Contented in West Lafayette

Meijer Gallery Wrapped Canvas photo prints

2012-01-09T13:37:00.005-05:00

I have been remiss in sharing with you this wonderful product! Have you heard of these? Seen these? Done one yourself? This picture of Dr. Love & I is actually a photo of my own canvas print. I was able to try out Meijer Gallery Canvas Prints for myself absolutely free because I am a BzzAgent!

What does that mean to be a BzzAgent? BzzAgent is all about social advertising. I get to try samples of products (sometimes full size!) and report to the companies who provide them-free of charge!-as well as spread the word (my opinion) to my friends & acquaintances. Almost always I am provided with coupons to pass out as well J Interested in becoming a BzzAgent yourself? Find out more here: BzzAgent.com

So, the Gallery Canvas Print described on Meijer’s website:

“It's simple to bring your favorite photo to the Meijer Photo Center and have it transformed into a Gallery Wrapped Canvas Print—overnight. How? Just upload the photo to the HP kiosk, choose the canvas size you'd like and submit your order. Then come back the next day to pick up your beautiful work of art!

Your photo will be printed on high-quality, Gallery Wrapped Canvas that is ready to hang immediately—no need for extra framing.”

It really was that simple! Choosing which picture to use took longer and was much harder than uploading and ordering at the in-store kiosk. (By the way, “kiosk” is one of my favorite words—I don’t know why but I like how it sounds and how it’s spelled!) I don’t take very many photos that are artistic in nature/quality. Usually I’m just snapping with my iPhone to text to someone or post on FaceBook. Because of that, I had a really hard time deciding which photo to use for my free print. I finally chose this one of Dr. Love & I from the first Christmas we were dating, because I really do love it and because I only had it as a 3x5.

So, I spent maybe 5 minutes total from the time I entered Meijer until I was back out in my car. The upload was simple to do. And the pick up the next day was easy-peasy too J

I do have one caveat: I think a photo that isn’t as dark would look much better than mine. I’ve seen some great examples posted by other BzzAgents and they all look terrific!

This would be a terrific gift to a newly-engaged couple, for new parents & grandparents. How cool would it be to take in a child’s artwork & have it made into a gallery print?! The possibilities are endless and because the price, at around $40, is great, you’re only limited by what you can imagine! Check out meijer.com/photo to learn more about Meijer Gallery Wrapped Canvas Prints. And let me know what you create!

Private Selection-A BzzAgent Report

2011-12-01T06:47:00.002-05:00

I am a BzzAgent. What does that mean? BzzAgent is all about social advertising. I get to try samples of products (sometimes full size!) and report to the companies who provide them-free of charge!-as well as spread the word (my opinion) to my friends & acquaintances. Almost always I am provided with coupons to pass out as well J

Interested in becoming a BzzAgent yourself? Find out more here: BzzAgent.com

So today I’m reviewing 3 products from Kroger’s Private Selection brand. Now, I actually shop at Payless which is under Kroger’s umbrella. In other areas of the country, your store may have a different name.

Loaded directly onto my saver’s card were coupons for three free items: a Private Selection Pizza, a Private Selection Appetizer and a Private Selection Dessert. Brianna and I went in the store yesterday afternoon, chose our free products, scanned them at the self-check station, scanned my card and walked away with my free items. Oh, and I also received a coupon for $3.00 off my next grocery purchase…how sweet is that?!

We chose the Margherita Napolitano pizza. It looked good on the box and we both like mozzarella & tomatoes. The pizza looked good coming out of the box, baked up quickly in the oven and was cut into 5 good-sized wedges. Retailing for around $5, this was a huge hit with Andrew and everyone agreed it was very tasty!

For the appetizer, we chose the Mediterranean Inspired Hors D'Oeuvres collection. These were puff-pastry in delightful shapes filled with yummy stuff like mushrooms, spinach & artichoke, and sun-dried tomato. Retailing for $7.00 for 9 pieces, I found these to be pricey but absolutely as delicious as anything I’ve ever had in the finest restaurants I’ve been to. I won’t be buying them every week but they would be a nice treat for an in-home date night with Dr. Love. They baked up easily in the oven very quickly too.

Our dessert choice was the cream puffs. We left them on the counter to thaw while the pizza & appetizers cooked. Brianna melted a chocolate bar and drizzled it over them and they were wonderful! Again, as good as anything I’ve had in a restaurant! These retail for $5 and there were easily 35 in the box!

As always, I have coupons to share-this time they’re $2.00 each! And with the holidays coming up, don’t hesitate to pick up any of the wonderful Private Selection frozen foods to serve and enjoy!

Teens/Children and Internet Security

2011-09-30T13:48:00.002-04:00

When Miss B and Charlie were younger, it took a long time for me to let them access the internet without me right by their side the entire time. I progressed to letting them surf pre-approved sites but absolutely NO SEARCHING!

About three years ago, Miss B wanted her own facebook page and Dr. Love and I made her register under her nickname and our last name (which is different than hers). We weren't sure what facebook was all about and we wanted to maintain her anonymity. And there was the caveat that we knew her login and password information. A few months later, we were more comfortable when Charlie joined and he's under his own name.

When the kids got phones, we wrote up call & text usage rules, explained them in great detail, made them explain them in return and made them sign their names to the rules. One of those rules is that Dr. Love or I can (and do) check the text messages sent/received at any given time and woe to you if you've deleted your entire in/out box!

So when I was given the opportunity from BzzAgent to join a campaign for TrueCare Awareness Online I was not of a mind to be a part of the free, 3-month trial subscription. But then I decided to try it just to see what it's all about.

This is how it worked: As a BzzAgent, I was given a free, 3-month trial subscription to the TrueCare program. In return for the free subscription, I was asked to evaluate the program and share my opinion with my friends. Hence this blog post :).

I signed up with TrueCare, gave them Miss B's online subscription logins, etc... and then began receiving alerts when certaiin words & phrases showed up in her posts, notes and comments. Suprisingly to me, I got alerts when she used the word "fire." She was quoting song lyrics about God's refining fire. I got others alerts as well, she once wrote of "hating" something, but there was never anything that was truly inappropriate for her to write. I do like that any alarms words/phrases written by anyone else on her page show up in alerts as well.

I realize that not all parents are as vigilant as I am. I am blessed that Miss B's & Charlie's relationships with Dr. Love and I are good ones. I don't seem to have sneaky kids. (I believe I know why but that's a topic for a different post altogether!). So, I think the TrueCare Awareness Program can be of good value for some parents. The cost is low, only $10/month.

I don't plan to continue the service once my trial period is over. I still have a good handle on the kids' friendships, internet usage, etc... But I do recommend it for anyone who is looking for a little extra help!

Felted Wool

2011-09-29T07:35:00.003-04:00

I must admit to being enamoured of late with felted wool. This post on The Purl Bee blog is gorgeous and I would dearly love to make one of these! Just look at this! The textures, the colors, swoon......

Root Candles

2011-09-27T11:40:00.004-04:00

If you know me at all, you know that I simply adore candles. I, like many others, am a candle aficionado. I almost always have several candles burning at once around my home-sometimes the same fragrance, sometimes differing fragrances so that I catch wonderful scents as I move about from room to room. I am a bit of a candle snob....they don't have to be pretty or cost an arm & a leg or be any certain brand, but they DO have to make my entire home smell good!

I have what Miss B refers to as a “candle closet” (see picture). She loves to come from school or a weekend away to our home and its’ wonderful aromas. She says that’s one of the best things in life. She has friends who comment about how our home always smells great! Once she lent a friend her jacket and was told it smelled good...just like her house!

And, if you know me at all, you know that I am a BzzAgent. I've talked to you about CoverGirl products, cleaning products, Dr. Scholl's products and may others. As a BzzAgent I have the opportunity to join in on "campaigns" promoting certain products and I receive a free sample of the product to try and coupons to pass around to my friends. And the more I try and the more I share, the more "perks" (that's BzzAgent speak for goodies) I gain!

So now BzzAgent is offering a chance to get into a campaign that I haven't been specifically invited to join. If I can persuade Jono to let me in, I'll get to try Root Candles and share my results!

Why should Jono add me to the campaign? Because I have many friends who use candles also. Many more than who try new cosmetics or new cleaning products. If he adds me to the campaign and there are coupons involved, I will give them away within days and Bzz my brains out as I do J!

So Jono, how about it? Pretty please will you let me in?

Miss B Started Her Own Blog...

2011-08-04T18:39:00.002-04:00

...and you can read it here. I admit to prodding her just a little to start it. She has several friends who blog and since she has such wonderful writing skills (I know, I'm biased!) and is funny & wise, I really think she needs the creative outlet writing a blog provides. I also helped her get it started-just some basic how-to's.

Of course, I had no idea that her first post would be about me and it embarrasses me a little and thrills me too. So head on over to Buttercup's Crayon Box and leave her some love!

And by the way, I'm officially on vacation for the next 12 days and can't wait to spend some time with my Dr. Love!

Leslie

Sewing & Other Stuff

2011-07-20T10:39:00.006-04:00

I've been on a bit of a sewing kick for a while now.

I made two skirts at Easter time for the daughter-of-my heart Mimi Flope who is also Miss B's best friend and has been pictured a time or two in the past history of this blog.

Then I made a dress for Miss B, altering it from the pattern.

Then I used some fabric I had purchased over two years ago and made a gown & robe for myself...but I'm not thrilled with them....the fabric is stiffish with no give.

Then I bought a really great book from Amazon and made a sweet top & diaper-cover for one of my SmallPeoples clients for her birthday.

I have three skirts cut out for Miss B. She chose all the fabrics. Two of them use the same pattern and she & I are going to each sew one at the same time in order for her to begin sewing clothes. She's been doing bags and pillows on her own for quite a while now.

I have bought 3 cute dress patterns for myself and have been reading a lot of sewing blogs and perusing lots of fabric sites.

Yesterday I ordered this voile fabric pictured at left and can't wait to get it and start sewing the pattern pictured above. I'm planning to make view "c" entirely of this yummy print! I hope to post a picture of it when I've finished.

Miss B. is currently on a missions trip with 14 other teens in her youth group in Staten Island, New York. They are partnering with some missionaries there in a Liberian area. She is having the time of her life!

Charlie is taking her place working with me in her absence. It's been fun having him hang out with me these last few days. He even changed his first diaper (not soiled, of course).

What have you been up to?
Leslie

Happy Summer!

2011-07-12T21:10:00.002-04:00

I'm still alive....

busy with my husband
busy with my teens
busy with SmallPeoples House
doing a bit of sewing
in a book club
enjoying the pool every now & then
living life together with my immediate family, my church family, my neighbors

It's Been Awhile (6 monthes!)...

2010-10-09T15:55:00.005-04:00

Busy Worker at Home emailed me a month or so ago to ask me if I still blog. I suppose that I should answer that I don't since it's been so long. Life got very busy when Jack-Jack (aka The Young Prince) began sleeping less, crawling, etc... Then came summer with everything it held-including the computer takeover by my children. Then school started and Jack-Jack came back too. So, rather than try to do a catch-up post, I've decided to post some random highlights. Here goes:

My kids are both driving now on permits. When Miss B drives, I keep one eye on how she's doing and the other on my iphone or book. When Charlie drives, I buckle up tight and bite my nails.

Dr. Love got me an iphone for my birthday. I LOVE it! If you play Words With Friends, reply to this post with your user name and we'll start up a game!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN is a wonderful place. Even though it took so long to get an appointment, it was well worth it. And, God knew what was going on with Miss B all along and He timed the appointment right.

Charlie now has a stuffed marlin hanging on the wall above his bed. A dear friend from college had it for almost 20 years and gave it to him when she redecorated. This led to many fun "Marlin" moments while we were on vacation.

The Shenendoah Mountains near Harrisburg, VA are hot the last week of June. Very hot. Can't go outside hot.

Miss B joined Charlie at Faith Christian School this year. She adores it!

Do you remember my dear life-long friend Connie? The one who made me this quilt? She's going to be a grandma before the year is out. A grandma to identical twin boys! You can see Connie & her daughter pre-marriage at the end of this post.

Autumn is back...my favorite time of year. I love apples, pumpkins, cider, falling leaves, bonfires and the like. I like the word "autumn." I love the colors and the crisp air. I like burrowing under the blankets next to Dr. Love with the bedroom windows open all night. I like the sound of the coyotes howling somewhere in the fields around us. I like Autumn decorating better than any other!

Jack-Jack toddles around like a drunken sailor. He likes to play ball & is pretty good about delivering it right to me. He also likes to hand things over one at a time & then have them handed back the same way. He's a lot of fun!

I finally painted over the ginormous harlequin wall in my bedroom. That wall is now pink. Before I'm done, it will be a soft red. But since it took me 3+ years to paint over the harlequin, don't count on me being done any time soon.

The picture at the head of my blog was taken just a couple of weeks ago. It's my front entrance and Miss B. She's prettier than any of those flowers!

I think the biggest reason that I've not blogged is because of Facebook. I do like Facebook; I don't think I waste too much time there as others claim to be doing. I've been able to reconnect with friends from childhood and my teen years and also keep up with friends who've moved away and those I left behind in NorthWest Indiana.

So, no promises about when I'll blog again but if you know me personally, don't be afraid to call!

Leslie

Thinking You're Naked

2010-04-05T09:16:00.003-04:00

I just read a post on this blog. I've only skimmed it but it brought tears to my eyes and as soon as I've got this post done I'm going to print it out (yes, I'm old-school-can't read anything of value on a computer screen) and read it word-for-word. Probably several times today and then over the next few weeks I'll come back to it. That's all the introduction I'm writing.

Easter is about grace. And when I think about grace, one of the things that stops me short of believing in it is shame. This post, written last year, is about shame and grace and the reason we’re not naked.

I don’t want to brag, but I’m pretty awesome at applying band-aids. And make no mistake, there is an art. Because if you go too quickly and peel them the wrong way, they stick to themselves and you end up with a wadded up useless mess instead of the Little Mermaid festooned bandage your daughter so desperately wants to apply to a boo boo that may in fact be 100% fictional.

Half of the injuries I treat at the Acuff house are invisible or simply wounds of sympathy. My oldest daughter will scrape her knee and my 3-year old, realizing the band aid box is open will say, “Yo dad, I’d like to get in on that too. What do you say we put one on, I don’t know, my ankle. Yeah, my ankle, let’s pretend that’s hurt.”

But sometimes the cuts are real, like the day my 5-year old got a scrape on her face playing in the front yard. I rushed in the house and returned with a princess bandage. As I bent down to apply it to her forehead, her eyes filled up with tears and she shrunk back from me.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I don’t want to wear that band-aid.” She replied.

“Why? You have a cut, you need a band-aid.” I said.

“I’ll look silly.” She answered.

Other than her sister and her mom, there was no one else in the yard. None of her friends were over, cars were not streaming passed our house and watching us play, the world was pretty empty at that moment. But for the first time I can remember, she felt shame. She had discovered shame. Somewhere, some how, this little 5 year old had learned to be afraid of looking silly. If I was smarter, if I had been better prepared for the transition from little toddler to little girl, I might have asked her this:

“Who told you that you were silly?”

I didn’t though. That question didn’t bloom in my head until much later and I didn’t understand it until I saw God ask a similar question in Genesis 3:11. To me, this is one of the saddest and most profoundly beautiful verses in the entire Bible. Adam and Eve have fallen. The apple is a core. The snake has spoken. The dream appears crushed. As they hide from God under clothes they’ve hastily sewn together, He appears and asks them a simple question:

“Who told you that you were naked?”

There is hurt in God’s voice as He asks this question, but there is also a deep sadness, the sense of a father holding a daughter that has for the first time ever, wrapped herself in shame.

Who told you that you were not enough?

Who told you that I didn’t love you?

Who told you that there was something outside of me you needed?

Who told you that you were ugly?

Who told you that your dream was foolish?

Who told you that you would never have a child?

Who told you that you would never be a father?

Who told you that you weren’t a good mother?

Who told you that without a job you aren’t worth anything?

Who told you that you’ll never know love again?

Who told you that this was all there is?

Who told you that you were naked?

I don’t know when you discovered shame. I don’t know when you discovered that there were

people that might think you are silly or dumb or not a good writer or a husband or a friend. I don’t know what lies you’ve been told by other people or maybe even by yourself.

But in response to what you are hearing from everyone else, God is still asking the question, “Who told you that you were naked?”

And He’s still asking us that question because we are not.

In Christ we are not worthless.

In Christ we are not hopeless.

In Christ we are not dumb or ugly or forgotten.

In Christ we are not naked.

Isaiah 61:10 it says:

For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness.

The world may try to tell you a thousand different things today. You might close this post and hear a million declarations of what you are or who you’ll always be, but know this.

As unbelievable as it sounds and as much as I never expected to type this sentence on this blog:

You are not naked.

Score!

2010-02-12T08:20:00.008-05:00

Have you checked out http://www.swaptree.com/? Yesterday I received "The Best of Cooking Light," a 416 page, 9x11", hardback, full-color book in exchange!

Also, at my local Goodwill, I found an American Girl Addie (naked with semi-bad hair) for $3! I'll be working on her hair and I'll make a dress for her. I did a little research and if I can't get her hair to my satisfaction, I can send her to the American Girl Hospital for $24 and still come out way ahead of the $100 that the doll costs new. I'm very excited about Addie since my little Kiki D. loves African-American dolls, little people & books!

Poor little Young Prince M. has a cold....his nose is runny and so, so red and his eyes are red & watery too. I feel so bad for him AND I'm keeping the makers of Airborne in business!

Hoping everyone at YOUR house is well,
Leslie

Good Morning~

2010-02-10T08:29:00.013-05:00

We're on the 2nd of two snow days in a row so I find myself with a little blogging time and some bragging to share.

This past Sunday I was visited by Jayme of Tales From The Coop Keeper and her sidekick Glenco! I've mentioned before that I simply adore her blog for her honesty and humor. She is even more wonderful in living color.....sweet and kind (see the pictures below of the eggs from her very own hens and the coffee beans that she roasted herself especially for me!) and funny and beautiful and easy-peasy to talk with. You know Miss Introverted Me, I had started to worry that I wouldn't know what to talk about but the conversation flowed!

Thank you Jayme for the great visit, the goodies, and your friendship!

Grace & Peace, Leslie

A New Year

2010-01-01T15:11:00.002-05:00

Happy 2010!

Or 2k10 as the National PGA Tour is calling it in their commercials.

The remnant of Christmas 2009 still resides in my kitchen and living room in the form of a tree and various other decorations. I hope to have them all put away before I go to bed Sunday evening.

Do you make resolutions at the beginning of each year? I usually don't. I may determine to try to do this or that but I never firmly resolve.

Prior to the holidays, I was pretty good about getting my devotions done each morning; this year I'm going to try to follow a 1-year Bible reading plan. I started yesterday just to get a jump on it and I'm keeping notes as I go. I also need to get back to healthier food choices as the cookies and candies and sodas are showing again on my hips and-since I'm getting older-on my tummy too.
And I need to return to planning and implementing at least a week's worth of meals at a time. There are just too many nights that we're not sitting down for dinner until 7:00 pm and I don't like that.

And now for something totally different: the dishwasher repair man is scheduled for Wednesday morning.

Grace & Peace,
Leslie

Overdue

2009-12-14T09:17:00.002-05:00

Good morning!

I know that I am much overdue for a blog post. You may have noticed that my blog activity slowed down about 5 weeks ago. This is because I now have 4-month old Mr. M with me on a full-time basis.

I could bore you for hours with tales of my days even though pretty much every one involves feeding Mr. M, changing diapers, rocking him to sleep, putting him down for a nap, etc... He is such a sweetheart and I am thoroughly enjoying my experiences with him! Right now he is swinging next to me and chewing on his tiny thumb. And when I look over at him, he smiles back.

So I'm sure you'll understand when my posts continue to be spotty. I miss you; I love you; I've got to go....Mr. M needs a bottle!

Hugs, Leslie

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-25T08:39:00.013-05:00

Here's Dr. Love from a Thanksgiving past. See that pile of plates? On top are the paper plates for the kiddos. We had a full house that year!

Thanksgiving is my favorite-est holiday. I love to have people in, the more the merrier! This year will be smaller: the four of us plus my dearest friend Connie and her husband, along with their newly married daughter Amy and her sweeheart husband Curtis.

I enjoy cooking Thanksgiving dinner. I love setting the table with linens and china and silver. I don't mind cleaning up afterwards (Dr. Love helps!). I love sitting down all together to enjoy the food. Most of all, I love going around the table having each person tell what they are thankful for!

I home some unique things on my thankful list this year:

Charlie had an appendectomy in February and Miss B just had one this past Sunday. In both cases, God worked out their situations: neither appendix ruptured; each of them got the right Doctor for their surgery; each of them bounced back quickly. Two new babies (grandnephews to me) were born healthy & happy. Miss B made the leap to high school with great success. Charlie moved to a Christian school and God provided the wisdom & financing for that.

A few weeks ago God was gracious and gave me a peek into His reasons for moving us here. As you know, I wasn't thrilled about moving away from Crown Point and Bethel Church and all of our relationships there. I struggled with the change for a long time, even naming this blog "Contented in West Lafayette" as an attempt to come to grips. Recently, God used Dr. Love to help our church purchase some prime property for an incredible price in order to further a ministry to Purdue University. If we didn't attend FBC.....hadn't moved here..... Dr. Love hadn't accepted the job at PRF (which also threw me into a funk 2 years before the move happened!)......etc... I am thankful to see how God was working out details several years in advance and I can't wait to see what's ahead! Above all, I am humbled that He chose to use us in spite of ourselves! He makes everything glorious!

Wishing YOU a wonderful Thanksgiving,

Hugs, Leslie

My Dishwasher is Broken

2009-11-06T08:19:00.002-05:00

1. (see above title) It's been broken for about a month now. Dr. Love keeps saying that he's going to take a look at it and I keep asking him to wait. After Miss B & Charlie cleared their plates & the rest of the table, it used to take me another 10-15 minutes to finish up loading the thing and hand-washing the pans, etc... Now it takes about 10 minutes to wash while someone clears and someone else dries and yet another someone puts away. And then there's no dishwasher noise for an hour. And I don't have to time the dishwasher not to coincide with showers. And in the morning, there's not dishes to put away. Plus, every time Charlie complains, I am determined to wait another week for the good Dr. to do his thing. I'm evil that way.

2. There are a lot of leaves in my yard. Some are in huge piles waiting for the wind to die down to be burned. Some are scattered, needing to be raked.

3. Today is my last free Friday. Not that I'm not looking forward to the Young Prince's arrival at SmallPeoples House on Thursday.

4. I bought some beautiful fabric for a quilt for someone I don't even know. I can't wait to get started on it!

5. My husband is terrific! He makes me giggle almost every day. He flirts with me. He fixes stuff. He does algebra & biology & spanish homework with Miss B & Charlie. He cooked dinner last night while I had a nap! He smells good. He's coming home for lunch today.

6. If you haven't read Tales From the Coop Keeper...you must go there right now! I get deep belly laughs every time she posts! I've gone back in her archives and read every single post word for word.

7. Facebook is my friend. This week I connected with a former pastor's son who was 6 the last time I saw him. Now he's a Pastor with 8 kids! And two other former pastors. We went to a lot of churches when I was young.

8. I'm trying a new recipe tonight. The ingredients are penne pasta; fontina, mozzarella & parmesan cheeses; roasted eggplant & zucchini.

9. I like when my cats cry to find me. Not so much when they sit on the stool and nibble the raw meat on the counter when I turn my back to find a spatula.

10. Did I mention my husband?

Sheep (again)

2009-11-03T19:37:00.004-05:00

Psalm 119:169-176 (NIV)

"Let my cry come before you, O LORD;
give me understanding according to your word!
Let my plea come before you;
deliver me according to your word.
My lips will pour forth praise,
for you teach me your statutes.
My tongue will sing of your word,
for all your commandments are right.
Let your hand be ready to help me,
for I have chosen your precepts.
I long for your salvation, O LORD,
and your law is my delight.
Let my soul live and praise you,
and let your rules help me.
I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant,
for I do not forget your commandments."

At book club yesterday morning, the "buzz" was all about the sheep from the field behind us that keep finding ways over & under their fence to visit our back yards. Yesterday morning one lone lamb was spotted and my neighbor shepherdessed it back to it's own pasture.

This morning was my turn to look out and find two of them hurriedly eating what they could scrape up. I carefully opened my door and quietly sneaked out to get as close to them as I could without spooking them. It was cold and my hands were shaking as I attempted to snap pictures. This one saw me first. It bleated to it's partner-in-crime and they took off down the line of backyards, about four homes away, to the place where they'd gotten in.

I'm often like those sheep. I sometimes perk up my ears when someone other than The Master calls. I even reach out my neck to check out what's being offered. Dumb me. Just like those dumb sheep. They took off running back to safety. HIS arms are open and He takes me back. Every time. "Let my soul live and praise You, and let your rules help me."

Grace & Peace,
Leslie

Ornament Swap/Birthday Celebration

2009-10-29T14:23:00.007-04:00

I am participating in "The Enchanted Forest" Ornament Swap! It's hosted by Yarni Gras! over at Yarnigras Swapper Spot. Signups close on October 31st, so if you think you might want to join in, hurry here to check it out!

We had a nice birthday celebration for Miss B and Charlie. Sunday afternoon we took them to our local mall and let them choose their own gifts from their favorite stores. Then we took them to dinner.

Tuesday morning they showed up wearing these sweaters which were chosen at different stores and donned that morning without prior agreement. We never realized that they were doing the "twin thing!" When they were little, I didn't dress them in identical outfits but in things similar to what you see in the picture that follows. Up until now, I haven't realized how much bigger than Miss B that young man is getting to be!

Then yesterday, on their actual birthday, they exchanged the gifts they'd chosen for each other. It was so sweet to me how each of them thought about & chose (with their own money, no less) something special that they knew would be appreciated. For dinner last night, I fixed something that Miss B especially likes and made a caramel apple cheesecake that Charlie requested. It was quick though, so that we could do our normal Wednesday night stuff (youth group, nursery, choir, etc...).

I'll leave you with a picture of the cheesecake....Enjoy!

Pink Saturday/Giveaway Winner!!

2009-10-23T20:33:00.016-04:00

To celebrate Pink Saturday, today I'm showing you this sweet little pink vase that was my Mother's. I don't think I ever knew where it came from; maybe if my brother reads this part of the post he'll have some idea and will let me know. I like knowing where things have been and how they get from place to place...one of my quirks. The vase must as old as I am. The beautiful lady with the pink rosy cheeks is my Mom; it's my understanding that this picture was taken before she ever met my Dad.
Here's a close-up of the mirrored tray. Actually, everything on it was my Mom's. By the time I came along the lipstick was old but she kept it as a memento of something (I think) in her jewelry box. I remember on Halloween she'd use it to brighten up my cheeks.

And here's a tray of baubles that appeal to me. They're all second-hand. I especially like the man in the frame--that's Dr. Love.

After this week, I'm planning to take a short break from posting for Pink Saturday. But I'm sure that I'll still visit all you Pinkies and I'll post again in time. We all owe a great deal to Beverly at How Sweet The Sound who takes time each week to email all 150+ of us and then puts together and posts the list of participants. THANK YOU Beverly!

Regarding my giveaway, I appreciate every one of you who took the time to visit my Etsy shop and offer encouragement and suggestions. Because of your input, I'm working on my policies, having a banner done and adding better pictures of the nursing aprons. I've also added a few new things and later this week I'll have a table runner similar to my giveaway and some pot holders from the same fabric.

Because so very many of you commented, I am giving away both the apron and the runner!!

So without further ado, let's join Dr. Love as he pulls the winner's names:

The winner of the pink nursing apron is:
Sandi @ My Yellow Door! Sandi's blog is Rose Chintz Cottage & Inspirations. Congratulations Sandi! Please drop me an email with your address information so that I can get your nursing apron mailed out to you this week.

And, the winner of the table runner is:

Candy! Her blog is Rock Candy. Congratulations Candy! Please drop me an email with your address information so that I can send your table runner to you.

That's it for this week. Wishing you all a Happy Pink Saturday!

Hugs, Leslie

Giveaway-LAST Day to Enter!

2009-10-23T10:12:00.005-04:00

Woohoo! My Dear Readers, you far exceeded the 50 entries that I'd hoped to have for my Etsy Shop opening giveaway! Because of YOU, I'm giving away both the nursing apron and the table runner (previewed here in it's unfinished state). If you haven't entered, click here to get all the information you need. Don't forget, this giveaway closes at 7:00 EST tonight!

The winner will be announced tomorrow in my Pink Saturday post.
Happy Weekend!
Leslie

Red Wednesday/Don't forget my Giveaway!

2009-10-21T07:28:00.008-04:00

I've been more or less following Red Wed-nesday hosted by Sue at It's A Very Cherry World for a few weeks. Every week I think that I'm going to join in and then I get lazy. Well today's the day!

I have something red in almost every room in my home. I found this little basket in it's original brown wicker at Goodwill for pennies. I like the shape of it and how the handle is low. When I redecorated this bathroom at the end of the summer around the toile shower curtain that a friend gave me (thank you Cheryl!), I knew that red was the obvious choice to add a little punch to the black/white/tan mix.

For those of you new to my blog, I'm doing a giveaway that closes Friday, October 23rd to celebrate the opening of my Etsy shop. Click here to go to my original giveaway post and enter!

Thank you Sue for hosting all the red fun!
Hugs, Leslie

Pink Saturday/Etsy Shop GIVEAWAY!

2009-10-16T18:19:00.009-04:00

It's Pink Saturday once again hosted by sweet Beverly over at How Sweet The Sound. Check out her blog for a list of all of this week's participants!

This week I opened my Etsy shop with a very small selective assortment of vintage dishes and hand-made nursing aprons. It seems to me that I'm never able to pass up a pretty dish at a next-to-nothing price but then it sits in my cupboards. So I listed all of my orphans on Etsy. I don't know why but I think that nursing aprons are the next best thing to...well, to nursing I guess! I so wish I'd have had one back when my own kids were nursing...they never liked being under a hot blankie and I didn't like knowing I could be exposed at any moment if they grabbed it & pulled!

Here's an example of the nursing aprons. They are made from woven cotton and have boning at the neckline so that Momma can see baby as he/she feeds. The closure is a set of D-rings; impossible to accidentally remove. They have two small pockets on the lower corner to hold onto pacifiers, etc... and they are completely machine wash & dry.

Here's the GIVEAWAY info:

The apron that Miss B is modeling in the picture above is one that I made in pink especially for Pink Saturday. Now, I know that not all of us can use one of these handy-dandy aprons ourselves and we might not have someone in mind to gift it to. So I have something else in the works as well involving this fabric: I'm envisioning something in a table runner. I adore the harlequin pumpkin fabric and purchased it especially for this (giveaway) purpose.

So here's the deal: I'd like to have at least 50 different individuals leave me comments! If that happens, I will give away both the apron and the table runner so I'll need to know which you'd like to win. And if you win the apron but would rather have one that's more boyish in color, I'm willing to make one up in blue in lieu of sending the pink one.

for 1 ENTRY - go to my Etsy shop, SmallPeoples House, and take a look around; then come back and leave me a comment about what you like/don't like about my shop or the items currently for sale (not enough selection? prices too high?). Let me know also if you'd like the nursing apron or the table runner that I plan to make. Don't be afraid to leave constructive criticism...I'm new to Etsy and welcome your input.

for a SECOND ENTRY - sign up to follow my blog; leave me a comment that you did. If you are currently a follower, leave me a comment to remind me.

for an ADDITIONAL FIVE ENTIRES - post about my Etsy shop and giveaway on your blog and link back to my blog; leave me a comment that you did this.

I'm going to leave this giveaway open until Friday, Oct. 23rd at 7:00 PM EST. At that time Miss B will help me draw the winner's names and their name(s) will be included in next Saturday's Pink Saturday post.

I think I covered everything. Happy Pink Saturday!

Hugs, Leslie

GIVEAWAY Tomorrow!

2009-10-16T09:05:00.004-04:00

Hello everyone,
I'm planning a giveaway tomorrow in celebration of my new ETSY shop and Pink Saturday! Please check back to enter!
See you then,
Leslie

SmallPeoples House ETSY Shop

2009-10-14T14:54:00.003-04:00

I'm so excited! I spent yesterday sewing up some nursing aprons to try my hand at selling on ETSY. Today I photographed them and added them, along with a few vintage dishes to my shop. SmallPeoples House on Etsy is officially open for business!

Come on over & check me out :)

Pumpkin Table Runner Tutorial and a Giveaway!

2009-10-14T07:44:00.003-04:00

Judi over at Green Fairy Quilts has written a fabulous tutorial for a really cute table runner that I might even try myself. She's also giving the orange/green one shown in this picture! Hurry up & go check it out for yourself.

Hugs, Leslie

Pink Saturday

2009-10-09T18:57:00.003-04:00

This is Mudgie playing with one of her favorite toys--a pink weiner dog. She really loves all things pink! This picture was taken about a month ago. The reason I chose to post this is because she has been very sad this week.

On Sunday, to show her displeasure for some imagined slight, Mudgie's sister Henry decided that it would be a good thing to use their shared toy basket as a litter box. Although she was caught in the act and punished, the basket & toys had to go because their Momma wasn't about to sift though & decide which toys were wet & which were not.

Then, on Monday a D-O-G came to visit and actually stayed for 3 nights/4 days! It doesn't matter that it was a weiner dog-it was still a dog! And it barked! Mudgie took refuge upstairs.

As to visiting another Pink Saturday member, I didn't get that done this week. But here's a new sight that Mudgie found last week and loves: Daisy the Curly Cat . Go check her out and tell her that Mudgie sent her!

As always, thank you Beverly for hosting the Pink Saturday doings. Please go visit her too for a list of all this week's participants!

Hugs, Leslie

Homecoming Dance

2009-09-26T19:47:00.012-04:00

As you know, Miss B is a Freshman this year and tonight is her very first homecoming dance. She bought her own dress & shoes weeks ago and is meeting up with a group of friends. She's a whiz with nail polish but I treated her to a mani-pedi this afternoon. She wanted to wear her hair down and asked me to curl it. I know that I'm biased, but sometimes when I look at her, I can't believe this beautiful girl is my daughter! God certainly blessed me with her, and I am honored to be her Momma.

The very best part was when she walked over & stood next to her twin brother in her three inch heels and still didn't come close to his height! If you missed my Pink Saturday post, scroll down to see Miss B as a baby.

I love you my sweet girlie!

Pink Saturday

2009-09-25T21:26:00.006-04:00

Another week has gone by and it's time for Pink Saturday again! Our wonderful host Beverly at How Sweet The Sound hosts this for us and it seems like we add more great blogs every week! Last week I visited Mimi at Our Family Attic for the first time and boy, did I find a kindred spirit! And, she visited in return and won my giveaway! Pink Saturday is all about meeting new blog friends and sharing our love of the color pink. Please take time to go see Beverly, scroll down the list of this week's participants and meet someone new yourself!

My pink this week is a photo I came across yesterday while searching for something else. Does that ever happen to you? If you've read my blog much in the past, you're sure to have seen pictures of Miss B and maybe even one or two of Charlie. Well, this picture is from Easter of 1995 when they were 6 months old. I still have both of their Easter outfits and they both got quite a laugh when I brought them out last night. I love the delicate smocking on Miss B's dress and her pink baby lips.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend and a happy Pink Saturday! Hugs, Leslie

A Quilter's Giveaway

2009-09-21T20:35:00.005-04:00

Judi over at Green Fairy Quilts has a fantastic giveaway going on. It includes her new pattern, seen here, and the fabric needed to make it. You'll just have to supply your own background & binding. Head on over there to enter!

Hugs, Leslie

What Makes My Life Better/Giveaway Winner!

2009-09-21T11:48:00.009-04:00

My Pink Saturday post this week was the question "What makes your life better?" and a giveaway of the pink pillow shown along with that post. A huge THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to comment and answer my question. Many of your answers listed the company of your husbands, children, grandchildren, extended family and friends. Some of you enjoy your pets (doggies & kitties) and/or your hobbies such as reading, listening to music, and creating homemade things. A few of you listed your home and it's location, your health and a good cuppa' of coffee. Some of you mentioned God and your relationship with Him. I want you to know that I read each of your responses thoroughly and I feel as though I know each of you a bit better!

As promised, now I'm going to tell you what makes my life better.

Nine years ago I was floundering. I was newly divorced with two elementary-aged children and I worked full-time for a funeral home. I'd been at my job for almost 15 years and for the most part it defined who I was. That's not to say that I didn't love my children; but my work was all-important.

I wanted my kids to get some moral teaching and it occurred to me to take them to church. I, myself, had been brought up attending Sunday School and church and even went to a Christian college. Even though I didn't agree with everything I'd learned, I remember being taught to be nice to everyone, not to steal, lie, etc...

I chose a church based on what I knew of their children's ministry and loaded up the kids on a Sunday morning. After taking them to their class, I sat myself down in the auditorim.
It was a bit strange to me. There were no hymnals anywhere and there was a giant screen at the back of the stage. The seats filled in and then some people gathered up on the stage and the singing began. Now, I'd been going to church my whole life and I knew every song in the book backwards & forwards. I knew all 10 stanzas, if there were that many, to all the songs. I knew the harmony parts too. But I didn't know the tune to any of the lyrics showing up on that big screen. I focused on the words...."I'm coming back to the heart of worship, and it's all about You, it's all about You Jesus".....and other similar thoughts.
Then, the pastor got up to give his sermon. I was used to a preacher who found some scripture in the Bible to back up his ideas and then ranted & raved for 45 minutes or so. This guy was different. He read from his Bible and then explained it's meaning as best he could from his own studies of the Greek & Hebrew languages and studies of the cultures at the time the Bible was written. Over the next few months, I continued to attend services there. Instead of being yelled at, I heard about God who loves me for who I am, Who made me the way I am, Who wants me to rely on Him for help. Who, if I'll just give up trying to control eveything myself, will make my life better.

I wrestled for quite a long time. I like to be in charge. I like to know how things are going to turn out. I like to make them turn out my way! I slowly began to pray, not even really knowing how to start. And I began reading my Bible, not understanding it all that much. My heart changed and as it did, I could see signs of becoming a better Mom. I stopped yelling at my kids and even began to have some patience with them! My priorities changed and with it my life became much more fulfilled. I discovered a purpose to all the motions I'd been going through.
My attitudes changed. Instead of living here on earth for myself and my own intentions, I began a relation with the Creator of this Universe. Not because He is going to zap me for my sin, but because He loves me in spite of my sin.

And that's it. I love my husband, my family, and my friends. I enjoy my home and the city where I reside. I love my kitty-girls and the laughter and comfort they provide. I enjoy reading and sewing and decorating my home and cooking (but NOT cleaning!) and listening to music. I appreciate my good health. All of these things add pleasure and meaning to my life. But, for me, I realize that all of these are blessings from God.

I hope you realize that I've written this with love to you, my dear blog readers. It is not my intent to preach to you. Just to share, as friends, a little conversation. Thank you again for letting me know what matters to you!

And now, back to the giveaway' I used this random number generator to determine my giveaway winner. So, without further ado, the winner of my Pink Saturday pillow is (horns blowing, drums beating)....Mimi! If you have time, go check out one of her 4 blogs....my favorite is this one. And Mimi, please be sure to contact me by email with your address so that I can send you your prize!

Grace & Peace,
Leslie

What Makes Your Life Better? and my First Giveaway!

2009-09-18T20:13:00.006-04:00

Last week I visited several Pink Saturday posters that I'd never been to before. One I found that I really like is CollectIn Texas Gal. It was her first time to participate and she a four-generation story of sewing. She's in again this week & I've already peeked at her current Pink Saturday post. Get on over there, it's good!

To celebrate Pink Saturday this week, I'm offering you, my dear readers, the chance to tell me the things that make your life better. Current things, past things, things that cannot be touched and things that can. Whatever comes to your mind, leave me a comment & let me know! And because I just passed my 100th post, If you comment, I'll put your name in a drawing to win the pillow pictured here. And probably a little somethin' else too. If you're a follower of my blog, I'll add your name a second time. Not a follower already? Sign up! I plan to write a post on Monday, September 21st about the things that make my life better and I'll announce the winner at the end of the post. So the giveaway is open until Monday at 9:00 A.M. EST.

Love Pink? Gotta' have more of it? Go see Beverly at How Sweet the Sound. She organizes and hosts Pink Saturday every week for us all to enjoy. Thank you Beverly!!

Hugs, Leslie

You'll Get Your Quilt!

2009-09-18T10:10:00.004-04:00

One Sunday after church, a Mother asked her very young daughter what the lesson was about. Her daughter answered, "Don't be scared, you'll get your quilt." Needless to say, the Mother was perplexed.
Later in the day, the pastor stopped by for tea and the Mother asked him what her daughter's Sunday school lesson was about. His answer: "'Be not afraid, thy Comforter is coming!"

DIY Thursday - sconce makeover

2009-09-17T08:12:00.009-04:00

This is my first time to participate in DIY day at Kimba's A Soft Place to Land. I follow Kimba's blog and enjoy seeing what everyone does but I usually haven't taken pictures of my own projects to share.

I painted the sconces in my hallway. I forgot to take a before photo but you can see the gold (brass?) in this picture of the bracket & globe:

Here's how it looks now on the wall. I left off the nasty brackets. I think these were hanging facing down when Dr. Love took them off for me and I wasn't here when he put them back up last night. I was thinking to try them this way though, so I'm glad he faced them up--they provide much more light this way.

Here's the celiling light that's in proximity to the sconces. It's coming down tonight and getting the black treatment too. (yes, I'll clean off the cobwebs first)

Thank you Kimba for hosting DIY Thursday!

Hugs to you all, Leslie

Pay It Forward

2009-09-16T08:50:00.006-04:00

Amy over at Obsessive Creative Disorder is hosting a Pay it Forward event. Following are the rules, copied straight from her blog:

"Who doesn't love new, beautiful, unique handmade items? How about if you could get that new, beautiful, unique handmade item for free? How about if you then shared your talents with others? Now I know that last one sometimes makes people nervous...but I know there are enough of you out there that are up to the challenge. So please, read on and leave a comment. For all bloggers who leave a comment with blog address or email on this post and commit to do the same pay-it-forward on their blogs I will do the following:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I send you. But you may be pleasantly surprised.
2. What I send will be made just for you, with love, by my own hands. You'd be surprised how much of our personalities come through online.
3. I will complete all gifts this year - 2009 (scary I know!).
4. I will not give you any clue what it’s going to be. It will be something made in the real world, that you can touch and feel, and not something cyber.
5. I reserve the right to do something strange. It may be weird or beautiful. Or it may be monstrous and annoying. If you find it truly horrendous, just let me know. Perhaps you'll send it forward to someone who will absolutely love it.
6. In return, all you need to do is post this text on your blog and make 5 things for the first 5 to respond to your blog post (one for each).
7. Send your mailing address - after I contact you to confirm. I am willing to post overseas (I am in the US)."

So that's it. Leave me a comment and, if you are one of the first five, I will send you a gift handmade by me just for you. In return, you must link to Amy's blog (and to mine), post the original rules, and agree to send a handmade gift to the first 5 people who comment on your post.

Sounds easy, doesn't it? And fun? My favorite rule is #5 which (paraphrased) says "If you don't like it, I'm okay with that. Give it to someone else who will either abhor it also or could very well have worse taste than you and absolutely love it!"

Game on!
Leslie

Pink Saturday

2009-09-11T17:15:00.007-04:00

I was walking around the house with my camera in hand just a few minutes ago, looking for something pink to catch my eye for this post. Miss B stopped me to watch a video of a song that she really likes. I like it too so I decided to add it to this post and since I was able to add a pink border to it, I'm letting it stand on it's own. Please take three minutes and watch/listen to it--I promise it's worth your time! Before you play it, scroll down to the bottom of my page & pause my playlist.

Don't forget to go visit Beverly at How Sweet The Sound for the official list of all this week's Pink Saturday participants!

A Bracelet Giveaway

2009-09-10T17:09:00.007-04:00

Marie at lemondropvintage is having a giveaway. She's made a wonderful charm bracelet full of vintagey things sprinkled in & among some newer things. Go ahead & check out her blog & enter to win...just don't get in my way because I really, really hope to win her giveaway! But if you win, I promise to be happy for you. As long as I get to borrow it sometimes!

I wear bracelets more often than I wear necklaces. I don't like matchy-matchy earrings & necklaces and I pick my earrings first. I don't have but a couple go-with-everything necklaces. I wear scarves much more frequently. I do like to add a bracelet or six though! Currently I'm wearing five stretchy beaded ones in reds & blues. I'd wear a dozen of these if I could sit still long enough to make that many. Usually I top out at three or four of one color and move on.

What jewelry do you wear most often? Why?

Vintage or Ugly?

2009-09-09T13:59:00.004-04:00

What do you think of this sofa? A friend of mine who both blogs and frequents Craiglist posted it along with some commentary on how to preview pictures on Craiggy without having to click on the whole post. She titled this an ugly sofa.
I commented by wondering what it says about me that I like this sofa (but the orange carpeting has to go) and another friend commented back that she just knew I would and she called me a Vintage Vamp!
I kinda' like that (can you see me smiling?).

Friday Treasures

2009-09-04T13:19:00.013-04:00

As I mentioned yesterday, Dr. Love has today off from work. We went together this morning to drop off Charlie at school and run some errands.

We started with breakfast at IHOP where I had the stuffed french toast with strawberry topping and I sneaked some of the Dr.'s hashbrowns to go with them. Yum!

Then we stopped to get the oil changed in the van, got the chemicals needed to close the pool for the winter, stopped at a few garage sales (bless his heart!), went by the library, stopped at Goodwill (isn't this a neat-o sewing/Christmas thingy?!), stopped at a few more garage sales (he has LOTS of gold stars today!), then finished by opening up a separate account for SmallPeoples House where I deposited my first paycheck. That was exciting!

The following goodies are from our stop at Goodwill:

an 8" Berenguer vinyl babydoll for 99 cents

2 vintage Playskool puzzles for $1.99.

Both of these items are for SmallPeoples House, of course!

Once again, enjoy Labor Day!

Leslie

My Week

2009-09-03T16:30:00.017-04:00

Since tomorrow is a holiday for my dear Dr. Love, today is officially the end of my week! I was very busy...SmallPeoples House (my new in-home childcare business got off the ground, I did some sewing and I tried three new recipes (no, I haven't ironed anything this week).

Here's a picture of the flowers Dr. Love brought home to me. He knows that I looooooove tulips, and slightly used flowers (these were the centerpiece at a dinner he attended) don't bother me in the least (I worked for a funeral home & got "used" flowers all the time!). These white tulips are particularly beautiful to me, especially against my red wall.

Here's a couple of pictures of the new pillow slipcovers that I did (except for the crocheted-looking one):

I gave myself a pat on my back for thinking to remove the previous cover on that bolster, tear it apart and use it for a pattern!

And here are SmallPeoples House pictures:

My $15 Craigslist changing table with the new changing pad I purchased and a .99 cent Henry the Octopus toy from Goodwill.

The $1.00 garage sale high chair with the towel that I used for a bib. I need to sew ties onto it!

Two of four gates to limit access around the house. The wooden gate I purchased new to fit the wide entryway to the game room where there are numerous Legos and other assorted choking-sized toys. The plastic gate keeps my second story off-limits and was $1.00 at the same garage sale as the high chair.

Toys, all from Goodwill or Once Upon A Child. The basket has a bunch in it too.

Little Missy K's favorite toy (I like it, too!):

And, best of all, our napping chair!

Wishing you all a wonderful Labor Day Weekend!

Grace & Peace,

Leslie

SmallPeoples House

2009-09-01T13:05:00.006-04:00

It's September 1st and the official opening day of SmallPeoples House! Today was a short & easy day: I had only Miss K and only for 31/2 hours. After her Mommy left, we played a bit, had a snack of strawberries, bananas, orange bell pepper & dry cereal. Then we had a little walk outside where we looked at some flowers and picked up a leaf. After a diaper change (every girl likes to be clean!) we read a book for a while and then Miss K fell asleep in my lap. She got in a good 1/2 hour before Mommy came to get her. Everything went well and now she officially my first "client!" I get to visit with her again on Thursday.

SmallPeoples House is my new childcare busi.ness, operating in my ho.me. In order for us to be able to send Charlie to a pr.ivate school, I need to ea.rn an inco.me too. I am excited about this new venture.....way better in my book than having to dress a certain way, be to work on time & take orders from someone else! I have another client lined up....he's a 1 1/2 week newborn and he'll start coming when his Momma goes back to work in November.

And now, I'm ready for my nap!
Leslie

Pink Saturday

2009-08-28T07:52:00.011-04:00

These hydrangeas are from last summer. We moved into this ho.me in July of 2007 and the hydrangeas that were here didn't bloom at all. I told Dr. Love while standing next to them in the fall that if they didn't bloom in '08 I was going to pull them out. Wouldn't you know, they had big, beautiful, gorgeous pi.nk blossoms! This year, only one had blooms and they were puny. Shall I threaten them again? Or just rip 'em out?!

Beverly at How Sweet The Sound continues to host Pi.nk Saturday for all of us pi.nk-lovers. Every week she contacts the over 150 bloggers who participate and complies a list of links to add to her own Pi.nk Saturday post. Head on over to her blog to find links to the rest of us. And leave her a little appreciation comment too.

I tried to visit some new folks this time and one of the blogs I found is Kat Collects. I like this gal very much! She lives in Washington state (which I love), has a son in the milit.ary along with a 14 year old daughter and has an eye for vintage, flowers, arch.itecture and various other interests that match mine :). Go visit her and tell her I sent you!

Leslie

Look Mom, He Followed Me Home!!

2009-08-27T07:35:00.002-04:00

One of my favorite websites is Awkward Family Photos. I surf there every few days and almost always at least one of the photos cracks me up. Like this one.

A Shirt Story

2009-08-26T10:58:00.009-04:00

Back when Dr. Love and I were preparing for marriage, one of the things we discussed was our budget. We both were working full-time and one of the things we included in the budget was the cost of taking his dress shirts to be done at the cleaners. We had an agreement that I would never have to iron his shirts.

After a year or so of marital bliss we decided that I would (could!) quit working and we worked on our budget again. Needless to say, one of the things that would have to get slashed was the cost of our dry cleaning. To me, ironing became a small price to pay for getting to stay home! So I purchased a nice iron and a wonderful over-sized ironing board.

That was five years ago. Thus begins my shirt saga. Now, Dr. Love has many shirts and for this I am eternally grateful. Because for some reason I can't keep up with the ironing! Is there enough time in the week? Yes. Do I enjoy having 10-15 shirts staring at me from the bottom of his hamper? No. Sometimes they get washed & hang for weeks in the laundry room all forlorn until I finally get around to pressing them. Sometimes the very last shirt is taken off the hangar from the closet one morning and the next morning I am hurriedly ironing a shirt from the laundry room toput on his back that day!

To add to this ironing chaos, my son now attends a school with a dress code. He must wear a collared shirt (tucked in and belted) every day. He's allowed to wear polo shirts except on chapel days when he must wear a tie. Does he wear polos? No. He prefers dress shirts. And I lobbied and willingly signed him up for this! The bright spot in this particular part of the shirt saga is that I am teaching him to iron for himself (something hubby can very well do but what kind of wife would I be if I allowed that?!). I've started small: he irons one of his shirts each time I'm ironing them. He's been warned that we'll be working up to his doing his own ironing. Ironically, he's worn a polo shirt every day this week!

It is with great pleasure that I direct your attention to the picture at the top of this post as there's a good end to my story: this morning I knocked out six shirts and,except for the shirt that Dr. Love is currently wearing at work, for the first time EVER I'm caught up!!!!! And lest you get the idea from the picture that I'm analytical, I arranged them by color to make you laugh.

Here's the cliffhanger: Will I work hard to stay caught up OR will I take eight weeks off? Tune in..............

Tuesday Ramblings

2009-08-25T13:31:00.012-04:00

I just read a great post by Brenda at Cozy Little House about home decorating entitled "What Does Our Home Say About Us?" and it started me thinking.

I'm drawn to old stuff. Not antique furniture, just old junk. But my house is filled with the things that I love (my apologies to Randy Travis). Old things that once belonged to my Mother; vintage finds given to me by friends who "just knew" that I would appreciate that particular bric-a-brac; pretty things that I find interesting... A friend once told me that my decorating style is "interesting." Sadly, I took that as a personal criticism and every so often I bring that back up and chew on it again. But really, what's bad about being interesting?!

More important to me than what my home reflects about me is what does my life reflect about me? I say that I love God more than anything & anyone : does that show in my day-to-day life? Can Dr. Love, Miss B & Charlie get a glimpse of Him? What about the people who live on my street or those I run into at the grocery store, library, Goodwill? Sometimes I get so caught up with "being" the right person or "doing" the right things that He is nowhere to be found! Please forgive me Lord Jesus for my selfishness, renew my heart one more time and help me to live my life for You!

On another note, here's a slideshow of my sun room. I think Dr. Love & I have finally gotten those pesky old tins to stay perched above the windows. A little fishing line, a few self-stick velcro coins.... Most of the tins once contained Mrs. Steven's candy. Her company was in business in Chicago from the early 1900's through the early 1960's as far as I can tell. The glass fishing weights are from our family vacation is Seattle a few years ago; they've been in a bowl on my coffee table and were finally hung this weekend. The leaves windchime is one that Dr. Love picked up many many years ago when he was traveling internationally for his job. He had never unwrapped it and I was pleased to find & hang it for him to enjoy! The sweet little gourd birdhouse was made by and given to me as a birthday gift this year by a friend. All of my plants have to be out of Mudgie's reach...she is a real plant afficianado and every time she manages to taste one she gets sick on my carpeting! The last picture is of Henry-she is more skittish than Mudgie is so I don't have a chance to snap a picture of her face very often.
If you'd like, you can play "I Spy" as you watch....find some dust, a toy gun, a pair of flip-flops, some nail polish, an ant trap and a paint color sample.

Grace & Peace,
Leslie

Pink Saturday

2009-08-21T21:46:00.009-04:00

Beverly at http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/ always hosts Pink Saturday for us. Click the link to go to her blog and find a list of this week's participants. Great job Beverly and Thank you!

I have three pictures for this week's edition. This first one is my new family room window treatment. The fabric was $4/yd at Wal-Mart and a kind friend sent me some muslin that she picked up thrifting so I used that for the lining. I'm very happy with how it turned out. I have big plans for that room....new paint on the walls and some slipcovers for that blue love seat & ottoman and the matching couch.

This next picture is the cake at the wedding reception I attended last Saturday. I like how the couple's first initials are shown in the frosting and I think the K (which is the first initial of their last name) as a topper is very elegant.

Lastly, I met this sweet baby boy tonight for the first time...he's about 40 hours old! I'll have to come up with a blog name for him as I'll get to have him every day to play with when his Mommy goes back to work in November.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Leslie

Gift Exchange!

2009-08-18T08:25:00.006-04:00

I am participating in my very first gift exchange and while I'm a little nervous about it, I'm also excited! I've been seeing these swaps/exchanges every so often while surfing my favorite blogs and each time I wonder how to be a part of one. So I'm thrilled to be "in" on the ground floor. To learn more about this particular exchange just click the button on my sidebar! I'm looking forward to putting some goodies together and meeting my receiver. Thank you Alexis of My Mama Made It for hosting this exchange!

Leslie

Pink Saturday

2009-08-14T07:52:00.023-04:00

This can't be me...I would NEVER wear shoes that clunky! Although I did purchase yet another pair of pink shoes yesterday: a fabulous pair of Carlos Santana faux-alligator leather with kitten heels and extremely pointed toes in the palest of pink. Oh, and I found them at Goodwill! (never worn!)

My baby girl entered high school on Thursday. She can't be that old, can she?! Just yesterday I sent her off to kindergarten! On Wednesday, before a stint at the mall, I took her to meet up with Dr. Love for a special lunch. We talked about how her life is changing--gaining new priviledges and the responsibilities that go along with them; we talked about how we love and support her, etc... And then, are you ready for this? (I wasn't!) Then, she brought up that dreaded word....DATING! And I sat there thinking to myself "maybe God could call her to a life of singleness." Except, well, I DO want some grandbabies someday.

Anyway, Happy Pink Saturday! Please visit Beverly at http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/ for a list of 150+ Pink Saturday posts. While I can't visit every blog that posts for PS, I try to visit all the first-timers and then choose some at random each week. Make sure you leave Beverly a sweet comment...she works very hard to moderate Pink Saturday for us! Thank you Beverly!

Bridal Shower Gifts

2009-08-08T13:09:00.016-04:00

Last Saturday I attended a bridal shower for my best friend's daughter who is getting married next week. My friend and I have been "besties" since kindergarten.....40 years! For a shower gift, I made some seasonal table runners & potholders and then added a cookbook that I think is phenomenal for a new cook. When I was going through my mother's wedding things, I found an unused, still in cellophane, shower gift card. Instead of using the original (shown in the picture), I copied it and cut it with deckled scissors to attach to my package.
Enjoy!

Christmas

Patriotic

Spring/Summer

Fall (no potholders, that's the back folded over)

My friend and I (sitting), the bride in white, my daughter in red

Pink Saturday/VACATION!

2009-07-31T19:55:00.011-04:00

My apologies in advance to Mimi & Bebe for posting a picture they consider less than flattering!

As tomorrow is our first official day of vacation, I think it's fitting to show this picture from the Flope Family Vacation circa 2007. After all, Miss Mimi Flope is wearing her pink shirt!

Every family is normal until you spend an hour with them and we are no exception. We have several idiosyncrisies--one of them is that we have many nicknames for each other. The year this picture was taken, Miss B's friend Miss L was able to accompany us for the week and we were treated to her incredible sense of humor. She fit right in with us and The Flope Family was born.

This year, we've decided to do a "staycation" of sorts instead of spending a week in "Up North" Michigan as we usually do. We're very excited that Miss L is joining us again! We are blessed to have our own pool, a hammock and a nice firepit so we'll make use of those. We plan to spend a day in Ohio at King's Island and will also have a morning of jet-skiing here locally.

So Happy Pink Saturday everyone....be sure to check out Beverly's blog at http://http//howsweetthesound.typepad.com/ for more PINK!

Leslie

Monday Ramblings

2009-07-27T10:19:00.006-04:00

It's a nice, slow Monday here. Sunny and 74 degrees....maybe the pool will get warmed up this week!

Miss B went to work with Dr. Love this morning. This week, in the afternoons, he's heading up a preschool Entrepreneurship Academy. That in itself is a long story! Last year he made an appearance, took off his shoes & suitcoat and sat down to read excerpts from "Oh, The Places You'll Go!" by Dr. Seuss to the kidlets. This year, he's in charge of the whole kit & kaboodle! He has a tremendously wonderful assistant though and she's got everything organized & ready to go. Plus he has Miss B helping today.

My newest grandnephew was born on Saturday. He is the #2 son of my #1 nephew. If you're confused, see this post: http://contentedinwestlafayette.blogspot.com/2009/06/my-older-brother-is-9-years-my-senior.html I've seen pictures of the new baby on facebook and he's beautiful! Congratulations Matthew & Alana!

I had a really nice weekend. On Friday evening our neighbors, the J's, came for dinner and we had BBQ ribs from the grill, sweet corn on the cob, baked potatoes, some wonderful homemade bread that Mrs. J made and fresh fruit. We taught them how to play Polish Poker and they taught us "31."
Saturday we were able to sleep in and then spent the day hanging with the kids. We played some cards and a couple of other games, had yummy crab legs for dinner (with leftover sides from the night before) and took a walk together. Then we sat in the backyard and had a nice fire.
I DID NOT want to get up for church yesterday morning and I dragged my feet into Sunday School. The lesson was entitled "Finding Hope in the Promises of God" and was based on
1 Corinthians 10:13. I was encouraged as one class member talked about "the way to escape" for her being obedience. The class also sparked some discussion between Dr. Love and I about temptations vs. trials and I always enjoy when we talk about scripture together. Then, our church service was great too: the music portion touched my heart and prepared me to listen to the next lesson in Pastor Viars' series on "Hope in Growing From Your Past." You can download or get a podcast of it here: http://www.faithlafayette.org/SermonFiles.aspx As one who tends to wallow in the past, I needed to hear how to move on!
Yesterday afternoon we watched a couple of 24 episodes from season 3 and then went to Happy Hollow Park and walked/hiked/played for a bit. We stopped at Jimmy John's and took our sandwiches to another park before heading home to sit in the backyard again.
All in all, it was just nice to relax and be together!

My laundry is going and I have a sewing project to finish up this week for a shower gift. Just in case the recipient reads this blog, I won't post pictures until after Saturday. But please stop back after that to see what I've been working on as I'm tickled at how it's turning out!

My friend Beth started a new blog (her first!) this week. You can visit her here: http://bethrider.blogspot.com/.

Have a great week everyone!
Grace & Peace,
Leslie

Zoo Photos for Pink Saturday

2009-07-23T13:53:00.012-04:00

At the beginning of our Louisville Zoo visit (see my previous post), the tram we were taking back to the gorilla exhibit passed a flock of flamingos. Dr. Love promptly said, "there's your Pink Saturday post for this week" and gave me the idea to capture every pink thing I saw that day. Okay, not every pink thing....only flowers & animals. I don't think the general public wearing pink crocs & what-not would've appreciated being the subject(s) of my blog. I slipped in some non-pink vegetation as well that I found interesting.

Thank you Beverly at http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/ for hosting Pink Saturday! Click on her link to find the list of all this week's 100+ participants.

Leslie

My Surprise Adventure

2009-07-22T09:34:00.010-04:00

My wonderful husband planned a surprise adventure for me while our kids were on their own trip to Texas. For several days in a row he either gave me one clue or let me ask one question about his plans. That in itself was very special; he knows me well enough to know that I'd fully enjoy the mystery and the clues. Then on Saturday, when I'd had enough, he told me our destination: the Louisville Zoo. Sometime in the past I'd mentioned that "someday" I'd like to visit a zoo without any kids with me so that I could sit and watch the gorillas for as long as I wanted. He researched and found that Louisville has a spectacular gorilla exhibit!

We drove down to Louisville (about 3 hours) on Sunday late afternoon, checked into our hotel and then scouted around for dinner. We prefer local places over national chains and we found a great one: http://www.johnesrestaurant.com/. I had a petite fillet and Dr. Love enjoyed a ribeye.

Monday morning we headed for the zoo and went straight to the gorilla exhibit. I wasn't able to take any pictures....the gorillas were inside and I couldn't get anything through the glass. I don't know how long we stayed there but I was thrilled to just sit & watch them. They all seemed to be particularly taken with the thousands of cheerios scattered around....they picked through all the greens & veggies to pick them up, one at a time. The male gorilla was appropriately named Timmy! After the gorillas, we alternated between taking the tram and walking through the rest of the exhibits.

We left the zoo in the late afternoon and drove by Churchill Downs so that Dr. Love could see it, but he had no interest in the museum. We also drove through Old Louisville and looked at the architecture-something else I enjoy. We decided to travel through French Lick on our way home and stopped at this great place in Leavenworth, Indiana for dinner http://www.theoverlook.com/. From our table we watched barges going up & down the Ohio River as well as a flock of about 20 goldfinches at a feeder all at once! We both had their fried chicken and homemade biscuits and we shared a homemade blackberry cobbler with ice cream. So good!

We stopped for the night at a tiny wayside motel in Paoli and then came on home yesterday morning. It was so fun to get away together and I feel so very loved and cared for by Dr. Love!

I have a few more pictures from the zoo that I'm saving for Pink Saturday this week so be sure to stop back by then!

Pink Saturday

2009-07-17T18:23:00.003-04:00

Beverly at http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/ is once again hosting Pink Saturday. Please click the link to visit her and find the list of this week's participants.

This is the first clothing item I've made for myself in quite a few years. After doing a bit of sewing for Miss B, I decided it was time to try. I especially like my pink shoes. I picked them up on clearance at Macy's last spring for under $20.

Enjoy Pink Saturday!

Mini Vacation

2009-07-05T23:14:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow, after book club of course, Miss B, Charlie & I are heading up to Wisconsin for the week to Aunt Joe's home. In & around our visiting we plan to work on our quilting projects. Aunt Joe has something special for Miss B to sew on. Charlie is looking forward to fishing in her pond as well as exploring in her woods.
I won't be able to participate in Pink Saturday this week but I plan to visit those of you who do!
See you next week!
Leslie

Pink Saturday/Independence Day

2009-07-03T19:27:00.006-04:00

It's Pink Saturday once again. And Happy Birthday America! Be sure to head over to Beverly's blog for links to all the celebrators! http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/

Two years ago when we were looking for our home, one of the features that stood out to me was the sunroom. It's heated & air-conditioned and is on the north side of the house where there are a lot of trees so it's really always bright & breezy but never suffers from too much intense sunlight. This little chest was given to me by my friend J, she decopauged it and dressed it up. I had the movers put it in this spot in the sunroom and it hasn't moved from here. I store my sewing & craft stuff in it (but not my fabric....it wouldn't begin to hold that!).
Here's a close-up of the vignette on the top. The plate on the left was a birthday gift from J, the little framed saying was from another friend. I found the pink Lefton vases on the right at an antique store a long time ago and I still love them! The same with the little dark pink powder box (I think that what that is). The little campodimonte basket of flowers is a gift I gave my mother when I was in college. Way in the back is an unused vintage bridal shower giftcard that I found in my Mother's things.

And because it's Independence Day too, I thought I'd show you my entryway vignette:

There you have it. Happy Pink Saturday! Celebrate safely!
Love, Leslie

A Thoughtful Neighbor

2009-07-03T11:13:00.011-04:00

A few weeks ago I helped my neighbor K strip wallpaper from what will be her nursery. She & her husband are expecting their first baby in August. A little backstory: her husband bought the house as a single guy; I think the home was vacant when he purchased it; the rooms he didn't use were left shut up. He & K were married last October. Back to the present: the paper was old & dirty-ish, the carpet was a blue-green horrendus stuff, the window treatments were dusty but I could see that they were beautiful once upon a time and I commented on that as we were taking them down.
So yesterday K called me to come over & view their progress so far. As she was showing me the room, she opened the closet and pulled out a roll of fabric! It's the rest of the bolt that the window treatments were down up in. She found it as she was cleaning her hubby's stuff out the closet and knew that I'd appreciate having it.

I'm lazy and don't want to re-roll the fabric so I don't know how much is here but it looks like a lot!

I tried to figure out just how "vintage" the fabric is. Maybe from the 70's? It doesn't look 80's to me. I'm not sure yet what I'll do with it. I can definately see it in a quilt! I'll be making some baby things for K and will be sure to at least include a small swatch of the fabric someplace on one of them!

Happy Friday and be sure to stop back tomorrow for Pink Saturday!

2009-07-01T16:33:00.014-04:00

Miss B had her last day of summer school today. It was actually a make-up day because she missed the theatre clean-up day on Sunday afternoon. So while she was spending 3 hours on the south side at McCutcheon, Charlie and I scoped out the Goodwill down there and a resale shop or two. He found two shirts, one is collared to wear for school in the fall and the other is a tshirt. Here's a Talbot's (still looks brand new, never worn!) skirt that I scored at GW.

When she was finished and we were on our way home, we noticed a small-ish garage sale. Normally I wouldn't stop but there's been a waste container in the driveway for a few days and from the road it looked as if the house was being cleaned out. It was! I got the following for $7.

The canisters are ceramic and are marked "Holiday Designs, USA." This could just be someone's own trademark. I'll do a search for it in a bit. I know the orange lids are atrocious! I'm not sure that I'll even keep them and if I do, I'll figure out how to paint them the right color red for my country french kitchen. Does anyone know what paint to use? The glass jar is marked on the bottom "Made in Italy Crownford China Co 1966." It's in perfect shape! The letters also had an N, obviously to be used for some directional thing. Someday I'll have a sewing room to call my own and when I do, the ones spelling SEW will go on the wall! Here's another picture of the cannisters without the horrible lids.
I really do have two cats but little Henry-girl is more skittish than her sister and it's harder to snap a photo of her. I've still got this pack & play up in my room for my nephew's return visit on Friday. Mudgie says "I is a baby Momma, I is!"

Giveaway!

2009-07-01T05:51:00.003-04:00

Over at http://candlelitequilter.blogspot.com/2009/06/100th-post-giveaway.html, Lisa is celebrating her 100th post with a great giveaway for us quilters! Click on the link to go there & enter yourself!

6th Anniversary

2009-06-30T08:51:00.003-04:00

As promised, here is the vintage anniversary card I received from Michele. Isn't it pretty?!
Dr. Love and I celebrated with a relaxed weekend. I so enjoy just being in his company whether we're snoozing, sharing a snack from the same plate, catching up on the shows we've DVRed, or whatever.... I am so thankful to God for the blessing of my wonderful servant-leader husband!

Pink Saturday

2009-06-27T00:05:00.012-04:00

It's PINK SATURDAY over at Beverly's blog http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/ and this is my first time to participate. I found PINK SATURDAY last week and enjoyed traveling from blog to blog, getting to know new folks.

My favorite color has always been pink and I appreciate almost every shade of it! Pink is also my favorite color to wear and I've found it goes with almost everything, even red sometimes! And that's good 'cause Dr. Love's favorite color is red.

I've thought all week about what pink item or items I should post for my first-time entry. I thought about my ipod, a little vintage berry dish with roses, a depression glass knock-off filled with a strawberry protein shake, a collection of shirts that my husband & son own, my favorite candle and even a picture of the cats' favorite toy! I decided on my pincushion because I've been doing quite a bit of sewing recently. I love how frilly & girly it is!

So here's my pink for today:

And here's Mudgie with the most-fought-over toy, a pink fuzzy Barbie slipper. It gets carried all around & cried over, tossed up into the air & chased and can frequently be found hidden among my bed linens.

Happy Pink Saturday!
Leslie

Friday Favorites

2009-06-26T08:49:00.010-04:00

I start today with a picture for all you quilt and/or baby lovers. Here's my grandnephew on the first quilt I made. I think he's exactly the finishing touch it needed!
I finally got tired of Charlie looking like a bumblebee (there's no shadow, that's all hair!):
And took him for a haircut. I'm going to have to stay more of top of this when school starts back in the fall!
Finally, I snapped a few pictures of Miss B as she headed out for dress rehearsal for her summer theatre class (she gets 3 credits for this!). The title of the musical is "Back to the 80's". Personally, I think her hair needs to be bigger!

Happy Friday!

Lovely

2009-06-25T09:15:00.003-04:00

Isn't this the prettiest little card? I received it from my dear friend Michele as a thank you note after she visited me from out of state for a few days. I plan to put it in a suitable frame....it will look lovely in one of my vignettes either on my entry table, in my sewing room, maybe in my family room or even for the wall of vintage pictures that I'm planning for my bedroom when I finally paint in there.
Check back Saturday for a gorgeous vintage anniversary card that she sent too.
Michele, thank you for your wonderful friendship!

2009-06-24T10:31:00.010-04:00

My older brother is 9 years my senior and I adored him as I was growing up. My favorite memory is still when he would sit me in the huge newspaper basket on the front of his bicycle and ride me around the small town where we grew up. Most times he would stop and take me into the drug store so that I could choose a few pieces of penny candy. He left for college when I was a 4th grader and got married and moved away when I was in 8th grade. His first son was born when I was a high school Sophomore and his second son followed my Senior year. After I graduated and moved away in the opposite direction, I was able to see those boys a few times each year and we began vacationing together every summer when they were middle school age. I have always loved those boys and during those vacations I developed a respect for them too. I watched them get married to wonderful girls and have sons of their own and I've been blessed to hold those babies too!

Here's a picture of me with nephew #1 in 1981

and with his son, my grandnephew #1 in 2005

Here I am with nephew #2 in 1982

and with his son, my grandnephew #2 earlier this week

If you're reading this guys, I love you!
Auntie Leslie

Happly Father's Day!

2009-06-20T20:29:00.004-04:00

Because Dr. Love has his High School Academy starting tomorrow, we celebrated Father's Day today. He got to sleep in and then be a contestant on his very own game show, created just for him by Miss B. His gifts were homemade and he loved them! Both Miss B & Charlie took turns at the sewing machine to work on their individual gifts. When the race was finished, we spent some time in the pool together & just hung around as a family. All in all, I don't think the good Dr. could have asked for more!
I adore you my wonderful husband, awesome partner and World's Best Pai!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Quilt Top

2009-06-18T08:54:00.003-04:00

Here's my quilt top. Originally I planned it as a lap quilt and it would be done at this point but looking at it spread out last night and conferring with Dr. Love, I decided to add a red border. Now, seeing it laid across my bed to take this picture, I'm thinking it wouldn't take much more after the red border to get it to queen-size. Maybe a strip all the way around of the chinese coin adaptation and then another border of....? I've planned the backing & binding to be one of the red on cream prints from the top. I might need more backing fabric if I make it bigger. Hmmmmmm, what to do?

Does This Look Like a Diaper Bag?

2009-06-17T09:09:00.011-04:00

I found this sweet homemade bag yesterday at Goo.dwill for $3. It looks like it's never been used! Some sweet sewer put lots of effort into it--it's stabilized with interfacing and even has a hard plastic insert (covered by a fabric sleeve, of course), to keep the bottom stable:

Here's a shot of the inside pockets, they are the same on each side. Also, the stripey fabric on the outside is divided into pockets as well.

Miss B says that it looks like a diaper bag, complete with bottle slots on the ends. It measures approximately 10"x15". So should I fill it with baby things for a gift? Or can I get away with using it for a handbag without people wondering if that poor old lady has misplaced her baby?

A Day Well Spent

2009-06-16T08:16:00.004-04:00

I spent most of yesterday leaping from blog to blog, finding a lot of pretty cool ladies with some beautiful quilt & craft projects as well as some gorgeous decorating ideas. I signed up to "follow" many of these blogs and added a blogroll to my own site. So check them out!
Happy Tuesday!
Leslie

Whew!

2009-06-15T07:56:00.021-04:00

Last week was extremely busy! I know that Monday was full but I can't remember with what!

On Tuesday I cleaned the sunroom really well, including all the windows, even the high up ones! I re-arranged the furniture in there too. I also dusted off and in some cases re-arranged & re-attached my tins in there.

My neighbors (and friends!) next door are expecting their first baby in August and on Wednesday I helped scrape wallpaper off the walls in what will be their nursery. Now you know my issues with wallpaper! I prayed the night before, asking God to help it come off and He did! There were only 2 walls and it took up about an hour to strip each wall! Then we washed them with T.SP and did the remaining walls also. They're planning an elaborate "under the sea" theme that should be pretty cute.
I also had a friend of Charlie's overnight whose parents were out of town.

On Thursday a dear long-time friend arrived with her son for an overnight visit. We had a great time catching up and also got in a little thrifting. Here's a not-so-great picture of us:
Friday night was the Greater Lafay.ette Heart Ball and in preparation I had my hair styled at the salon I've finally settled on here after 2 years! In addition to my firend and I receiving complimentary parrafin hand treatments (because I'd pre-booked the appointment on a previous visit) I also received a complimentary make-up touch-up. Which in my case was my entire face done for the evening! That was a huge treat! After a wonderful day of friendship I had a marvelous date with Dr. Love. And, we're famous! A shot of the top of his hair and my back flashed across the local news as they covered the Ball. Good thing my hair looked fabulous!

Earlier in the week I had promised Miss B that I would sew her dress so that she could wear it yesterday. I stayed up pretty late Saturday evening getting it together. I encountered a few things with the pattern that I hadn't done before, and the zipper gave me some trouble too. The end result rivals any store-bought dress, in my humble opinion. Here's a shot of her showing it off before we left for church yesterday morning. She already had the red shoes from a winter outfit and so she chose the fabric to go with them!

At church, Pastor Viars began a new series entitled "Finding Hope From Your Past." This first sermon focused on ways our pasts can benefit us. When he was finished, he challenged us to examine our pasts and make four lists this week: victories, blessings, forgivenesses and failures.

Yesterday afternoon we dropped off Charlie at Purdue's College of Technology TOTAL Camp. He's got a fun week scheduled. Here's a picture of him with his roommate, a nice boy from Merrill.ville.

This week is shaping up to be slower. I'm hoping to work on my quilt most of today. I do have two pair of shorts to sew for Miss B and her 80's prom dress to alter for her theatre class but I'm planning to save those for tomorrow.

I hope you have a great week too!
Leslie

Strippy Bag

2009-06-11T09:41:00.005-04:00

This is the bag that Miss B and I created together. She saw a similar bag at Target that she liked for $20 so we set out to make our own. She picked out the fabrics, made a newspaper pattern of the shape that she was looking for, decided how wide the strips should be and placed them as she wanted. I did most of the sewing except for the strap. The inside is lined with the beige-y fabric. She's been using it to tote her essentials to theatre class in the afternoons.

Tuesday Truth

2009-06-09T12:44:00.005-04:00

Lamentations 3:19-25
"I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.
I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.
Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, 'The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.'
The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;"

Yesterday morning I sat down determined to "do" devotions for the first time in a couple of months. I prayed, confessing a sin that I thought I was done harboring which reared it's ugly head again last week; and asking God to help the knowledge that He wants to spend time with me persnally travel from my head down to my heart. I was reminded that His mercies are new every morning and in searching out that scripture I read the verses before & after it with new eyes. I remember my sins, past & ever-present, and my soul falls; but I have hope because of the LORD's great love for me......HE is my portion and I will hope in Him.

Grace & Peace,
Leslie

One week down...

2009-06-08T15:32:00.017-04:00

three more to go. Miss B is taking two summer school classes, PE & Theatre. So I'm spending quite a bit of time in my car these days and our daily schedule changes from day to day (and if you know me, you know I abhor change!) I've been able to hang out with Charlie one-on-one and that's been pretty cool. And watching Miss B mature a bit is fun too.

Here's the quilt I'm working on. It's not coming together as quickly as I'd like....having to run Miss B here & there twice a day on top of overseeing Charlie along with keeping up with the house doesn't leave me much quilting time. Plus I've done two other projects and have a dress in the works.

This is the fabric for Miss B's dress. I wish I'd seen it first because I love it too!

I ordered four swim components off the clearance page ($35.00 total) at Land's End.com and received free shipping. I had to mix & match tops & bottoms but I think they look alright for backyard swimming. I love the "swim mini" bottoms. I don't feel exposed if I walk around to the front of the house or out to the mailbox.

Miss B needs 3 costumes for her summer theatre class so we scouted our 3 local Goodw.ill stores on Saturday. We may have found the dress she needs for the prom scene; she took it to class with her this afternoon see if it gets approval. I found these sweet little silver pieces and they look great nestled in among the silver candlesticks on my table.

We noticed on Saturday that Charlie continues to get taller. Miss B thought it would be fun to be the Veri.zon bars. Hence this picture.

This bag is probably my best sewing accomplishment this year. Miss B couldn't find an E.lmo backpack for her baby brother's 1st birthday and so we set out to make one from scratch. She purchased the canvas fabric and the zipper and we downloaded the photo from a free internet site and printed it onto heat transfer paper. Miss B added baby bro's name and then I found the red webbing for the back straps. We even sewed pieces of plastic canvas into the large sides & bottom to give it stability. And the whole thing can be thrown in the wash machine!

Charlie Makes Breakfast

2009-05-30T10:37:00.003-04:00

Tears In My Eyes

2009-05-27T16:41:00.005-04:00

Miss B just showed me her final English assignment for the year. The name of the assignment is "I am from poem" and her grade is an A+. After reading through it I immediately hugged her, trying to hold back tears, and asked her permission to post it here on my blog. Enjoy!

I am From a Family-Time Family

I am from a family-time family,
loving to spend time with each other,
and never wishing harm to one another.

I am from an early morning greeting,
waiting for me at the top of my steps,
warmth fills my nose with the sweet scent.
The embrace of chocolate chip pancakes,
cautiously being flipped in the kitchen.

I am from clothes piled high on my desk chair
to hard work put intricately into new pillows and blankets.
Homemade,
they lay sprawled across the corner of my sink-into couch.

I am from friendly neighbors
waving as they stroll down the street.
I am from beautiful tulips,
pushing up through the freshly down mulch.

I am from hungry cats,
crying for food as they peer out the window.
And an anxious puppy down the street,
waiting to be walked.

I am from glorious bonfires
billowing smoke around our house,
to a little neighborly fun challenge of corn toss.
I am from family dinners
every single night,
and lots of family creativity making twist trees during the Christmas season.

I am from many comfort foods
each specialized.
Sautéed mushrooms over pasta, to my brother’s favorite,
steak cake, which is thin chocolate cake,
cut into funny shapes and sizes.

I am from a fishing line
cast shortly from my grandpa’s pontoon.
Drop in, pull out.
Over and over again,
The fish never ceasing.

I am from “Breezy Mareezy” to
“Charlie Bricker,”
My Mom saying her new little slogan,
“Flip that situation—think of a way to make it positive.”

I am from a family like no other.
We are unique in our own special way,
always putting a spin on life,
and looking out for each other’s best interest.

End of the School Year Ramblings

2009-05-26T08:33:00.013-04:00

Today is the last full day of sch.ool....tomorrow is a short day and then "no more cla.sses, no more books..." The summer is pretty much planned to the hilt: Unless God has other things in mind for us, Miss B is taking summer PE & theatre and will be tied up with those for 8 hours every weekday in June. Charlie goes to technology camp at Purdue for a week in June. Dr. Love is busily getting the finishing touches on his High Sch.ool Entrepreneurship Academy that will have him gone for an entire June week too. Towards the end of the month we will have visitors from Alabama. Then in July the kids will be gone on a Texas trip for 12 days. We'll be in Michigan for vacation the first week of August and then school (High School for Miss B!) starts back up the very next Wednesday. Somewhere in there we hope to do a little visiting up in the Region and also get to Wisconsin to see Aunt Joe.

Yesterday was my 45th birthday. I woke up to a big zit on the end of my nose!
Dr. Love and the kids plus Miss M took me to Turkey Run State Park for a day of kayaking (Charlie & I) & canoeing (Dr. Love and the girlies) plus a cook out. We took the short trip so we'd have time for hiking too. I'd never been in a kayak before; now I don't think I'll ever sit in a canoe again! I loved being closer to the water & able to move about the water more freely plus I could stop & look for rocks at will. I really liked having the backrest too! Just as we got to putting the boats in the water the rain began so I don't have any pictures of the actual trip down the creek. It was a nice gentle rain so we weren't too bothered.
Afterwards we changed into dry clothes & headed for the part itself. As Dr. Love started the charcoal, the rain came down in earnest so we huddled around the grill under umbrellas while the hot dogs cooked. Since it was still raining off & on, we decided to not hike on this trip. We did stop & make a reservation to spend one night at the Inn next Memorial Day weekend. After napping (me) on the way home, we leaded up the wash machine & then napped (me & Dr. Love) again! The day ended with Kentucky GRILLED chicken, presents (a red rooster for my kitchen counter and a very generous gift cert.ificate to my local quilt store) and a chocolate cake that Miss B made all by herself.

Our family devotions have moved on to the book of Esther at Miss B's request. Since I finished Beth Moore's 10 week study of Esther back in April, Dr. Love has me co-leading our discussions. Today we talked about Xerxes' command that all husbands should be mas.ters in their own homes and cross-referenced that with the passage in Ephesians that tells husbands to love their wives. We discussed the idea that love is an action, not a feeling. I also brought up the verse that instructs older women to teach the younger ones to love their husbands & children, etc. One of the kids was taken with the idea that loving someone is not always easy. I think we may have more discussion on this topic during dinner tonight.

The robin in the slide show has built a nest on my front porch. I opened the door to take a picture of the chair cushion that I made and saw Momma feeding the babies. She was none to happy with me for intruding and she flew around & chewed me out but good! I'm glad that the nest is high enough to keep the neighborhood cats from accessing it.

Miss B's new skirt took just a couple of hours to make. There's a dress on the way for her too but I need to get some housework done before I start on it. We're also working on a backpack for her 1-year-old baby (1/2) brother. She wanted one with Elmo on it but we couldn't find one in the stores. I'll post pictures of both the dress & the pack when they're finished. I've got a second quilt going too.

I was thrilled to find the rug on Craigslist! I was a bit worried about the color--it looked sort of peachy in the sun. But I think it blends in really nicely with the room and is just right.

Wishing a happy day to you all...Grace & Peace,
Leslie

p.s. Once I posted this, links showed up! I don't like that, so I added some periods in the words. I really do know proper punctuation!

Bragging On My Husband

2009-05-18T07:20:00.007-04:00

Here's the picture of Dr. Love and myself at Saturday night's Indiana Techpoint Mira Awards.
While attending a work-related event on a weekend is not my idea of fun, getting dressed up to go out on my gentleman's arm is always special. I enjoy observing his interactions with his clients (everyone likes him!) and hearing his business acumen. I just think he's the epitome of a man's man: smart & savvy, able to pop the hood on the car, discuss sports and repair a leaky faucet. Not afraid to read directions or research how to do something. Looks equally good in a monkey suit or jeans. Willing to give his time & energy to what he believes in. Above all, a servant-leader who loves God and desires his family to grow closer to Him.
Thank you Dear God, for the man of my dreams!

Tulip Time

2009-05-14T08:11:00.007-04:00

Warning....this slideshow is long on pictures and short on the subjects of the same. I took these about 3 weeks ago when we put down fresh mulch. Since then, the flowers got much more profuse and gorgeous and are now in the throes of death. But the hostas have gotten huge...now Guinivere is barely visible as she peeks over the tops!

My First Quilt

2009-05-12T09:40:00.007-04:00

I finally finished my first quilt! It's a lap quilt done on the machine using a Moda Layer Cake called "Miss Jump's Scrap Bag" for the top and a Thumbleberries print for the back and hand-sewn binding. I started it back in October (I think!) and finished it last week. At first I just sewed together the blocks but after seeing how a nine-patch can be re-arranged, I took it apart and stitched it back together in what I think is called the disappearing nine patch pattern. I wish I would have used a Moda coordinate for the backing. The biggest reason that it took so long to complete is that I was scared of putting together the "sandwich" for the first time and of doing the quilting. My dear (and quilting-experienced) friend Connie visited a month ago and showed me how to do both of those and then I was on my way! I have some other decorating/sewing projects to complete first but I already have plans and material for my next quilt!

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." John 10:27

2009-04-17T08:23:00.014-04:00

These are a few of the sheep who reside in the field behind my back yard.

My random, general observations as I study this picture:
Some are paying attention while others aren't.
Not all of them are tagged.
Some are mangy as they shed their old wool.
Some are feeding.
Some are resting.
Some are paying attention to their own needs.
Some are on the alert for danger.
Some are paying no attention at all.
Some are wandering off.

Did I miss anything?

If I was really industrious, I'd find the Bible verses that correspond with each of my observations. I think I'll go do that now.

Grace & Peace,
Leslie

Friday Favorites

2009-04-10T09:31:00.006-04:00

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2009-03-17T19:39:00.004-04:00

Today is my Dad's (here with Miss B a loooooong time ago!) 5th birthday in Heaven! He is still sorely missed by his fishin' buddies and we all look forward to "someday" when we'll get to see him again!

Date Night

2009-03-16T13:10:00.009-04:00

Friday night was date night here in the Love household. Dr. Love took Miss B and her friend Miss M out to dinner & a movie and then for ice cream. Here they are before they left for the evening:

Charlie and I went out together also. After getting our picture taken (I know I look tired because I'm not wearing makeup but Charlie is an anti-makeup kind of guy!), we went to Vons to check out their array of rocks & minerals. Charlie purchased a cool fossil and I got some beads for a bracelet & earrings. Then we were off to Jimmy Johns for sandwiches before picking up some snacks & settling in at home to rent a movie off of cable. I enjoyed his company and we had a pretty good conversation too!

"The Dress"

2009-03-07T22:28:00.004-05:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I heard those dreaded words....

2009-02-23T06:32:00.007-05:00

"Mom! One of the cats puked! I don't know which one! They're both eating it!"

...and I am reminded how sometimes I return to my own disgusting sins. Oh Lord, wash my heart clean again this morning. Help me to remember where You've rescued me from and delight in YOU today. Amen.

"Jesus Christ, I think upon Your sacrifice
You became nothing
Poured out to death
Many times, I've wondered at your gift of life
I'm in that place once again
I'm in that place once again

And once again I look upon the cross where You died
I'm humbled by Your mercy and I'm broken inside
Once again I thank You,
Once again I pour out my life

Now You are exhalted to the highest place
King of the Heavens, where one day I'll bow
But for now, I'll marvel at Your saving grace
I'm full of praise once again
Oh I'm full of praise once again

And once again I look upon the cross where You died
I'm humbled by Your mercy and I'm broken inside
Once again I thank You
Once again I pour out my life

Thank you for the cross
Thank you for the cross
Thank you for the cross, my friend

And once again I look upon the cross where You died
I'm humbled by Your mercy and I'm broken inside
Once again I thank You
Once again I pour out my life"

Grace & Peace,
Leslie

Frugal Friday

2009-02-20T07:39:00.012-05:00

For the first time ever in my life, I am willingly attempting to spend God's money more wisely in regards to my grocery bill. I've had budgets in the past (and hated it!) due to necessity but for the last several years I have had the luxury of spending whatever I wanted to spend at the grocery store.
Last month I decided to purchase a box of dishwasher detergent instead of my usual package of drop-in action pacs. When I got home I recorded both the price of the box and the price of the pacs. Every time someone filled the detergent cup on the dishwasher, a hash mark was made to keep track of how many uses were in the box.

In the past, I've paid $4.99 for 20 pacs. The box of detergent was $4.49 and I got 40 washes from it. That's a savings of almost $50 over the course of a year....and $50 is a lot of thrift-store shopping!

I haven't purchased cookies for the kids' lunches from the store at all this year. (Although I did buy 3 boxes of girl scout cookies from the sweet little girl on our street.) I'm not sure that I'm saving any money by making my own.....I'm baking 2-3 times each week because Dr. Love & I are more likely to eat the homemade cookies. And I haven't yet tracked how much each batch of cookies costs me because I've been using up my flour, sugar & spice reserves.

I'll keep you posted :)

and yet I'm still a cat person

2009-02-18T10:08:00.006-05:00

Sent to me from Dr. Love. It provided the laugh I needed!

Excerpts from a Dog's Diary......

8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm - Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Milk Bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

Excerpts from a Cat's Daily Diary...

Day 983 of my captivity...

My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.

The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a 'good little hunter' I am. I hate them!

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of 'allergies.' I must learn what this means and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.

The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now ..

a Miss B moment

2009-02-16T10:35:00.004-05:00

If your speakers are turned on, you're listening to "Untitled Hymn (Come to Jesus)" by Chris Rice. Miss B sang this last weekend at the IMEA solo & ensemble competition. Although she credits me with suggesting that she choose this song, I remember it as her deciding on it by herself. However the choice was made, her choir teacher was a bit nervous about a song with such "religious overtones." I was just nervous about her performing a solo at all. She had a cold during the week leading up to the competition and in general didn't seem very sure of herself.
When her time came to take the stage, she had such a sweet, quiet confidence. Her voice was clear and as she sang her love for Jesus was evident. That few moments as she sang will be in my memory for all the rest of my life!

2009-02-06T15:49:00.002-05:00

It's been a week since I shopped for groceries. That's amazing for me to think about. I usually shop on Monday and then end up back towards the middle of the week for something that I forgot or didn't know I was out of. I plan my menus a week at a time and then pick up an extra meal or two while in the store. Then I usually shop

Thankful Thursday

2009-01-29T07:37:00.008-05:00

This morning I am thankful for quite a few things, but I'll just share a couple of them.

#1 I'm grateful for a husband who can (and will) fix things! I thought I had broken off the start knob on my dryer....after Dr. Love opened up the panel, he found it was just loose and had fallen backwards. He re-positioned it, tightened it up, closed up the panel & I'm back in drying business!

#2 I'm grateful for the prayers of friends. Yesterday was another snow day from school. Usually the change in my routine really upsets me but (due to said prayers, I'm sure) instead of getting frustrated, I had the presence of mind to do something with each of the kids. Miss B looked up a sugar cookie recipe on the internet that we tried...very yummy! And, as you can see from the slide show, we had a good time frosting them. Charlie & I played a couple of rounds of ping-pong...he's getting pretty good!

#3 I'm grateful for the book of Proverbs. Dr. Love & I are taking a class on Wednesday nights entitled "Falling in Love with Wisdom." Each week God has used it to tweak my heart. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom."

Grace & Peace,
Leslie

Friendship Weekend

2009-01-27T14:39:00.017-05:00

The D's and the H's visited over the weekend from Bethel-land. We had the most wonderful time! During the week leading up to their visit, us girls were as excited as jr. higher's: planning Saturday's & Sunday's menus ahead of time and deciding who was going to bring what, etc... Since I wasn't home Thursday & Friday, I waited to make my cake until we could all pitch in. Here we are making the frosting:

Doesn't this cake look lovely? Well, it not only looked good, it was the most delicious cake I've ever baked!

Dr. Love and I are both grateful for good friends!

Inauguration Day 2009

2009-01-20T15:05:00.007-05:00

For me, the pinnacle of this monumentous day was when Aretha Franklin took the stage. Was she poised and confident? Yes. Did she sing beautifully? Yes. Did she wear the most awesome hat ever?? YES!! Could I pull off a hat like that? (hanging my head sadly) no. But I'd sure like to have it topping off my hatstand!

Dover's Visit

2009-01-15T08:19:00.007-05:00

Our son Dover was here from CA just after Christmas. He always brings such joy & fun with him and this visit was no exception! Here's a picture of Charlie with his air rifle aiming for....um....something.....probably nothing from the look on Dover's face. Here the "kids" are cleaning up my kitchen after one of the meals. Probably breakfast since one of them is still wearing his robe!

Miss B has been interested in rocketing since being introduced to it in tech ed at school. Here she shows her big brother her skills.

My men. All of them have new pajama pants courtesy of Miss B & myself and Dover is sporting his new robe too.

Come home again soon #1 Son! You're sorely missed here.

An Exciting Weekend

2009-01-12T14:02:00.004-05:00

We started our weekend a little bit early.....on Thursday night actually. Charlie was up most of the night with a hurting tummy which is extremely unusual for him. On Friday I took him to the doctor per Dr. Love's wishes. The doctor sent us for a CT scan and the CT scan showed that Charlie's appendix needed to come out!
So Friday evening he had surgery and was he ever a trooper! By breakfast time on Saturday he was able to have pancakes and for lunch he had a cheeseburger. We were able to bring him home Saturday evening. We kept him in yesterday and then home from school today.
PRAISE GOD that He allowed the infection to be caught early and that He helped Charlie through the surgery & recovery.
I do have a few pictures but I'm under strict orders not to post them on the internet!

The Best Christmas Present.....

2008-12-26T16:12:00.005-05:00

...came via email from my brother. This is a slide that my nephew performed techno-magic on to get it to computer. I'm in the high chair and since we're dating it circa 1968, I'd be about 4 years old. In the foreground is my favorite Christmas present....that train was metal, had batteries, and moved around on the floor. If it ran into something it would back itself up & keep going. There was a really cool sounding bell too. Happy, happy memories.

Calling Elvis.....

2008-12-04T08:36:00.005-05:00

I Christmas-ized my mirror of many colors in an attempt to help it blend in better for the season. What do you think? Are you looking for the sleazy lounge singer too?

Thanksgiving Surprise

2008-12-02T07:56:00.004-05:00

If you know me at all, you know 2 things about me: that I have been "best friends" with Connie since we were in kindergarten and that Thanksgiving dinner is my absolute favorite meal to prepare and share with family & friends.
As I see it, one of the beauties of the friendship is our flexibility. At times we talk more than once a week and at others we'll go several weeks without communicating. We might send a birthday card a whole month early so that we won't forget to send it, another year we might call a few days late. We both moved away from the small town where we grew up and currently we're a 3-hour drive from each other. The only tradition that is constant between us is that we usually spend Thanksgiving Day together along with our families and whomever else Dr. Love & I invite for the day.
This year, for the first time ever, we opted for her home instead of mine. I made some changes to the logistics of cooking....I prepared the turkey the day before and had Dr. Love do his carving thing so that it could be taken ready to be warmed up in a pan of gravy. Connie baked pies as she always does (hers is the absolute BEST crust you will ever taste!) and we worked on the rest together. We ate leisurely, played cards, discussed her daughter's upcoming wedding plans, spent the night and the next day baked Christmas cookies and did just a small bit of shopping. On Friday evening our men took us for dinner and then Dr. Love & I made our way home. It turned out to be one of our most memorable Thanksgiving days ever and we're thinking of starting a new tradition.
The surprise of the entire day is pictured above. Isn't it gorgeous?!!! Since we've never been much into presents, I was shocked when she brought out a beautiful gift bag complete with tissue paper and inside was this lap quilt that she made for me. I love quilts, especially pieced ones with soft, muted colors surrounded by cream or white. I have never made a quilt myself nor have I ever been willing to purchase one. I love handmade things....the idea that someone uses their creativity and time to make something with me in mind. I love tulips....they are my favorite flowers. And I love my dearest, bestest friend. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Thankful Thursday

2008-11-20T08:42:00.005-05:00

This morning I connected with someone with whom I was friends 25 years ago. I was not the person spiritually & emotionally that I am today and it was one of my times of insanity.
As I looked over her information and pictures earlier today, thoughts filled my mind of "what a great boat....I wonder what her home looks like...her spouse.....she's been on television, wow!...her life sure looks exciting...."
A little bit later I sat down in my kitchen to have my quiet time and I was immediately struck with guilt for envying her and had to confess that to my Lord. I'm using Elizabeth George's study of Luke and today was chapter 12. Verses 22-34 really spoke to my heart and I felt as though God had prepared this lesson especially for me on this day. Where my treasure is, there will my heart be also. I know Jesus is my treasure; He is really what I want. How blessed I am to have Him as my provider!
"I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold. I'd rather have Him than have riches untold. I'd rather have Jesus than houses or land. I'd rather be led by His nail-scarred hand. Than to be the king of a vast domain! Or be held in sin's dread sway. I'd rather have Jesus than anything this world provides today."
Grace & Peace,
Leslie

Best Thrifting Purchase

2008-11-19T09:22:00.010-05:00

Yesterday I had a wonderful day up in Northwest Indiana.

Along with pampering myself with a visit to House of Bianco for a haircut by Katrina (thank you Dr. Love for agreeing to that!), I also visited with my friends at Pruzin Brothers, had a great lunch at Panera with B & T and then joined C & J to go thrifting.

The hat pictured was at the Salvation Army. I hesitated to pay $3 for it but then decided that since I will wear it and also use it to decorate--although not on this lamp shade, that's just to position it for the pic--I'd get it. I think I'll wear it tonight for "date night."

After we found all the bargains the van could hold, we headed back to C's where she had a crock pot with stuffed pepper soup and the most awesome corn bread I've ever tasted!

A huge Thank You to all of my friends for your time & fellowship yesterday!

Happy Birthday Dr. Love!

2008-11-17T07:55:00.005-05:00

I simply adore you meu amor!

Finishing Touches

2008-11-10T15:33:00.006-05:00

These old canning jars needed
"something" so I filled a few with various dried beans & others with popcorn. Then I cut fabric for the ones without lids. Much better!

My Thrifting Buddies

2008-11-10T09:42:00.003-05:00

From our outing last week. Thanks for coming down my friends!