IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN!!!!

Mandy (the baby in the middle), Amy (2nd down from me on the right), and me (the oldest on the left) Sorry, Misty (2nd from the youngest) couldn't make this day trip with us a few weeks ago. She had a date with her daughter to see Dora the Explorer LIVE.

Tomorrow morning we set out on our annual journey to the beach. Yes, we go more than just this one time, but not all together. We (my three sisters and I) will pack up the hubbies, parents, and all the kids for our week long vacation in Seagrove Beach, FL. There is 20 of us to be exact. We manage to find a house that will sleep us all and just enjoy being together. We have grown in size over the years and it seems like we always have at least one baby in the bunch. Our youngest is 18 months and our oldest is 10. With all 9 of them, its always an adventure.

An apology

Dear Blog,

I am so sorry for my recent neglect. It really has nothing to do with you, it is me. If you remember, I told you a while back that I had a new toy. Well, my new toy (aka Blackberry) was also accompanied by a new friend (aka facebook).

Instead of spending my time with you, pouring out my thought and happening, I've been spending time with crackbook facebook. Now that we have become better acquainted, I don't feel the need to spend every waking hour with bb and fb (their new nicknames).

Sweet Blog, I hope you can forgive me. I hope to snap out of this obsession soon and return to a new kind of normal. :)

All my love,

Denise

One of my weaknesses

I mentioned that I did the West Indies Market in Rosemary Beach, FL this past weekend. What I didn't mention is that I absolutely LOVE this show. It is the second weekend of the month, May - July. Most of us vendors sign an annual contract meaning that we keep our same spot for the entire summer. I have been involved with this show for 4 years now. I have made some really good friends and love the time we have to visit during our 2 day event. A highlight to this show is when the talented couple from Cottage Collages come. They're hit or miss. You never know if they are coming or not. Lucky for us, they came this month.

As you can see, there designs are truly unique. The prices aren't bad either. I love to browse around their area and see if there isn't something I can't live without. I found a great little piece this month, but I hadn't measured the space I need it for, so I couldn't justify bringing it home. It is still on my mind even after a week. :)

They are located just a short drive from Rosemary Beach over in Panama City Beach. I am too afraid to visit their store. Lord only knows what I'll find. I purchased a wonderful hutch from them a few years back that I use in my own little store. I smile everytime I look at it. It's a distressed grayish white. So beachy! I just love it.

I'd love to own a bench like this. They offer several different styles and sizes. I just love that the back is made from shutters, one of their trademarks. If you'd like to see more of their pieces, please visit their website here.

All photos courtesy of Cottage Collages.

New Toy

So I talk too much! Way too much! Got a new plan that includes unlimited everything. So I'll be texting and chatting and direct connecting and emailing and browsing like crazy! Well, if I'm gonna be able to do all that without limit, might as well have the newest toy, right? Pray for me! I'm not sure if I'll figure this thing out, but I'm sure gonna try! :)

The icing on the cake

I've had a whirlwind of a week with my trip to America's mart in Atlanta and then the West Indies Market in Rosemary Beach. The show in Rosemary is always so stress-free. It was the perfect end to all of the running around. It's just such a beautiful place. You can't help but to relax. :)

Super Saturday Find

I read so many great post from bloggers who go "junkin" or to flea markets on Saturday and find great things that I envy. Well, I really don't envy the actual things that they find, I envy the time they have. Our schedule is always so crammed with activities on Saturday from multiple birthday parties to field trips or sports. Once upon a time long ago, I did the same things these bloggers do. Maybe I can again one day. I just love "junkin" and can't get enough of it. :)

So- this Saturday I found a great find that I'd been wanting for awhile, but just didn't want to buy. You know, something you'd like to have, but don't really want to pay for. I found Denise Jackson's book "It's All About Him" at my local Dollar General store for $3! It's a paperback version which is find because I don't collect books. I rarely buy books anywhere but Goodwill because I usually just pass them on to a sister or friend to read and never see it again. This will be a perfect read for me while I'm in Atlanta at market.

I might not can make it to the 5:00 am junkin' party, but I always have my eyes peeled for a good thrifty buy. :)

Perfectly Perfect

Country Living Magazine

A glass of sweet tea and a good book and I'd be perfectly happy here. :)

New Look

Hope you like our new look! I did a little re-decorating in my etsy shop and decided to carry it over to my blog. I got my new banner and avatar from my favorite designer on etsy. Visit her shop right here.

Enjoy your Sunday afternoon. :)

Market by way of Atlanta

It's time for the countdown to begin. I have less than 3 weeks before I leave for market. I'm way behind, okay I'm past WAY behind. I've got a lot of ground to cover in the next week. Designs and ideas are in my head but not actually started. I've got a good idea of the amount of each item I'm carrying, but haven't ordered most of it yet. Am I stressing you out? Yeah, me too. :)

This will be my third trip to AmericasMart as a vendor. I've been a few times as a buyer, but just started last year doing the vendor thing. If you aren't familiar with market, it is a mega huge wholesale market. It is spread out over three multi-storied buildings. The area that houses the show I attend (immediate delivery show) is on the bottom floor of the 3rd building. Basically, it is rows and rows of vendors that allow you to purchase items one at a time with no ordering required. The items are available at the show (hence immediate in the show title). This means that I must carry mass quantities of my items with me. I'm talking hundreds of each thing.

This is a picture of the inside of building three. The white lines going across are actual balconies on each floor. Over on the right side you can see two glass elevators just to give you an idea of the size of this place. It's huge!

Here is a sample of some of the things I'll be carrying this time.

Monogrammed key chains.
Monogrammed tumblers.

Monogrammed Bow buttons and ponytail holders.

I've got my work cut out for me! I'll keep you posted.

Catching Up

Today was a bit hectic. We are trying to recover from a really busy Easter weekend. So much to do, so little time. I made a quick list of things for me to tackle today last night before I went to bed. My most dreaded task was finding a house for our Mother's Day trip. We've made this a tradition in the last couple of years. I do a show in Rosemary Beach, FL each summer and the first show date always falls on Mother's Day weekend. What a perfect excuse to pack up my whole family and take a mini vacation. :)

We now all travel (my family, my sister's family and my mom) to the beach for a long weekend. Yes, I do have to work during the time we are there, but it makes it so much easier when you've got the whole fam along. This year I had great luck. The very first house I called about was vacant and had a special going. I'm sure I can thank the economy for this. It is quite pretty and is in Seacrest Beach, not much more than a block from my show.


This should be the perfect spot for a little r&r after my long week in Atlanta. (Never mind the show I'm doing at Rosemary- it's a blast.) I'll be sure to tell you about my upcoming ATL trip really soon. :)

Stylish Storage

Today took me to a website I've never visited. I picked up a Kitchens & Bath magazine in line today and bought it without taking a peek inside. (My line was moving faster than normal) I did not realize until I was home that it was from Woman's Day. I found some really good ideas inside. I am secretly planning to update my kitchen and bathrooms. My husbank, I mean husband, will only figure this out when it is too late. "Sorry honey, I just happened upon this great new flooring and just couldn't resist." You know, one of those kinda projects. Go ahead and call me sneaky, if the shoe fits.......

Anywho, once I found my way to their website, I found some really thrifty ideas. The above fabric covered storage boxes would be perfect anywhere. I am thinking of doing a few for my work shop to see if they really are as easy as they look. They'd be perfect in the children's bedrooms or our living room. At least that's where all the small toys like to live, no matter how many times I carry them back to the children's rooms. How perfect to have a nice stylish box for them to hide in until their adventure with Sand and Ev. I'll let you know how they turn out. :)

Keeping the Faith

Psalm 25:10- All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful.


Today was not a normal day. I spent the entire day at the school working diligently on getting the word out about our postponement of Wheels and Deals, our spring PTA fundraiser. (In case you are wondering, it is a car show and craft show.) The horrible weather we are having in southern Alabama did not help with the matter. The students spent the first 30 minutes of their day in the hall because of a tornado warning. Warning = tornado spotted, watch= good conditions for a tornado to form, not a real tornado. So this was serious, but ended with no excitement. That was a good thing. We had a chain of events that led to the postponement of Wheels and Deals that I hope to never see again.

In our small town we had not one, but two horrible occurrences yesterday. First, sometime in mid-afternoon, we lost one of our special needs students. He was in the middle of a lengthy 7 hour surgery and just couldn't make it through. His little body just couldn't do it. He was a beautiful ray of sunshine on our campus, and needless to say, we are all heartbroken. He was 10 years old. His wonderful mother is our school nurse and my heart just breaks for her.

Secondly, one of our teachers lost her nephew to Krabbe disease. He was 17 months old. He lost his battle in the early evening. This teacher is a life-long friend of mine. She graduated from this very school, just like myself. With such a small school (about 800 students k4-12th grade) we feel as if we are all one big family. Our whole school and community is completely devastated by the loss of these very special children, especially on the very same day.

Psalm 25:10- All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful. I read this verse today on another blog and I knew it was meant for me to see today. You see, my heart is broken. Being a mother, I can only imagine how these mothers feel. And, knowing both sets of parents and all of their families doesn't make it any easier. But, I can find peace in knowing that Our Father knows what is best. His will is never wrong. He is always loving. He knows what is best for these sweet little angels. And I know they are both in the very best of hands today.

The Truth

"You will know the truth and the truth will set you free" John 8:32

I have recently been faced with a very difficult decision. I've been told that the right path isn't always the easy path. I totally get that phrase now. As I pondered the outcome of my decision, I began to feel guilty because my actions would directly effect some one's life, not in a positive way. Even though I did nothing wrong, I still felt a tinge of guilt. The verse above made me realize that the information I had needed to be shared and that it wasn't my place to feel guilty about what someone else did. I did not have control of their actions nor was it my place to worry about the consequences they would face. Once I accepted this I was able to get the whole burden off my chest. Although the outcome has not been determined, I feel completely freed by knowing that I did the right thing.

Failure

Some of you might remember this little guy from a previous post. Quite the little sneak that HBK. Always in some sort of trouble, keeping me from my work. Well, today was no exception. I returned home from taking Sanderson to school to see his mother standing near a thick patch of trees where an old house once stood in our pasture. She began calling to me and I knew something wasn't right. Yes, I said calling to me. Our cows rely on my husband and I to make things right. They moo "call-out" to us in times of trouble and different moos mean different things. I know, it sounds strange, but I promise it's true. Her calling was one of desperation.

I went into the house, radioed my husband, and slipped on his rubber boots. Mine were full of water and leaves from the rain last night and this morning. :( I always let my husband know if I'm out in the pasture by myself. You just don't know what might happen and at least they would know where to look for me. A quick head count told me that in fact, our HBK was missing. His mother's frantic actions and aggression towards me let me know that something was really not right. I decided to drive the truck instead of walking to look for our lost little guy.

Everette and I made our way around the pasture looking for his white little face. We had no luck. I looped back around and headed to the other side of our pasture near the old home site under the trees. As we rounded the back side, I saw him. He was lying down near in an area under the trees that was cross fenced. As I walked over to him I could see that he was wrapped in old barbwire. He was unable to stand from all of the wire.

I made a quick trip to the seed & feed next door and luckily found the owner there. He came back with me to cut the fence loose and help HBK get back up. We cut & removed the wire with no trouble. Luckily he didn't even have a scratch. Getting him to stand was another thing entirely. We finally manage to get him to stand long enough to fall in a better location. Things just didn't look good.

I made another trip back to the store to take Wayne back and pick up some penicillin for HBK. By the time I got it warm enough for an injection my father-in-law had arrived to help me get him up. You see, if you don't get them back on their feet, they'll die. Cows don't have much will to live, and exhaustion takes a big toll on a cow. Little HBK had fought that wire all night long and was completely worn out. If we couldn't at least get him into an upright position he'd be doomed for sure.

We found him exactly as I'd left him. I gave him the injection before we tried anything to get him going. We were finally able to get him in an upright position, propped up on some stacked wood we found in the left overs of the old house. He had no desire to stand. And even though he is a young 5 months, he already weighs over 200 pounds. There is just no way to make him get up if he doesn't want to. Believe me, I did some serious begging and tugging, but he wouldn't hear of it. We left him in his propped position and I told him I'd be back in a few hours to check on him. Surely with a little more rest, he'd be up to standing.

When I returned later this afternoon, it was just as I had hoped it wouldn't be. Our sweet little HBK decided he just couldn't handle the fatigue. He lost his will. I lost my battle. I failed his mother and as a cattle farmer today.

The Hobby Search

Do you have a hobby? Well, once upon a time long ago, so did I. Long before there were two little people dwelling within my home, I loved to garden. I don't mean like planting a garden of vegetables. I'm still not grown up enough to handle that. :) I mean planting beds and beds of flowers. Even when I was still living in apartments, I always had big pots of flowers on my deck. But once the children starting coming all that kinda stopped. And the fact that my sweet husband has a lawn service and does this kind of thing regularly, he ended up with my hobby. No, he didn't take it - I let him have it.

So - now that part of my ADHD therapy is to find a hobby, I've started looking at things that I once did that were a total waste of time. (Not really, but that's how my brain now views anything that isn't productive with a financial gain at the end.) Working in the yard at the Lake House this weekend had me feeling like my old self. I had forgotten how nice it is to just be by yourself with your thoughts. And the fact that I was constantly moving (ADHD thing) was just an added bonus. I think I rediscovered a hobby!

Our prairie soil yard does not allow for flower beds here, so we already has an abundance of large pots and urns around. I spent Sunday afternoon cleaning out all of them and getting them ready for their transformation. Of course I did a little research, because I want them to look spectacular. Just like from the pages of a magazine. In my searching I found this great website. They give you excellent examples of the different types of plants to group together for whatever exposure you're working with. Their recipes are super easy to recreate. I'm thinking of doing something like the following, which do you prefer?

Work-in-progress

This Saturday was spent with most of my family working on our new lake house. By "our" I mean my Dad and Step-mom. By "new" I mean "new to us". My Dad purchased a tiny little house late last year on a tiny little lake near their home. It was in foreclosure and the previous owners were right in the middle of a full renovation. Or at least that's how it looks to me. :)

I don't know if I've ever mentioned that there are four of us. This "us" is my three sisters and I. We all have great husbands and a load of children between us. There are 19 people in my immediate family. And we all live within 30 minutes of each other, with most of us living about 10 minutes from each other. We all think of this as a great blessing. We've seen times when some of us were several hours away. Luckily for now, everyone has settled close to home.

We spent the entire day in sorted shifts working on painting inside and out and doing yard work. I am not a painter. Absolutely hate it. I put myself in charge of all things outdoors which included raking pine straw, cleaning out flower beds, 4 little boys fishing and 2 little girls swinging. We all worked until it was dark. Needless to say, we've got a long way to go on "The Lake House", but we did make great strides Saturday. I hope to have pictures soon of our progress.

Daddy and Debbie treated us all to dinner at one of our two local restaurants. They were kind enough to seat us in the back room, since we were all dirty and smelly from our days work. Where we live that isn't anything out of the norm. They all just said "It don't Matter". Small town America, you've gotta love it. :)

Let the good times roll...

In case I haven't mentioned it, this week was Sanderson's spring break. Yes, I know, it was far too early. Our annual tradition for spring break, dating back to his K-4 year (he's now in 2nd grade), has been to visit Chuck E. Cheese's. This is a day that is entirely based around this chaotic place with no end in sight. We arrive before lunch and stay until we can't take it anymore. This year was no exception.

I got smart and visited their website before our visit. I joined their e-mail list and receive a couple of great coupons for our big day. We ate pizza, drank lots of Sprite, and gamed all day with our 140 tokens. Yes, I said 140 tokens. I am very happy to say that this was accomplished with a mere $32.00! Not too bad for a family of 4. When I said great coupons, I meant awesomely, amazing coupons.

I was quite amazed that our two crazed children tired of this chaos in a mere 2.5 hours. They were actually ready to go before the tokens ran out. We were forced to just put them into those ticket-spitting games. No method, just insert token, hit button, tickets come out. Maybe one this time or 50 the next. Who cares? We just needed to use up those tokens!

Then it was off to the ticket eater (counter). We actually had 525 tickets! A new record! The trip to the ticket store took forever and we ended up with pirate hooks, lizards, puzzles, bookmarks, and I could go on and on. The perfect end to a perfect day!

I think the best part was the surprise guest. Daddy took off early and spent the afternoon with us. It wouldn't have been the same without him. :)

Thoughtless Thursday

How simple is this? This table setting looks like something even I can do. :) Besides, I have 3 weeks left before Easter to plan this one. Surely, surely I can pull this off. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Did I mention......

I have been made aware that my blog never speaks about me directly. I am being accused of not revealing any personal details here. So? Who cares? Well, obviously someone does. And, just for you, I have this to share.


Did I mention that:


I am left-handed

I am allergic to yeast and everything that grows outside (I do mean EVERYTHING)

I work from home

I am afraid of Santa

I am the PTA president

I am ADHD (medicated - doing much better)

I am super organized

I talk WAY too much

I love the beach

I think that's enough for now. :)
Happy?

Thoughtless Thursday

I just love this great open space for a dining room and kitchen. Love the lighting too.

Farmer's Market Trip

My sweet Everette and I took a most interesting trip yesterday. I have been to the State Farmer's Market many times, but never like this.

We were greeted at the entrance by this great big cow. She is quite large as you can see, she takes up the entire trailer she stands in. Everette found this a little frightening and amusing at the same time. Even though she has grown up all of her 4 years of life around cattle, she is DEATHLY afraid of cows.

Our mission yesterday was to pick up apples (lots of apples) for my son's school. Little did I know that in the back of our farmer's market is a long building full of loading docks that houses a wholesale produce company. We followed the directions given to me by our Principal and found our way to door #4 and backed in. This is a little out of my area of expertise (not backing a truck, but going to such an establishment) but I made my way up to the little office right inside of bay #4. What I saw inside this building completely amazed me. I've never seen so much produce in my life. Not just veggies and fruit, but other things I couldn't imagine seeing. Hugh bags of dry peanuts were stacked half way to the ceiling. Pecans were plentiful too. I wish I had the time to really explore while I was there.

Okay, so this isn't my loading dock. I didn't get that many apples, but this is what it looks like outside. A little intimidating if you ask me.

The people were super nice and had my apples on the truck before I could pay and get back outside. They really made me feel very comfortable and like an "old pro" at wholesale produce shopping. I'd be glad to go back any day for another pick up. Everette made peace with the big cow and decided that she wouldn't mind going back too. :)

Thoughtless Thursday

Is it spring yet?

I can't stop thinking about warm weather and flip flops. I would love to be relaxing on this great porch right now. :)

I forgive you.

I usually get really annoyed when my favorite blogs aren't updated daily. Well, at least updated on weekdays. It isn't personal. It just messes with my morning routine.

1. Get myself ready.
2. Get children ready.
3. Drop Sand at school.
4. Return home.
5. Feed dogs.
6. Start laundry.
7. Read blogs.
8. Start to work.

It must go just like this. I don't like changes in my routine. :)

But today, after not blogging for most of the week last week, I now realize that life can get in the way of blogging. (Imagine that.) I, myself, have not felt compelled to blog. Life did not get in the way. I have just been dealing with a lot of emotions this past week. I really had nothing to say that was worth your time. I'm hoping to find some good solid answers to my emotional block and move away from it as quickly as possible and pick up my blogging pace.

I know that you can't hear it, but this post really does have a very light tone to it. I tend to speak and, I guess, write very straight forward. I say what I mean and mean what I say. There's usually not a lot of extra words added in to make it sound prettier or make it more interesting. But rest assured, I'm not nearly as miserable as the above paragraph may sound. :)

All this being said, I forgive all of my favorite bloggers (you know who you are) for not posting daily. I can relate. :)

Believe it

"Do not be surprised at the painful things you are now suffering. These things are testing your faith." 1 Peter 4:12-13 (ICB)

Sometimes life is hard. We could all use a reminder sometimes to just keep going.

Laundry Day

With all this laundry room dreaming, I decided to see what my fellow etsians have come up with to make laundry day a little more glamorous. Well, a little less workie (that's not a word, I know). They never cease to amaze me. I think I'd like to have a pink laundry room. After all, it is MY space. So pink was my theme as I window shopped. Click the image for a better view. Happy Laundry Day! Have a great weekend. :)

Thoughtless Thursday

Wouldn't it be nice to have this great big laundry room? I think I might even be able to get some work done here as well. Just me, my coffee, my laptop, and my sewing machine. My laundry room is tiny, so this could never happen in this house. Although, we could just convert one of the kid's rooms........

The wait is almost over

In January I went to a textile show in the big city of Birmingham. I went in anticipation of getting a hands-on look at some of the fabrics I've been dying to buy. You see, I can't just see a fabric that I use for my lines, I have to "touch-see" all of my fabrics. This makes it hard sometimes to order new things. But, I think it's worth the wait when we are talking fabric for our precious little ones. :)

So - I did some "touch-seeing" with a few new companies, but couldn't wait to get to my favorite company. As I am feeling my way around their booth, one of their reps. tells me of an upcoming arrival. I've been so anxious to see the "new arrival" since then. So imagine my happiness when I visited the designer's blog yesterday and found this:




This is Tanya Whelan's new, upcoming collection called French Hatbox. Isn't it lovely? Everything she designs is lovely. I am using a few of her fabrics from her current collections now and Love, Love, Love, them. This one follows suit and has such a calming feeling to it. I can't wait to see the finished line. I'm sure I'll dream up something special that will need some of this wonderful fabric to make it just perfect.

Another Feature and Giveaway!

Okay, all this featuring stuff might be going to my head. Not really, but it is nice to know that people do like my work. (They like me, they really like me!)

This week I have been featured on a great blog for people who love to save money. Who doesn't like to save money? No one I know, so - this blog is for all of us. She is a fellow Alabama girl who finds all the deals for us and just puts them out there for us to see and take advantage of. Thanks Jamie for all of your hard work!

This week we'll be giving away a pair of bow buttons or ponytail holders to two lucky winners. Oh, did I mention that you will pick the fabric and the letter to be monogrammed? Totally custom! So, if this looks like something you'd like to have, just go here to comment and hopefully win. Good luck! :)

Relief

French wallpaper Peasant Dress from my Spring line

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)

Late last week, I along with many others, got some wonderful news! We've been given a whole year to comply with the CPSIA rules for testing on our products. We are not required to have testing results on our finished products just yet. And, I, like many others, was all set to close up shop and go in another direction. With the small amount of children's things I produce, I could not afford to have my clothing tested. I never for one second believe that the fabrics I use contain lead, but I am one to follow the law. I must set a good example for my children. :)

You can't image (or maybe you can) how much relief I felt when I read that there was a stay of execution on this order. You see, I love what I do. I enjoy what I do. I need the income from what I do. This isn't some little hobby for me. I work from home everyday to help support our family. God provided me with this opportunity to be at home and I am making the very most of it. I am a faithful servant and I had accepted that this is the Lord's plan and he'd show me what to do next once CPSIA was enforced. And now he has. I will continue on making the things that I love. I believe that the CPSIA will be amended before our year is up and everything will work out for me and so many others. Keep us in your prayers. :)

The Bible verse above came to me today via email. It is from a devotion I receive every weekday morning. I thought it was perfect for me today. Just a great little reminder. If you would like to receive the Girlfriends In God devotion daily you can click here to sign up.

If you would like more information on CPSIA, please visit the Consumer Products Safety Commission here.

Off to the beach

Oh I wish! We're not off to the beach just yet. It will be at least a couple of months before we'll be on our first trip to the beach of the summer. But, that doesn't mean I don't think about it all the time. So in an effort to make myself feel better, I went "Etsy window shopping" for a new beach bag. Click the image for a better view into each shop window.

Leave me a comment and let me know which one suits your fancy. Happy Friday! Have a great weekend. :)

Thoughtless Thursday

Picture courtesy of Eddie Ross

I've decided that today will be the day of the week that I will not think of a way to captivate you with a great story. Instead, I will show you something that I am working towards for my home. Not really a work in progress, just something I'd like to see in my living space soon.

I am in love with the simplicity of the decor for this mantle. Not really interested in the guy pictured here or the chairs, but that mantle, oh isn't it lovely.

Welcome back Nie!

Live by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7

As we welcome Nie Nie back into our lives, this verse comes to mind. This is an inspirational journey of a family who lives by faith and has complete trust in the Lord.

I won't tell you that I'm a long-time Nie reader. I actually stumbled across Cjane's blog the week after her sister's horrible accident. Only then did I find the "love for Nie" that I have now. I read Nie's old post about her family and was totally hooked. I have been glued to Cjane's blog from that day as she narrated the story of Stephanie and Christian's recovery and the lives of their four, yes four, beautiful children. I do not know these people, but I feel like I do. Courtney's positive outlook on her family's crisis is so uplifting. Never once did they loose faith and give up hope.

I have so much admiration for Stephanie as she fights her way back to her children and husband that she so dearly loves. She has now returned to blogging and is giving us all a little glimpse of her "new" life. I can't wait to see how this story unfolds. I am here for the long haul, like so many others, rooting her on.

If you aren't a Nie reader, please be sure to visit Nie and Cjane through the links on the left of my blog. They are both truly amazing women. For a little bit of history and to bring you up to speed, you might go here first.

Also, if you love the picture in this post as much as I do, then you'll be glad to know that you can purchase Nie t-shirts here. This is one of many designs that are offered by Tees for Nie. They donates 50% of the proceeds from the sale of each tee to the Nie Recovery Fund. Go show your "love for Nie" and find the design that is perfect for you.

Welcome back Nie Nie and blog on! :)

Why don't you have music on your blog?

Because I prefer silence.

End of story.

Not today HBK!

Although this is not his best portrait (it isn't a very pretty day here in LA -lower Alabama), meet HBK. The Heart Break Kid is his full name, thanks to our professional wrestling fanatic, Sanderson, but you can call him HBK because we all do. HBK is very talented and is a great escape artist. He is known to be on the wrong side of the fence at any given time. He's done this since he was a wee little thing. He usually manages to scoot back in just in time to attack his mother for lunch or a snack. I guess he has become bored with his usual routine of escaping into the neighboring pasture and decided yesterday that escaping would be more fun if he could do so into our yard. This is a big problem because we live on a MAJOR U.S. Highway. If I had one of those handy dandy speed guns that the state troopers have I know I'd clock'em going 80+ mph every other minute. This scenario of little HBK and all these speeders stresses me out.


This picture is within five minutes of me checking on him this morning to make sure he was still hanging with his mama. With orders that need to be sewn and shipped today, this isn't my idea of fun. Just picture me every 30 minutes or so, jumping up and looking out the back to see if our HBK is still safe and sound. Yes, I know, this fence doesn't look too safe and secure. I can testify that it was until HBK picked this spot to try and squeeze through. Maybe I'll just retire from designing and sewing and just become a full-time cowboy, umm, cowgirl. :)

Meet the Gingerbread Babies

I don't think I can go much further without introducing my inspiration for what I do. Meet Sanderson and Everette, my precious babies. No, the curls are not from mom, they are a gift from dad. Don't they look just like two sweet gingerbread babies? I could just eat them up! :)

My First Feature!

My sweet little lemon dress got a feature spot! She's also going home with one lucky winner. Well, not this exact dress, but one of her sisters. The wonderful Rachel at athenasolivetree is hosting this exciting event for us. Please be sure to go on over and show her some love and comment for a chance to win. :)

Okay, here we go...

My first post. What will I talk about here? I guess this is a good time to tell you exactly what to expect from this blog. Wish I knew. :) I know I'll talk about my family, my friends, my business, my thoughts, and Lord knows what else. Stay tuned.....I have a few ideas. ;)