Progress

Almost done with the top!! I still have to sew on the two (left and right) borders... and then a thin red border on the two applique sides - and then i'm done!!! woohooo!!

The back is a gorgeous deep red fabric that is the same as the flowered borders... except reversed with red background and green and gold flowers.

Yesterday i spent ALL DAY trying to take care of all the medical release forms for the kids to go to camp in a week. Sheesh. Can't believe it took up the whole day!! The hardest part was tracking down who & where for Emily's to get signed off!! But it all finally came together at the last moment. Phew!! Still waiting on Gav and Bay's from their doctor. They are getting VERY excited about their trips!

It will be a week spent with others their age, an adventure to be sure... hiking.. camping.. and delving into the Word... and i just know the Holy Spirit will fill them with such awe in that week's time!! I'm excited for them!

Today I have to draw out my pattern for camp, on friday, and get the wool dyed up. Also have to make several pouches and draw a few patterns for the orders that came in over the weekend.

Gavin is going to play paint ball with his buddies...

And i think i am going to fill up the kiddie pool and send the kids outside so i can get my work done! :D

I guess i better git to it!

til next time :0) ~ Bright blessings!

Calli's 5!

Is there anything better than watching the excitement and anticipation of children on their birthday?!?!? Even a small family celebration, with her two closest friends is "the best day EVER!!" :D

Getting ready to blow out the candles!

"I know a secret"


"I'm 5!!!! I can chew gum now!!!!!!!!!!" - this was undeniably THE BEST present in her mind!

so this is what i've been missing!

Feel the love...

I snuck a shot of calli attacking Gavin with a HUGE hug.. he doesn't like having his picture taken... and i am not the best photographer! But isn't this the cutest pic??!!?

And mucho love for you too Bailey!!!!

After hugs like that, who wouldn't smile?!?

a sneak shot of Emily...

This was just precious! Taryn, Calli's friend had made her a card on the computer, and then colored a whole scene for her...the person on the left (that i cut off accidentally) is Taryn.. on the card.. you see a little red person.. that is Calli.. w/ butterflies and flowers on her birthday!

Group love..

These three love each other sooo much!! And even with my retarded photo skills... i love this shot!

Honey I Shrunk Ourselves

She has watched this about 15 times already!! LOLOL She LOVES that people can "get little"!!

My honey... in the midst of the chaos..

Best friends!

Doesn't get any better than this!!!!

Rug Camp

Well, I did get to go to rug camp!! Wooohooo!!!! :0)

Had a great time!

I love the group of gals that gather at this camp, and it's always so good to see them and gab for three days solid!

I came home not so rested, with no voice left, and about 10 pounds heavier (with wool) and completely happy!! LOL!

Jeanne was a great teacher. Very easy going, and very versatile! She was just as comfortable planning my big primitive with 8.5 strips, as she was helping the fine shaders and painterly hookers with their #3's,4's, & 5's!

I did miss a few of the gals that normally come... just wasn't the same without them there! But had a grand ole time, not hearing my kids arguing, tattling and whining! LOLOL!

The same day that i left for camp, my mother in law arrived, having driven from California - just in time to meet her moving truck! And of course the kids were over there practically 12 hours a day while i was gone! Poor grama!! But i hear they were a great help - so that's cool!

Well, I just wanted to post a quick pic of my rug in progress, and let ya know that i got to go, and got hom safe!

Granted coming home to a messy house, and piles of laundry that have my name on them, was not so thrilling... (welcome back to reality mom!!!) I was sooo thankful to be able to go!

Now just to get everything ready for the next one! Only 10 days away!! Oy!!

Wish they would have been more spread out , like in the past.... but... there's no way to dictate that! :0)

Have a wonderfully blessed day!

Blessings,

Bren :0)

Time to Whitewash!

Well our swing was looking pretty dilapidated! So since the kids are already sooo "bored" with school being out, we put them to work painting the swing! Of course they were thrilled to do it!! But my littlest.. Calli... was just sooo sad that she couldn't paint the swing too. So we taped a big sheet of paper to the fence, and gave her some paint and a paintbrush and said "go to it!!" :D

Well needless to say, she was thrilled also!

They all have old grungy clothes on.... because as you know... kids... and paint... ?? LOL The paint never manages to stay where it is supposed to go!!

Bailey and Emily painting the swing.....

I am still picking paint out of their hair, a week later!! LOL!

A wee bit stressed...

Ok... so yesterday I had a revisit with the vertigo crud. :-(
Needless to say, I was pretty much in tears. I thought that challenging chapter of my life was past. But maybe I embraced the new chapter too soon.
Still makes me sad.
I want sooo badly to just feel better and get back to doing all the things i love!!
Because of the vertigo, & migraines, I have been put soooo far behind. Not being able to even look down to draw a pattern, much less do anything else! I have several orders piled up and waiting, and i just hate that feeling that I am not ABLE to complete them and get them out immediately!!
I also am supposed to be leaving for my camp in the wee hours of the morning tomorrow. And as of yesterday, I didn't think I would be going, with as yucky as I was feeling.
This morning... PTL... am feeling much better!
So.. saw this picture, and it pretty much sums up how fast I need to paddle to get all these things done TODAY!!
So first things first, get my orders done out. And then run to kinkos to enlarge my design and transfer it to linen, and pull wool to hook it. Pack for the trip, and will probably be falling into bed around 2, to wake up at 4!
So with that said... i need to get off of this computer!!
Wish me luck!!!
~Bren

Well today was busy, in the best of ways! Having had severe vertigo for the last three weeks, and having to keep my head on a "level plane" for weeks on end, when it finally went away four days ago, it was like being set free from a jail!!! Wooohoo!! I can do normal things again!! :0) So, i have been running around like a new free woman! LOL We took the kids to the concert on friday. Well... let's just say it was definitely geared towards kids! Hard rock has never been my thing! :-P But the kids LOVED it. Of course! Got home late last night, got up early this morning and took the boys to their dads... then headed over the the shabby flea market. Oohhhh!!! It's been a whole year and i was sooo tickled to have it back! We roamed and looked and oohed and aahhed. I bought the most darling little train case (box tote) for putting my quilt blocks in to keep them portable and ready to go. Sooo cute!! I will post a pic of it tomorrow. Not my norm... but it makes me smile, and i get creative just looking at it - so that's a good thing! :-) My husband is incredibly tolerant of me when I go to this market!! He knows how much i love it, and EVERYTHING (it seems) there!! He even offered to buy me a gorgeous old primitive swedish bench - for $500!!! And he was serious! Whatta guy! I am sooo lucky!! He definitely earned points for that!! LOLOL Even though I did turn him down. :0) It was gorgeous.. but i wasn't sure about the dimensions and if it would work in our kitchen. haha... had i been SURE, i probably would have taken him up on it!! Well... after talking them down a bit of course! LOLOL! Took the girls to lunch, then came home and tackled the garden. Got all my starter plants planted, and the maters are planted, and the rest of my herbs. Yay!! (did the flowers and other herbs the other day - read the post below! LOL) Then my husband ran to the hardware store and picked up a few more things and we were spreading bark, and spraying miracle grow, and patting those babies in for the night! Cleaned up the kitched got the girls to bed, and am sooo happy to be sitting down right now! I am totally pooped! Church and birthday party tomorrow. And i have to draw out my pattern and start pulling wool for it. I wasn't sure i would be able to go, since the vertigo hadn't gone away. I was just taking it one day at a time, and praying it would just dissapear!! I think i am in the clear (knock on wood) and i should be able to go. ( the camp is up in the mountains - and i'm a little nervous about the high altitude swinging it back the other way!! But i think it's good now. PTL!!) So now that i think i can go, i guess i really better get my act in gear!! :-) I'll be having Jeanne Benjamin as my teacher - really looking forward to meeting her and learning from her! I 've never had her as a teacher, so it should be fun! The group of gals that attend this camp every year are an absolute hoot, and I just fell in love with them when i met them!! Looking forward to seeing them all again!! I'll be taking a new design with me, and will post pics when i get back! Hope ya'll are enjoying your weekend as much as I am!! Blessings, Bren :0)

Gorilla Glue Tip

Ok.. so just a little tip!

Gorilla glue and dirty hands don't play well together! :-o

I was planting some of my herbs and things the other day, noticed my gorgeous strawberry pot had broken this winter (probably allll that heavy snow) couldn't find the crazy glue, so borrowed some of my friend's gorilla glue.

#1 I am not a glove kind of girl.

#2 I don't have a problem getting my hands dirty.

#3 I am a messy gardener. I LIKE to play in the dirt with bare hands!

#4 Never thought this would pose a problem when using this product!

#5 I was wrong!! LOL

I now have soil literally glued to the undersides of my nails, and cannot get it off/out! Lemme tell ya... i'm lookin reallll purty!!

So... tip... even if you're not a "gloves kinda girl" - use em with this stuff!! LOLOL

Hand Piecing vs. Hand Applique

Well I am really enjoying doing this quilt! I have two others in progress... and both are applique quilts!

Funny, but i find that hand piecing goes sooooo much faster (and easier) than appliqueing with cotton! But go figure, the applique quilts are the ones that i am totally drawn to! Does anyone else feel this way? Just wondering if it's a "lefty thang"? Or if that's pretty normal for ya'll?

I can't even call myself a "quilter"... just a novice beginner, teaching myself how to do these, and exploring the fun of quilting. :0) I have pieced a few tops, but as of yet, have not yet quilted any of them!! I have been very blessed to have a friend who is an amaaazing quilter, who i can go to and ask all my dumb questions!

Haha.. i just wish she lived near me and could come over and give me a lesson in hand quilting!! I am so much a visual learner, and just seeing someone doing it would help immensley, and perhaps take away a little of the intimidation I am feeling whenever i think about it! LOL!

I did check at our local quilt shop, but they looked at me like i had two heads or something, when I asked about hand quilting!! The gal asked me why in the world i would want to do it by hand, and not machine?!?

Well... #1, because i LIKE to hand sew, and i LIKE to work with my hands.

#2, because i have tried machine quilting and absolutely HATED it!! LOLOL it just didn't seem physically "right" to try and maneuver that huge quilt around while it's slung over your shoulder and you are pushing down (straining) to push it forward and still keep a good stitch! LOL!! NOT a happy place for me!! :0)

#3 , and last but not least, i appreciate things of old. Things made completely by hand, with love, tenderness and the desire to bring color into one's home the old fashioned way!

I love old textiles, period! Old hooked rugs, old quilts, old embroidered tea towels, old samplers, old buttons... you name it! :P

So, i set off on learning how to hand piece, and applique my own quilts! Thankfully Laurie was there to answer all my ignorant questions, or else i probably wouldn't have gotten very far! LOL

I am veryy pleased with how this one is coming out!! It is a Jan Patek design, out of the book "Designer Quilts" - Great projects from Moda's best fabric artists.

I have also started Jan Patek's bible quilt, and am excited to get that done this summer while taking the kids to swim lessons!! And... of course i am still hooking! :0) Starting two new designs this month... both are large rugs, so they may take me a while!! I'll post some in progress pics as i go.

blessings,

Bren

That Thing I do...

So many things can fall under this heading! But this particular post relates to something that only my close friends and family know about!!

It's actually pretty lame.. and pretty funny at the same time. Even I recognize it (now) when I do it! :P

Whenever I am totally overwhelmed, crazy busy, working like a madwoman, and have an upcoming deadline... THAT is when my little pea brain decides i need to start a BRAND NEW project!! LOL I guess it's when that little girl inside of me screams "I wanna do something FUN!" and the creative juices just kick into overdrive!!

It's pretty hilarious... because i will be right in the middle of 15 different things, dying up gobs of wool, a show only a week away, kids' projects on a crucial time frame....... and I decide I NEED to ________ (fill in the blank!) start a new quilt (because yah.. i could do that in two days time, right? LOL), paint the living room - or any room in the house that is calling my name at the time, oh.. how bout stopping whatever i'm doing and going down and making a new purse?!, or better yet, let's reupholster (sp?) that chair that has been driving me nuts (for 2 years!) ?!

After all... i'm moving in three days, now's a good time to do that, riiiight???!!!

No kidding!

It's pathetic, really! And this happens regularly!!!

Usually i am able to push through this new "need" and stay focused on all the things i truly do need to get accomplished!! (only because i chant "focus! focus! focus!" LOLOL) Being trained since I was young to finish the task at hand first, and do the job well the first time! And, i have found that if i just push through and keep working, by the time the time crisis has passed, i no longer have the desire to do whatever it is!!

BUT... eevvverrrryyy now and then.... that "need" becomes sooo intensely insistent and i have no will power... i give in!

If i see that i am actually slightly ahead of the game (for a change) and i see a little window of time i can snatch for myself, i somehow convince myself i could get (fill in the blank) ____ done and still keep up with my workload! LOL!

I have NO IDEA why i do this to myself?!?

I just recognize that it happens... regularly!

Sometimes I don't recognize it, and one of my best friends will point it out! LOL

Like yesterday! haha!

The month of June is going to be absolutely intensely chaotic. My mother in law is moving here (one block away) in less than a week, kids just got out of school, I have TWO rug camps this month, and all the kids' summer activities, not to mention all my custom orders that keep rolling in! My first camp is .. hmm.. let's see... 4 days away? (i still need to draw out my pattern and gather and dye wool for it!) So, yesterday i was on the phone with my girlfriend, and i decided i reallllly think i ought to paint my living room!! I've decided i'm not diggin on the current color, and it's starting to distract me, so... i think tomorrow i'm going down to home depot to buy some paint and start moving furniture! (LOL i am one of those weirdos that love to paint!!)... right after i get the rest of those plants into the garden that is!

Oh my gosh! Shoot me now!!!

My girlfriend Jacque, says... "uhh....Bren... you're doing that thing you do! Your camp is in 4 days!!" LOLOL!!

Well smack me stupid! I WAS doing it!! And I hadn't even realized it! Sheesh.

She's right of course. LOL

And just recognizing how full my plate is right now, made it all come into focus!

Thank goodness for good friends!! Thank goodness for discipline! LOL And thank God for coffee!! :0)

So today, we are taking the whole family to a christian music festival being held at our church. 11 bands, including some headliners, will be playing today... and it will be gobs of fun. We probably won't get back until late tonight. And then tomorrow morning the awesome Paris Street flea market happens... so i will be dragging my tired butt on over there early in the morn! Then home to finish planting, and then draw out my pattern and gather and dye wool for camp.

Sunday we have church and then a surprise party for a good friend. And that will give me monday to get packed and ready to go!

Oh.. and did i mention i am also jammin to get an applique quilt done? LOL One of those that was started a few months ago.... during a crazy busy time!! :0)

hahaha...

See ya in a week or so!

Blessings,

Bren :0)

ps.. the above pic is a little rug i just recently finished.