artsy-crafty babe

gratitude friday

Is it Friday already?  How did that happen?  Wait, where did January go?  Honestly, I'm glad to be done with January.  Yes, it was filled with lots of days off from work, which was nice, but it was also filled sickness and lots of wet, cold, gray days.  Yuck!  The photo above is one of my favorites this week because it is filled with sunshine, lots of warm, glorious sunshine.  I'm such a wimp, I need those precious rays.  I'm so happy to live in a place with mild winters and an occasional sunny warm day in January.  I don't think I could survive a "real" winter.

I'm pretty sure my decision to make this week a good one worked.  The mind is so powerful, isn't it?  Because I was determined to be more positive this week I found color and joy in my everyday life.  It's all there if you look for it, keep your eyes open!

This week I am grateful for:

• all your sweet comments on my posts (especially those of you who said I looked thin *big grin*)!  I'm really sorry that I can't respond to them all, but I promise that I read ans appreciate each and every one of them.
• feeling like my old self again.  The cough is still lingering a bit, but overall I feel great.
• fun lunches with friends
• my dishwasher breaking (it sucked and I really wanted a new one)
• each and every hug and kiss from my 3 fabulous kiddos
• a friend bringing Lily to dance class, saving me a trip
• the return of LOST
• a sunny day in the middle of the week

This weekend I plan to do as little as possible, but with a dirty house, laundry to fold, and 3 birthday party invitations, I have a feeling I'll be doing a lot more than I'd like!!  Have a great weekend! 

gratitude friday

Another week has gone by, a week that went by all too quickly.  I'm sure being sick for most of it had everything to do with this.  My days ran together in a blur tissues, coughing fits and bad daytime TV.  I'm not complaining, sometimes it's nice to have a little down time.

This week I am grateful for:

• finally coming out of the haze of sickness
• my new lovlies from my recent thrifting trip
• french onion soup - it's surprisingly easy to make
• the comfort of my bed
• being almost finished with removing the tile from my kitchen floor (that will get a whole post soon!)
• for Lily's love of drawing - we've been drawing together each evening in our sketch books
• Alex's "I love you Mommy" - he gets out of bed 23 times a night to tell me this along with "you're so pretty", that little stinker!
• having some down time to finally catch up on my sleep
• Ava's little tushy - just seeing that little bum brings a smile to my face

Have a great weekend, friends - give your loved ones a squeeze and go have some fun!!

**sorry for the pictureless post, my internet connection was crap this evening!

gratitude friday

Hooray for Fridays!  Hooray for long weekends!  Hooray for happy mail!

I can't say that this has been a bad or long week because I had Monday off and now I'm off today.  Working 3 days a week ain't too bad.  Then, to make things sweeter, I have Monday off again.  Wahoo!  Thank goodness I got a happy shipment of yarn in the mail today.  I'm finally going to attempt to make myself something to wear, but I need to make a trip to my LYS first to get some needles.  That will have to wait until tomorrow when I can go alone.  My reason for being home today is due to a sick kidlet.  Lily has the flu.  The kicker is that she had the flu shot earlier this fall - all my kids did.  We have our fingers crossed that it won't be severe and the other kids don't catch it.  On the bright side, today gives Lily and I some much needed girl time.  Even though she's sick, she's in good spirits.  We slept in this morning and just finished a good breakfast.  She told me that it was the "best breakfast ever!".

This week I am grateful for:

• confirmation that I'm doing something right as a mom. The other day Lily told me that the supper I was cooking looked healthy.  I asked her why she thought that and she said "because it looks colorful".  I guess the things I say DO sink in.
• keeping up with my 365 self portrait challenge.  It's interesting. I'm not bored yet and it is truly challenging me.
• the kindness of friends.
• having a job that understands that when kids get sick a mama needs to be there.
• losing a little bit of weight this week, even though I didn't make the best choices (I'm almost to where I was before the holidays).
• new yarn - new projects.
• a new box of colored pencils and a new sketchbook (another challenge I put on myself this week - more on that later).
• my mother-in-law, who took Lily to the Dr yesterday and took care of her yesterday afternoon while I went into the office.
• a hot cup of coffee on a yucky winter day.
• having a day to stay in my pj's all day long.

Happy Friday, Friends - have a great day and a wonderful weekend!!!

gratitude friday

I told you it was coming back...

With the events that have taken place in my family over the past week or so, the first thing that comes to mind to express gratitude for is the health and well being of my children.  I am so grateful that they are healthy and happy - it could all change in an instant.  Berkley's experience really opened my eyes to that.  I am so grateful that she is healing and made it home from the hospital.  Children are so resilient, aren't they?  Thank you all for praying for her and keeping her in your thoughts.  Yet another eye opening experience - the support from all of you as well as my own family.  I take comfort in knowing that if anything ever were to happen to anyone close to me, I have a vast support network of family and friends to help us through.

This week I am grateful for:

• Berkley coming home from the hospital
• being done with Alex & Ava's dosages of antibiotics (they HATE it)
• the return of our normal routine
• the warm, spring like weather we've been having
• being one itty bitty step closer to finishing our kitchen
• my WW buddy, for getting me back on track (man, I'm hungry!)
• GNO (girls night out) tonight, which I'm about 80% sure that I'll attend
• LSU winning the BCS National Championship - Geaux Tigers!!

One last thing... guess what?  This is my 500th post.  Yeah, how did that happen?  Thank you all for reading, for commenting, for inspiring me to keep on crafting and creating.  With 500 posts under my belt, you know me by now, I can't let this milestone pass without a give away - I LOVE giving things away.  Leave me a comment on this post this weekend, and I'll draw a name Monday morning.  Sound good?  Good!  I wish I knew what I was giving away, but it hasn't been made yet.  I promise, it'll be something good.

Happy Weekend, everyone!!

gratitude friday

My goodness, it's been a while since I've done one of these.  I don't have an excuse other than being busy and lazy at the same time.  Does that make sense?  You're so busy that when you have a free moment you'd rather be lazy than anything else?  That's me.  Bring on the lazy!  Unfortunately,  I can't be too lazy because I have mountains of laundry to tend to and a house to clean.  My latest sewing frenzy for a shop update that I keep promising but can't seem to get to has put most of my household duties on the back burner.  Oh well, that's how it goes.  Once I get the house in order I can finish my shop stuff then be done with it.  Can't wait!!  Okay, enough about that, back to gratitude (that was the point, wasn't it?).

Like last Friday, this one is a good one.  This is the Friday before a whole week off for my family - lucky ducks!  See, that's why I didn't feel too guilty about having this past Monday off all alone - they get the entirety of next week.  I do benefit from their time off because now I don't have to get anyone ready in the morning other than myself.  That means I get to sleep a little bit later - YAY!  And I don't have to rush around in the afternoon picking anybody up - double YAY!

So, on this great Friday before Thanksgiving week I am most grateful for:

1. The health of my kiddos.  I am so happy that no one is fighting any sort of cold, infection, or stomach bug at the moment. (knock on wood)  Being in good healthy really is a blessing.  (aren't Lily and Alex cute up there?  I couldn't resist snapping that photo this afternoon)
2. The upcoming days off, when we'll get to hang out as a family and just be.  I plan to stay in my pj's for one of those days, probably the day after Thanksgiving - there's NO WAY I'm leaving the house that day.
3. My buttons, which have been providing me with new crafty inspiration.  It's nice to shift gears every once in a while.
4. This wine - LOVE it!  I first tasted this wine at the winery when we visited Napa Valley about 8 years ago.  I'm so happy that my local grocery store now carries it, and has it on sale often.
5. Martha Stewart's new craft line.  Oh.my.  It's definitely a good thing.  I finally made it over to Michael's to see her stuff in person - I was instantly in love and in awe.  If you haven't seen this stuff yet, go check it out! 

Okay, I guess that's it for now.  Have a great weekend, all!!

gratitude friday

It's been a while since I've done one of these.  I let them go because I felt like a broken record every Friday, grateful for family, faith, home, health, love - what else is there, really?  Even though I haven't said it recently, I am so very grateful for all those things, especially that group of goons above.  That's the photo I took of them at the airport before I left for California.  Those 4 people are my everything, and I am so, so very grateful that I have them in my life.

It's been stressful getting back into the groove of things with the start of school, football practice, and Matt's graduate classes two nights a week, but we're surviving.  It feels good to get back into a routine.  I find comfort in the rhythm of our day, though it can be a struggle getting everything to fall into place.  We're all experiencing some difficulties with this new transition, but we'll get used to it.  I can't wait. 

At the end of this busy week I am grateful for the weekend, grateful for some time to relax and reconnect.  This weekend I'm putting those darned cabinets on the back burner because I feel the need to craft.  Hopefully I'll have something to show for it by the end of the weekend.  I'm most excited about a little date with Matt on Sunday afternoon.  We're going down to New Orleans to tour the Cottage Living Idea Home.  I'm so excited!  If I can take pictures, I will, believe me!!

I guess that's all folks, have a great weekend and enjoy life!!

Gratitude Friday

I've regrettably gotten away from my Gratitude Friday posts, but with the events of this past week I can't help but reflect on all that I am grateful for.   

I know I sound like a broken record with this, but I am so grateful for my family.  I am blessed to have a loving a husband and three wonderful children.  We're all healthy and together, what more could I ask for?  These past few days I've been hugging them a little tighter and making sure that they know I love them more than anything. 

Now on to my grocery list, this week I am grateful for:

• my continued commitment to lose weight.  I've been at it since January and have lost close to 20 lbs.  I could have said 20 lbs a few weeks ago, but Easter set me back.  I have to remember that I'm not trying to win a race, so slow & steady is a good thing. 
• a husband who is okay with my letting the laundry pile up because I'm too busy playing in my sewing room to take care of it.
• beautiful, warm spring weather.
• Coke Zero.  Gawd, I love that stuff!!
• my new sewing set up.  Who knew rearranging my sewing studio would make such a differnce?  You can bet there will be a whole post about that when I finally get it finished.
• all of you who read my blog and leave such nice comments.  You ROCK!  Though I don't always get the chance to respond, I really do read each and every comment.

Now on to some Works In Progress for this weekend ~ do I ever not have something in progress?

Baby dress for a gift. 

Bags, bags, bags. 

Future aprons. 

If I can do all this along with attending Lily's first t-ball game on Saturday and a birthday party on Sunday I'll be amazed.  *Wish me luck*

Have a great weekend y'all!!

TGIF

I am so happy that today is Friday.  This has been an exhausting week for me, both mentally and physically.  I feel like I could crawl into bed and sleep for days.  Ever have weeks like that?  I can't specifically give you a reason for it, probably because there are too many little things causing it.

I would like to express some gratitude today.  I am so, so grateful that I live a normal, healthy life.  Some may call it boring, but I'll take boring over chaos and dysfunction any day.  Growing up, things weren't always the best.  I am so grateful that I survived, that I came out of it a normal [somewhat], functioning member of society.  I love the little family I've created, and I am so grateful that we are all doing well.  Spring is here, life is good.  What more could I ask for?

If you're curious about my WIP's this week, just flip back a few posts.  Everything I cut this past weekend is still sitting there, untouched.  I wasn't able to do a darned thing this week.  So, on this Friday afternoon, while sick Lily snoozes on the sofa I'm going to catch up on my laundry & housework, then maybe take a nap.  If I'm lucky, I'll wake up rejuvenated and ready to have a crafty evening with my sewing machine.

Have a great weekend, y'all!

WIP & Gratitudes

It's Friday again, my most favorite day of the week.  I know I've said this before, but the thing I like best about Fridays is the anticipation of the weekend ahead, a weekend filled with endless possibility.  Will I clean my house?  Will we go out to eat?  Will I have time to sew?  Will I get the chance to sleep in?  Who knows - all of that or none of it may happen!  No matter what happens, I know that I'll get the chance to just be.

One thing I do hope for is some sewing time.  That picture above is my current WIP.  Never mind that I have quite a few projects that I should be working on, this is what I came up with yesterday.  It all started with spotting a cute bag in Target.  I liked the idea of the bag, but not the size, the shape, or the proportions.  So I played around and came up with my own pattern.  I think this is going to be too small, but I can always enlarge it, this is only my first run.  When I get these ideas I get kind of obsessed with them.  This is all I thought about all day long!  After cutting out the bag I decided that I needed to do some tweaking, so it is definitely still a work-in-progress.  Hopefully by the end of the weekend I'll have it all figured out. 

Besides being grateful that today is my favorite day, here are a few more things that I am grateful for:

• the March issue of Country Living, the women entrepreneurs issue, featuring "Idea Notebook" on the back
• lunch with friends
• my body's desire for healthy foods
• more weight loss (10 lbs as of this morning)
• pretty fabric
• sunshine and warmer weather
• that this week's Top Design was better than last week
• my blogging buddies (thanks for the Valentine card Elizabeth!)

Happy Weekend!

Gratitude Friday

Technically, is isn't Friday yet, but it's close enough.  Today (er, tomorrow) I am most grateful for this little blessing.  A little blessing that came into our lives 9 months ago.  I know, where did the time go?  How can she be that old already?  In my eyes she's still my little newborn!  I am grateful for her sweet smiles, the way she puts her head on my shoulder, her "sweet eyes", and how she makes me slow down and enjoy the ride.  It's so easy to get caught up in daily life, but Ava makes me stop.  When I'm pumping or nursing her I get a little break in the day, a chance to reflect on all that's going on around me.  I don't so much enjoy the pumping, but I do cherish these intimate moments with her, even if they are at 3 am in the morning.

In the last month Ava has finally started eating solid foods.  YAY!  She still doesn't care for baby food, or anything mushy, but she does like crackers, cheerios, and soft veggies.  She'll only eat things that she can pick up and put into her mouth herself, which is exactly how her big sister was.  She still isn't sleeping well at night, but teething and colds have had a lot to do with that (I hope).  Right now her two top teeth are trying to pop through the gums.  Unlike her siblings, she is a terrible teether.  So this whole teething mess is new to me.   With my other two, teeth would suddenly appear in their mouth.  Ava's latest skill is pulling up.  She isn't crawling yet, but she is definitely mobile.  I'll place her in one spot, then before I know it she's somewhere else.  Weird.  I'm really in no hurry for crawling or walking.  Lily was an early walker - been there done that!  Ava can take her own sweet time for all that because this Momma isn't ready!!  Overall, Ava is a happy baby, who couldn't be more adored by her family.  We love you Baby Girl!!

This week I am also grateful for:

• more weight loss (9 lbs as of Tuesday)
• my mom's babysitting Friday night (don't know what we're going to do)
• my weight loss buddy, who keeps me on track with nightly check ins
• Richelle, who is making me excited about sewing again
• a surprise package in the mail (thanks Claudia!!)
• Hershey's 100 calorie chocolate snacks
• the new Bravo show Top Design (I have high hopes for this)

I guess that's it for now. Have a great weekend y'all!!