In His Grip

My Guy is a Hero!!!!

Whenever anyone comes in to my studio what seems to impress people most is my gravity high steam iron.  They don't seem to be real interested in the the three different commercial machines that I run or my HUGE cutting table.  It the is iron they always ask about.  It is true that other than the actual sewing machine, my iron is my next most important piece of equipment and it does rank right up there in cost as well.  Over the last couple of weeks the high steam has really been pretty much no steam.  I got lazy and used Olathe tap water in my water bottle and my iron did not like it.  Rather than take my iron all the way down to Missouri Sewing Machine on Truman Road, Jeff thought that just maybe he could fix me up.  So after about an hour and a Google search for the parts drawing of my iron, I am back in the steam.  Here is what came out of my iron.  Does this creep anyone else out that this is also going into all of our bodies as we drink the water out of our tap?  Anyway, I am back in business and can press to my heart's content.  Yeah!  It is so wonderful to be married to my hero!

Three Word Thursday

What's your reflection? 

 

 

What a Beautiful Day!

I am not sure you could have a better day in Kansas.  First of all, the day zoomed by me as I was very busy in my studio.  With January being so slow, I had started thinking of other ways to bring in income and now February has more than made up for the shortfall.  I barely even noticed that the day was so great outside.  I came upstairs around 2:00 pm with my stomach screaming for lunch when I decided I would work until 5:00 pm and then go for a run at a park near our house.   The lake at the park was like glass, seriously, you could see a perfect reflection in the water.  It is not often that there is no wind here in the prairie state of Kansas.  Not only that, I don't often run in that park because the wind can practically stop me in my tracks, but today was awesome and to top it off God provided a beautiful pink sunset.  I think it was just for me.  

Great Mail Day!

Do you ever have days when you go to the mailbox and all you have in it are bills and advertisements for how you can have a new loan that is sure to get you out of debit?  Well, yesterday was not one of those days.  About a month ago I joined in a blog swap.  I have read about these for months at other blogs but have never participated.  The premise is that you agree to make an item for someone you do not know and you will received a similar handmade item from someone else.  This swap happened to be an Amy Butler bag swap.  The rules were you had to make a bag using Amy Butler fabrics.  The person making your bag received information about the colors you like and were given your blog address so that they could get to know you.  This is the bag that I received yesterday.  Don't you think that Daurene not only did a great job, but she really has me figured out.  Not only did I get a bag but a Kleenex holder and a bracelet, score!  Now I just cannot wait for Spring to come so that I can carry my new bag.  Yeah!

Oscar Night

This has got to be one of my favorite TV nights of the year.  I love the Academy Awards.  With cable, you can literally start watching coverage at 3:00 in the afternoon.  This show is full of fashion, glamor, and stars.  I know there is no real value in this kind of television other than the entertainment part of it.  I really like to see what all of the stars are wearing from their gowns and shoes to the great jewels that they are showing off. Although I know I will never attend an event where I would have to hire a stylist to help pick out my gown and accessories, it has always been a fantasy that I have had since I was a little girl.  Afterall, isn't that what Barbies are all about.  Little girls for years have been dressing these glamorous dolls with unnatural size bodies in clothes that no one would really ever wear unless you are a celebrity.  So far, I have seen Miley Cyrus, and it is my prediction that she will be one of the best dressed of the night.  I will be fighting for the remote the rest of the night with the Oscar coverage and the NASCAR race at the same time, are you kidding me, who will win the remote control, red carpet or redneck?

Three Word Thursday

Groups change lives! 

Paying Taxes

Yes, today was the day that I took our tax information over to our accountant to prepare our taxes.  Every year I do this with great anxiety to the point where I always have a stomach ache.  I know this is crazy because it has been several years since we have had to actually pay any additional taxes on April 15th, but just the possibility that we may not have paid in enough and we would have to come up with some more money at the last minute. . .   This is crazy!  To allow something that I cannot control to cause such anxiety.  Maybe we could just write an IOU if we owe more money, after all the state of Kansas may be doing just that.  And speaking of the state of Kansas, both of our girls are state employees working at their Universities and are a little concerned that they will not be getting a paycheck this Friday.  What poor college student can go without even one paycheck?  Ohhhhh, I get it, they are both going to be home this weekend. 

Making it More Than Just Cookies

This past week I needed to give a thank you.  I wanted to give cookies and a card but wanted to make it more than just cookies.  Because it was for some guys, I couldn't make it girlie or pretty but still wanted it to look more like a gift and give the full meaning of the thank you.  So I went to the grocery store and bought some of those Ziploc storage containers that are priced well enough that you don't expect to get them back but look better than the tin foil ones that have been around for ever.  All I did was make a large thanks with my handy Cricut machine layered it with some paper and hooked it to some ribbon that slipped around the container.  Tada, you have cookie container that is fun, "manly", and still looks like a gift.  I made a matching thank you card and there you have it.  Its a little more that just cookies and looks like a gift too.  Because the thank you really was more than just a thank you, we wanted them to know that it was heart felt. 

What a Great Weekend

You know what?  Valentines can be what you make it.   Although this weekend was a whirlwind of activities, we managed to get a little valentine celebration in with the help of a Papa Murphy's heart shaped pizza.  I am not a big pizza fan, however, Jeff is.  But I think pizza must taste better when it is shaped like a heart and you eat it with your valentine.  The weekend was topped off with the preview service of Indian Creek Community Church's new campus in Gardner, KS.  The worship was great and our campus pastor Ben Stears gave a challenging message on how God will always make BIG asks of us, all we have to do is trust Him and step out if faith.  I am so looking forward to being a part of this brand new church!

I Caved and am on Facebook

Okay, my original thought was to join Facebook so that I could promote my Etsy shop that will be opening soon.  I thought I would join and not tell anyone so that I could figure it out before letting anyone know that I was actually on.  Well, that is not the way Facebook works, as soon as you put your name in and your city, it likes already knows who your friends are.  I have to say I was a little creaped out.  Within 5 minutes I had people asking to be my friend, so I guess keeping it on the down low is not working for me.  So if you are on Facebook, come be my friend.  Because right there for everyone to see is the number of friends you have, so does that mean I am now judged by the number of Facebook friends that I have?  That is a lot of pressure and I thought I left that kind of pressure back in high school.

Last Minute Valentines~~For the Panicked

So here's the deal, you forgot that it is Valentines Day tomorrow and you are low on cash to buy your honey a gift.  Well no fear, I have found some very cute and easy to make gifts for you.  First, I found this great origami bookmark.  All you need is a 7" square piece of paper, and that is enough to make two.  You could even write a love note on the paper before you fold it.  Now that is romantic!  Just click here and choose the "Useful Origami" from the list and find the heart bookmark.  Then go to a bookstore, this could even be a used bookstore, and buy a book of love poems and you  have a great gift that any girl will brag to her friends about.  Sorry, girls I don't think your guy will tell anyone if you gave him a book of poems, but that does not mean he would not love it. 

Now if you are really panicked and have no folding skills at all, all you need are a couple of giant paper clips.  You just bend the long side in the middle and you have a heart paper clip.  For this one you had better be sure to go buy that book of love poems or your sweetheart might think that you are a loser if you just hand her some bent up paper clips.  Just remember, you do not have to spend a lot of money to make your sweetheart happy.  On this day, it really is the thought that counts!

Three Word Thursday

Everyone needs love!

 

   

Free, Really it is Free!

Last night I had a meeting at my favorite spot, Panera.  Now, you need to know I was not at "my" Panera.  I was meeting some friends at another Panera where they do not know me.  I ordered a bowl of soup and went to pay and could not find my debit card.  I had that little panic moment when you go to look for you bank card and it is not where you put it.  My mind started racing as to where it possibly could be and when I last used it.  Oh, yes, I gave it to the girls on Sunday to go out to lunch with their cousins after church.  Snap!  Did one of my girls have my card in their purse and now they are back at school?  As all of this is going through my mind, the man in line behind me said to the cashier that he could get one of the manger cards and take care of this.  I asked if I could write a check, because if you know me at all, you know I never, I mean never, have cash.  Panera does not accept checks.  The man behind me was a Panera employee and walked the cashier through what I thought was accepting a check.  But as he went around to help the young man at the register, he said, "Okay, it is taken care of."  So I handed the man my check and he said again, "It is taken care of."   I did not understand and I said, "You mean my soup is free!"  He said, "Yes."  I thanked him and told him that I frequent Panera on a regular basis, at least once a week, and that this is not even "my" Panera.  He told that he was happy to help me out and that the next time I am going to "my" Panera to think of him at "his" Panera.  You just gotta love Panera!

Conversation Hearts

Are there really people out there that actually eat those little conversation heart candies that come out at Valentines day?  I have never liked them but always seem to end up with some.  This year I put them to good use as a  great valentine decoration.  They found their way into an apothecary jar that sits on my mantle.  Because I knew that no one really likes to eat them I knew that they would last from early January when I put them out.  I have only had one person step up on the hearth and grab a couple and they soon remembered that no one really likes these cute little valentine candies that we have seen since the beginning of time.

Its Not Happening!

I so wanted to get my Etsy shop Grand Opening up and going by today.  But I realize that it is not happening today.  I am so disappointed in myself for not getting this done.  When I started down this path, I had no idea what to expect and have found that I had more questions then I knew and to research the answers is taking some time.  But all that said, I will be getting it up soon, so keep checking back because you do not want to miss the Grand Opening Giveaway!  That I do have planned and it is ready to go. 

Three Word Thursday

 Are you alive? 

She Is So Sick!

This whole empty nest thing stinks when one of your babies is sick.  Yes, Anna is sick and has been for about a week now.  She called last night and asked me what pneumonia felt like.  It hurts her to breath and cough.  I think she needs to come home right away so that I can take care of her.  But she assured me that she would go to the student health clinic today to see a doctor.  She went ahead and went to class and then to work, you just cannot keep that girl down.  Luckily, she works for a mother type that sent her back to her dorm to get some rest.  Thank heavens there are mother types on these college campuses or the students would be running around making everyone else sick.  I am so glad she will be home this weekend so that I can take care of my baby.

Refusing Temptation

As I continue in my Bible study on Esther, today I was so taken with the thought of refusing temptation.  We are faced daily with temptations, from over eating to over spending and sometimes things that we may not even think we will be tempted by.  The strong can be made weak by temptation, but on the flip side the weak can be made strong to refuse temptation when we have the power of Christ on our side.  Beth Moore says, like only she can say it,

"We can't just depend on a good mood to get us through.  After all, no one can have great hair, the right outfit, and a raise every day.  But I'll tell you what we can have:  the battering ram of relentless temptation .... yes, day after day.  We need more that a mood.  We need a mind set."

The bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze, and your strength will equal your days.  Deuteronomy 33:25