All I Want For Christmas...

You all know the rest of that song:) Have a great day everyone.

When it Rains it Pours!!

All summer it was very slow in my sewing world. No new clients or jobs for a couple of months. It was no big deal since the kids were out of school. I just worked on a few of my own projects and we had a great time. I decided since sewing was slow to take a job at my son's preschool. At first it was only going to be 2 days a week (5 hours a day), but they asked if I would be interested in working 4 days. I took it because, what else was I going to do. With the economy the way it is every little bit helps. School starts next week and now I am slammed. I just landed a large sewing job and a couple of small jobs. My husband is away for the next 3 weeks and I also have some sewing to get done for church!!! Why does everything come at once? So I'll be teacher's assistant in a class full of 3 years olds by day, and sewing by night. It is going to be a busy month. I'm off to sew for the evening, but first I need to walk the dog and put the kids to bed. Whew! I'm tired already.

Here's a peek at some of what I'll be working on.

A Day of Togetherness.

To celebrate the end of the first week of school we decided a little trip to Stone Mountain was in order.

You can read all about this park here. My husband had his company picnic here a few weeks ago. They gave everyone a free pass to use anytime this season and since it was very hot and very crowded that day, we thought we would come back another time. That time was today. The main reason we went was for this one attraction called Sky Hike. It'a an obstacle course that goes up 3 or 4 stories. It was a little too high for my 2 youngest ( who am I kidding, it was too high for me too! I was very happy to stay on the ground with them.), so we happily watched from below.

They had a small obstacle in the back for younger kids so off the 2 little ones went until this happened.

We were the first paramedic call at the park. This one got stung by a bee. He does look pitiful. This was taken after the hysterics. There was a Boy Scout troup there and one of the moms helped as we waited for the paramedics to show. She definitely lived up to their motto. She was "prepared". Anyway, thankfully he is not allergic. This was his first sting. There is never a dull moment with 3 boys:)

The First Day of School. "Sniff"

All is quiet here in the house. My 2 older boys have gone off to school today. It is amazing how quiet it gets when there's no one else to fight I mean play with:)

I think my first grader was a little nervous today. He does not know anyone in his class this year. He will make friends fast, that's the type of kid he is.

The oldest one ( fourth grader ) was so excited to get to school this morning. His teacher from last year looped to the next grade level and kept all her old students with a few new ones sprinkled in. Not having seen his friends at all this summer he couldn't wait to tell them all about the fabulous trip to Washington DC he took this past weekend with his dad. My cousin is on senior staff at the White House and gave them a private tour of the West Wing. They even got to peek into the Oval Office but no pictures allowed in there. They did get some pics in the press room and many outside. This was a once in a lifetime kind of experience and I'm so glad they had the opportunity to go.

I'm sure there will be lots of stories from the first day of school when I pick them up this afternoon. I'll listen to them all over chocolate chip cookies and milk when we get home.

House Tour - Kitchen & Breakfast Room

I LOVE my kitchen. We bought the house because we like the open floor plan so much. It was hard to entertain a crowd in our old house, but we can pack 30-40 people in here comfortably. The double ovens only get used at holidays, or if I have a crowd. But, they are so nice to have if you need to cook a turkey and bake a pie!

I decided to purchase this armoir style refrigerator. I really like it, but if I didn't have my old side by side in the garage right around the corner, the freezer would be a little tight. Now how do you get the kids to use the handles and not put their hands all over the stainless.

My kids love to sit at the breakfast bar to eat. We finally made a rule that if Dad is home for dinner ( he travels alot) then we all eat at the table. So now they eat at the bar for breakfast and lunch when not in school. That curved wall of windows is in the family room. You'll have to stay tuned for a tour there.

My kitchen table is a little sad. The chairs keep breaking. They have been glued so many times I cannot even count. We bought this table 9 years ago to withstand the children. I think we only paid $150 for it. No sense spending alot of maney on something the kids will destroy right?

We are saving up to buy a new table and chairs. The new one is coming from here.

It is the one you can see in the inset picture. This table can withstand almost anything. The top is made from old Canadian pine floors from Quebec. Being from Canada and speaking french, it's kind of cool my kitchen table has the same heritage as I do. Maybe that's kind of weird!! There is nothing my 3 boys can do to hurt this table. It was walked on for 100 years, so it can withstand anything.

This chandelier is from Costco and was only $75. I had been looking for a new one ( the one the builder put up was UGLY!) and thought it would cost me $250-$350. Bliss when I happened upon this.

Thanks for visiting my kitchen. Have a wonderful weekend. We are having a yard sale. Tryin' to make some money for that new table!!

House Tour - Master Bedroom

In my last house the master bedroom was the last room that I decorated. In this new house it was the first. I really just moved most of my decor into the new room and put everything up. I made the valances and euro shams and got lucky the windows were about the same size. Someday I'll get around to making a bedskirt. I know it really needs one. The black silk pillows I got at Hobby Lobby and I have a friend with an embroidery business who did the monograms. We barter window treatments for embroidery. I'm sure when I finish with the rest of the house the master will need a redo. I'm not sure I still love the red/yellow/black scheme anymore, but for now it is staying. I have just left the room the builders taupe color. It seems to work and I think I'll wait to paint if I end up changing the decor sometime.

This part of the room is a little blah, still have to work on that. I have 2 chairs in the basement waiting to be reupholstered, and I keep putting it off. I think they would look good flanking the armoire with some kid photography. The master bath is still quite sterile, but I will add some pics to this post tomorrow. Then it's off to the kitchen for the next room. This tour has no rhyme or reason except I am showing you the rooms that I have at least somewhat decorated first. Have a great day.

Hooked on Houses is having a house tour blog party on Tuesday. Be sure to stop by and check out some tours.

Tissue paper pompoms

Here is my rendition of the pompoms. Not bad for a first try, but I think if I make them again it may go a little better. Many ladies commented on them and wanted to know how to make them. The shower was a success, but my camera stopped working so I didn't get a picture of the guests of honor:( But I thought these purses looked interesting all lined up so I took a picture of them. Then my camera batteries died. The house tour continues tomorrow. We took a little time off to enjoy the pool today.








We had a great time swimming!!

Bloggy Giveaway!

Hop on over to and take a look at La Vie de Laurie and leave a comment to win this fabulous brand new COACH SOHO MULTI PRINT HOBO that retails for $298. There is nothing I like more than going to the mall and drooling over the eye candy in the Coach store. Someday I'll even get one. Hey maybe it will be sooner than I think and I'll win this giveaway. Have a great day.

The house tour will continue in a couple of days. I have a meeting at my house tonight and an adoption shower on Thursday. I stayed up late last night making these. You can get intructions here to make your own.

I'll post a pic when I get mine hung up tomorrow.

House Tour - Dining Room

I've been working on the dining room for the last week. Everytime I have an event here I try to get a room painted and window treatments done. This week I am hosting an adoption shower. Well this room got painted twice last week. The first color was a pretty blue, but it was just too pretty. It looked like it belonged in a little boy's room. I will probably use the remaining half gallon for a project in my son's room. I have a friend who is an interior designer and she helped me pick out a better color. We went with Sherwin Williams Uncertain Grey. I was a little UNCERTAIN :) as I was rolling it onto the wall. Why does it always look really bad at night when it's being rolled on? I decided to wait until the next day to make a final decision. I didn't want to paint it a third time. Everything always looks better in the morning.

Pay no attention to the legs in the mirror:)

The wall with the mirror looks a little bare so I will be taking the advice of fellow bloggers here. And then hanging the plates like Susie Harris from Bienvenue did here in her bedroom. I'll show you that project when I do it in the next couple of weeks.

I've has this window treatment in the works for quite a while, but the paying customers always come first. What do they say? "The cobbler's children have no shoes." Well the seamstress' windows have no coverings. I am glad I finished it. It still needs some rosettes that I ordered for the swags. I'll post another picture when I get them. This room is not quite complete. I still need to paint the ceiling and do a few little projects, but I like the way things evolve over time. The end result is nice, but I enjoy the process much more. Stay tuned for the next room. It may take a couple of days to get a room photo ready.

House Tour

I thought I would give a house tour. We have only lived in this house about a year. We weren't really looking to move although we were starting to bust out of our old home. With mom, dad, 3 very active boys and grandpa, it was getting crowded.

Here is a picture of our old house.

Oh how I miss the old neighborhood. I loved my neighbors and had formed some great friendships there. I still see my friends, but it's not the same as walking over to say hello. But, nothing lasts forever. This neighborhood is not quite the same. We haven't lived here long enough yet. I do have wonderful neighbors on one side that have been very kind to us. People tend to keep to themselves more here. I guess everyone is just so busy.





So here is the story of how we came to move. My husband and I like to go driving around and looking at new homes. I even like to drive through neighborhoods at night so I can see inside houses. I like to see how people have decorated their homes. I wouldn't call myself a Peeping Tom (well maybe I would):) We were driving through this neighborhood with new construction and got out and looked at a few. Well, I fell in love with THIS house.

When my husband said he loved it too and maybe it would be doable I got very excited. Three months later we were moving in. One of the things we love about this house is it is very close to our church. Since we are very involved in the ministry there it makes it very convenient. Here you have it. The exterior. Stay tuned for the dining room tomorrow.

One of the Best Purchases I've Ever Made!

Early this summer My mother and sister were visiting. Well, when the 3 of us are together we shop till we drop. Maybe it's we shop till I drop. They are marathon shoppers and I just tag along. I must put a disclaimer in here, because they don't shop all the time. My sister lives in a remote part of Canada and the nearest big city is 5 hours away. So when visiting Atlanta or anywhere else where there is such variety, what is one to do except stock up? My mother has always been a marathon shopper. Sorry mom, your secret is out:)

So on this particular day of the week long shopping extravaganza we headed to the North Georgia Premium Outlets. These are my favorite outlets because there is a Pottery Barn Outlet there. I cannot say how happy this place makes me!! We are happily meandering through the aisles of candles, lamps and pillows. Then I spot it. At first I'm not sure what it is, but I feel drawn to this object. When I get closer I realize it is a huge flat basket almost 5 feet in diameter. The original price said $219, but it was marked down to $39. No, it couldn't be. I had to have it. My mom and sister asked what I was going to do with. I said I thought I was going to hang it on the wall. They looked perplexed, but I had a vision. I have a two story entry with a large wall above the dining room. I thought it would fit the space nicely.

We jammed it into the van and drove home. When I brought the basket into the house my husband asked what I was going to do with it. When I told him my plan he thought I was crazy!!! I had to do some convincing to get him to hang it. He didn't see my vision, but bless his heart he put it up anyway with the help of his dad. I think he gets it now, cause it looks so good hangin on the wall. See for yourself.

The dining room is being painted as we speak. Not sure about the color yet. I'll post more about that when it's done. Happy Monday everyone!

MOO Said the Cow!

Today we had field trip to Mayfield Dairy with some of our friends from church. It's an interesting little place that offers free tours of the milk plant where they process milk. We learned a couple of tidbits about milk on the tour.

1. The date on the milk container is the sell by date.


2. Milk is good 5 to 10 days after this date depending on how it is stored.


3. You should store your milk in the back of the refrigerator to keep it at a constant cold temp.


4. If you store it on the door, everytime you open the door the temp can change.


5. If you're unsure about milk, just pour some and smell. The nose always knows:)
   

We had to all wear hairnets while we on the tour. The kids looked so cute.

Here are 2 of the 3 boys.

Here's my little on trying to look goofy.

Why can't they just smile nice when you want them to?

The best part of the tour is the ice cream at the end. Mayfield makes delicious ice cream. Here the kids are eating with all of their friends. And of course we had to get a group shot in front of Bessie. I'm not sure that is her real name.

MOO said the cow!! We had a great time.

You Gotta Love a Good Gusher!

Well they are finally DONE. I feel like I have been sewing these cushions for years. Not really, but almost. It is the summer and all the kids are home from school, so finding time to sew without interruptions is almost impossible. But, I did it.

My client was thrilled. I guess she couldn't picture what they were going to look like. She told me she thought they would look like any old seat cushion you get at a large discount store. I told her CUSTOM is just that, CUSTOM. No one else will have the exact one. They were made to fit her chairs specifically. I love it when a client gushes over how lovely everything is. Not really because I like the praise, but because I truly want them to enjoy what is in their home. I have had people not like the final result even though they had a picture of what it would look like. It is not a good feeling . And then there are the times when you just don't know if they like it or not. So for all of you who ever have any kind of work done, be is design or just a good haircut, go ahead and gush. Tell them you love it. It will make someone's day to know you are going to enjoy what was done for you. This is the whole look. Custom valances and Cushions.

Beach Fun @ Hilton Head

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

I thought I would give digital scrapbooking a chance. Not bad for my first try.