!

(F) Favorite Color: Green (close seconds are orange and brown)

(G) Gold or Silver? Silver

(H) Height: 5’4″

(I) Instruments You Play: Currently none, but I use to play the flute for a couple of years when I was MUCH younger

(J) Job Title: Stay-At-Home-Mom

(K) Kids: 1 boy (16-months)

(L) Live: Raleigh, NC

(M) Mom’s Name: Rita, Mom, Grandma

(N) Nicknames: Growing up was Naj and Moki. Now? Mamamama (my son is still learning)

(O) Overnight Hospital Stays? In high school for high white blood cell count and when giving birth to my son.

(P) Pet Peeve: Things not in their spot (done by my husband who thinks it’s funny for this OCD Momma). AGH!

(Q) Quote from a Movie: “I don’t care what you smell…get in there.” -Star Wars, Episode IV

(R) Right or Left Handed? Right

(S) Siblings: 1 older sister

(T) Time You Wake Up? Varies. Ideally, 7am, lately 8:30am.

(U) Underwear: Um, yep.

(V) Vegetable You Dislike: Mushrooms!

(W) What Makes You Run Late: Getting Brody fed and ready to head out the door and the hubby. I’m the first one ready to go most of the time.

(X) X-Rays You’ve Had Done: knee, shoulder, back/hip, foot (toe)

(Y) Yummy Food You Make: I love cooking in the kitchen, but just haven’t taken time to do so in a major way unless it’s a holiday. LOL! I need to grab some recipes and get back to it. Right now, I enjoy making Mock Buffalo Chicken Pizzas.

(Z) Zoo, Favorite Animal: Tigers

In celebration of Starbucks 40th anniversary, they are giving away a free petite treat with any drink purchase between 2-5pm for today through Saturday, March 12 (so today is over with, but you still have tomorrow and Saturday to take advantage of this).

I got there today after 5pm (more like 5:15pm). They still had some in stock and still honored my free treat. All of the mini treats look and sound so yummy. It’s a hard decision. The Salted Caramel Sweet Square is just divine. Here’s a quick description of it…  Salted caramel and chocolate filling with a layer of crisp pretzels and pecans on top of a butter shortbread crust. Isn’t your mouth just watering? Y…U…M!

My niece (14-years-old) just sent this to me and it’s really an eye opener (thanks Abby!)

Cell Phone VS Bible
I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phones?

What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?

What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?

What if we flipped through it several times a day?

What if we used it to receive messages?

What if we treated it like we couldn’t live without it?

What if we gave it to kids as gifts?

What if we used it as we traveled?

What if we used it in case of an emergency?

What if we upgraded it to get the latest version?

This is something to make you go….hmm…where is my Bible? Makes you stop and think “where are my priorities?”  Unlike our cell phone, we don’t have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill. And no dropped calls!

So…

One of my sewing projects I wanted to work on was this simple little handbag.  I had the thought that I would use it for toting around Brody’s restaurant items when we go out (bib, utensils, snacks, etc…).  Only one problem, it’s not deep enough to hold everything.  Oh well, still cute and I may be able to put some small books or toys in it or something.

I made the template myself (following the design look of what was in the tutorial).  It turned out just as I had hoped, but I guess I should have thought through the depth that I was truly wanting before starting.  Oh well.

I used the fabric that I had on hand for Brody’s quilt that came in the wrong color along with some extra “car” fabric that I didn’t use from his quilt.  I lined the inside with the car fabric and also made two buttons using the cars.  So cute!  I even added a pocket inside.

And, just in case you were wondering, it is NOT a “one-hour bag”.  Maybe if you have your template made, traced on all of your pieces of fabric and all of the fabric cut out and ready to start sewing. 

Without further adieu…

My handmade handbag