Happy Easter!

I have always loved Easter hymns. So joyful! Here is my favorite:

Have a lovely day!

Sew Happy.

We are 45 minutes away from soccer practice, my house is a mess (again), but I am feeling pretty darn happy because I just finished making something and I really, really like it.

This is one of those things that has been done to death--a fad that has come and gone, but that's okay.  I tend to be on the slow boat when it comes to most fads.  My goodness, I've had an Ipod for three years and--yesterday--for the first time--I downloaded itunes for it.  I'm slow.  What can I say? 

This has been too much build-up for my little item, but here it is anyway:  My very first Tissue Pack Cover!

Little and cute!

I think the part I'm most happy with is the quilting.  It's something I haven't done much and, though it is far from perfect, it worked out pretty much how I wanted it to.  Here's a close up:

and the inside of the pack has red polka dots like the trim:

So, there you have it.  A fun little project with a happy ending.  I think I'll take it to soccer practice because I'm sure to get the sniffles in the pollen-filled park!

P.S.  I used a tutorial from Alderwood Quilts for this project.

Healthy Living 101.

Here are a few things that I really, really like: 

 and...

and...

Here are some things that I do not like:

Can you guess my dilemma? 

Hello Weight Watchers Online.  AGAIN.
Today is my Grand Re-Opening (Forget-that-I've-tried-this-two-dozen-times-before) Start Date!

Watch me lose a million pounds with Jennifer Hudson!  : )  Join in!  It will be fun.  really.

Seriously, I'm feeling really motivated and I've actually read the articles and information on WW Online so I'm already 150% further along than I ever have been before.  I've learned the hard way that simply joining WW and paying a weekly fee doesn't actually result in weight loss.  : ) 


Terribly unfair, isn't it?

Corners of Our Home.

Hello!  I'm having a bit of a freak-out over how cluttered my house is at the moment.  It feels like Star Wars figures and Legos are threatening to take over, but I can't actually blame all of the clutter on C.  I've got my share of stuff laying around and I'm not feeling terribly motivated to do anything about it.  Any minute now (er, 15 minutes before J is supposed to get home) we'll do some straightening.

I thought that I would take a few minutes to show some of the things that aren't driving me crazy right now and, of course, that just happens to take me to the room that gets used the least:  The Guest Room/Office/Craft Room.  Don't let its busy name full you--It's mostly just a storage space for all of the things that don't have a home elsewhere.  It's also the most "girly" space in our home.  So...without further ado:


A memento from our wedding, chalk art painted by C, and Sally "adoring" her Linus

 


A thrifted floral picture.  It has a non-identical twin that lives right above it on the wall

 


Miscellaneous pretties on a top shelf



A bit of my fabric "stash"



Phil the Plant crying out for water!



Is there anything better than a shelf full of crafty inspiration?

 Just a few of the things bringing a smile to my face on this gloomy Monday.  I'm off to see if a little afternoon tea will inspire me to tidy up and plan dinner.  Wish me luck!

Healthy Recipe Links.

I was doing a little blog exploration last night and came across several great healthy recipes that I would like to try.  I'm linking to a few here...


Trish at DAiSYS & Dots  has shared several great vegan recipes including: 
Veggie Soup: http://daisysanddots.blogspot.com/2011/04/veggie-soup-recipe.html
Fiesta Dip:  http://daisysanddots.blogspot.com/2011/04/fiesta-dip.html


She also has a yummy looking recipe for Sweet Potato Fries!  Her pictures will make you so hungry for healthy food that you'll consider putting down the bag of Easter candy you're currently holding (not that I'm speaking from experience or anything)...


The second site inspiring me right now is Jennifer's.  I'm not a fan of seafood, but her recipe for tilapia makes me think that it might be something to try and her strawberry muffins sound super yummy and might even appeal to my sugar-loving 5-year-old.


Tilapia:  http://watchmybuttshrinking.com/2011/04/recipe-fast-and-easy-cornmeal-crusted-tilapia.html
Summer Strawberry Muffins:  http://watchmybuttshrinking.com/2009/07/recipe-jenns-summer-strawberry-muffins.html


I'm also thinking about joining Jennifer's 10k-A-Day-In-May challenge (gulp).  It sounds do-able and I really need to get off the couch/kitchen chair and start moving.  Hmmm.  Something to consider!

Have a great Sunday!

A few other healthy eating ideas can be found in this article...

Ruby Red Slippers.

While waiting for paint to dry one day, I happened upon a lovely blog called:  http://dottieangel.blogspot.com/   In one picture, the author is wearing a pair of shoes that make me smile...

Source:  http://dottieangel.blogspot.com/2010/04/challenge-and-hangy-me-jig.html

I don't know exactly why, but I have always l-o-v-e-d red shoes.  Legend has it that I acquired this trait from my Great-Grandma Dessie.  She was hip like that (for a granny!).


So, anyway, I did what any red-shoe-loving woman would do:  I googled "red clogs" to see if I could find the ruby red cuties.  I didn't find that particular pair of shoes, but I did find these and I'll take one of each, please. Well, two of each would probably work better, right?

Source:  http://www.zappos.com/

~Top left:  Ara Abigail ($144), Top Right:  Clarks Patty Argentina ($60), Bottom left:  Springstep Dawn ($70), and Bottom right:  Hush Puppies ($80)~


...and...

Source:  www.zappos.com

~Top left: Finn Comfort Sansibar ($205), Top Right: Klogs USA ($76), Bottom left: Dansko ($130), and Bottom right: Converse ($45)~

While not technically red, the tan stitched Dansko clogs made the cut because they are just too cute to pass up!  And the Converse--I've been wanting these since I was 20.  Now that I'm closing in on 40, I'm thinking that perhaps that ship has sailed?

Oh! Red shoes, I love you so...



Two Down.

After my fearful meltdown yesterday (and last night), I finally finished two projects.  As I worked, I repeated The Nester's motto over and over again:

~It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful~

So here is my first pillow for the shop:

Pillow front

Pillow back

And here is my first picture:

Definitely not perfect, maybe not beautiful, but I hope that both items will provide a little happiness to someone out there.