Made by You Mondays

 

It's Monday and Memorial Day. First, before I post my made by me, I would like to thank all those people out there that have kept us free for centuries. My daddy was one of those and spent his Marine time on Iwo Jima, watched the flag being raised, and fought for our freedom. I know many of you have loved ones or friends that have fought and are now fighting for us. My prayer is that soon they will all be home.

Made by Me Monday is such fun for me.
get to show off something that I have made for the world to see, or at least, for the few that come by my blog. I'm working on some totes/diaper bags right now, but I have done a few new shirts for some customers and I will share a pic of them now.

Terrific Tuesday

Good morning, fans, friends, and anyone else out there. Today I'm starting "Terrific Tuesday". Every Tuesday I will post something terrific that has happened to me, for me, or something terrific I have seen, be it a new creation, a child being helped, an older person being helped, etc. You get the idea - anything that is terrific to you. If you want to play along, just add your link below and we can all play together! I am looking forward to seeing what "terrific" things are out there that you would like to share with each other.

Creative Mondays

I'm supposed to post something creative today, something that I've created. I actually haven't created too much today, so I'll just show a few things from the past. It's the best I can do today. It just didn't hit me right, I guess. My creative side stayed in bed.

These are a few kitchen stowel I made and appliqued a few months back. I may have already posted about them, but you get to see them again. Lucky you. I'll be making some more of these, maybe to keep for myself  for a change. But really the whole purpose of making these is to sell them.

Here is one of my favorite boy shirts that I hand embroidered. I love hand embroidery. You know, I need to get back to that. I haven't been doing it now in a while and I miss it.

Also, I love to crochet, so I made these baby bath cloths to sell. They are great to bathe with, even for yourself. I packaged them with Johnson's Baby Soap. They make great little baby shower gifts. Something sweet to add to your gift to the mom. My next crochet project is an afghan I want to make from that new book I got. I blogged about it the other day. It is a beautiful book.

I also like to make pillowcase dresses, so I'll show you some here that I have made and probably posted in the past. But, like I said, I just didn't do much creating today, besides a towel wrap.

I make different things for children - pants sets, dresses, just pants. Here are a few for you to see. I've got to get back to these, too. I enjoy making these the most.

Hope you've enjoyed a little of what I have done in the most recent past. Stay tuned for what's ahead.

LOVE Japanese Books

I got a new book today that I have been waiting on for a week. And it has not disappointed me at all. This book is so wonderful. I wish you knew how it makes me feel. The colors, the stitches, the pictures just are so inspiring. I want to make everything in the book! Will I? I don't know! But I will certainly try. Why are the Japanese so good at this? And why can they not write these books in English? I know they know English, there are even some English words in the book. But their diagrams are so good, you really don't need words.

Maybe I'll just make up my own words. Or learn Japanese. Doesn't matter, I will get these patterns one way or another. Such a beautiful book. I used to own a printing company, so I really look at the colors and the print critically, and I must say the Japanese have got it down pat. Are those shoes just about the cutest things you've ever seen? I will definitely be making these. And I really love the afghan.

Don't you love those linens? This is certainly on my to-do list. Lovely! Who could resist these? Not me for sure. All I can tell you is the ISBN number.
 
The number is  ISBN978-4-07-268091-9. So, if these pictures have tempted you at all look for this ISBN number. I got mine off Etsy. I've got to get off this computer so I can study my new book.

Wordless Wednesdays - God's Wonders

It's All In The Family

This is my oldest daughter who is so special to me. And she is special to a lot of people. She's definitely one of a kind, and I wouldn't have it any other way! She's my angel pie. She always has told me she wanted her "respeck". So one year I made her this - her very own respeck towel.

And, of course, she had to have her "credick" crown also, so I made her a t-shirt the next year with "credick" and a crown appliqued on it. Sorry, no picture of that. So now she has her respeck and credick crown. I could use a little of both of those things. You think somebody might make that for me? Nah! I'll have to do it myself, and it just want be the same.

All my children are pretty special to me. Here is a picture of my next to youngest child after playing ball on Mother's Day. What happened is a guy threw the ball up and batted it, and Terri caught it in the face. Shattered her nose and she had surgery on Friday to repair it. Poor baby, she is in great pain. She said it was worse than child birth, and I think I can believe it! Her whole face is swollen, it's pitiful. She's my sweetie pie. Here's a picture of her with her oldest daughter, Nicole, my first grandchild.

My youngest child, Lori, was my business partner for 5 years at sugarbump's. I enjoyed being with her everyday! I think we only got on each other's nerves a few time. It's nice to be with your "child" everyday when they are adults. That's her on the left. She's my Lodi Lu.

My son is my second child, and lives with us. He is 41 and has brain damage from an incident in 2007. He always lets me know how much he loves me. Buster is best known as "the boog". That's him with his son, Chase, my only boy grandchild.

So, that's my family. Oh, maybe I should let you see my husband! There he is with our two youngest grandchildren, Isabella and Julia, Lori's two girls.

Last, but not least, is the newest addition to our family - Miranda Lambert - who has managed to take over the household.

THE END!

Heaven Is a Cleaner Place with Mama There

Mother's Day again. My 5th year without my mother. So I just wanted to write a tribute to her here, maybe she'll read it from far away in heaven.

My mother didn't play sports, didn't wear jeans, didn't plant flowers or dig in the dirt. My mother did clean house like a professional, made fabulous meals for all of us everyday, was always there when we got home from school, did laundry like nobody's business. She never drove a car, though she tried to once and swore she would never do it again. She didn't.

What I remember about Mama is that she was a meticulous housekeeper. I don't remember EVER seeing any dust, dirt or clutter in our house. Everything was always in place, folded and put away, dusted, polished and mopped. When I was very young she worked at Woolworth's in the office. Daddy would take us down there and I remember running down that old wooden floor to my mama's arms. Woolworth's was my favorite place to go, anyway. When we started school (my brother and I) for the first weeks mama would walk us to school so we would be safe, and meet us after school and walk us home. And when we got home we always had a snack waiting for us. Later, when we were older, mama always made homemade gingerbread and hot tea for my girlfriend and me after school.

Mama was funny without knowing it. She used to tell me that she knew if she could just pull the water hose into the house she could wash down the walls and the house would be so much cleaner! I would laugh when she said that, what a joke. One day I visited and, you guessed it, there was the waterhose snaked in through the dining room window, through the hall, into the bathroom, and mama washing and scrubbing the walls. She also did the dining room walls. Unfortunately, there was carpet in the dining room and it was extremely wet. Her friend said put baking soda around the edges, it will soak up the water. The baking soda did soak up the water, but hardened by the next day. Mama had vinyl flooring put in that week.

She worried about dirt and things like that, wanted the best and cleanest for us. She felt she wasn't getting the turnip greens washed enough. Bright idea, put them in the dishwasher and they will be so clean. Note to self: don't forget what happens when very hot water mixes with turnip greens. Well, that didn't work so well.

So, I just want to say "Happy Mother's Day" mama. I know you're walking with daddy right now and sweeping those streets of gold. Heaven is much cleaner with you in it. Love you, mama.

Time In A Bottle

It's finally Friday! I Think! Since I've been at home I've lost all track of time. One day blends into another, I can't keep up with the date. Maybe I'll get used to this soon, I don't know. Plus, I don't know how to be at home. I mean, I've not been at home in a lot of years. I'm 63 and I've worked most of my life, so here I am at home, trying to figure out a schedule. How do you do that? Someone tell me, please.

Just finished one more little appliqued name top and bloomers. I think it's pretty cute, don't you? Looks like I'll be making lots of these. I've had lots of requests for them. And, of course, the appliqued name shirts, which I've doing for about 5 years now. I really thought every child in Tupelo, Mississippi had an appliqued name shirt, but I must be wrong. I just keep doing them. I actually enjoy it, though, so it's okay.

You know, as you get older, you tend to reflect on your life and how you got where you are more and more. Well, I haven't figured out how I got here, yet. I mean, I went to sleep at 25 and woke up at 63. At least, that's the way it feels sometime. I just can't believe so much time has gone by and my children have children. My oldest will be 43 this year. My youngest is 33. I have two in the middle: Buster, who will be 41 tomorrow and Terri Melissa, who will be 39 in July. How did that happen? I'm telling you, watch it, because once you have children and they get in school, time becomes like a jet plane. And you'll wake up one day and all of the years you meant to do this or that are gone. I wish I could put time in a bottle and put a cork on it. Enough of that.

Believe I'll get ready for bed and read for a while. That seems like a great idea. Then tomorrow I'll think about the schedule thing.