Shirley C

If You Do Machine Embroidery....

2012-02-07T22:00:00.000-06:00

You need to go and visit Embroidables.com. They have the cutest stuff, and have you ever heard of the Dollymama's Designs? Oh my, they just steal my heart. Sorry the pics are a little blurry. The sign says, "We had to get rid of the kids...the cat was allergic!

They have these for almost any aging process. LOL
They look adorable on kitchen towels too!

This is one of my favorites.
"I used up all of my sick days so I'm calling in dead!"

"All I want for Xmas is a nap!"

I hope you will go and check these out. They also have lots of other cute designs, and they have a forum where people show off their projects using Embroidables' designs.

Have a blessed day!

I Love Giveaways!

2012-02-02T12:44:00.000-06:00

...and especially when I win! Woo Hoo!

I entered the giveaway at Stray Stitches. Linda has a really neat blog. Thanks so much, Linda!

I was so excited to win not one but TWO - Good Fortune Charm Packs by Kate Spain for Moda! These came from The Fat Quarter Shop! Love that place!

Maybe the title has something to do with it?

They were packed so neatly in a sealed plastic envelope.

Plus they have the numbers to re-order on the back of the cardboad.

Of course, I had to spread them out so I could see all of the lovely prints. Oh my - would you call this eye candy or what?

I have just recently gotten interested in charm squares - and mostly the 5 inch. I mean why cut them when you can buy them already cut?

I did have to cut my own for an I Spy swam I'm participating in, but that's ok because when I get my set back, I will have 56 different squares.

I just had to share my good news! I hope everyone is having a good week. It's been too warm here for January. What happened to winter?

Hugs to all!

Some Gifts for a Friend...

2012-01-22T22:10:00.000-06:00

I have a good friend that I sometimes sew with, and we normally try to get together right after Christmas. Well, she got very ill and has just started recuperating. I really hated that she was so sick, but in the end, it gave me more time to work on her gifts.
She and her husband recently bought a camper, and it needed a little "brightening up." LOL

The design I put on this pillow was actually one that she had pinned on Pinterest. It came from Urban Threads, and it is the raggy applique. She loved it, and I was so thrilled. I added the rest, and did this with two hoopings on my machine.

Of course, she needed a few cute little dish towels. We both love to embroider and embellish dish towels. I found these road signs on www.emblibrary.com, and I just couldn't resist.

Last, I made her a sewing machine cover from an idea I got off of Pinterest. I love that place! This was fun, and I plan on making myself one too. The applique monogram came from Planet Applique. She loved these fabrics I found at Hancock's.

Now it's time to do some things for my grandson, Cayden, who will be 7 this Friday. I just can't believe he is almost 7 years old!

Thanks for looking!

Charm Swap Group 2

2012-01-15T09:53:00.000-06:00

If you're looking for a charm swap, you might want to check here.
Midnight Maker took the overflow from Ellison Lane Quilts, and now has 2 groups going. I've joined both, and there may be some openings on the 2nd group, but they'll be gone fast.
So go check it out if you are interested!
These are my pics.

My Word for 2012!

2012-01-01T09:50:00.001-06:00

2012 is here! It's hard to believe a year has come and gone.

After reading Deb's post at Mosiac Magpie the other day, I thought I would join in with finding me a "word" for 2012. (click on her blog to see her word)

I didn't want to just "snatch" a word, and put my name on it, however, the word I chose came to mind pretty quickly.

I seem to hang on to my favorite words which are - hope, love, faith, and believe. I'm sure not ditching those because those words have held me up through a lot of rough times.

My new word is - Innovative!

Webster's definition: characterized by, tending to, or introducing innovations.
Ask.com says it could also mean "think outside the box."

Why this word? I suppose because I've sunk into a mode where all I want to do is things that are "easy." One reason is probably because of lack of time, and well, not sure what the other reason is. :)

I want to be "innovative" and challenge myself into doing something different this year. I don't know what - but I will know when I see it or discover what it is - which I hope isn't a long time because I work slow.

I will leave you with this quote which I thought was appropriate.

"Throw back the shoulders, let the heart sing, let the eyes flash, let the mind be lifted up, look upward and say to yourself... Nothing is impossible!"
~ Norman Vincent Peale

Come back and visit. You never know what you might find!

Happy New Year!

A Very Different Christmas...

2011-12-31T15:41:00.000-06:00

Since we had our family Christmas on the 18th, my DH and I decided to take a little vacation. We've always wanted to go "somewhere" for Christmas - preferably where it was snowing, but we would have had to drive for days to find snow.
My suggestion was to go back to Nashville, TN, and spend Christmas Eve with the Rockettes. We had seen their show about 4 years ago, but we never get tired of seeing them perform.

We left on the 22nd and went through Memphis, TN, and stayed right across the street from The Peabody Hotel. We managed to see the ducks walk the red carpet, but my camera didn't work too good to get a decent picture of that.
I did get some pics of their gingerbread houses which were amazing!

My grandson, Cayden, said these gingerbread houses looked a lot better than the ones they made. LOL

We walked down the street and ate at B.B. King's. Oh my gosh - the best food I had the whole trip!

On the 23rd we drove on towards Nashville stopping to eat at Loretta Lynn's Kitchen. We'd also been there before, but it's a nice place and everyone is so friendly. Then we drove up to her ranch. I do love that drive!

We spent 3 nights in Nashville, and stayed at the Radisson across from the Gaylord Opryland. We have stayed at the Gaylord before, and decided to use the savings to do more sightseeing this time!

The first night we had tickets to cruise up the Cumberland River on the General Jackson. The show was awesome! It's always fun to meet people from everywhere. The people at our table were from Georgia and Indiana.

The next day we went to tour the Ryman Auditorium, and took the backstage tour. It was so neat getting to visit the dressing rooms where the legends had been. We weren't allowed to take pictures backstage.

Here we are! Performing at the Ryman! :)

That night we went to the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular! The name fits the show! Just awesome, but of course, no one is allowed to take pictures. I can certainly understand why because some people were rude and took some pics anyway at the end. Their live portrayal of the birth of Jesus is indescribable! There were camels and lambs, and it was just beautiful!

On Christmas Day, after we went to church across the highway, we were invited to have lunch with an old friend that lives nearby. We had such a nice visit, and it was also nice not to be eating at a restaurant on Christmas Day - mainly because there wasn't much to choose from.

That night we went to visit the Gaylord and ride the gondola. There were sooooo many people there we didn't stay long. What was with that? Why weren't these people home on Christmas Day? LOL

So I'll leave you with a few pics from there if you're still with me. If you took the time to look at all of my pics, I do appreciate you. This was a special trip for us, and we enjoyed it so much. The lights at the Gaylord were gorgeous! I wish you could all have seen this live!

I guess you saw old Shrek in there. I wish the grands could have seen him. It was really weird.

We did a few more things, but these are the highlights. We crammed a whole lot into 3 days for sure!

I hope everyone has a Very Happy and Blessed New Year! We have had many blessings this past year, and we are so very thankful!

Shirley

A Merry and A Not So Merry Christmas!

2011-12-28T11:39:00.001-06:00

My hubby and I took a wonderful trip to Tennessee during Christmas. I'll post more about that later.

On Christmas Eve morning we received a text message from our oldest grandson that Logansport's First Baptist Church was burning down.

I quickly got up and got on Facebook because everyone puts the latest information on there. My heart just sank when I saw the pictures. It was still burning, and burned way up into the day.

Arson is suspected, and there is an intense investigation going on to try and prove that.

The church burned down in 1963, but the big beams in the sanctuary were saved along with the baby grand piano. NOT this time!

They did manage to save the newest building built which is the fellowship hall that has a modern kitchen and bathrooms plus room enough to have church.
Let me share a few pictures, and then I'll tell more.


Before

The CROSS still stands and so does the Word of God! Nothing can take that away!

The cross will be taken down and added to the new church building.

Our small town fire department, most of which is volunteer, and others (including my son), worked as hard as they could to put out the fire. It was a raging, hot fire.

I'm sort of glad we weren't here to see it. We went by there as soon as we got back into town on Monday, and there are no words to describe it. Our pastor was driving around still looking at the rubble, and he looked so pitiful.

We were married in that church, and our son was baptized there along with various funerals of family members, weddings, and such. Lots of memories. My husband grew up here and watched the other church burn.

The church sits right next to the property where the old school used to be. The school burned in 1991, and it was arson, but no one was ever arrested. FBC bought the remaining school grounds along with the old gym, and the old home ec. building which is now the youth building.

At least they have plenty of room to start over and places to use. They are bringing in portable buildings for the offices.
So please keep the church members in your prayers. We have several older deacons that aren't in good health, and this has really taken a toll on them.
Thanks,
ShirleyC

Want to See a Little Snow?

2011-12-19T19:43:00.000-06:00

This is so cool! Go to Google.com. Type in "let it snow", and hit return (enter). Your screen will turn to snow and white out. Then click on "defrost". (You must have Firefox, Google Chrome, or Safari for it to work.)

Also you can use your mouse to "write in the snow". Pretty neat little trick, Google!

No, it's not snowing here! These pics were from nearly 2 years ago when we kept the kids overnight, and it snowed. We had a blast!

Occupy Your Sewing Room!

2011-12-11T10:08:00.000-06:00

I posted last week about this event coming up. I hope there are several of you that read my post that plan to participate.
If you want to Link Up to Occupy Your Sewing Room - then click HERE!
I have been working hard even before this week, and I did manage to get a few things accomplished.

Just Friday night I embroidered this little shirt for our foster grandchild for his birthday party. He loves trucks and cars of any kind, and he sleeps with a little red monster truck so I couldn't resist this cute design from www.designsbyjuju.com. The big 5 came from the alphabet "Landon" by www.planetapplique.com, and the name is from Kabo designs #114. I think he will love it!

This week I also worked on my fabric gift bags. Now I'm not finished, but I wanted to show you the ones I have made. They are nothing fancy, but they serve the purpose and eliminate a lot of extra garbage for the landfill at Christmas. I bought the fabric after Christmas last year at Hancock's, and also the ribbon at Hobby Lobby.
Sorry I didn't pictures of the bags with gifts inside. I just haven't had time! I will add some pics later. I've made 6 of these so far.

These are some shirts I did at the beginning of the week.

Saying from Applique Corner

Snowman face from Sew Terrific

Jingle All the Way from Bunnycup Embroidery

Some other shirts I've done for my grands will follow. I try to make them a few each year. We rode the Polar Express right after Thanksgiving, and I made all 3 a shirt with "I Believe" from Planet Applique. I had to have these done in November.

Yes, I've been busy! However, this isn't all I've done. I'll have another post coming up of a few more things I did in November.
I still have a couple more things to make. This will be a very, very busy week! I'm just thankful that I'm retired and I can enjoy the month of December no matter how hectic it gets.
I love Christmas, but I always try to remember the real reason for the season. Jesus Christ was born to save us all! John 3:16.

Hugs to my blogging friends!

Update on Myself and My Grandson...

2011-12-07T14:14:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was my 6 months checkup with my tongue/mouth/neck doctor, and Dr. Kim said everything looked good.
I was so glad to hear this after all I went through in May with the "suspicious lump" that turned out to be a clip.
It has been 3 and a half years. I just don't know where time goes!
Please remember my grandson, Bubba, who was in the wreck in September. He will be having a bone graft on Dec. 20 on that same leg. He is able to bear weight on the leg now, and after he heals from this surgery, he will be having therapy.
Also Clayton, Bubba's brother, is having his wisdom teeth out on the 16th - right before our family Christmas. Ouch!

Leaving you with a little view of my daughter's Christmas card this year.

The naughty side:

The nice side:

I didn't even ask what she had to bribe them with to get these pics, but I KNOW them, and I KNOW it has to be good. LOL!
Thanks for looking.

Occupy Your Sewing Room

2011-12-05T09:39:00.001-06:00

Read all about it HERE.

Cooking Up Some Thanksgiving Memories!

2011-11-23T21:54:00.001-06:00

Thanksgiving will arrive tomorrow, but who said we can't make a few memories ahead of time!
My DH is the dressing maker in the family, and he's already made 3 batches for 3 different occasions including ours for tomorrow. He is the best!
Since our grands were out of school this week, and their parents had to work, we said we'd help out with the babysitting. We got up early Tuesday morning and drove the 30 min. drive to get them. When we arrived at 7:00 a.m., they were standing in the carport with their elves stuffed under their shirts. They thought we wouldn't let them bring those mischievous elves so they hid them. LOL
The weather was fairly nice as it had rained early that morning. They couldn't play in the yard, but thank goodness we have a patio! They started dragging out various objects from the utility room and around the yard.
The best way to describe this is just to show pics. We got quite a few laughs from their concoctions!

Oh yes, you're seeing right! That's my good ice bucket out there. We finally had to confiscate it back.


A little frog stew, anyone?

Cayden is very creative, and he will take any piece of trash and make things out of it. Today he said he thought it would be neat to be the "Dump Man" because you could find all sorts of neat things there. LOL
I'll show one more pic. PawPaw was (supposed to be) watching the kids while I made some coffee. Cayden built this tower out of the bricks. EEK! Mimi nearly had a heart attack thinking about how bad it would have hurt if the bricks had fallen.
I promise you we DO watch our grands!
I wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone! Blogger is not letting me do as I want tonight. So I will end it here.

Coming up for Air!

2011-11-18T23:30:00.003-06:00

I've had so many good intentions of getting a blog post done this week, but life happens, and it's just been impossible.
More to come about that! I wanted to share a precious pic of my grands taken by their mom. They make my heart sing.
These are truly their happy faces and what you see is the way they are the majority of the time.
Notice Shelby's flip flops. That's our girl! Cayden is getting to be so grown up. I just don't know where our babies have gone!

Fall Photo Shoots...

2011-11-05T15:46:00.000-05:00

These are some neat pictures of my little grands my daughter took recently. I just can't believe how grown up they are becoming.
Yet I am so thankful they are healthy, happy kids. I wouldn't want it any other way.

The natural smile!

Her cat wanted to be in on the picture taking.

Some from Halloween....

She did not choose to try for the apple!

Well, we know what she would look like as a redhead!

Redneck Trick or Treating sitting on stumps on a trailer pulled by a mule! (the kind on 4 wheels)

Always living the part! LOL

Thanks for looking. I'm working on Christmas shirts and projects right now. This will be a very busy next few weeks!

I've Really Been Here!

2011-10-30T14:22:00.000-05:00

Life has been hectic for a few weeks. I try to pop in and catch up on my blogs I follow, but I know I've probably missed some.
I suppose it's good to stay busy and be able to enjoy some cooler fall weather. We are still way far behind on rainfall, but we keep praying some will come.
I've been sewing in between little short trips and spending days going to keep the grands for a few hours. I have really got to get busy on the Christmas sewing for sure. Wish I could hibernate for a few days. :)
These are a few things I've done for the little ones. I made Shelby a little pale blue corduroy jumper with the princess pumpkin carriage from Planet Applique. I saw one similar last year, and it was just so sweet. Her mom has been trying to get some good pics, but the shoes she wanted to use didn't arrive in time. Hopefully before Thanksgiving, she can get some more pics.

The Halloween shirts and some cute turkey faces are for the boys. Pumpkin faces are from Embroidery Garden, Candy Corn cutie and Turkey face are from Planet Applique also.

Shelby's not dirty. Those are fake tattoos. LOL


I made this for neon day at Cayden's school during homecoming.

I have some more fall pictures to share of the grands, but I'll save them for another day.
Thanks for looking!
ShirleyC

Special Deal

2011-10-17T18:01:00.000-05:00

I hope Monica is enjoying her My Memories Suite 2.0 software. I wish I could have given it to all of the ones who commented.

If you would still like to purchase your own software, you can use this code for $10. It doesn't expire. STMMMS28173 Just click on the blinky above!

Remember there are lots of freebies once you purchase, and My Memories Suite on Facebook is always giving away free downloads. Plus go look to see what people are contributing to the contests. You will be amazed.

There are also many good tutorials to help you.

Thanks again to all of you who entered the contest!

The Winner is.......

2011-10-12T10:53:00.000-05:00

First I would like to thank all of you that took the time to enter. I really appreciate it. If you didn't enter, then you passed up a great opportunity to win a fabulous software program.

This code STMMMS28173 is still available if you want to purchase your own software for $10 off the original price which would make it $29.97. Click HERE to go directly to the My Memories Suite Page.
I will also be posting an opportunity to download free kits to use with your software.

Thanks again to My Memories Suite for giving me this opportunity to share with my blogging friends.

Now to the WINNER! Drum roll.........................
Congratulations MONICA! I have sent you an email, and if I don't hear back within 48 hours, I will draw another name!

ShirleyC

One More Day to Enter!

2011-10-10T22:17:00.000-05:00

You have one more day to enter the giveaway for the My Memories Suite 2.0 software.
Go to the giveaway post HERE to enter. Anyone can enter. Just be sure to leave your email if you don't have a blog.
This is one example of what you can do! Ideas are endless!

Don't Forget to Enter!

2011-10-08T10:40:00.000-05:00

I'm surprised at such few entries for the My Memories Suite Giveaway.

Click HERE to read all about it! It's easy to enter, and you will love it!

My Memories Suite Giveaway and Review!!

2011-10-05T20:16:00.000-05:00

I was recently contacted by My Memories Suite and asked to review their software product called My Memories Suite 2.0.

Woo Hoo! I was so excited that they wanted my little humble opinion! So I'm going to do my best to pass this good news along to YOU, my blogging and sewing friends.

If you've never played with digital scrapbooking, you need to go to their page, click HERE, or on the links above. Look around for a few minutes so this review will make sense to you.

The possibilities are endless! You can make digital scrapbooks, cards, videos, calendars, and just whatever good ideas you have!

You can print your projects yourself, or save them to a disk and have them printed elsewhere.

They have kits, templates, borders, frames, packs, quick pages, all holidays, all occasions, - are you hearing me? They have something for everybody!

The first page I'm posting I created with what is on the software itself (and there are lots of choices). If I can do this, believe me, anyone can!

I love the little frames you can place around your pictures, and you can change them to any color.

Now let me tell you one of the best features of their website is the Free Kits! I'm so glad they do this because this gives you a chance to play with their kits and packs so that you will have a better idea of what you like before you decide to spend extra money. However, none of the kits for purchase are expensive at all! Go look and see!

I did get hung up on downloading the kits to where I could find them on my computer. This is why it's good to watch the video tutorial offered through their BLOG and You Tube.

This is a Halloween card I put together today with one of their free kits. Very simple, but very cute!

LOL! I'm having fun going back and digging through old photos of my grands!

I have never been "into" scrapbooking mainly because of the cost. Since I sew, I already have lots of ~~clutter~~ sewing supplies that I ~~have~~ try to keep organized.

If you scrapbook, then you already know how expensive it can be. That is a great advantage to this software. Everything you need is right there on your computer!

I have two more pages to share with you before I tell you how you can win your own software program.

The first one is a quick page. I love how Shelby's big ole' eyes show up on this!

The last one was done with the overlays. I really love working with these.

Now My Memories has given me a free copy of this software to review, and also a free copy to give away to one lucky winner. This is a $39.97 value which is well worth the cost!

If you don't want to wait to see if you win, you can purchase you own copy with this $10 off coupon generously supplied by My Memories Suite. After you purchase the software, you can get an additional $10 worth of products from their store. Use this code when you check out:

STMMMS28173

Here are the rules to enter:

1. Leave a comment here on my blog after you visit their store, and tell me which kit or layout that you like the best and why. (If you don't have a blog, leave your email address. Also be sure that I can contact you if you are listed as a no-reply blogger.)

For extra entries:

2. Follow My Memories Blog. Come back here and leave a comment.

3. LIKE My Memories on Facebook. Come back here and leave a comment.

4. Follow My Memories Suite on Twitter. Come back here and leave a comment.

That's it! You have to do Step No. 1 or the other 3 don't count!

Thanks for reading all of this, and good luck to the winner.

Giveaway will end on October 11, 2011.....

Hoo's Ready for Fall!!

2011-09-24T22:25:00.000-05:00

I finally finished this outfit that I started on before Bubba's wreck. I can't blame Bubba entirely for my delay. It just seems like there are always things to do and places to go!
I bought this Riley Blake fabric last spring. Last year, Shelby loved owls so I was hoping she'd love this, and she did.
My husband thinks it looks like something from Little House of the Prairie. (What does he know?)

The peasant dress is Simplicity 5695, and the apron dress is Simplicity 2461.

I made the pants from New Look 6473. I thought they would be cute with the apron dress and a white shirt. Emily had just bought a new white shirt for me to embroider something on, but right now, it is blank.

She was here today, and tried it on. I think it's so cute. We didn't get a picture as we "didn't have a bow to match!" Oh yeh, she's a bow head girl! As long as we can keep her like that, we will!
Fall pictures are next week at her school so I'm glad I finally finished this outfit for her to wear!
I'm making her a matching purse. I plan to finish it tomorrow!
Now I hope to have some time to spend on the review I'm doing for my giveaway!

Shirley

Update on Bubba and a Giveaway Coming!

2011-09-22T12:58:00.000-05:00

I got so excited last night when I had an unexpected visitor at my kitchen door. It was our grandson, Bubba, hobbling in on crutches.

This was the first time he's been able to come to our house since his accident. We have sure missed him popping in and out at various times of the day.
This pic was made a little over a week ago, and that leg is looking so much better.

His arms are healing very well also. We are just so blessed and praising God everyday.

Now I want you all to be aware of an upcoming giveaway here on my blog.
I am reviewing a neat product, and as soon as I finish, I will be posting about the giveaway. So keep checking back!

Thanks to everyone for your sweet comments and prayers for Bubba.

Hugs,
Shirley

Oh Happy Day!!

2011-09-09T22:16:00.000-05:00

Our grandson, Bubba, came home this afternoon!
The doctors decided to postpone surgery on his kneecap as they think it will heal on its own since he can't put any pressure on that leg anyway. They figured most of his pain is coming from the rods and screws put in his leg. I appreciate your continued thoughts and prayers.

Today was Grandparent's Day at Shelby's pre-school. (My granddaughter that is 4.) My husband and I were both able to attend. She was so excited, and her main focus was getting to eat those too tempting donuts over on the table next to where we were sitting.
Since everyone there knows our Shelby, they put 2 doughnuts on her plate. The little toot ate those and also 1/4 of a cinnamon roll.
Let's just say she had plenty of energy for the rest of the morning!
From there my husband left to go and get Bubba, and I took Shelby to Hancock's. She had everyone in there cracking up as she never stopped talking, and they could all hear everything she said.
We went up and down the fabric isles, and she spied some Ariel fabric. She pulled it down, and said that was what she wanted. I asked her if she had any money. She said, "No, but you do!" Can we say "rotten"?
Then she found the Strawberry Shortcake fabric, and insisted on that also. It is so funny how she knows exactly what she wants and never asked for any other fabric.
However, she did make the statement that she wished she could buy all of the fabric in the store, but she knew she couldn't. LOL That's a Mimi's girl for sure!
This is Shelby wearing the poodle print outfit I made her. Her kitty just happened to match the outfit. She loved telling everyone that Mimi made it, and she also told them that I could make all kinds of stuff. I was laughing so hard!

Let's just say it was a fun and happy day! The first one this week!
Shirley

Update on our Grandson...

2011-09-06T15:58:00.001-05:00

My last post HERE was about our grandson, Bubba, who was in a terrible wreck Saturday night. If you haven't read that one, then you might like to go back and read so you will understand.

Bubba had surgery yesterday on both arms. They put in plates and screws so that he would have more mobility. He doesn't have any casts, and he can use his hands to feed himself. However, he can't use his arms to help move around or get positioned in the bed.
Therapy got him up today and put him in a wheelchair. He did ok, but it was hard to get back into the bed. It will take some adjusting to get it just right.

The doctors have decided to do surgery on his kneecap on Thursday. Then in 8 weeks, they will go in and do another repair to the femur, and also do a bone graft. The doctor called this a femur explosion.

I'm sharing some pics I took on my phone. It had just rained and it was a little hazy, but I think you can see well enough to know it was bad.

Also, we found 3 necklaces that were on his rear view mirror. One is a cross, one is a Christian fish symbol, and one had this verse stamped into it:

"This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9 NLT)

How perfect is that!

Counting our blessings!

Shirley

Please Pray for our Grandson...

2011-09-04T19:41:00.001-05:00

Our oldest grandson, Bubba (20), was in a terrible car wreck last night. He had been to watch the LSU game with a church friend (and his dentist). He took a curvy, back road home, and a deer crossed his path. The road was damp from rain, and he lost control swerving to miss the deer.

It took firefighters nearly two hours to get him out of the truck. He drove a Ford F150, and let me say - it is demolished!

He has a broken femur in 3 places, and both arms are broken. He also had cuts and bit his lip. They did surgery today on his leg as the bone had pierced the skin, and the fascia was shredded. They also put a "nail" in, and some kind of cement stuff to hold it in place. He did really good.

Tomorrow they will do surgery on his arms to put rods in so he will be able to put more pressure on them during his recovery.
Let's just say, our sweet boy has been mangled and tangled! On a good note, his dentist checked his mouth, and his teeth are fine.

When we saw his truck this afternoon, we truly lost our breath! If he hadn't been wearing his seat belt, the doctors said he probably wouldn't be here today. We are so very thankful!

He is really upset about his classes as he had just started the fall session.

We feel like God isn't finished with him yet. He has really made us proud with his sincere love for serving God.

This is a picture of Bubba with Cayden when we were at Destin.

We would appreciate your prayers as this will be a long recovery, but Bubba is tough, and he is in good physical health.
Thanks,
Shirley

I won! I won! I won!

2011-08-27T16:26:00.000-05:00

I never dreamed when I entered the giveaway on the Sew WE Quilt blog that I would win, and not just win, but to win such nice things. Every giveaway has been this nice or even better!

I found out about this from Diane at Lavender Dreams. I was really confused at first about how to enter, but Diane helped me through that.
I'm so glad because since I won that meant that she also won some prizes as she was my sponsor. You can visit Diane's blog HERE to see what all she won.

Now let me show you my prizes! Can you believe I won these 3 fabulous Creative Grids rulers! That means they don't slip when cutting.

Madame Samm sent along these beautiful fat quarters too!
This isn't all! I received 4 different patterns and a wonderful quilt book by Jillily Studio.

It's not just quilts. There are also some adorable pin cushion patterns.

It's not too late to enter. Just hop on over to Lavender Dreams and Diane will set you up if you are a Wantobe Quilter. If you are experienced, then go leave Madame Samm a comment and tell her you want to enter, and she will direct you to the right place.
I am so excited about my goodies. I hope to be back blogging on a regular basis. This has been a crazy, busy time around here for a while.

Thanks for stopping by,
Shirley

So Happy to Meet a Blogging Friend in Dallas..

2011-08-27T14:44:00.000-05:00

My husband and I had to make a trip to Dallas to get his sister and his niece when they flew back from California.

I've been emailing and chatting with DeeDee from DeeDee's Craft Spot for a while. In the beginning, her little Pomeranians took my eye as we had one also, but we had to have her put to sleep last Oct.
DeeDee also had to do the same with one of hers, and of course, we had to chit chat a lot about our sweet little poms.
DeeDee was as sweet as I imagined, and let me tell you, she is so talented as well. Visit her blog to see!

DeeDee also brought a crafting friend along, Sandy. We really enjoyed our dinner at the Olive Garden.

This is a pic of the two of us after dinner. We were stuffed! (DeeDee on the left, and I'm on the right.)

She also gave me a sweet little gift. This darling scissor charm from her Etsy shop, and a cute matchbook needle holder made from a paint strip sample. How unique is that!

I'm so glad we had this chance to meet in person. Dallas isn't too far away so maybe we can meet again in the future!

Of Easters Past...........

2011-08-06T20:49:00.000-05:00

I was watering a few plants that have managed to stay alive in all of this heat the other day, and I made a little discovery.

I found this yellow plastic egg sticking out of the ground so I dug it out. It seems it must have been left there 2 or 3 Easters ago when we hid eggs with money in them for the grands.
I know for sure we didn't do this the last 2 Easters so it could even be longer. I do remember the first time we did this after Cayden was big enough to hunt with the older boys that Cayden made the statement, "Where's the candy?" LOL His mama was saying, "Forget the candy, and get the money!"
It was half filled with dirt, and came to a total of $1.61.

I might need to go back and hunt some more!

More Sewing for Shelby...

2011-07-31T15:01:00.000-05:00

I just never get tired of sewing for my sweet Shelby. I've been trying to use up some fabrics I've had in my stash for a while. I have to say, I've done pretty good! At least pretty good for an old Mimi. LOL
I had prayed for a little granddaughter to sew for ever since my own kids grew up. Then a year after Shelby was born, I found out I had tongue cancer, and I had that dreadful surgery. So I lost out on several months of sewing. About the time I really got started back, I had to have shoulder surgery. Another setback...Plus it didn't help, and I still have problems with that shoulder. I can only raise my left arm to a certain point.
I'm not one to give up, and I was determined to keep sewing, and I have. It's not always comfortable, but I manage. It's my joy and my thereapy!
I bought this pink pique poodle fabric when Shelby was a baby, and I'd always intended to use the Children's Corner Callie pattern so that's exactly what I did!

I made pants and bloomers so she could get more wear from the outfit.

And of course, I had to add a pic of the princess wearing her dress. Her mom wants to find some cute shoes to go with this, but Shelby would much rather be wearing flip flops. At least we talked her into the silver sandals - this time!

Something Beautiful I Won....

2011-07-22T18:07:00.000-05:00

I never dreamed when I entered THIS giveaway, that I would be lucky enough to win. If you haven't visited Jenny of ELEFANTZ' blog, you must go and see how talented she is! Jenny doesn't just share her talent, she shares her life in Australia.

Be sure you go to that link and read her post about the giveaway. Jenny has an Etsy shop, and she now has her own magazine.
I'm not very good at detailed handwork, but I sure do enjoy looking at what other people create.

I took some random pics of the heart I won with the word "BELIEVE" so neatly appliqued on the heart.

That's a powerful word around here especially since I've had cancer, and then another scare in May.
No matter what the outcome of anything we face, we have to BELIEVE that our God is going to carry us through.

I love how this heart looks laid on top of the quilt that is on the foot of my bed.

I want you to look at the detailed work on this heart. I am just amazed!

Thanks so much, Jenny of ELEGANTZ! I love your blog, and I appreciated a chance to win a piece of your special work!

Oh My Gosh! What a Big Surprise!

2011-07-14T17:35:00.000-05:00

I was working on the computer, and I received a text from a friend in OK, and she told me to get on Facebook. So I said, "ok", as I figured it was some sort of drama going on. LOL
I start reading the news feeds, and I see this post from my husband, Clay.

On the 24th of July, Shirley and I will have our 40th anniversary. We don't buy presents, but since she has put up with me for 40 years, thought I would buy her something for this special year. We have had so many wonderful years, two great children, a great SIL and DIL, and the most wonderful gift of all, our grandchildren. Happy early anniversary to my soulmate. Come to the sun room!!!!. Love you!!

So when I got to the sunroom, he handed me a sweet note, and told me to go and look in his truck. When I got there, this is what I found (except in the box).

It is a brand new Babylock Ellegeo Plus embroidery machine! You can read about it HERE.

I have been wanting to switch back to Babylock as I have the most wonderful dealer around. I also love the extra long hoops for appliqueing names on things.

His now famous post on FB has 172 comments! Wow! We are popular! LOL Our friends were anxiously awaiting for me to find my surprise, and I wasn't even paying attention. I think everyone had a good laugh for the day. I know I did when I was reading all of the comments.

I also had a few tears. I was so completely overwhelmed to say the least. Thank you, my dear husband. It's been a wonderful 40 years! (almost)

Finished Another Outfit...

2011-07-08T23:12:00.001-05:00

I seemed to be on a roll this past week! It sure helps when you don't have to stay in the road.
I actually started another project, and I couldn't get this little pattern off my mind so I put that one down, and cut out this one.
This little pattern is free on this BLOG. A sewing friend from my Babylock Club Class gave us the link.
It is called the Solar Sundress, and it is soooo easy and fast.
Of course, I had another reason to use my bias tape maker machine. I didn't change the pattern, but I did add bias tape to the hem.
I did get to see it on Shelby, and it fit perfectly. I'm waiting on her mom to send some pics so I can show you. I know I'll be making some more of these because it can also be worn over a little shirt for the fall.

Thanks for looking!

Update on Jason - our niece's DH...

2011-07-06T20:38:00.000-05:00

First let me say Thank You for the comments and the prayers. If you missed my first post, you can read it HERE.

Things didn't go so well at Tulane in New Orleans. They never even got the arteriogram done, and Jason had a lot of waiting for nothing. Plus the doctor there had only performed one of these surgeries, and he himself didn't feel comfortable doing it.

So that little flag went up that said, "Let's go home!"
As soon as they got home, they had a call from the dr. at Stanford in CA.

He had done hundreds of these surgeries, and he told them from looking at Jason's tests, that he had 2 strokes instead of one.

Arrangements have been made for them to fly out there by July 12th. The first surgery will be on July 19th followed by a 2nd surgery on July 26th.

Please keep them in your prayers. They will have to leave their 4 yr. old son, Kayl, at home with relatives and friends. He's never been away from them for that long. It will be several weeks before Jason can come home.

Some other family members will also be flying at different times.
Our family appreciates every prayer that is said for them!!

This Family Needs Your Prayers...

2011-07-05T11:30:00.000-05:00

Please pray for this little girl - Abby - HERE. She has been having treatments to shrink her tumors so she could have surgery.
She had a very extensive surgery, and now she is having some complications.

I've been following her progress for a while.

Thanks so much,

Shirley

Cool Outfit for Our Hot Summer Days!

2011-06-29T21:34:00.000-05:00

The weather here has been sooooo hot! I've been working on using up some one yard cuts of fabric I have in my stash before Shelby gets too big. That girl is growing like a weed.
This is Simplicity 2461 - just a simple pinafore type top with some bloomers.
My daughter won the fabric from Fairytale Frocks and Lollipops a few months ago. It is such sweet and soft fabric!
I made the rolled rose from some designs I bought at Embroidery Garden. It was fairly easy after watching the video.
I can't wait to see it on Shelby. When they were here today, they went swimming so my daughter will have to make some pics for me.

Shelby was in the pool when PawPaw announced we were having watermelon. That girl hollered, "Get me outta here! We got wallermelon!"

Our Family Needs Your Prayers....

2011-06-26T18:21:00.000-05:00

I'm asking for your prayers for our niece's husband, Jason. Jason had a light stroke a few weeks ago caused from a disease called MoyaMoya disease. This is a very rare disease and only about one in 2 million have this. We know he has about an 80% blockage on both sides of his brain. Jason has had type 1 diabetes since age 7.

Jason and Sissy, plus her mom, Robin, will be headed to New Orleans Monday to Tulane for some testing and meet with a team of doctors who have some experience with Moyamoya. They will be there the whole week we think. The doctors there feel they can consult with the doctors at Stanford also. They just don't think he can travel all the way to California. They said he needs this surgery ASAP to prevent a massive stroke. Until Monday it's blanket and couch and movie weekend.

There is one website www.moyamoya.com and it has alot of information. Strange thing they have learned on that is most of the patients who are discovering this in their 30's have fathers who went to vietnam and were exposed to agent orange. Jason's dad was there in 68-69. Jason was born in 71.

Jason and Sissy have a 4 yr. old little boy that we call our miracle baby. That's a whole other story. Jason is really upset about having to leave Kayl, but hopefully, if Tulane does the surgery, then he can go for visits.

I appreciate prayers from my blogging friends. Even if you don't leave a comment, please pray for them. They need a miracle. This disease is treatable with the surgery, but Jason's risks are multiplied with him being an insulin dependent diabetic.

Also if there is anyone out there with any direct information about this, please let me know. Sissy and Jason were in such shock, they didn't even know what questions to ask the doctors.

Thanks so much. Hugs to all,
Shirley

If You Love Beautiful Handwork and/or Sewing....

2011-06-23T09:42:00.000-05:00

.....go HERE and visit Jenny of Elefantz.com and read about her work. She does some remarkable work, and is having a giveaway. Go HERE to register for the giveaway. Be sure to follow her directions.
She lives in Queensland, Australia.
I don't think I've ever met anyone from Australia that didn't do remarkable handwork or sewing.
Jenny now has her own magazine so check it out, and also visit her Etsy Shop. There's a link on her blog.

This is what she's giving away. I just love it! It's one of my favorite words - BELIEVE - Just think about it for a minute - BELIEVE!

Woo Hoo! I'm Lucky Again!!

2011-06-16T11:09:00.000-05:00

I really am not obsessed with entering contests. If I run across a blog with something I like, I enter. There has been more than one occasion where I entered, but wasn't the real winner, and I received a prize or prizes.

I wrote a comment on Pigtales and Quilts giveaway a few weeks ago, and Thearica was so generous that she shared a lot of her goodies from the giveaway here with everyone who commented. So see, it pays to make a few comments here and there.

She sent me this primitive towel that says "Simplify." (Do you know how much that applies to me lately?) A cute candle holder, and this precious moon figurine. I wish you could see the detail on the figurine. Even the little hairs on her head stick out!

Thanks so much, Thearica. I do appreciate you sharing your goodies with me!

I am loving the quilting and sewing blogs viewing everyone's fabulous creations!

ShirleyC

Things Have Been a Little Rough Lately....

2011-06-08T17:45:00.000-05:00

I didn't want to post anything until I found out more.
As most of your know, I had tongue cancer surgery 3 years ago. When I went back for my checkup in May, my doctor found a small knot in my neck. He treated me for an infection for a week, but it didn't go away.

So I waited until after our vacation to have a CT scan on my neck. That was on June 2nd.

Today was my appointment to find out the results of the test. We waited for 2 hours to finally find out. The dr. had to do some kind of procedure so that delayed us.

Come to find out, it is a clip they left in my neck during the surgery. He said it is made of titanium and harmless, and also, it's not that big. It's used to clamp off veins and arteries.

I'm not really surprised as I had so many doctors working on me for 12 hours. I'm sure it's not that uncommon, but dang, what agony I've been in since they told me.

My nerves got the best of me, and when we got to the church to pick up our grands from VBS, I puked my guts out. If you knew me, you'd know this is just not my norm.

I feel better now, but not good. However, I am very, very thankful that the diagnosis wasn't what they suspected.

My DH said he didn't realize I was so upset because I appeared to be calm and cool. I asked him, "You mean after nearly 40 years of marriage, you can't see panic on my face?" LOL He normally can read my mind!
Of course, it hasn't helped things that we had to have our little Yorkie puppy put to sleep on Monday. She had complications after her surgery 2 weeks ago, and just couldn't bounce back.
Thanks to all of my friends and blog friends that continue to check on me. I will have another checkup in 6 months.

Praising God in Louisiana!
Shirley

Happy Birthday to my Baby Boy!

2011-06-06T23:05:00.000-05:00

On June 7, 1977, we were blessed with a beautiful baby boy - 8lbs. 13 oz. - and I was induced 2 weeks early!

Well, his dad said he was not beautiful, but his mommy and his cousin, Robin, thought so. If I could find his baby picture, I would scan it to show you.

Cody was the happiest, friendliest child growing up. His first word was "hiiiiiiiiii" at 5 months old.
He was a Mama's boy. (and still is!) I am so proud of the man and the dad that he has become. We have been two very blessed parents when it comes to our kids.

This is a pic of Cody with Cayden letting Cayden get in a real firetruck. (Cayden was 27 months old)

This is one of my favorite pictures of Cody with Clayton and Bubba from the beach 2010.

I love it when they all act the same age!

I've already posted the lastest beach pics in my last post. I do wish I could share pics of Cody with his foster child, but that isn't allowed. They melt my heart!
Thanks to those of you that read and comment on my blog. I do appreciate you so much. My life is my family!

Just a Few Family Beach Pics...

2011-06-04T10:54:00.000-05:00

For the second year in a row, we were able to get some family pics. These pictures mean the world to me to have us all together.

The one above just cracked me up!
The one below include our little foster grand. We can't show his picture from the front. This picture was Cayden's idea. He had seen one like this and insisted that he, Shelby, and little grand do this pose. We just love it! It will be a lasting memory for them.

Thanks for looking.

Vacation and Home Again!

2011-06-01T12:16:00.000-05:00

Sorry I've been away so long. I have just been snowed under the whole month of May, and then we left for Destin on the 23rd, and came back this past Sunday. I have been exhausted!
I will share some pics of things we did. First is the Pirate Ship Cruise we went on from Panama City, FL. Definitely worth the money! Two hours of fun for the kids. It totally revolved around the kids.

They gave the kids instructions, and the first activity was a water gun fight!

Then they sent the girls to get their faces painted while the boys mopped the deck. This cracked me up!

They had a sword fight and lots of marching and dancing with tamburines. Plus they had to do the limbo!

Of course, every pirate ship has to find a treasure chest! The kids helped to spot it in the water, and pulled the rope to tow it in.

Every child was allowed to pic 3 treasures from the chest.

All pirates have to have tattoos!

Even PawPaw!

We even got to see some dolphins playing in the water. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous!

We all had a blast! They gave the kids all kinds of trinkets and a pirate hat.

This little guy was in hog heaven!

Happy Kindergarten Graduation Day, Cayden!

2011-05-17T14:22:00.000-05:00

I can't believe Cayden is already finished with kindergarten, and is officially a first grader now!

He's not had a very good day. He woke up early this morning, and he wasn't able to walk without a lot of pain in his left leg.
When a 6 yr. old asks to go to the doctor instead of an ice cream party at school, we know it's bad.
His mommy took him to the PED's office. They did x-rays and bloodwork, but nothing showed up. His dr. gave him a thorough exam, and can only speculate that something is inflamed. She put him on Motrin and ibuprofen doses with heat packs.
If he's not better in 2 days, he will have to go back for further testing.
Please say a prayer for our sweet grandson. He is determined to go to his kindergarten graduation tonight so my oldest grandson, Bubba, said he would carry him across the stage if the need arises.
Cayden is trying to put more pressure on his leg this afternoon, but he's really had a hard time getting up from his bed or the couch. This is just not like our boy! He is one active little guy!

Thanks so much,
Shirley

A Real Southern Tea Party....

2011-05-11T15:03:00.000-05:00

I mentioned during my last post that I had been out of town last weekend. I went to Kenner, LA to visit my friend, Bettye. Bettye's house got flooded during Katrina, and it took her nearly 2 years to get it back into move-in condition. Now it's very nice, and that is all behind her, and we pray everyday that nothing like that happens again.
Every year, Bettye's church group hosts a very nice tea party. I have been wanting to attend so I finally got to do that this year.
Her church is in a quaint neighborhood in Metairie, LA. The Tea Captains each decorate and host a table of friends for the tea.
We sampled 3 different kinds of teas: Earl Grey Tea served with Appetizers, Blueberry White Tea served with Tea Sandwiches, and Madagascar Vanilla Red Tea served with Pastries.
Their theme was "Shoes", and the decorations depicted how a woman's shoes change from a baby to a grown woman.

I made the FSL Victorian style shoes as favors for Bettye's guest.

These are the other tables.

I really enjoyed meeting Bettye's friends, and these ladies did a whole lot of work to have this event. There were two ladies here that are 93 years old. One of them still drives, and the other one sitting at the end of Bettye's table just found out she has ovarian cancer. So sad, but she wanted to come to the tea as she's come every year.
I hope you enjoyed the pictures! This was my first REAL tea party, and I learned a whole lot!

Praising God - You Just Never Know!

2011-05-06T22:27:00.004-05:00

Three years ago today I had my surgery for tongue cancer. I went in very early on the morning of Wednesday, May 7, 2008 with my husband and kids by my side. Luckily, I didn't have to wait too long before they starting drugging me. I don't even remember much about that morning. I was kept asleep mostly for 2 days. My family says I woke up and they talked to me a few times, but I don't remember a thing until I woke up on Friday. From then on, I remember a lot.
I had a 12 hour surgery which is described by daughter in the archives (arrow down the page for all of the May posts) if anyone wants to go and read about it. I was in ICU for 6 days, and stayed in the hospital a total of 12 days. I had never in my life been away from home for that long.
I had an amazing team of doctors which I now see every three months. My two year check up is on Tuesday, May 11. After that, they said I may be able to space my visits further apart.
Dr. Ghali went in after putting the vent in, and started cutting out the part of my tongue that had the cancer, and then they would check each piece he cut out until they got to a point where there were no cancer cells. That was a long period of time.
Dr. Kim did the reconstruction by taking a piece of muscle from my forearm (called the flap), and rebuilt my tongue. He also took the big vein in my left arm. Looooong ordeal!
I also had 50 lymph nodes removed in my neck. Praise God, those were cancer free, and I didn't have to take chemo or radiation!
As soon as they took me off the vent, and I could cover up the hole, I could talk. I was shocked to even hear myself speak. I thought it would be a really long time before I could speak again. This was Day 9. Amazing, huh? Just another one of God's blessings.
It was a very long recovery, but I managed to go back to school that August, and teach until mid-term when I retired in January 2009. It wasn't easy, but I made it with the help of my wonderful family and friends.

I go for my 3 year check up on Tuesday, May 10, so please keep me in your prayers.

I have been out of town for a few days, and I'm way behind on a lot of things. I hope to catch up with my blogs very soon.

Happy Birthday Emily! (my daughter)

2011-04-21T10:04:00.000-05:00

Emily was due on April 7, 1974, but I went 2 weeks over and my doctor didn't believe in inducing.
I was pretty miserable, and you can imagine why when I tell you she weighed 10lbs. 7oz., and was 21 in. long. She came here wearing 3 month sizes. LOL

Even so, we were some pretty proud parents to say the least! Emily was born on my FIL's birthday, and he was one happy man. Unfortunately, he passed away when she was only 17 months old.

This is a picture of Emily in her coming home dress (made when she was about a month old). It was a Martha Minature brand, and we couldn't button the top button. We paid $11.00 for it!

Below is Shelby wearing the same dress, and it swallowed her. LOL

Below is a scanned picture of Emily at 5 weeks old beside one of Shelby at 5 weeks. You can see the hairline is definitely the same. LOL

We are so proud of our daughter for the mother she has become. We love you, Emily!

Thanks for sharing in my moment of memories. I know you will understand!

Out of the Mouths of Babes....

2011-04-20T21:26:00.000-05:00

Sometimes a child can really knock you to your knees!

I picked up my grands today, and on the way home Cayden said, "Friday is going to be a really sad day."
I asked him why.
He said, " That is when Jesus is going to die on the cross."

He is in kindergarten at a Christian school, and they have Bible class every morning. He has really been listening. His mom and I both tried to explain that Jesus has already died, and he is understanding the concept somewhat. He does know that HE rose again too!

Then in some ways, I think it's good for us to look at it the way he does. It seems to make it more real to imagine that Friday is the day that Jesus will die for all of our sins!

Happy 4th Birthday Shelby!!

2011-04-18T08:56:00.000-05:00

I just can't believe Shelby is 4 years old! It just seems like she jumped from a baby in arms to a prissy little girl. Let me tell you, she is one prissy lady!

Saturday was her birthday party. She shared her party with her friend, Claire. They were so darned cute wearing their gymnastics outfits as their party was at Jill's Gymnastics. It was a great party place for the kids as the workers did all of the work. They let them tumble and jump for an hour, served pizza and icees, cut and served the cakes, passed out the gifts, bagged up the gifts, and were just so sweet to the kids. All the moms had to do was take pics!
This is Shelby before the party with her cake PawPaw had made for her. It was soooo cute and soooo good!

It was hard to get many good pics at her party. As you all know, kids this age are not still for very long.

I gave Shelby the outfit and the swimsuit I made her, and this is what she told her Mommy tonight. I was so tickled.

Shelby: "Mimi is cool."

Mommy: "Really?"

Shelby: "Yeah, because she makes cool clothes for me."

That makes it all worthwhile! Mimi will keep sewing for her as long as she wants to wear what I make.
This is the swimsuit which is the pattern I used last spring from Sew Beautiful # 130. I also made one for Claire as we all go to the beach at the same time.

I will be joining Shelby, Cayden, and my daughter for lunch today on her real birthday. I always try to see my grandbabies on their birthday no matter when their party is scheduled. These are the most precious memories a Mimi can have!!

Can't Blame the Squirrels this Time!!

2011-04-13T12:52:00.000-05:00

We've been doing some spring planting in our yard. I will post more pics after things start growing a little. We are very pleased with our plantings and arrangement of various yard art. (our lingo, lol)

We bought 3 little oregano plants to put in one bed mainly because we liked the color and shape of the plants.

Lo and behold, I looked up, and our smallest little dog, Mollie, had eaten half of one of the plants! The dog! What is she thinking?

You can see the size of the one she ate. It used to be as big as the other two. Then I turned my back, and she was nibbling on the little purple vine. I snatched her from that not knowing if it is poisonous or not. I guess it's NOT, or she'd be dead by now!

I'm glad I caught her because I would be blaming some little innocent squirrel!
Maybe when we add the red bark the odor will keep her from going back around there.
Anyone else have a problem with their dog eating their plants???

ShirleyC

Finally back online!

2011-04-07T11:01:00.000-05:00

We had a wind storm come through on Monday, and it knocked out our phone line and internet.

It was just repaired this morning. I'm so far behind on everything - not just emails and reading blogs! I was also on the road for 2 days traveling in circles picking up my grands and taking care of them. We got caught in a terrible storm on Monday, but we made it safely to their house where my daughter was also without internet.

I haven't been able to read any blogs so I have a lot of catching up to do! I'm missed my blog reading!

ShirleyC

Bear Fight at the Zoo!!

2011-04-01T22:13:00.000-05:00

This is no April Fool's joke!!
I went with my daughter and son to take the grands to the Caldwell Zoo in Tyler, TX on Tuesday.
I was kind of lagging behind, and I saw my daughter start running. As we were approaching the bear sanctuary, the two bears started fighting.
We had never witnessed anything like this - LIVE! The kids went nuts too! It was sort of scary as they kept hitting the glass enclosure in the front of the pen.
Emily took the first shot, and the I took the others. You can see one of them prancing in front of the glass. One time he slapped his tongue on the glass right in front of Shelby. She jumped a mile! He also kept spitting at the other bear - oh wow, was he mad!

Finally, one of the zoo employees came and started talking to them through the fence, and they calmed down. Emily said she was the "bear whisperer". LOL
We were so surprised that I totally forgot to turn on the video part of my camera.
We had a fun day even though it was sort of chilly considering it was back in the 80's here today!

Lucky for me!!

2011-03-31T11:16:00.000-05:00

I entered a little caption contest at Shawkl's blog. I really didn't even think about winning. I just thought it would be fun, and it was. I couldn't resist commenting on Sam's picture since I'm also a dog owner (if that's what you call it, I think they own me!)

If you missed the post, it is HERE.
Thanks so much, Kathy, for my goodies or needles. They will be used because when I'm notion shopping, I usually forget to buy new hand sewing needles!

They came in this beautiful handmade card - pretty enough to be framed. Notice that cute little 3-D flower in the corner - and it even has some "bling"!

She also wrote a very sweet note.
If you haven't visited her blog, you need to go and see how talented she is!
Thanks again, Kathy! I love meeting new blogging friends.

ShirleyC

Sharing a Little Love....

2011-03-22T10:28:00.000-05:00

My daughter bought a new camera, and she's been playing with it a little. I can't wait for her to have time to "really" work with it.
I seem to be "blog dead" or "brain dead"! I'm still so worn out from the floor redo last week, and my sewing room isn't yet back in working order. When that is done, I think I will feel better.
So for now I hope you enjoy my grands. They are so much fun, and we're planning a trip to the zoo next week. So I've gotta get my groove back!!

Shelby is also getting to the age where she has to be bribed to take pics. I think her Mommy needs a supply of those Little Debbie Oatmeal Cakes. She will do anything for one of those! LOL
Cayden is 6, and he thinks pictures are dumb, but Mommy manages to get a few.

Look at those eyes!

Everyone take care!

The Floors are Finally Done!!

2011-03-18T12:05:00.001-05:00

What a week this was! I am worn completely out after this ordeal. It was cold a couple of mornings so I had to find a cubby hole in the sun room to stay with the dogs until it warmed up a little. I never did take pictures of all the rooms where furniture was piled high - oh! what a mess!

As soon as they started moving the living room furniture back in that room, I started wiping and cleaning. Everything and I mean EVERYTHING was covered in dust!
They had a hard time ripping out the kitchen floors. When my BIL built something, he meant for it to last! That's where all of the dust came from.
So I wanted to share some pictures. I haven't taken time to stage anything. What you see if what you get! My niece, Cricket, came and helped me clean and get everything in some sort of order yesterday, or I would still be in a turmoil. She is the best!

The sun room - pillow upside down! (I told you.)

Next is the sewing room. I do love those floors in here!

Living room...the whole house looks bigger.

Kitchen

Hallway

My sewing room is 3/4 back in place. I have some things to reorganize and put away, but that won't take too long.

I have a lot of catching up to do. I have been trying to scan over my blog list at night, but let me tell you I've been getting in the bed early since I had to get up early to greet my installers.
I'm so glad it's over, and we both just love it! I hope everyone has a great weekend.

ShirleyC

I may be MIA for a few days...

2011-03-12T10:11:00.000-06:00

We are in the process of having new flooring put down in about half of our house. Due to this, we will have to pack up and put away all of our what knots and collections of anything and everything that is on or inside the furniture.

Whew! Just saying that makes me tired! I am also getting wood floors in my sewing room which will be the biggest disaster to dismantle. Some of my furniture is too big to be taken out as it was put together inside the room. So the guy said they would work around it, but I have to pretty much empty everything to make it lighter to move.

Then of course, the computers will most likely be disconnected for the most part. If I can get online, it will be on my laptop.

My DH is taking off work on Monday to help get things situated, and to help deal with the dogs. Then for 2 days I will have to figure out what to do with them and myself. At least if the weather is pretty, we can sit outside on the patio.

After that is over, we get to replace everything. I think it's going to be much worse than the Christmas decorating for sure. I will probably never find half of my stuff as I will be sticking it in every little cubby available!

With that being said, I will check in when I can. I know I have promised a giveaway, and it is coming. I hadn't planned on this big delay, but I can't cope with that right now with my house all stirred up. I know you will understand.

My heart is heavy for all of the damage, destruction, and loss of lives in Japan. I am praying for them and anyone who has family or friends over there.
I'm so glad Hawaii was spared any major damage as our Marine friend, Joseph, is stationed there until he goes back to Afghanistan.
Happy Blogging and don't forget about me!!

ShirleyC

Quite Contrary outfit for Shelby....

2011-03-09T17:14:00.000-06:00

That's the name of the fabric. I did a fabric swap/challenge on one of my forums, and my swap partner, Leslie, sent me this fabric. I just loved it, and it didn't take me long to figure out how to make an outfit that would showcase the fabric.
I had recently reorganized my Sew Beautiful magazines, and I ran across a darling pattern in Issue #107 called Haley's Halter and Capris.
The article showed 2 versions, and I chose to do the one with the rick rack instead of smocking.

I love the capri pattern as it is slimmer than most patterns.

The back has 2 rows of elastic, and I like that since it's a halter style. The elastic will help to keep the top fitting snugly.
I will probably give it to Shelby for her birthday in April so I won't be able to get pics of her modeling it just yet. I'm about to start working on some more spring/summer things.
We are having some new flooring put down and that will put me behind about a week, but it's got to be done.

Have a blessed day!

Dr. Oz Video about Bath Salts..

2011-03-08T20:33:00.000-06:00

If you missed Dr. Oz today, and you would like to see the video about the Bath Salts, this is the link:
Dr. Oz video

This is in reference to my post from last night. The video was just heart wrenching for me to see my friends in such pain telling about Dickie's suicide.
Every parent/grandparent needs to see this, and especially if you have teens. This stuff has been declared illegal in only 3 states, and you can buy it over the counter.
Please, please share this information with everyone you know.
Julie and Rick are doctors, and they didn't know about this stuff! So much of the general population doesn't know how lethal it can be!

Thanks,
Shirley

Watch Dr. Oz Tomorrow...

2011-03-07T22:50:00.001-06:00

Some of you may remember a post I did about the Bath Salts and how dangerous they are? HERE

Our friends, Dr. Rick Sanders and Dr. Julie Lawrence Sanders are going to be on Dr. Oz (March 8) to talk about the bath salts and how the use of them was responsible for their son taking his own life.

I can only imagine how hard this has been for them, and to be able to talk about it on national television lets us know that they are doing their best to help save other people from this heartache.

I hope you can watch!

I Won A Bookmark - and a whole lot more!!

2011-03-06T16:01:00.000-06:00

I entered a giveaway at Dee Dee's Craft Spot Blog. She notified me to tell me that I won - which I thought was a cute little bookmark. Well, it was a darling little bookmark, but she also sent me some more goodies! How sweet of Dee Dee!

On the back it says, "Read to the Children." Love it!

I should have taken a picture of how everything was packaged before I opened it. It was wrapped in an old pattern. I was too excited and failed to do that.
Everything she sent was in a cute little tote bag decorated with some spring flowers.

Let me show everything that was tucked into this tote!

See I told you I won a whole lot more! Look at that darling framed pin cushion, a fabulous journal, some bath fizzes, a coaster, some felt butterflies, and a set of "Love Beyond Measure" measuring spoons. Each one is printed with a different saying.
1 pinch of Patience
1 dash of Kindness
a spoonful of Laughter
a heap of Love

How cute are those!!
Here is a close up of the framed pincushion. So neat and so handy for me as I sit next to a wall.

Thanks sooooo much Dee Dee! The best thing of all is finding a new blog friend!
Go and check out Dee Dee's blog and visit her Etsy shop to see some adorable items she makes and sells.

Can't Leave out the Girl!!

2011-03-05T16:14:00.000-06:00

I hijacked another of my daughter's blog posts. It saves me a lot of time loading pictures. LOL
She is a great photographer. Some of you remember Cayden's pictures I posted a couple of weeks ago.
Shelby will be 4 in April. I just can't believe she is so "growny", and she is also very opinionated.
I am still working on my blog giveaway. I want it to be extra special so keep checking back!

R.I.P. Sweet Midge....

2011-02-28T20:51:00.000-06:00

We lost a special friend this week. Midge used to sit on the same pew with us at church.

This picture was taken at my Celebration of Life party last May. I'm so glad I have this wonderful pic of her.
She has battled cancer, and she was in remission for a few years, and then it came back with a fury.

Midge was such a fighter. She never gave up! She was so courageous and so spunky. No one stayed more positive and focused on living life more fully than she did.
There was never a time when I saw her that she didn't make me laugh. She walked with a cane, and every time she started picking on me, I'd tell her I was going to take her cane, and she could chase me for it. LOL!
I could on and on with funny stories about Midge, but none of that will make me feel any better.

The best thing is that she is with our Lord above, and she is NOT suffering any longer.

She will be missed - by many............
Please pray for her family - her daughter, 2 granddaughters, and a very special little great-grandson that she adored.
Thanks so much.........

Just Chillin'

2011-02-26T10:41:00.000-06:00

The grands are here, and we're just waiting until this evening to go to our local Mardi Gras parade. It's small which is fine with me! The kids will enjoy catching the beads and whatever else they throw.

We have another new member to the family. We found another Yorkie. Her name is Mollie Mae and she's 7 months old. She's about half the size of Maggie Lou. Mollie looks like a Koala bear to me. LOL! She needs a little trimming.

Maggie wasn't too happy about having Mollie here, but the good thing is that Mollie is already attached to Mr. C. So now we both basically have a lap dog. They are doing better today than last night, and I'm quite sure they will get used to each other.

We've had several offers of people wanting to take Mollie should we decide that it's not going to work out, but we're giving it our best shot.
Here's one last pic of sweet Shelby. She's such a sweet girl, and we have so much fun when she and Cayden are visiting.

I still have a giveaway coming. I haven't had much luck finding the main thing I wanted to give so if I can't, I do have an alternate plan!
Have a great weekend!
ShirleyC

Cayden's Six Year Old Pictures....

2011-02-23T20:50:00.000-06:00

Our sweet grandson is growing up!

Flea Market Finds......

2011-02-21T18:16:00.000-06:00

I was really good, and didn't buy an awful lot. It was hard, but my problem is always deciding what to buy as I want it all!

I have a collection of salt and pepper shakers. Some from my mom, some the kids gave me, and some I've picked up from flea markets and estate sales.

I saw this one, and I just had to have it. It's made like an old wood burning stove with the kettles on top. The kettles are the salt and pepper shakers. I paid $3.00 for this.

The next picture is a shelf I have most of my collection displayed on in my dining area. These aren't all, but these are my favorites. I also have a collection that I put out at Christmas.

The tall shakers in the top middle section, and the 2 pair on the left top corner all belonged to my mom. They are very old. The little cut glass pair with the red tops were some my dad gave her when they got married.

I don't know what to call my next little find except to say it's an organizer. It is very heavy, and I will use it in my sewing room to store things like extra scissors, notepads, etc. It was $4.00.

We have had some beautiful weather here the last few days. My grands came today, and we had a picnic down by the riverfront downtown. It was very windy, but very comfortable. The kids really enjoyed playing in the park.

I have a giveaway coming soon! As soon as I can get everything together to take a picture. I think you will like it!

Shirley

From Winter to Spring...

2011-02-18T21:11:00.000-06:00

I made this Smores print outfit for Shelby in January. She was wearing it the day she got sick with the flu, and we never got a picture of her in it. Then mommy and daddy got sick, and I'm not sure she's even gotten to wear it again.

I made the pink pants using some twill I purchased from Chez Ami. I had also purchased some pink, limegreen, and white stripe from there also. This next outfit was made so that she could wear the top with the pink pants until it gets warm enough to wear the shorts. I love sewing spring/summer outfits because it seems like they get so much more wear out of them.

I had bought the lime green/pink polka dot and striped buttons when I got this fabric. I just thought they'd add a whimsical touch.
The pattern is a vintage Butterick pattern that was bought at an antique shop. You see the original price? I don't know what year it was printed as it wasn't on the envelope. I sure do like the pattern and might just use it again.

Now I have to decide what to make next. I participated in a fabric swap on one of my forums, and this is the fabric I received.

Any suggestions?

Come back and visit again!

Mug Mat Swap Revealed!

2011-02-17T16:31:00.001-06:00

I think I mentioned that I had participated in a Mug Mat Swap on Brynwood Needleworks Blog.
Everyone has been receiving their mug mats in the mail, and I received mine the other day. This is a pic of the one I received which was made by Carol at Serendipity Blog. Carol is very talented, and I love this mug mat. The best thing is that it is MINE! I never make anything for myself so I will really enjoy this. I also love the beautiful fabrics she chose.

This is the back below. It's just as pretty as the front.

I also want to show you the one I made for the swap. I found an old floral quilt block at an estate sale. I added some other prints that I hoped would make the flower stand out.

These are so much fun to make. I had made a previous post linking to the tutorial that Donna made on her blog. It should be listed in my January archives.

Thanks, Donna, for hosting such a fun swap, and for the chance to get to know other fellow bloggers with the same interests.

ShirleyC

Baby Girl is doing Good!

2011-02-14T22:39:00.000-06:00

Our newest addition to the family has really been adjusting well. Maggie Lou has been here a week and 2 days, and it seems like she's always been ours.

I took her to the vet and got her all checked out. Then she went to the groomer and got bathed, trimmed, and dressed up.

She makes every step that I make, and lays beside me every chance she gets.

She has her own soft bed and blanket. She wanted to sleep with me, but I was successful in getting her to sleep in her bed. I didn't think it would be much fun when the grands come because one of them usually sleeps with me, and I knew this would be best for everyone.

She has found a special place to sleep when I'm sewing, and I like her there because then I don't worry about stepping on her or rolling my chair on her foot. Maggie crawls up under my desk on a small shelf. I put a couple of scraps under there so she has a little padding.

She is the sweetest little dog, and I'm so happy we found her. She loves to roam the yard, and today was such a beautiful spring like day that we took advantage of staying outside for a while.

I will have to try and get a video of her when I leave because my hubby said she howls like a coyote with her head thrown back. It's nice to be loved!

I Received a New Heart!

2011-02-12T23:10:00.001-06:00

Well, not literally! Remember when I posted about the "Heart from the Heart Swap" over at Mosaic Magpie? This post.

I received my heart yesterday, and it is soooo beautifully done! Deb was my swap partner, and she did such delicate handwork on this heart - front and back! I love the green and burgundy colors on the front, and the neutral colors on the back. Both sides go perfectly in my shabby chic bedroom (previous post also).
She also sent another smaller patchwork heart that is just so sweet! You would think Deb had known me all of her life to pick out everything that I love.

Notice on the back - it says, "Forget me Not".....

Sorry, the patchwork heart is a little blurry.

While I'm here, I want to ask you to please say a prayer for Deb's husband who is in ICU with a lung infection. I know she would appreciate your prayers.

Thanks so much to Deb for hosting this swap, and for my beautiful hearts.

I will be doing another blog post in a day or two about my mug rugs. I've had a bit of a problem as my computer in my sewing room is sick, and I have to wait for a replacement or a repair. It's only a few months old, and I'm hoping it is just a repair so I can retrieve my favorites and the pictures I've loaded recently. Thank goodness I keep my embroidery files on an external hard drive as well as on my computer.

Have a blessed Sunday!
Shirley

Our New Baby Girl! (and 101 followers!!)

2011-02-05T20:46:00.000-06:00

Meet Maggie Lou! She is the newest addition to our family. As many of you know, we lost our pom, Missy, in October. She was 16 years old, and we have missed her terribly. We tried to hold out until the summertime to get another dog, but we have sort of been looking.

We really lucked up as this dog is about a year old, and pretty much out of that puppy stage where they are so much trouble. Her owner died a couple of months ago, and Maggie has been passed around in the family. The owner's sister decided to give her away so she could have more attention. They all had their own dogs, and she was just sort of a loner.

We may still get another puppy or small dog so she won't be lonely.
She is really sweet, and just needs a little grooming which we will take care of next week.
She brought a couple of her toys one being her own little purse. LOL

I'm not used to a dog being under my feet in the kitchen as Missy wouldn't walk on the wooden floors. She is still exploring and getting used to us, but it looks like she has already decided to be my little sewing partner.

I see my blog has reached 101 followers!! I have been saying that when I got to 100 I would have a giveaway, and I am. I just have to decide what it will be. So keep checking back!

ShirleyC

Bath Salts Awareness - Spreading the Word....

2011-02-04T17:45:00.000-06:00

Some of you may remember a previous post of mine about the use of a drug disguised as Bath Salts. If you didn't read it, click HERE.

Some very special friends of ours lost their son to this drug. Dickie committed suicide because of having such terriffic hallucinations.

Dr. Rick Sanders, and Dr. Julie Lawrence Sanders have taken on a challenge to educate the public through their sorrow in order to hopefully prevent others from having to endure such a loss.

I'm linking up to 2 different interviews. One was made in New Orleans, and one was on the Today Show this past Monday. Yes, the Today Show! The Sanders are serious and determined to spread the word, and thank goodness people are listening.

Click HERE for the TODAY video. (it may take a minute to load)
Click HERE for New Orleans video that was on FOX news.

I do hope you will pass this information on. You never know when you might be saving someone's life. This is a new fad, and there isn't much awareness of its effects at this time.

We are heartbroken for our friends, and I ask that you say a prayer for them in their efforts to spread information about this drug.

Thanks,
Shirley

Spring is here!!!

2011-01-31T09:56:00.000-06:00

Oh yeh, right! Not so folks! However, I swear this Begonia plant is still blooming. We have carried this sucker in and out all winter, and since it's made it this long, we will do our best to preserve it until spring.

I just thought I'd let you see that there REALLY is a SPRINGTIME somewhere!

You see that little bird with the eggs in the nest? Shelby gave me that for my birthday last June. I just love it!

So here's hoping winter will be gone soon, and we can all enjoy our outdoor plants. It was 70 here Saturday, and so beautiful, but I hear there is a big cold front coming in on Tuesday. I know it won't be as bad here as it will be for some of you. I do pray all of you can stay warm and safe.

My daughter and her husband both have the flu. Shelby got sick very fast this past Thursday, and Emily took her on to the doctor. She had type A. Cayden has been taking the Tamiflu so he is doing ok. Shelby is better so I'm going to get her tomorrow so Mommy and Daddy can rest - hopefully!
Praying none of us here get that stuff!!

A Heart from the Heart Swap...

2011-01-29T21:47:00.001-06:00

I almost forgot to post my own heart!! I have already mailed it to Deb at Mosaic Magpie, and she has posted it on her blog.
It is supposed to be "from the heart", and I wanted it to be exactly that.

It was fun to do, but it took me for-e-ver to figure out what to make. I had to "dig" in my boxes to find some old laces and things to use.

The fabric is a wine colored brocade, and the back is a plush stripe decor fabric. The yo-yo strip actually came from an old quilt that my grandmother made many, many years ago. I'm not even sure how old it is. She died when I was 8, and she was about 95 then.

I found the pink tatting at a craft show, and I used a different little tatting piece made by my other grandma. The buttons are old, and the corner of the scarf was one my mom embroidered that is pretty much worn out. All of this was just packed away in a box not being used so I figured I might as well make something that someone might enjoy.

The back is just a FSL angel I embroidered on my machine, and attached it by hand.

I hope whoever receives 'my heart' enjoys it as much as I enjoyed making it. There are some beautiful, hand-crafted hearts on that blog. You all need to go and look!

Shirley

Happy 6th Birthday Sweet Cayden!

2011-01-27T08:14:00.002-06:00

Mimi cannot believe that it has been 6 whole years since such a sweet and wonderful blessing came into our lives!

We were some really nervous people that day! I think it was my son that decided to start a betting pot as to what he would weigh. We all made our guesses, and put in $5. My daughter knew about this also. She thought it was hilarious, and it did help to pass the time.

I can't remember the exact time. We were in the waiting area, and it was late in the morning when my cell phone rang, and it was Emily. She asked who had bet 8 lbs. 3 oz.?

Ha Ha! That was her way of telling us he was HERE! Cayden's Aunt Cindy won the pot, and he was also born on her birthday!

Our lives have never been the same since that day. We have been so very blessed to have such a happy, smart, and creative grandchild. This is the day he went home from the hospital wearing the little daygown I made him.

You see this smile! He was only a few weeks old.

It was hard to get good pics because he was always laughing and drooling all over himself. LOL (5 months - no teeth)

Seven months - still no teeth!

Eight months - still no teeth!

Nine months! I think we see some teeth coming in!

There they are! Just in time for Christmas!!

I could keep going, but I won't. I will just leave you with a couple of my favorite pics.

Preschool Graduation...

Kindergarten School Picture - all grown up!

...and finally - missing 2 teeth!

He makes my heart sing!!

Re-design of a Bargain Dress...

2011-01-25T22:37:00.001-06:00

My daughter bought this little dress for half price, or less. The first picture is the way it was bought with that big, bulky tie right in the front. I knew Shelby would never wear it this way. I loved the feel of the corduroy, and I even tried to find a different fabric for the tie, but couldn't find a thing that looked any better or wasn't so bulky.

We couldn't just tie it in the back because there were buttonholes in the front where the tie was threaded. We couldn't just turn it around because of the little flower.

I hated for it to be wasted. I almost just cut it off and made a skirt, but decided to try this. I cut the size of the bodice down, took the tie apart, and lined the bodice with the brown gingham. Then I remade straps to go through buttonholes in the front. The ties may still have to be shortened, but I thought I'd wait and see how it fits on Shelby. I know it will look better on a body than on this hanger. She might even be able to wear it for another season.

You see that little bow on the flower? That is ALL of the fabric I had leftover.

Thanks for visiting. I love comments, and I do try to visit those who visit me!

100 Days of School...

2011-01-25T12:08:00.002-06:00

This week marks the celebration of 100 Days of School for my little grandson.
Each child was supposed to bring 100 things to share, and do a project using 100 things.
My daughter bought him a poster board and 100 popsicle sticks. Her only guidance was that she told him "maybe build a house?"
This is what he did. He made a castle, a wall on the bottom, and drew a knight on a horse on a bridge, a princess, a dragon (on right), and another knight. He has actually drawn better dragons, but I think he was trying to make it as tall as the castle. LOL

My friend, who is an art teacher, said he is extremely talented for 6 years old (will be 6 Thursday - sniff sniff), and she's sending him a lot of her old "how to sketch" books. He will be so excited!

I just had to share. You can tell my grands mean the world to me!

Shirley

Meet Me on Monday!!

2011-01-23T22:55:00.003-06:00

It's that time again to join in the fun at Never Growing Old. So come along and link up. It's a good way to get to know our fellow bloggers.

1. What is your favorite kind of fudge?

    I love just plain ole' homemade chocolate fudge the way we used to make it on the cocoa can. My DH's sister makes it sooooo good and adds peanut butter and nuts.

2. Is there snow outside your window?

    Not hardly! That happened last winter, but that was the first time in a very long time.

3. What is your favorite meal of the day?

   My favorite meal of the day is dinner, and especially if I get to eat out. That doesn't happen much anymore since we are trying to stick to our diets.

4. Do you text on your cell phone?

   I do text, and mostly to my kids. I really do miss talking to people. Everyone is so busy these days, and it seems emails and texting is the only way to communicate, but I sure miss hearing the sound of a voice on the other end of the phone. I do have to say that my daughter calls me nearly every day.

5. Waffles or pancakes?

     Both! If it's a meal only, I will chose waffles. If I cook them at home - it's pancakes with my old time favorite - hot sugar syrup like my mama used to make drenched in butter! Now you know why I have to diet!

Have a good week everyone!

Mexican Chicken Chowder...

2011-01-23T12:57:00.001-06:00

I got this recipe from a recipe group on FB. This is the original recipe. I changed it to make it Weight Watcher friendly, and it is yummy good!

First let me tell you how I changed it:
I used fat free sour cream, and I did not use Cheez Whiz. When we fill our bowl, we drop a in small helping of Weight Watcher's Shredded Cheese.
I dropped the raw chicken into the mixture, cover and put it in the oven for about 45 min. It makes the chicken tender much faster.
Figuring 6 servings, it would have 4 pts. per serving, not counting the cheese. (I don't use Cilantro either.)

Mexican Chicken Chowder

2 1/2 cups of chopped cooked chicken

1 can of whole kernel corn- drained

1 can of condensed cream of potato soup

4 ounces of diced green chiles - undrained (opt)

2 tbsp. snipped cilantro (opt)

1 envelope of taco seasoning

3 cups of chicken broth

8 oz of sour cream

4 oz of cheez whiz

Combine chicken, corn, potato soup, green chiles, cilantro, taco seasoning, and chicken broth. Can be cooked on stove top on med to low for 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours...then let simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally, or you can put it in a crock pot: low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5 hours.

Combine sour cream w/ 1 cup of soup mixture until blended. Pour sour cream mixture and Cheez Whiz in, and then let heat for 5 to 10 min.

Serve with chips if you like!

May I Interrupt Your Blog Time?

2011-01-21T21:04:00.000-06:00

I guess that got your attention! LOL

I wanted to do a quick post to share a swap I'm participating in right now. It is a Heart Swap at Mosaic Magpie. There is still time if you should want to join in, and once you see some of those creations, you will be sorry you didn't.

I had a really hard time getting started on mine. It took some real "digging" in my stashes to find things I had forgotten about.

I'm not posting my heart just yet. I'm going to wait until it arrives at it's first destination. We are sending them all to Deb, and then she is sending them to our swap partner. I love this method because then no one gets left out.

I just thought I'd share with you what a pile of mess I had laid out to go through and make my decision.

Thanks for looking, and as soon as I receive the heart that is being sent to me, I will post it also.
Shirley

I'm a Lucky Girl! (or old lady)

2011-01-19T13:37:00.001-06:00

I entered 2 giveaways a few weeks ago, and I won both of them! I wanted to post a BIG THANK YOU to the blogs hosting the giveaways, and to the blog that sponsored one of the gifts I won.

I won this beautiful bookmark made by Joy at The Vintage Rabbit. Visit her blog and just look at all of her pretty things. Thank you Joy!
Thank you Cinnamon Sticks Design for hosting the giveaway of the bookmark. I do love it. It is so soft, and the word "cherish" is printed in the fabric. Cherish can mean a lot of different things to different people.

The other giveaway was hosted by Donna @ Brynwood Needleworks. I love her blog as she always shows so many pretty things to make. Thanks, Donna. I was so amazed that I won this prize. It is a Photobook Creater. I know my daughter and I will have so much fun with this as she takes literally hundreds pictures of my grands. Plus we can bind photos of the many drawings the kids make to have to look at for years to come.

I know some of you think I win everything I enter, but I can promise you that I don't. I have been very blessed to win some things that I really wanted to win, and some are things you just can't go and buy. Those type giveaways always take my eye, and especially the handmade items.

I noticed I am getting close to 100 followers, and I really can't believe it! I will be having a giveaway soon. So keep checking back!

Blessing to all!
ShirleyC

Cayden Learns about Embroidery....

2011-01-17T21:06:00.000-06:00

My little grandson, Cayden (almost 6), asked me the other day how I wrote his name on his jackets, etc. I tried to explain to him I used a machine, which he didn't remember seeing in my sewing room.

I then asked him if he knew what a needle was. His answer, "It's a stick with a hole in it, and you put string in the hole." Yay! You're on the right track.

So I promised him the next time he came to Mimi's house that I would show him how it worked. Of course, he didn't forget, but neither did Mimi.

I let him pick a color, and he didn't even hesitate when he chose blue. I explained to him about how he could NOT touch anything once the machine started, and he totally understood.

He watched me thread the machine, and when it started stitching, that boy got so tickled. He laughed and laughed - not being silly - he was just so mystified with it all. He said he hoped that when he got big that he could learn how to do that. (We won't tell his dad.)
I snapped a couple pics of him watching.

Then I had to let Shelby have a turn.(Sorry, I didn't get a pic.) At 3 years old, she wasn't just totally overwhelmed, but she did pick out purple thread, of course! Once it started stitching, she said, "Mimi, you put in purple, and it's painting my name!"
Pretty good observation, Shelby!

We had so much fun while they were here especially considering it was raining the whole time, and we couldn't get outside.

We can't wait until the weather gets warm, and they can play outside while Mimi and PawPaw sit and rock on the patio!

These ages 3 1/2 and 6, are so much easier. Now they can bring us water and put in their own DVD's. LOL
Life is Good!

Meet Me on Monday....

2011-01-16T20:52:00.000-06:00

My grands are here so I don't have time to use any pictures or graphics, but I wanted to participate in Meet Me on Monday over at Never Growing Old while they are watching a movie.

1. Do you like your ice cream in a dish, waffle cone, pretzel cone, sugar cone, or cake cone?
I love waffle cones, and I get one when possible, but that doesn't happen too often. We're back on the good ole' diet.
I do have to tell a funny story. Every now and then we will make a run through Dairy Queen for a dip cone. I ordered a dip cone in a cup, which normally they just put in the ice cream and top it with the dip cone chocolate that get hard - yum! The last time I asked for a dip cone in a cup - that is exactly what I got - a dip cone sitting in a cup! Need I say more?

2. Do you read the newspaper daily?
I only read the paper on the internet.

3. Marinara or meat sauce?
Definitely - meat sauce!

4. Last time you cried?
Actually - yesterday - missing a friend that passed away in the spring. Long story. Terry was an avid fan of the Miss America system, and the pageant was on last night. We always watch it with a group of friends - and it just wasn't the same without him.

5. What word/phrase do you find really annoying?
I could probably find several, but since I am a retired reading/Language teacher I think the one I find the most annoying is "my bad."
My principal used it in front of a class I was teaching one day, and I almost blurted out, "Seriously?"

Have a great week!