Inca's Sewing Blog

Rag Quilt & Burp Cloths

2010-03-14T14:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I gave this rag quilt and 2 burp cloths (from cloth diapers) to a friend that is having her 2nd bouncing baby boy. I'm not entirely happy with the way it turned out, but does that really surprise anyone? ;-)

Next time I will cut larger squares, maybe 9"x9" ones and do larger seam allowances, maybe 1". The minky dot fabric was a bit difficult to use, especially with the small squares. I love how soft that fabric is, though. Maybe it will be easier to use with larger squares. Instead of batting between the layers, I used plain white fleece.

The fabric can be found here.

Amy Butler's Birdie Sling Tote

2010-02-21T13:25:00.001-08:00

This Amy Butler Birdie Sling Tote is a donation to the Reach for a Cure Wine Tasting and Silent Auction, benefitting the Muscular Dystrophy Associations efforts to cure Friedreich's Ataxia, the neuromuscular disease that Hannah has.

If you can't tell, it's one honkin' (yes, that's a technical term) bag. It's fully lined with interfacing and with fusible fleece on the green lining. The inside features a large and small pocket.

The pattern claims to be easy enough for beginners. Although it's very well written, I personally don't think it's for beginning beginners for sure.

If you'd like to donate something to the event, let me know and we can talk it out. I think the deadline is sometime middle to late March. I'll have to double check that.

Next up are a baby blanket and burp cloths for a friend. Then, maybe the den curtains. ;-)

The Big Reveal

2010-02-11T11:20:00.000-08:00

according to Hannah. Like last year we found ourselves in the fabric store right before Valentine's Day. Hannah wanted me to make another appliqued shirt. Last week I asked her to go ahead and start wearing it, but she declining stating that she "wanted to reveal it on the day of her class party." Today is the day, so here's the reveal. ;-)

Kitchen/Keeping Room Curtains

2010-02-03T10:15:00.001-08:00

Whew.....finally they are done. Never, ever, again will I do that much bias binding. I bought one of the little bias binding makers and used Steam-2-Steam to iron it on. I thought that it would save time and that I would do a neater job. It may have turned out a bit neater, but I think it cost me a lot of time. Anyway, they are done and I'm not going to gripe about them anymore.....maybe.

For the bay window, I had to alter the pattern for the larger center portion. It's not quite long enough but don't tell anyone. It's PERFECT to me. (insert little headbanging guy)

Next up are the den curtains. They will be a panel on each side and I'm considering doing pinch pleats at the top. We now have neighbors behind us (the house sat on the market for 2 years) so we need the ability to draw them closed at night.

I think I'll take a quick break from curtains, though, and make Amy Butler's Birdie Sling Tote for a silent auction to benefit the Seek-A-Miracle campaign which raises money through the MDA for FA research. Here is the link for the Reach for a Cure Silent Auction and Wine Tasting Event. If you'd like to contribute something to the silent auction, let me know. I think the deadline is sometime in March for having the item completed. The donation is tax deductible, too.

Haiti

2010-01-21T11:51:00.000-08:00

Another way to help the Haiti earthquake victims. Make something and donate or purchase from Craft Hope's etsy shop donating all the money to Doctors Without Borders. I wish I had time to make something, but instead I've money donated to Unicef.

Shoot Me

2009-12-30T11:38:00.001-08:00

Simplicity 5696

Believe it or not, I now have 2 valences hanging in my keeping room.....and 4 more to go. That's where the "Shoot Me" part comes in. I went with the bias binding around the bottom because I thought the tassles or fringe would be too formal for my liking. Holy Smokes Batman! Never again will I do this much bias binding. It's taken approximately 10 yards for 3 valences and WAY to much time to keep track of.

Now Meet Darya & Nadine

2009-11-19T08:23:00.000-08:00

Since reading about Darya and Nadine yesterday, I can't keep my mind off of them. Both girls are healthy other than Down Syndrome and deserve a rich and full life.

DARYA

NADINE

If you wish to help them find their forever home, go to this blog.

Meet the Hollis Family

2009-11-18T13:20:00.000-08:00

Chappy, my sister's co-worker, & Melanie Hollis
Their children:
Caleb (biological,14); Lydia (biological, 11); Natalie (adopted from Russia and has Fetal Alchohol Syndrome, 11); Hope (biological, has Down Syndrome); Charlie (adopted, 1 year old, and has Down Syndrome)

The Hollis Family is nothing short of AMAZING!! Take a look at their blog and join in my amazement. They have a passion to adopt the kids that aren't "perfect" in most of the world's eyes, particularly those with Down Syndrome.

Pay special attention to this post, but grab a tissue first. They are currently trying to raise $20k to adopt 2 more Down Syndrome kiddos from Reece's Rainbow. These kids will be transferred out of their current orphanage to another at the age of 4 where they will be left in a crib with only enough food to survive. Many do not!

If you'd like to join in on their fundraising efforts, please let me know. I will give you their address.

Halloween Photos

2009-11-10T15:37:00.000-08:00

For those of you that don't follow along on Hannah's site, life seems to pass us by at a million miles per minute.

Anyhoo, here's Hannah and Austin as Frankenstein and his bride on Halloween.

Socks for Hannah

2009-10-14T04:10:00.001-07:00

Hannah now has to wear SMO's. To hide the braces a bit, I've decorated some cuff socks for her to roll down over them. They are easy to do, once you realize that you need to stretch the sock while sewing on the lace or else you kiddo can't get them on her feet. LOL!

If you haven't seen Kathy's sock creations, jump on over. They are to die for! THANKS again, Kathy! Hannah LOVES them!!

EGF Need

2009-10-12T07:24:00.000-07:00

With everything going on with Hannah and Austin being in the "terrible twos", I'm a bit behind on life in generally. This is why I rarely post anymore.

Recently, EGF has received two requests which has prompted me a "needs list." If you could stick the following items in your line-up for crafting, I would greatly appreciated it!

Solid white bereavement sets
Blankets - any size, any color
Extra small & small bereavement sets

We have several hospitals that only want the tiny sets as they have plenty of donations for the larger angels. Last week I received a request for just that from the hospital where Emma passed away. Annually I send something but I have never sent a lot since Emma was so beautifully dressed. They've now requested that they be on our regular list.

I've also received a request from a hospital in Ohio that services a predominately Amish population. Thus, solid white is requested. I have sent all of the solid white sets that I have. The bereavement coordinator sent me a link to some photos too. They are beautifully done!

As always, thanks a MILLION for all that you do for the families!!

FA Fundraiser in Hannah's Honor

2009-09-11T07:09:00.000-07:00

Becky, a very good friend of mine, recently approached me about doing a Homemade Gourmet fundraiser in Hannah's Honor. She has generously offered to donate ALL of her profits to FARA, the Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance.

Please join us in raising money to find a cure for FA!!The online fundraiser will end on Sept 22nd. Please visit this site to place your order. http://homemadegourmet.eventuity.com/e/25311

Big Thanks!!

---------------
Lots of exciting advancements are being made. We need the money to push the research through FDA approval. One of the most exciting avenues being pursued is the HDAC Inhibitor. It is showing great promise in the animal models and blood from FA patients. The HDAC Inhibitor introduces the missing frataxin back into the gene. It has the potential of not only stopping the progression of FA, but reversing the damage already done.

Can you believe it?

2009-07-14T06:27:00.000-07:00

I'm finally cutting out curtains!

Fabric

2009-06-23T07:51:00.001-07:00

Jason's grandmother used to quilt A LOT. Her health has recently taken a turn for the worst and Jason's aunt that lives about an hour from us cleaned out Nanny's fabric stash. I have now inherited the above. If you see any of if that you could use to make EGF stuff, please let me know. I'll GLADLY share.

Here are a few quilts that Aunt Grayce made for EGF out of some of Nanny's fabric, and some that she already had. Aunt Grayce has an AWESOME sewing room set up in her basement with a wall full of color-coated fabric.

Pillowcase Dresses

2009-06-22T11:36:00.000-07:00

My love of sewing came from my grandmother. A couple of months ago, my Mom found a set of beautiful old pillowcases in the attic. I told her that I had some Nana's Heirloom Soak that I bought at a specialty fabric store in Houston when I was smocking a lot. It did a GREAT job at cleaning the old pillowcases.

....and my Grandmother did a GREAT job of making her great-granddaughters pillowcase dresses!

4th Annual Remembering Emma Grace Donation Drive

2009-06-11T04:57:00.000-07:00

Obviously, life took a big turn several weeks ago with Hannah's diagnosis of Friedreich's Ataxia. Thus, I'm late kicking off the annual donation drive. I've received several inquiries about whether I would continue EGF. The answer is YES.....as long as I can. I briefly considered whether I could handle everything (and it may change as Hannah's disease progresses) but then I received 3 phone calls/emails for assistance in a couple days. So, I took it as a sign to keep on keeping on as long as possible.

4th Annual Remembering Emma Grace Donation Drive
Date: June 1 - August 15
Goal: 1187 items & $535 in cash donations

Items needed:

Handmade -

Bereavement gowns in all sizes. Boy gowns without "frills" are in high demand. If possible, a set that includes a blanket and hat is much appreciated.
Memory Boxes - This is a big request and I we only have one donor that makes them regularly.
Blankets, approx 24" x 24", in any baby color - I will match with gowns I already have on hand.

Purchased -

Disposable Cameras
Journals
Votive Candles
Forget-Me-Not seed packets
Mesh baggies for locks of hair
Books on surviving the loss of a child
Mini photo frames
Hand/Foot mold kits
Plastic ziptop bags, gallon & larger - I have plenty of the quart sized baggies.
Postage
Print cartridge - HP Black #92; HP Color #93

As always, a monetary donation is very much appreciated. All donations are tax deductible and I will gladly provide you with a receipt.

To date Emmazing Grace has donated 2560 bereavement and NICU items. We have also helped 22 families with funeral expenses or the purchase of a cemetery monument for their precious angel.

Through all of your heartfelt and generous donations, Emmazing Grace has touched many lives. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for joining our little efforts!!

Just like last year, a prize drawing will be held at the completion of the donation drive.

Please feel free to contact me at info@emmazinggracefoundation.org if you have any questions!

Thanks a million!

Candy

Shopping Bag

2009-05-11T11:07:00.000-07:00

One of my goals from Earth Day LAST YEAR (yikes!!!) was to make some reuseable shopping bags. I can't stand the plastic things. I used this pattern and some "vintage" fabric from my mom's stash. The only suggestion I have is to round the inner corners of the handles. I think it would make the bag stronger plus easier to overcast the raw edges. The bag turns out to be about the size of a regular plastic bag but I filled it with two 2-liters and 2 gatoraids and it seems to be strong enough.

Hannah's Site

2009-05-06T18:41:00.000-07:00

I have created a Caringbridge Site to keep everyone updated on Hannah. I simply cannot keep up with updating things here, my fertility site, and Facebook. So....I'm going to keep a journal here.

Thanks again for all the support!! Precious Hannah has no idea what struggles she will soon face.

Thanks Everyone!

2009-05-05T16:44:00.001-07:00

Just a quick and big THANK YOU to all that have called, emailed, and posted to me. Dr G said that he would try to clear an hour out of his schedule this week to talk with us further. We did not receive a call from him today. Here is a a link that has a pretty easy to understand explanation of FA. Some of you may wonder about Austin. He has a 1 in 4 chance of having it too. Without knowing, Jason and I are both carriers. Currently, since there is no known treatment at the advice of Dr G we are not going to test him.

It's Friedreich's Ataxia

2009-05-04T14:29:00.000-07:00

Neuro just called and life just turned upside down.

LabCorp says....

2009-05-04T11:09:00.000-07:00

neuro has the results now. Still no word from the med asst, though. Am wondering if she'll give me the info without the neuro being in the office today. Torture!

Here's what I know

2009-05-04T07:46:00.001-07:00

Neurologist isn't in the office today, Athena rec'd the authorization form and released the results to LabCorp....BUT LabCorp doesn't have the results in their system yet. Med asst still won't return my call.

I'm done....

2009-05-01T11:17:00.000-07:00

playing nice, that is. Today, Austin and I had lunch with Hannah. As soon as I got back in the van, I called the med asst at the neuro's office and left her a msg asking if everything got squared away with authorization form. I then decided to call Athena myself again. Nope....no fax yet. Great! Lovely! I'm pretty certain that the fax was sent since Mary said she got the confirmation page from the fax. The Athena rep gave me a fax number directly to her. She said that as soon as she entered the receipt of the authorization the results would be released to LabCorp.

I immediately hung up and called the neuro's office back to find that THE OFFICE CLOSES EARLY ON FRIDAY!

Oohhh....Mary is going to have an ear full on Monday. She obviously did not follow-up as she said she would plus did not call me.....as she specifically said she would.

I'm done playing nice. This is absolutely unacceptable that results are complete and people cannot do their jobs. I wonder how Dr. G is gonna feel about this?!?!

Partial Results

2009-05-01T04:33:00.000-07:00

The medical assistant called last night about 6pm. She faxed the authorization to Athena and got the confirmation that their faxed received it. She said that the authorization is word for word what is on the order form that Dr G had already signed. She's not sure, but speculates that LabCorp didn't send in the lab order form when they sent the blood. Who knows? She will follow up with Athena today and call me back.

Reluctantly she gave me the results of all the other stuff. It's normal which is good and bad news. I'm glad that all appears normal so far, but this rules out the Vitamin E deficient....and there's obviously something "abnormal" about Hannah's balance and coordination.

STINK STINK STINK

2009-04-30T11:20:00.000-07:00

I've been leaving a message for the neuro's medical asst since last Friday. I've left 3 msg's to be exact. Today I decided to call Athena Labs to see if the Freidreich's Ataxia test is complete. Guess what? It is....BUT......

On April 9th, Athena sent Labcorp a authorization to release the results that had to be signed and returned to Athena. Labcorp did not sign it. I have now given Athena the neuro's fax to have him sign it.

But, once the authorization is faxed to Athena, Athena will fax the results to Labcorp who will then fax to the neuro.

I mean really........ the test is complete. Why can't the results be sent to the ordering neuro? Why the blankety-blank-blank does a gazillion faxes have to take place?

Anyone what to predict when we actually get the results?

Call off the Search Party

2009-04-22T04:56:00.000-07:00

Ok, Ok....I know....been gone too long without posting. Thanks everyone for checking on us!!!

We're still waiting (quite impatiently, I might add) for Hannah's test results to come back. Monday was 2 weeks since the FA test and it should take 3-4 wks for the results. :-( She's had a few bad falls the last couple of weeks, too. Praying for results soon!!

She had a pediatric ophthalmology appointment and all is fine with her eyes. She was, however, EXTREMELY mad that they dilated her eyes. I couldn't talk sense into her AT ALL. She's also had another croup attack. I'm starting to wonder if we need to add a pulmonology appointment on top of everything else. The attacks really freak her out and even cried, "I'm gonna die" this time.

Besides all of that, we've been....

To the beach

Celebrated Easter

Started Ballet/Tap

Had Hannah's 6th Birthday Party

We've also done a good bit of yard work. We've planted peach trees, apple trees, a fig tree, grapes, 2 black berry bushes, and the garden. I'll take pictures later.

Next up is all the landscaping for the beds. We hope to do that in a couple of weeks.

I'm SUPER behind in just about everything....EGF stuff, taking down Easter decorations, laundry, and sending thanks to all that have sent Hannah well-wishes and b'day gifts, AND Easter presents for both kids. You guys are the GREATEST!!

Ok, I must close now. It's taken me probably 2 hours to post this. Austin's down for a quick nap so I need to try to catch up.

I'll let you know something when we hear something from Hannah's bloodwork.

8 Down

2009-04-03T13:34:00.000-07:00

and 2 more vials of blood to go. Hannah did really well this morning. The lady was able to get all 8 vials of blood from Hannah. The Emla cream was WONDERFUL! Hannah freaked when it was her turn, but once stuck she said, "oh....that didn't even hurt." Monday is going to go so much better because she knows that she'll survive without hardly any pain.

In other news, both kids are now running a fever. Hannah had a croup attack Tues night. Austin had 103.1 temp this afternoon. I took them both to the ped since we're headed out of town for a week and wanted to make sure it's nothing but viral.

While there, I snuck a quick peek at the neuro's letter to the ped. :-) It was 2 pages long and I only scanned 1 paragraph. Basically it said that his primary concern was Freidreich's.

Friday & Monday

2009-04-02T16:12:00.000-07:00

We're ready, but I'm not so sure that Hannah is. In the morning and again Monday morning, Hannah will have a total of 10 vials of blood drawn. The neurologist called in some Emla cream so maybe we can lessen the trauma. She HATES needles so this is a HUGE deal for her.

Tomorrow the tests with LabCorp will be drawn. These include many things like the basic CBC, cholesteral, amino acids, some tests for muscle enzymes, to name a few.

Monday is the genetic test for FA that has to be sent off to Athena. It will take several weeks to get back.

The phone rings at 12:15am and....

2009-04-01T06:26:00.000-07:00

it's Hannah's neurologist. Holy Smokes!! First of all, I about jumped out of my skin and when I saw that it was a local number I thought that it was a wrong number......but, I answered anyway. IT WAS HANNAH'S NEUROLOGIST at 12:15am!!!!

I spent hours on the phone yesterday afternoon finding out that the only lab in the country that runs the Freidreich's Ataxia test is Athena AND they are (of course) out of network. The neuro's office is filing for a predetermination with UHC which could take up to 30 days. THAT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE!!!

So......I called to find out that we have out-of-network coverage with a $800 deductible + 40%. Fine, ok.....we'll pay it. We have to have some answers.

Well.....Dr G is out of town with his Mom that just had bypass surgery. He was checking in with his office and wanted to make sure that we knew "in the world of managed care that if the ins cannot provide you with a name of someone that runs a particular test (which won't happen since Athena has this test patented) that they must honor it as in-network." He told me to sit tight, "that I know you want this done ASAP", but that we'll get coverage. Well.....I can't sit tight.

Jason is supposed to pick up the labwork prescription today. There are probably 15 different tests scheduled for Hannah, but only one with Athena. The rest are with LabCorp.

B'day Dress

2009-03-26T11:59:00.001-07:00

Simplicity 2943

Hannah wanted me to make her a B'day Dress. Although her b'day isn't until next month, yesterday was school pictures so I made it last weekend. She picked out the fabric and pattern while I was shopping for curtain fabric one day. Note: pattern runs small

Hannah Update

2009-03-25T10:14:00.000-07:00

I don't have but a couple seconds to post, but wanted to update you on what the new neurologist said to us yesterday. We liked him a lot and will be under his care fulltime now.

He validated our concerns will be scheduling tests that range from genetic to metabolic. He feels that the nystagmus is a new symptoms because it's bad enough to be seen by anyone that exams her eyes. I will be making an opthalmologist appoint ASAP. He also added dystharia in her speech to the list of symptoms. Jason mentioned something to me about 1.5 wks ago and I told him that he was just looking for symptoms. He describes it as Hannah having to concentrate more on how she says things to get the words out correctly.

All of this leads the neuro to feel that something is going on with her cerebellum. He concluded by saying that "we are in Atlanta and have a great medical community. Know that we will be here for you in whatever this turns out to be."

Jason and I are beside ourselves with worry. I have cried nearly all morning. I have having great difficulty coming to terms with why another of my children have to suffer.

Amicalola Falls

2009-03-23T10:30:00.001-07:00

It seems that life passes me by these days in a fraction of a second. However busy (read tough at times) things seem, I truly dread the teenage years. Last week, in the midst of all the worry about Hannah & dad's cancer diagnosis, we played host to our nephew and 3 other 17-18 year olds. We survived.....just barely. :-)

Below are a few pictures of our Amicalola Falls adventure taken with my new digital camera. We bought it without hardly any research after my other one croaked. I am VERY pleased with the pictures though.

Jason REALLY wanted a good picture. ha! ha!

Will post more in a bit....Austin's having a fit.

When it rains.....

2009-03-21T07:53:00.000-07:00

Dad was diagnosed with bladder cancer on Thursday. The surgeon feels that they caught it very early and that he's hopeful that the tumors have not penetrated the bladder lining. If so, they will re-scope him again in 3 months. If not, chemo is involved. We won't know for sure until the pathology report comes back in 2 weeks.

2nd Opinion Scheduled

2009-03-18T06:51:00.000-07:00

About 3pm yesterday the 2nd neurologist's office called. We were unable to get a sooner appt with him, but can see his partner on Tues at 2:15.

About 5:30 last night, the medical asst to the current neurologist returned my call. She was still unable to locate the exact blood panel on Emory's forms, but found it on Athena's. In our conversation, she said that she unable to spell Freidriech's at first, blah, blah, blah....

Glad we're going with the 2nd opinion!!

Meanwhile, Hannah's home from school sick with a fever and a head cold. She seems to be getting better and we will go camping at Amicalola Falls tomorrow (no school on Friday) if she continues to improve.

I'll let you know more when I know more. Thanks for all the prayers!

Neuro Update

2009-03-16T14:44:00.000-07:00

He's not certain that it's F.A.; said that she in fact does have some of the symptoms, but not all. It's a good thought so he's going to have a full Ataxia Panel run. He couldn't figure out how to order it on the lab slip so is calling us back. He said that it used to have to be sent to Houston, but now Emory could do it. We should hear back from him in 24 hours to schedule the blood draw.

Depending on what this says, he wants to do the nerve test under sedation.

She does have nystagmus, but he said some people just have them and gave us names of a few pediatric opthalmologists to see.

We feel a bit better since he doesn't think the F.A. diagnosis is glaring, but any form of genetic ataxia is progressive. I'm just hoping that it's not as bad as the F.A.

Thanks and Update

2009-03-16T08:27:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all the prayers!!! This morning I called Hannah's current neurologist and expressed the pediatrician's concerns about Freidriech's Ataxia. I also told the nurse about the nystagmus (jerky movement of the eyes when trying to follow a pencil) that the school physical therapist called me about on Friday. We are headed back to the neuro for a 1:40 appointment. We're worried sick and cannot wait for to get in with a new neurologist. I think he'll send us for genetic testing to rule out F.A.

In lighter news, the entertainment center is complete and it looks AWESOME!

Prayers Please

2009-03-13T08:24:00.000-07:00

I hesitate to post today, but figured we could use all the prayers we can get right now. It's about Hannah and I'm not even sure where to start. I pray all this worry is for nothing.

As many of you know, 4 months ago the neurologist diagnosed Hannah with Ataxia Cerebral Palsy even though her MRI was normal. Typically, some kind of brain injury shows up on the MRI pointing to CP.

Last week, she had a big fall at school requiring her to go to the school nurse. I've been noticing more tremors in her hands. In October when this all started, you couldn't convince me that she was tremoring. Now I see it frequently.

Tuesday we had a follow-up with the neurologist and we left confused as ever. He's now saying that he's not certain it's CP and may be neuropathy. He also said that he could not get reflexes from her legs at which point I remember that the new pediatrician told me the same thing back in November when Hannah was so sick.

So, not being comfortable (ya know...the mommy instinct thing) with the neuro appt I made an appointment with the pediatrician yesterday hoping that she would help me get a 2nd opinion with a different neurologist.

We are now worried sick! She is concerned about something called Friedriech's Ataxia. It's a recessive genetic disorder and is progressive. Initial symptoms begin when a teacher notices abnormal coordination. Another first symptom is lack of leg reflexes. It progresses to heart disease, diabetes, scoliosis, and the inability to walk. Mean life expectancy is 35, according to some of the info that I found online. At this time, some new and promising studies are being performed.

This morning I called the neuro the ped recommended and can't get an appt until May 18th. The ped is trying to get one sooner. If she can't, I'm going to beg for the blood test to rule out F.A.

In the meantime, please add Hannah to your list of prayers. Thank you!!

Leprachaun

2009-03-05T06:03:00.000-08:00

Or is it a pig? Hannah saw this little project in the Highlights Magazine (I think). Here's her version of a leprachaun with grass for hair.

BTW, that's whiskers on her face. This picture was taken Monday on Dr. Seuss's birthday.

Work to be done

2009-02-28T10:30:00.000-08:00

I'm slowly buying fabric for the new curtains. I'm quite indecisive and have expensive taste....thus, having to start over from square one. I picked out $45/yd fabric. Ummm....not gonna happen. :-)

Above is what has been purchased so far. The dark material will be used for the windows in the den on the left & right of the fireplace. I will make plain panels. One rod (only had one 40% off coupon), the lining and main fabric has been purchased. We will paint the fireplace wall a dark brown.

The lighter striped fabric is for the kitchen & keeping room. I will do scalloped-typed valences on all 6 windows. They will be lined in green (see the scrape of fabric lying on top of the bolt). That green will also be used to make a roman shade for the bay window. During the summer the sun beats in that window and we're unable to eat at the table in the late afternoon/early evening. The entire kitchen & keeping room will be painted green.

I still have to order the green fabric. I went to Jo-Ann Fabrics yesterday to pick up the striped fabric. It's on back order until 9/30 and I bought all they had. I think I may be a yard or so short. They didn't have enough of the green in house so I thought I'd order it on-line and have it shipped for FREE to my house vs. ordering at the store and paying them $15 to ship it to the store....then having to lug the kids to the store to pick it up. But....as fate would have it, I can't find it on-line. Soooo.....back to the store I go next week. I hope they still have the 40% off sale running.

While there I found some fleece blankets for $.75 each. I picked up 5 and will try to crochet around the edges.

Jason should be close to finishing the playroom entertainment center this weekend and then it's my turn for some sewing!

More Prayers Today

2009-02-25T06:38:00.000-08:00

Deana meets with her new dr's at MD Anderson today (in about 20 mins actually) for the first time. Please pray for a healing course of treatment! Above is a picture of Deana with her 2 young sons. You can follow along more depth at her caringbridge site.

Prayers for Deana

2009-02-22T13:38:00.001-08:00

Dear friends out there reading, please add my internet friend Deana to your prayers. Several months ago she was diagnosed with Burkitt's Lymphoma. It's rare, but the odds of beating it were in her favor...but things do not look well now. Deana is a mom to 2 young boys that need her badly. Below is an update posted by her husband a few days ago.

Dearest family and friends,

Deana and I met with her doctor today and received some disturbing news. Apparently Deana's cancer is not responding at all to the chemotherapy treatment she's been receiving these last several weeks. It has started to appear on the right side of her face causing a numbing sensation that Deana describes as 5 novacaine shots after a dentist visit.

Deana has tried two different chemotherapy protocols and is now going to start a third (possibly final) no later than Monday. We will know in as little as two weeks if it is successful.

To our shock and utter dismay, the doctor is not optimistic about this round of chemotherapy, but given the odds are greater than zero, we charge forward. We will not give in.

Tomorrow, Deana's oncologist and I will each be contacting medical oncologists at M. D. Anderson Hospital in Houston, TX. Apparently their lymphoma treatment is the most progressive and if there are applicable clinical trials with experimental drugs -- should it come to that -- that hospital will be leading those efforts.

Deana wanted me to let everyone know that while we are hopeful, and are trying to remain positive, that the doctor did tell us that given the aggressive nature of Deana's cancer, we are dealing with just a matter of weeks for Deana if not addressed. He has encouraged us to contact Hospice.

I apologize for the impersonal nature of this update, but wanted to make sure to keep you all informed.

Please keep Deana and our boys Zane and Zachary in your prayers. It means so much to us. We need them now more than ever.

On a much happier note, when asked last week by his teacher how Zane's parents met (apparently a Valentine's Day exercise at school), he responded:

They ate chocolate donuts, brown donuts and chocolate donuts and just fellin love.

Priceless. This hangs on our refrigerator now.

Please, please take the extra moment to hug your spouse and kids today and often.

Either I or Deana will post an update just as soon as we know more.

God bless you all,

Jack

EGF Message Board

2009-02-20T13:21:00.000-08:00

One of the MANY things on my "to do" list for EGF is create a message board. I have no idea what I'm doing, but I made one. Check it out if you'd like to join some crafting discussion......or should I say, more crafting discussions. I really needed a way to post updates and needs of EGF without constantly changing the main website, which I do not have access to yet.

Alive and Well

2009-02-18T04:32:00.000-08:00

We're all good! Don't you know to assume "No News Is Good News" with me?? :-) Thanks for checking on me Sarita and Kathy! wink! wink!

Austin's fine! He had some kind of "mystery" fever that went away as mysteriously as it came. He never really had any symptoms, other than being cranky.

So....what have I been doing for the last few weeks.....

3 dr's appts - yearly GYN stuff, u/s to check a fibroid that popped up when pg with Austin, and a dental appt

Hosting Bunco

Hannah's weekly PT

Meeting with the school to develop a 504 Plan for Hannah to receive some therapy there. Since she got the ataxia cerebal palsy diagnosis, I think they will let us receive therapy now.

A gazillion trips to Jo-Ann Fabrics trying to pick out material for drapes. The den fabric is ordered, but I'm back at square one on the kitchen keeping room. Upon check-out, I discovered that I have expensive taste......$45/yd taste.....sssoooooo I'll keep looking.

Yard work - spring greens are planted, playground almost complete, rock bed done.

KID DUTY - because Jason is building a PotteryBarn-like entertainment center for the playroom. It's ready for paint....finally.

Looking ahead to March:

Family coming this weekend.

More Kid Duty so that Jason can finish the entertainment center.

Organize playroom.

Consignment sale the 2nd week in March.

Nephew coming for his Spring Break.

Start planting shrubs in the backyard.

Try to find a ballet class for Hannah.

Catching Up

2009-02-05T11:12:00.000-08:00

Austin's sick and napping right now so I thought I'd take a second before Hannah gets off the bus to catch up a bit.

Above is a little rag quilt that Hannah and I made last Friday night. I got the idea from Marcia and like she suggested, I did not put any batting between the two layers. They are super cute and quick.....provided that you don't mix up the squares. Oops!

On Saturday, I rushed off BY MYSELF to Jo-Ann Fabrics and picked out some deco fabric for some curtains. It was they last day of their 50% off sale, but since I'm Miss Indecisive I didn't buy anything, only checked out some samples.

When I returned home, Miranda (our 12 year old neighbor) called saying she was bored and wanted to come over. As she and Hannah made a pillow, I worked in the EGF room.

Afterwards, she wanted to do a rag quilt herself. So....I cut out the squares and she sewed them together. I don't have a picture of that one because it's now at her house. She's using it as a pattern.

See....on Sunday, I had to go to her house to set up her mom's old sewing machine.

And.....tomorrow her mom and I will be heading back to Jo-Ann's to turn in my samples and buy the fabric for the den curtains......since I finally made up my mind. Now, I must decide on my kitchen curtains. I'll post a separate photo with some pictures when I have time. I'm sooooo ready to get rid of all this "builder's tan" on my walls. Between that and this neverending winter weather, I'm getting depressed. :-)

Btw, if anyone knows where I can find that groundhog, please let me know. I have a few choice words for him!

Wraps from MeMe

2009-01-27T04:45:00.000-08:00

One of my sister's and I gave Mom a new sewing machine for Christmas. She used to sew (along with my grandmother) quite a bit when we were children. Each year she'd make us matching Easter dresses.

Mom told us just to buy a cheap machine from Walmart, but I wouldn't have it. So, I found what looked like a decent one on Amazon. So far, so good.

The above wraps are 3 of the 13 that she sent and anywhere from 7" - 12" square. Piedmont in Atlanta really likes these little wraps, so I'm thankful that Mom sent a few.

Feeding the Homeless

2009-01-25T07:01:00.000-08:00

I can now put a check by something that I've wanted to do for years. Yesterday, Jason and I helped at St. Francis Table, a soup kitchen that has been feeding approx 500 every single Saturday for the last 27(?) years. Although it was our first time, it will not be our last. For those of you that have never done it, please add it on your list of "things to do."

As part of Jason's company's "Cares" program, his facility collected coats and socks. They also made and donated 500 sandwhiches. We arrived shortly after 7 am and left after noon when the last guest was served.

It was an amazingly heartwrenching experience. The vast majority were those that your mind's eye imagines as homeless, those that have been homeless for years. Then there were those that appeared to be newly homeless, possibly caught up in the struggles of these tough economic times. And, there were families......families with young children.

The children got to me.....their smiles even though I'm sure that are embarrassed, so well behaved as they sat and ate their meals.

One young woman also tugged at my heartstrings. Many brought in plastic containers and we filled them full of soup to go. Others brought in bottles that we filled full of tea or water. This particular woman looked new to homelessness. I did not see her say a word to anyone. She sat quietly and "secretly" stuffed her bag full of bread as if she was doing something that she shouldn't. Right before she left, she asked for a stack of napkins and quietly stuffed all of them in her bag. I'm pretty certain that those napkins won't be used to wipe her hands.

One white woman and black man sat down together and they broke out with the most beautiful song. They harmonized so well together....really!! Then, they devoured their sandwhiches and soup.

We learned that caps and socks are needed all year long! Diapers are often asked for, but rarely donated. That made me think....what about femine products for the ladies. One lady said she needed underwear. There was none to give her.

As I sat with my hot coffee, grits, eggs, bacon, and fresh biscuits this morning couldn't help but think of those that are so less fortunate than I. God Bless!

Sharing the craft

2009-01-20T04:24:00.000-08:00

MeMe (my mom) gave Hannah a Hello Kitty sewing machine for Christmas. She really wanted a pink one, but I refused to get her a cheap toy one. This one is by Janome and works pretty good. It's a bit stiff, but for a child it's a good first one.

This weekend we worked on potholders. We finished one, but it's a bit too small. I'll edit this post when I tweak the pattern and get the size that I like. They'll be Valentine's gifts for MeMe.

Memory Boxes

2009-01-14T06:42:00.000-08:00

My sister informed me that I needed to update my blog. Since I have no crafting of my own to show, here are the 22 memory boxes that Jason's co-workers in Chicago made. They are LOVELY!

Red Velvet Cake

2008-12-21T07:38:00.000-08:00

A YUMMY red velvet cake from my great-grandmother's (aka Granny) recipe. Let me know if you'd like the recipe. I have it in a word file and will email it to you.

Appliques

2008-12-18T05:23:00.000-08:00

Picked up a few iron-on appliques from Quiltware and added them to Kathy's gowns. Kathy, I'm aware that I STILL haven't put some in the mail to you. Please bear with me!

Oh, I also have some loomed hats to send for your St. Jude drive. Austin received them as a gift, but they are too small for his head.

A Little Crafting

2008-12-12T08:59:00.001-08:00

Believe it or not, I did a little sewing this week. Piedmont in Atlanta needed some things and I was out of little sewn wraps. I made 6 and have a few more cut out. They are super easy to make and do fill a great need. The satin was from the dress I cut up earlier this year to make this gown. These guys were made on my trip out to California in October. I'm just now getting around to posting a picture. The pattern is here....don't look closely though as you will see that I didn't do the right stitches. I guess that's what happens when you haven't crocheted in 18 months.

Btw, if any of you out there want to make some, make them small. Sharon (doesn't blog) has sent EGF 111 of them in the last few weeks. I told her that she must have arms of steel!! Mine are abou half the size of the ones she made.

Christmas Wreath

2008-12-09T03:48:00.000-08:00

I was in need of a change. Burgandy had been our holiday colors for ohhh....12 years or so. I recently fell in love with the new lime green and red decorations. With some green poinsettias and a little ribbon, the old wreath becomes new again.

Election Day Crafts

2008-11-25T04:12:00.001-08:00

I know...I know....I'm slow, but you're getting used to that aren't you??

I have the hardest time keeping ribbons in Hannah's hair. If I tie a bow, it falls out by the end of the day. If I use a bow on a clip, it ends up down around her ear or something. So....tie some ribbon on a ponnytail holder and problem solved....except that this is the only one I've made so far.

Hannah was out of school for Election Day. She loves to do crafts and I found this one to try. I'm not sure that they turned out all that great, but they were fun anyway....once I figured out that a veggie peeler works better than a cheese grater.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! Hannah's finally on the mend (although still wheezing a little bit) and we'll be on the road for a few days.

In case you're keeping track

2008-11-20T04:30:00.000-08:00

I took Hannah back to the ped yesterday (3rd time in 7 days) after she puked yesterday morning and did not get off the couch until 11am. Once there she had a temp of 99.something and still wheezing and O2 sat of 91. So, ped ordered a chest and head x-ray. Then, added singulair, duoneb (to be alternated with the albuterol) in the nebulizer, and orapred. Seriously...this is nuts. Chest x-ray was clear and sinuses impacted per the radiologist. I'll call the ped this morning. Last night she had a 101 temp and slept for 45 mins on the way home. I tried to get her to eat an ice cream sandwich and she wouldn't even do that. SURELY all of these drugs will make her better.

Advice Needed re: Memory Boxes

2008-11-18T14:29:00.001-08:00

One of Jason's co-workers in Chicago has volunteered his group to make memory boxes as a team building experience. They volunteer every year doing community projects and this year they would like to help us. Obviously, I can't go to Chicago to help out so I'm thinking of ordering things online and having it shipped to them.

There will be 10-12 individuals working 4-6 hours on memory boxes. Do you have any clue how many boxes I should order? I guess I'll order paint, brushes, paper, stickers, etc.

They want to do this the week of Dec 9th so I need to get ordering. If you have any advice, please post. I want to make sure that this is a successful project. Thanks!

Emmazing Giving

2008-11-14T15:23:00.000-08:00

The generosity of Jason's peers continue! This note was shoved under Jason's door while he was on a conference call. Desiree took part in the charity giving program for the first time this year saying that she was very moved by our story. As I talked on Monday, I saw her wiping her eyes.

Each day during the campaign, winners are drawn and money is sent to the charity of their choice. Desiree won Day 3 and has donated her $500 to Emmazing Grace. Thanks so much, Desiree!!!

Pneumonia

2008-11-14T13:14:00.001-08:00

Yep, add pneumonia to the list of Hannah's ailments. I took her back to the pediatrician tomorrow because she's still coughing non-stop. We saw a different dr in the practice. She says the wheezing is gone, but she can hear the crackling in the bottom of her right lung. She did not x-ray her. So....we're armed with breathing treatments and antibiotics.....surely she'll make the turn for the better this weekend.

Catherine - yes, her papers said RAD like you mentioned. This dr was no so convinced she has asthma. I don't know....will discuss it with the original dr next week at her follow-up appointment.

Hannah

2008-11-13T10:33:00.000-08:00

My precious Hannah has a tough run of it lately. I'm a bit overwhelmed and not too sure which way to turn.

I've blogged about Hannah's balance and coordination issues, about her new shoe inserts, about the MRI and physical therapy. Well, Tuesday we had a follow-up post MRI with the neurologist. As I shared, the MRI was clear. Apparently, that doesn't rule out cerebal palsy. He confirmed that she does have very mild CP. I'm shocked. The good news is that....it is what it is....it's not progressive and she'll just continue on with her PT. But, I'm shocked and can't seem to process it all. I mean, it's obvious now that she has more than just "clumsy" issues. When PT pins her down on tasks, you can see leftside involvement too.

And, as if that's not enough news for the week, yesterday she was diagnosed with asthma. Since 2 years of age, she's had middle of the night croup attacks out of the blue. If you've never experienced one, they are scary!! She gasps for air, barks like a seal, has stridor, etc. Our routine is to rush to her, head to the little bathroom, turn on the hot shower. Jason sits with her trying to keep her from freaking out, while I rush to the frig to grab the steroids. You're supposed to grow out of the croup. It's caused by a virus, but children get it because their passages through their voicebox are small. She should have grown out of it by now.

She's had 2 attacks since starting kindergarten in Aug. Recent events (including inaccurate shot records, weight recording, missing the flat feet & CP, etc) caused me to change pediatricians. Yesterday I took her to a new one because she's had a cough (so bad that she threw up the night before) for 2 weeks, since her last croup attack. This is not even close to being the first time she's thrown up for coughing so hard. It is not uncommon at all for her to cough for 2 hours at night when she's sick like this. I've talked to every pediatrician that would listen at the old office.

Well, the new one yesterday immediately said she has asthma. She's now on nebulizer albuterol treatments. Her O2 sats were 89 and 91 yesterday before the treatment. This all confuses me too because I thought that asthma was the acute attacks with exercise and such. I guess I have a lot to learn.

Gotta run. Austin's ready for me to get off the computer. ;-)

Yesterday

2008-11-11T04:35:00.001-08:00

The launch of the charity campaign went very well yesterday. Jason's company was very gracious and warm. The death of a child is not an easy subject to embrace and I can't thank all everyone enough for opening their hearts to the subject. We all wish there was no need for bereavement gowns/funeral costs, but the fact remains that there is unfortunately a great need.

I spoke in front of probably 75-80 people, including one of the VP's :-). Plus, the presentation was broadcast via webcam to a small group at a few other locations. The feedback so far has been very positive.

Thanks all of you that posted encouraging words yesterday. I felt your support, along with that of my precious Emma Grace.

Big Day for Emmazing Grace

2008-11-10T04:19:00.000-08:00

Positive thoughts are VERY welcome....please be specific ....I need non-stuttering vibes, non-embarrassing vibes, etc.

Jason's company launches their annual charity giving campaign today. A few weeks ago, he was asked to tape a brief message about Emmazing Grace. He is featured in the launch video that is being shown throughout the US beginning today.

And, this morning, I'm heading into his office to speak in front of 150 people. YIKES!!! so..... positive thoughts, please. It's a quick "talk" and I'm taking some donations in with me.

Little late

2008-11-07T09:20:00.000-08:00

Spooky Witch - Hannah insisted on being spooky this year and she's already thinking about next year
Puppy on the loose - Since Austin's first word was dog, we figured it was appropriate that his costume be a dog this year.

Just wanted to post a few more Halloween photos. We all had a great time. Hannah TorT'd 3 full hours. She was exhausted, as shown in the last photo. Austin was able to make it to 8pm, a full hour after his usual bedtime.

Dog and Beth

2008-10-28T11:54:00.001-07:00

Sat night was an adult Halloween Party in our neighborhood. This is Jason as Dog the Bounty Hunter and me as his wife Beth. It's the first time that we've ever gone to a costume party and there were some AMAZING costumes.

Happy 35th Birthday Jason

2008-10-24T14:07:00.001-07:00

Carrots

2008-10-24T06:57:00.000-07:00

Late one afternoon this week, I went outside to feed the dogs, turn the compost bin, and pick a couple tomatoes. We're still getting a few each week. I noticed that my carrots had shot up. I planted them back in the spring and have pulled a few up along the way, but they were never more than an inch long. Much to my surprise, I found these.

A few recent pictures from our front porch.....the view never gets old.

My sister and her husband are coming this weekend. We'll be attending a costume Halloween party. Stay tuned for some pictures....sure to make you laugh.

I'm dedicated my free time to Emmazing Grace next week. I need to get some shipments out and we have some exciting things in the work. If it comes to pass, I'll blog about it....don't want to jinx it, you know.

Hope everyone is doing well!

NORMAL

2008-10-17T10:55:00.001-07:00

Just got the MRI results and it's NORMAL!! :-)

Today's Events

2008-10-16T16:38:00.000-07:00

It was a rough day with the MRI. Hannah is scared to death of needles, so much so that she has to leave the room when Austin gets a shot. After she cried hysterically when the nurse put the numbing cream on her arms for the IV, we decided to go with some versed to calm her down. It hit her like a ton of bricks. It was quite funny, though, because EVERYTHING was funny to her, even being stuck in the arm for the IV. We were allowed to stay with her as they put her to sleep.

All was going pretty good until it was time to wake up. She wouldn't wake on her own so after about an hour we woke her. She cried non-stop for over 2 hours. She was just plain MAD....mad that she didn't get the MRI (obviously couldn't remember it), mad that we were going home, mad at the bandaid, mad that she didn't get an MRI, oh and mad that she didn't get an MRI. It was NUTS!

But, by mid to late afternoon she was back to normal and not remembering a thing. We hope to get some results late tomorrow, but it may be Monday.

Thanks for all the prayers!

Hannah's MRI

2008-10-15T18:13:00.000-07:00

Around noon today, the neurologist called and said that radiology could get Hannah in for the MRI at 10am in the morning (as in Thurs morning). Prayers and Positive Thoughts are Welcome! I feel like all will be ok, but I'm a bit nervous anyway.

Thanks!

Work in Progress

2008-10-14T09:13:00.000-07:00

Still here

2008-10-08T04:23:00.001-07:00

Just CRAZY BUSY! Life has gotten insanely busy lately and it will be that way for the next several weeks, possibly through the end of the year. Hannah is now in twice weekly physical therapy and has a neurology consult today. She has some issues with flat feet, overpronation, and overall balance and coordination. After today's consult, we hope to be assured that it's nothing serious, just some clumsiness that will be overcome with a little help. I'll write more when we know more.

Throw in a root canal, regular dentist appointments, annual check-ups, flu shots, and landscaping the backyard.....and...well, it's just CRAZY BUSY around here.

Anyway, here's the only finished project that I have photographed although I did crochet a tiny bunting while on the plane last week for a long Mommy Weekend in California.

For Kate

2008-09-22T09:48:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's apparently time for tantrums, Kate.

3rd Annual Balloon Release

2008-09-21T05:16:00.000-07:00

This year we hiked to the top of Sawnee Mountain, the mountain that we watch the sunrise over from our front porch. We released balloons from the Indians Seats, exposed boulders that may have served some ceremonial purpose for Native American inhabitants dating as far back as c. 500 B.C.E.

I'm here

2008-09-19T12:52:00.001-07:00

It's been a crazy last couple of weeks, including some MAJOR tooth pain and a root canal that I have to go back to get finished in 3 weeks. I apparently injured my bottom left front tooth at some point in time. The tooth was so infected that the endodontist couldn't finish filling the tooth and I have to go back in 3 weeks to have the root canal finished. I lived off of Lortab from Monday night to Friday night. Finally, on Saturday I began to feel better.

I spent the first part of this week catching up and the last 3 days with not much sleep. Austin's having a rough time with Sissy bringing home Kindergarten colds.

I have pictures of Emma's balloon release that we did last Sunday since I was too sick to do it on her angelversary. I'll work on getting them posted soon.

Cell phones

2008-09-08T08:01:00.000-07:00

I know I've been quiet these last few days. We've had a lot of home projects going and both kids have been battling a cold for a few weeks now.

I would like to take a quick second to say that I'm still working on fulfilling my pledge.

1 - Today, I mailed off 3 cell phones to Cell Phones for Soldiers. Go to their site, print off a free shipping label, and stick it in the mail. It's that easy. Cell Phones for Soldiers sell the phones to a recycling facility and with the proceeds purchase phone cards for soldiers. There are even directions on how to erase your personal data from the phones.

2 - I listed an old electric typewriter that is still in great condition on freecycle. I've had 2 people interested, but no one has picked up yet. The first to respond says she still wants it, but that her mom had a stroke and she can't come get it right now. I'm going to hold on to it a bit longer. I still can't believe someone wanted a typewriter. Said Hannah, "Mom, it's kind of like a computer keyboard." hee! hee!

Tennis

2008-09-08T05:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had my FIRST EVER tennis match. About 6 weeks ago, I started taking some basic fundamentals lessons and signed up for the doubles tennis team. I was assured that my inexperience wouldn't matter. There are 5 lines that play each week, Line 1 being the best players and 5 the worst. I was, quite obviously, placed on Line 5 but paired with a woman that knew how to play.

On Friday, Austin and I ventured out to the local sporting goods store to buy me a cute little tennis outfit for my first match. You know, the least I could do was look like I knew what I was doing. I soooo needed that cute little tennis outfit.

The black skirts were $50 each, but the torquoise and red ones were only $24.99. I settled on torquoise, but when flipping through to find my size, one was marked $12.97. I snatched it up and tried it on. It was a bit long, but such is life when you're vertically challenged.

Fast forward to yesterday.....prior to ripping the tags off, I modelled my cute new tennis outfit for Hannah and Jason. They approved. As I pulled the tags, YIKES.....my cute new TENNIS outfit is actually a GOLF outfit. :wink: Yep, GOLF, but it's CUTE!

After a minor breakdown, I head out the door with my $30 racket, jug of frozen water and a can of balls dressed in my cute new GOLF outfit.

Our match started at 2:30pm and it's g-d knows how hot on the courts....sweltering hot. My jug of frozen water was already melted and the match had not even started.

Half way through the first set, I started to feel pretty bad and then the chill bumps came. Yep, it was hotter than blue blazes and I had chill bumps. I think I need a break, nausea hits and I sat down.....oh so embarrassed. Ice was brought to me to stuff down my shirt. The opposing team (the home team) brought me gartoraid and we moved to the shade. Upon standing, I was light headed. Ugh...not good, NEVER had this happen.....ummmm....VERY embarrassed now. Drink, I can't drink.....

But I did! And, after drinking 2 gatoraids and the rest of my water, I recovered and finished playing. All and all, it was a good day.....minus the near heat exhaustion. I served, had some good shots, and overall had a good time. And....learned to DRINK before going to the courts.

Thanks Everyone!!

2008-08-29T06:37:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to say thank you for all the sweet messages regarding Emma's 3rd Birthday! It was a really rough day for me. Special dates always seem to send me into a tailspin. I kept thinking that I would type out a special post, but in the end I didn't have it in me.

In other news, we got a new roof yesterday due to hail damage. Austin and I spent much of the day out and about, which gave me plenty of time to shop for the prizes. I "think" I have everything bought now. Winners, be expecting your packages late next week.

Hugs to all!

Happy 3rd Birthday Emma Grace!

2008-08-27T03:29:00.000-07:00

We love you!

Awww...thanks, Kate!

2008-08-25T04:32:00.000-07:00

Kate gave me an award! Thanks, my dear....not sure I deserve it, but thanks any way. :-)

Now for the hard part. I nominate:

Kathy, who has one of the most generous hearts.
Knit-A-Little, another great mom and charity crafter.
Woolwinder, who does an amazing job of detailing her knitting projects.
Marcia, and yet another wonderful charity crafter.

Fulfilling my pledge...again

2008-08-22T08:06:00.000-07:00

Today is my good friend's birthday. Happy Birthday, Beth!!!

It was hard for me to send an e-card instead of a paper card. She NEVER forgets my birthday, but I wanted to fulfill my pledge. I hope she understands!

While I was at it, I sent an e-card to my friend, Jill, that is going through some really tough personal things.

Hugs to both of you!

The Winners Are....

2008-08-21T04:06:00.000-07:00

In a random, yet slightly chaotic, drawing

the first 3 names FLUNG from the pot were
CONGRATULATIONS! I will be contacting each of you in the next few days about your prizes.

A GREAT BIG THANK YOU to all that participated in the 3rd Annual Remembering Emma Grace Donation Drive. Without you, this would not be possible!! The blessings that you give the struggling families are remarkable. I do not have the words to express how thankful I am for each of you.

Total collected: An unbelievable 1296 items and $648

Think we can beat that next year??

Fulfilling My Pledge

2008-08-15T12:11:00.000-07:00

I've made a few strides in fulfilling my MyZeroWaste pledge.

Fabric Shopping Bag - This bag is one that I won at our annual Easter Egg Hunt. It's from Target and holds probably 3-4 plastic bags worth of groceries. I used it on Thursday. I still want to make some using old fabric from this pattern.
Composting - Here's the start of our compost pile.

When discussing recycling and the MyZeroWaste pledge with friends, I was pointed toward a few ideas for reducing junk mail.

Green Dimes - This was the first site that I was alerted to and I signed up for the free version of it. This group will lead you through steps to opt out of mailings. If you wish to pay $20 they will do all the work for you and plant 5 trees in your name. Again, I chose the free service and see how it works out.

Catalog Choice - When I signed up for Green Dimes, there was steps to opt out of catalog mailings. I haven't signed up for Catalogue Choice yet in hopes that the catalog mailings are covered with Green Dimes. I will research further when I have time.

OptOutPreScreen - This will opt you out of the pre-approved credit card mailings. The same link is included in Green Dimes, but I think there's a form that must be completed and mailed in. I will research this link also more when I have time. The pre-approved credit card mailings are a HUGE risk to idenity theft and fraud.....speaking of which, I need to tell you all what recently happened to me, but that's going to have to wait until I have more time. LOL!

TIME? WHAT'S TIME?

Aug 15th

2008-08-15T06:50:00.000-07:00

Today's the last day of the 3rd Annual EGF Donation Drive!! I know a few of you have things in the process of being shipped. If you haven't contacted me, please do and I'll add you to the drawing.

Current totals are AMAZING!!! 1186 items & $533

Thank you ALL for your time, energy, and heart!! It will probably be a few more days before I pick the 3 winning names. Then, depending on the winners (and their craft of choice) I will be buying some more prizes. I decided to wait to see who wins.

Hugs to all!

Want to take a pledge?

2008-08-14T07:12:00.000-07:00

My Zero Waste is having a competition. Wanna join and reduce your household waste? (Note: I can't get my pledge to go through on their form).

I pledge to:
I will talk to at least one family member or friend to promote recycling.
I will recycle an old mobile phone.
I will take active steps to stop junk mail being delivered to my home. (not sure how to do this so if anyone has an idea, please let me know!!!)
I will offer unwanted item on Freecycle or take to a charity shop.
I will use washable cloths instead of kitchen towel. (I assume this means cutting down on paper towels)
I will send an email greeting card instead of a paper one.
I will cancel my telephone directory / Yellow pages (didn't know you could do this, but I'll look into this for sure!)
I will use a reusable bottle for water.
I will start a compost heap, wormery or bokashi.
I will make one meal from leftovers.
I will start using reusable shopping bags instead of carrier bags.
I will continue to garden and use curbside recycling.

Patterns

2008-08-13T17:47:00.000-07:00

Here is the link to the patterns that EGF has had success with. Particularly, Toni's Burial Gown as is for a girl and DC the skirt for a boy. Sharon, one of our wonderful volunteers, has emailed me directions for making it larger. I can share that with those that want it.

As you will look, you will notice that a few of the links are no good. Here are the corrections:
Marilyn's Bubble Suit and Aunt B's Angel Wrap

I know nothing about knitting, but this Sleeper Sack is really popular. It is, however, small. Since I know nothing about knitting, it may easily be enlarged.

You can also look through Bev's Country Cottage and pick one that suits your ability. Kathy has some personal crochet patterns on her sidebar, too. Wool Winder does a great job of detailing the patterns she uses, too.

EGF Need

2008-08-12T08:55:00.000-07:00

Emmazing Grace needs some 5-7 lb gown sets. We rarely get them donated, but unfortunately they are needed from time to time. I have recently received 2 requests for the large gowns. If you could help out, please let me know. I will be working on some myself in the coming weeks.

Reuse

2008-08-12T07:26:00.000-07:00

These curtains were formerly used on french doors two houses ago in Mississippi. My mom and grandmother made them for me before I learned to sew. Last night, I cut off the wood board at the top that was permanently affixed to the doors and shortened them up a bit.
They are now over the garden tub in our bathroom. We wanted to leave the top windows open so that we could enjoy the view. Since it's on the 3rd floor and unless you're on our neighbor's roof, you can't see in.
Stained glass would be pretty on the bottom windows instead of the curtains......maybe one day.

And, they're off.......

2008-08-11T05:46:00.000-07:00

Austin's first steps

Hannah's first day of Kindergarten

Dress for Emma's Doll

2008-08-10T16:42:00.000-07:00

Whipped this together today using the Threads of Love pattern. I let Hannah pick out the bows. I'll mail it to Mom in time to put it on her grave for her birthday in a few weeks.

New Gown Pattern

2008-08-07T18:05:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, this adorably little gown (along with 7 others to match) came in the mail from a lady that I have never "met" before. I emailed her a thank you, but never heard back from her.

I just love this pattern because there is no fighting with the neckline. It's a simple ribbon casing.

So, I decided to sacrifice one of the gowns. Yesterday as the kids were playing, my seamripper and I got to work. I've now traced out the pattern and written simple instructions.

If you're interested in this pattern, please email me or leave your email address in the comment section.

And another one

2008-08-04T08:06:00.000-07:00

Just finished this set over the weekend. The striped flannel wouldn't have been my first choice, but it's the only thing I could find locally that matched the scalloped edging. My choice of fabric shops is Hobby Lobby and Walmart.....torture, pure torture!!

Next in line:

Another little set - just have the blanket and bonnet to complete

Curtains for my bathroom

A dress for Emma's doll that sits on her grave. I removed it at Christmas because it was looking so worn. I want to replace it by her birthday.

Strawberry Fig Preserves

2008-08-03T08:28:00.001-07:00

Using figs from my grandmother's that we picked on the way back through after our beach trip a few weeks ago, we made strawberry fig preservers.

They didn't turn out just right the first go around. The did not gel up.

So, Friday night we cooked them down some more and I think WE DID IT! I tried them Saturday morning and they were yummy.

Here's the detail of what I'll do the first go around next time...

Cover 6 cups of fresh figs with 6 cups of sugar (I may use a tad less).

Place in frig over night.

Bring to a rolling boil stirring frequently so that it won't stick and burn.

In a separate pot, place your jars, flats, and rings and heat until they get nice and hot.

Cook figs until desired consistency. Judge by scooping out some of the "juice" into a bowl and place in the frig. If it sets up in a few minutes, then it's probably good.

During the last 3 or 4 mins left, add 4 small packets of strawberry jello.

Remove jars from hot bath and scoop the figs into jars. As the preserves start to cool, the lids suck down creating a tight seal.

Facing Tutorial

2008-08-02T15:14:00.001-07:00

Instead of doing a bias binding around the neckline of my little gowns, I decided to try a facing. It was a lot easier for me and I'll keep doing this. I like it MUCH BETTER! Please forgive the photos. They aren't the best, but I hope you can get the idea.

Lay gown flat (sides are not sewn yet) with right side up.

Cut a circle out of a piece of matching fabric.

Place the circle over the opening in the neckline.

With a fabric marker, draw a circle about 1/4" beyond the neckline cutout.

Sew along the marked circle.
Cut out the neckline in the fabric that you just sewed onto the dress.

Notch so that the facing will turn easily.

Turn facing to the inside and pin in place.

Top stitch along the neckline about 1/4" in.

Overcast the raw edges of the facing.

View from the right side of gown.

Sock Knitting

2008-07-31T05:38:00.000-07:00

Kathy posted more about the sock knitting machine here. Check it out!

Sharing the Love

2008-07-30T12:02:00.001-07:00

I really wanted to participate in Knit-A-Little's preemie hat tree, so I decided to share the love.....since I don't have time to crochet any preemie hats myself. :-( These 20 hats are going in the mail probably tomorrow and Knit-A-Little's daughter will be taking them off to college with her to be donated to the local children's hospital. The hats are made by Dana and Emily and their names will be entered into the drawing.

Btw, if I understand correctly, you can make the hats, post a picture on your blog, and then donate them wherever you want. I just wanted to "share the love" a bit and send them to them.

On Saturday

2008-07-29T06:40:00.001-07:00

we celebrated the 10th Anniversary of my 25th birthday. I tell ya.....it gets better each year. LOL!

We did Kathy's Blueberry Cream Cheese cake and grilled. Hannah declared the cakes as, "The best thing a kid could ever want." :-) Thanks for the recipe, Kathy. It's WONDERFUL!

Oh, the blueberries that we used were from my mom's bush that we picked up when we drove through on the way back from the beach.

Tomatoes

2008-07-27T09:00:00.001-07:00

Our tomatoes are really coming in right now and they are beautiful, hardly any splitting. Tracy was probably right about the shade helping them during the heat of the summer. Here are a few pictures using our tomatoes....

Bruschetta

Salsa

Playing

Eating

Much Better

2008-07-25T11:11:00.001-07:00

I did a facing (I think that's the proper name) for the little gowns instead of bias tape......MUCH BETTER. In fact, I've done a 2nd one and took pictures as I worked. I'll post a little tutorial in a few days.

Answers

2008-07-23T16:18:00.000-07:00

A few questions have been asked of me over the last few weeks. With the craziness of life, I haven't answered them here on the blog. So...here it goes:

Pattern for the little blue gown set: It is from a hard copy that I got from a Threads of Love person. It's terribly written actually. I have kind of made up my own way of doing it. However, if any of you want it I'll be glad to mail it to you.

Sock hats: It appears that she cut the cuff off the socks and with fine crochet thread (or at least something thicker than regular thread) gathered the cut edge to make the little ball on the top of the hat.

Jellyfish Sting: I'm the one that was stung. That's how I know the windex works!

Another fun week

2008-07-21T10:43:00.001-07:00

Navarre Beach, FL is our beach destination of choice. I've been going every summer since 1982, I think. As a child, we spent nearly the entire summer down there. In the fall of 2003, we bought a condo.....just in time for the massive destruction of hurricanes Ivan and Dennis only 9 months apart. Early October is our favorite time down there. Unfortunately, with Hannah in kindergarten this year, we may not make a trip.

Despite the seaweed and jellyfish, we had a great time. Tip for jellyfish stings: WINDEX. It works amazingly.

Anyway....here are a few fun pics of our fun week.

Our Week

2008-07-12T07:52:00.001-07:00

Because of this....

We've been doing A LOT of this!

Last Saturday, my sister and niece were in a car wreck barely escaping a head-on collision. Thankfully, my niece suffered only minor injuries that included a bumped head, black eye, and sore hips from the seatbelt. Unfortunately, though, my sister broker her femur and bruised her lungs pretty badly. She got out of the hospital on Thursday and is recovering at my mom and dad's house.

Hannah and I drove to Alabama last Sunday to get Lizzie. She's been with us all week and we will drop her off on the way to the beach tomorrow. It's been a lot of fun, minus the few fights. :-)

Slow and Steady

2008-07-04T12:20:00.000-07:00

That's my new motto.....Slow and Steady
I finally have a little gown set completed. Two more are in the works.
The neckline gave me fits, as usual. I have something different planned for the other 2 sets.

I will probably send this to Teresa, the NILMDTS photographer. I promised it to her months ago. I'll see if she still needs it first.

Gotta run...meltdowns abound.