Living Outside the Box

2012-01-29T11:18:00.000-08:00

I've missed a few Design Wall Mondays (and I'll miss tomorrow's) and I've missed a few Stash Report Sundays because, well.....because I've done nothing. I took my design wall down because we have company and I put my sewing machine away as well. We're going to the Great Wolf Lodge for a little family get away this week and once we get home, I'll get all my sewing stuff back out and hopefully have more to report in the following weeks. Until then.....

2012-01-18T13:49:00.001-08:00

Design Wall Monday ~ January 16

2012-01-16T09:09:00.000-08:00

I have a pretty full design wall right now. I got tired of looking at the Irish Chain. I need to piece some more blocks and it had pretty much out grown my wall anyway, so I took it down. So....let's take a look, shall we?

I mentioned last night that I've decided to make the 36 patch from crazymomquilts. I'm going slow, just picking two fabrics at a time. I picked the green/pink, hubby picked the green/orange. Clearly, they cannot be placed next to one another in the quilt. I think it's time a pick a block with no green.......I figure if I make one block a week, then sandwich/quilt it, I should be able to get it done this year. Haven't we all said that before?!? LOL!

My strings are out of control! I've been going over to a friend's house for a sew day a couple of times per month and since we both homeschool (read: kids are there) and we like to chat, it can be a little chaotic! I needed something to work on that didn't require precision piecing. Enter STRINGS! Like the 36 patch, this one will slowly grow over time.

Lastly, Judy picked number 5 for the UFO Challenge for this month. These blocks are blocks that I received in a virtual quilting bee a couple of years ago. I have three other blocks that won't make it into the quilt. One will be pieced into the back (the colors just don't work with the rest of them) and two will be made into pillows. Right now.....I'm just trying to figure out what to do with these 10 blocks. I'm thinking I'll sash them with random widths of Kona charcoal. We'll see....

So, there you have it. If you want to see more Design Walls, head over to Judy's post and see who's linked up!

Stash Report 1/15/2012

2012-01-15T15:47:00.000-08:00

~*~ This post is linked up to Judy's Stash Report over at Patchwork Times ~*~

This week I sliced up some center strings for a string quilt I'm working on (to be seen on design wall Monday tomorrow ~ if I can find the camera!) I also cut up some strips for a 36 patch block, I'm making a version of Amandajean's. I'll be working on it a block at a time throughout the year.

Used this Week: .1.5 yards
Used year to Date: 1.7 yards

Added this Week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 0 yards

Net Used for 2012: 1.7 yards

Line 'Em UP!

2012-01-12T19:34:00.001-08:00

Ever since Carter was a baby he has been obsessed with lining things up. It started with peas on his high chair, then he moved on to blocks, and finally graduated to his big brother's Hot Wheels. Often times I'd walk into the living room and find a mixture of blocks, Hot Wheels, cars, and other items lined up from one end of the room to the other. So, I'm not sure why, once I hung a design wall, I was surprised to find this....

My sweet boy hasn't stopped rearranging my blocks since I hung them! I find him fussing with them all day long. He'll get them just right and then out of no where, he'll jump off of the couch and start rearranging them again.

I guess I should have seen this coming, but honestly I didn't. I think it's cute as could be and if my blocks weren't so WHITE, I wouldn't even nag him about washing his hands first :)

I think I may have a future quilt designer on my hands. I've since taken the Irish Chain down and put up some other blocks. He fiddled with them for about 24 hours, but has left them alone ever since. I guess they just don't hold his interest as much as all of those tiny little squares!

Stash Report 1/8/2012

2012-01-08T09:12:00.000-08:00

~*~This post is linked up to Judy's Stash Report over at Patchwork Times~*~

I've decided to go ahead and count it as I slice it, but only if it's going straight into a current project. This week I sliced up about a fifth of a yard as I needed some more 2" squares for my Irish Chain. Some of them have made it into blocks, some of them are still in the little basket of 2" squares, but they are all out of my stash :)

I also pulled some fabric for the mug rug swap, but I haven't cut into it yet, so that'll have to count for next week's stash report.

I'm off to a good start. Whoop!

Used this Week: .2 yards
Used year to Date: .2 yards

Added this Week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 0 yards

Net Used for 2012: .2 yards

Mug Rugs

2012-01-07T19:26:00.001-08:00

I'm in a Valentine's Mug Rug swap over at the HGTV Quilting Board. I'm taking a little break from the bed quilts, so I thought it would be a good time to pull some fabrics and start thinking about it......
I'm loving the grey dots. I seem to only have a quarter yard (maybe even less). What was I thinking? Gasp. Gonna have to hunt down some more of that, stat!! I'm totally in love with these colors and the whole concept of a mug rug in general.

This swap is for the rug only, but I've been thinking of hosting a "Mug 'N Rug Swap" where you buy a mug and then make a mug rug to match. Then fill up the mug with a few goodies. If you work from stash, the whole swap would come in right around $20 (or less). So, whatdya say ~ would anyone be interested in such a swap? There would be no theme....just a mug and a rug. What say you?

Are you ready for some football??

2012-01-07T13:50:00.001-08:00

Not much sewing going on here today. It's playoffs, baby!! WHO DEY!!!!!

Design Wall Monday

2012-01-02T08:23:00.000-08:00

~*~ This post is linked up to Judy's Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times ~*~

I didn't meet my challenge. Bummer. I asked Jason yesterday if I had to give the Juki back. He told me it was a good thing the PO was closed yesterday ;)

I've been sewing like crazy and I'm completely in love with the Juki. I've named her "JJ", for "Jess' Juki".

I actually talked Jason into letting me hang a big flannel sheet in the middle of the living room to use as my design wall. I was originally going for a small corner in our bedroom, but then I thought, "If I'm gonna go, I may as well go BIG!" I assumed I could run to Walmart and find a cheap sheet. WRONG! Plain white flannel sheets aren't as easy to find as one might thing. New plan: head to Joann's and buy some plain white flannel yardage, thumb tack it to the big plain wall in the living room and remove it for company. Awesome.

Sadly, I haven't done it yet so my floor is still my design wall. I've made a few more blocks on the Irish Chain. One of my friends on Facebook suggested I water it and feed it after midnight to see if it grows. I just might give that a try!! There are so many tiny little seams in these blocks, so I'm sewing them together in fours and then sewing the chunks together. It's easier to manage than big long rows for this one....

I'm letting the boys take the rest of the week off of school because, well, because I've been sewing an not lesson planning! Lucky them. I guess. Anyway, once school starts back up next week I fear my sewing time will get drastically cut. I just have to remember my mantra for the new year: Balance.

Stash Report 1/1/2012

2012-01-01T10:52:00.000-08:00

~*~ STASH REPORT 1/1/2012 ~*~

(this post is linked up to Judy's link at Patchwork Times)

This is my first stash report of the year. It's also, coincidently, my first stash report ever. I'm not going to list the fabric I used this past week because well, that was 2011, not 2012. I'm kind of Type A like that :)

I'm debating on when to list my stash used. As I slice into it, as the tops are done, or as the quilt is done.....which do you do?

Oh, I will also mention that I have a reminder in my phone right now to purchase fabric on the 8th (payday) because I did slice into some of my stash this week and discovered I didn't have enough of one particular fabric. Off to a great start with stash busting. HA!

Here's to a great 2012. Happy Quilting!

Used this Week: 0 yards
Used year to Date: 0 yards
Added this Week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 0 yards
Net Used for 2012: 0 yards

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T18:48:00.000-08:00

This is how I spent New Year's Eve. It's a crappy iPad picture, but let's focus on the quilt and not the photo quality, mkay? Thanks.

Here's to wishing everyone a fantabulous 2012!! Cheers!

Oh Yea, Did I mention....

2011-12-26T23:08:00.001-08:00

I GOT THE JUKI!!! Merry Christmas to me!!!

2011-12-26T13:25:00.000-08:00

The last two weeks have been fabulous! I managed to maintain a somewhat clean house, I got all of my Christmas baking done, I managed to find time to sew most days and I actually got some sleep.

I'm looking forward to continuing on this path, but I'm nervous because I have to fit two more items into my life ~ homeschool & the gym. I know I can fit it all in, I just have to get myself super organized. If there's one thing I learned this summer with my testing is that I thrive on structure. My personality doesn't lend itself well to this, but my brain requires it.

I'm making myself little binders ~ one for quilting, one for workouts, one for chores & I already have one for homeschool. I have to learn to let go of perfection. Often times when I set out to get organized, I'm immediately paralyzed because I'm not sure exactly how I want everything. My brain doesn't seem to think I can start a project until I can see it completely finished in my mind's eye. Life isn't so cut and dry and I have to remember that.

When it comes to organization, evolution is the key. Just start. Eventually a system will evolve that works. I just have to repeat to myself (constantly) to just get started. The details will work themselves out.

2012 UFO List

2011-12-20T07:53:00.000-08:00

~*~ This post is linked up at Judy's Patchwork Times UFO 2012 List Linky Party ~*~

This is my little shelf that holds my current projects. Should I be embarrassed to tell you that it hasn't changed in two years? And there are more WIPS/UFOs that this shelf can handle?

After taking about an 18 month hiatus from quilting, I'm so ready to jump back in full monty. Unfortunately all of the things that took me away from quilting (namely: LIFE) are still ever so present in my life. I'm learning to pace myself. BALANCE. BALANCE. BALANCE. If I say it often enough will it seep into my brain and actually stay there? Let's hope so!

Here's my current list of UFOs that I plan to work on in 2012. I have no delusions about finishing all of them this year. I plan to prioritize them and work on them accordingly ~ while throwing in a new project here and there ~ but 2012 is going to all about working through the WIPs and the stash. Wish me luck!

~*~ Edited to strike through first three ~*~

After actually reading the info on the UFO Challenge, (from last year) I realized I needed a list of 12 quilts. The first three are actually WIPs and have a deadline. So, okay, now I'm actually playing by the rules. Phew....I'm a rule follower.

~~Boys' Bed Quilts~~ ~~(one needs border, one is in blocks)~~

~~Irish Chain Quilt (still working on blocks)~~

~~Parker's Quilt (needs quilting)~~

1. Molly's Quilt (basted, needs quilting)

2. Barney's Blocks (partially quilted)

3. Christmas Lights (not even sure I'm going to keep going with this one....)

4. Ainsley's Quilt (in blocks, poor girl.....)

5. Bee Blocks from my Flickr Quilt Bee (collection of blocks, not even sure how many)

6. Mom's Quilt (blocks are done)

7. Figgy Pudding Charm Quilt (charms are sewn into rows)

8. Old Red Barn Quilt A long (this was from a few years ago, blocks are done)

9. Tranquiltity Charm Quilt (needs borders)

10. Asian Coins (top done, needs to be quilted)

11. RWB Strings Quilt (a swap I was in, need to sort through the blocks)

12. 30s Strings Quilt (same as above)

And then I have a box of UFOs that aren't quilts, just other projects that I'd worked on off and on...to be honest, most of them I don't even care about. I need to pull the box out and see what's in there and decide what to do with all of it.

Phew....that list made me tired just typing it out!! Let's keep our fingers crossed that I get that Juki just so I can get to work on this list!!

Design Wall Monday

2011-12-19T10:25:00.000-08:00

~*~ This post is linked to Judy's Design Wall Monday ~*~

Well, I still don't have a design wall, but I'm working on that. Hubby and I are in charge of stuffing our own stockings this year and I think I'm going to put a twin sized flannel flat sheet in my stocking to hang on my bedroom wall. A design wall that can be taken down, washed and folded when it's not in use. Perfect.

For now, though, we'll have to deal with my kitchen table! This is the last quilt in my challenge, and it's pretty slow going. I have all of the units cut, 2/3 of them sewn and about half of them pressed. Now it's time to start building the blocks. I have until Jan 1 to make this a queen sized flimsy. Yowsers!!

As for progress on the other two ~ one is in a stack of blocks, will put them into rows tonight. One is in rows, needs to be pressed and sewn into a center. I have the borders purchased, but not cut yet.

Hubby leaves town Christmas night and is gone for five days. I'm praying that the new toys keep the kids occupied that week and I get to go into a sewing storm so I can get these finished by Jan 1. Pray for me!!! LOL!

Cheers!

Baby Bento

2011-12-11T09:02:00.001-08:00

I used the leftovers from this quilt project to make a baby Bento quilt. It measures only 36" x 36"; I started getting sick of playing with these fabrics and having to keep a good variety in each block. That's why it's so small. My cousin is having a baby boy next month, so I think I'll do some simple straight line quilting and send this to her little bundle once he's born.

I haven't been to the quilt shop yet, so a lot of my sewing has come to a halt. I cut up some 2" squares yesterday ~ I need 600+ and I'm at about 450, so I still have plenty to keep me busy! I decided to tidy up my fabric space yesterday. I desperately need a new system for my scraps (and I really really need to start using them!). How do you handle your scraps? How do you organize them? What actually constitutes a scrap in your mind? I grab anything smaller than a FQ & separate them by color. How about you?

Show & Tell

2011-12-04T21:53:00.001-08:00

I've been working hard to meet my goal. All of the blocks for the boys' beds are finished. I decided to play around with some of them tonight. This is about half a quilt's worth of blocks. These will be twin sized quilts, so the blocks will be 7 x 9, then borders (don't have the pattern in front of me, not sure of the border size). I'm loving these quilts! How fun!! But I'm seriously ready to work with some grown up fabric! HA!

**ETA, this post is linked up to Judy's Design Wall Monday**

Quilt Progress....

2011-12-03T17:22:00.001-08:00

Look at me now! Blogging from a computer again! Whoot!! Ok, just to update you on my Juki challenge:

Quilt 1 ~ all blocks are done and should be stitched into a flimsy this evening (using a pattern from the book above)

Quilt 2 ~ all cut and ready to be stitched (same fabric/pattern as quilt 1). It'll go quick. My goal is to have two flimsies by bed time tomorrow.

Quilt 3 ~ I'm stuck until I get to the quilt shop (I also need borders for the first two quilts)

Quilt 4 ~ well, it's partially quilted and I've convinced DH that finishing the quilting would actually be much easier and simpler if I did it AFTER I have the Juki! LOL!! So, I'm going to try to add in a few more WIPs to this challenge....I gotta go through my stack and see what speaks to me!!

Monday, assuming everyone is healthy (boy 1 is sick), the boys go to PAL (our once a week "school" that our local public school offers to homeschool kids so that they can technically count them as public students), and I get to go to the quilt shop. ALONE. Pure Bliss!

Ok.....enough for now. I'm going to post some ideas that will hopefully keep me quilting (and blogging) throughout 2012.....stay tuned!

A new Juki

2011-12-01T07:58:00.001-08:00

My computer died. New one should be here today, but until then I'm blogging from my iPad - please pardon the crudeness.
Anyway, I've figured it's high time I dusted off this blog. I'm quilting again. Yay!! So I'll have some eye candy soon, too (with my new computer!)

My husband challenged me that if I can get four (specific) quilts finished by the end of the year, he'd buy me a new Juki. Um, yes please!!
I think I negotiated him down to three quilt tops and one finished quilt...three of them I'll take to the long arm and rent time, and she's pretty much booked until after Christmas.
So, the four quilts are:
- boys' beds (they are cut, need to be pieced) Pattern: Snapshots from the Happy Hour book

- our bed quilt. (Partially pieced, mor fabric to purchase) Pattern: Scrappy Irish Chain from Bonnie Hunter's Leaders & Enters book

- "Barney's Quilt" (partially quilted, needs to be frogged and quilting started over). This was a Christmas gift to my husband in 2007. Whoops!!

So, anyway. That's where I am. I hope there are still some readers around here!!
-

First Day of School

2011-09-06T10:35:00.000-07:00

Today officially marked the first day of our third year of homeschooling. After breakfast and chores we headed outside to take a few pictures to mark this momentous day. It was, afterall, Carter's first day of Kindergarten! What kind of mother would I be if I didn't have a camera full of pictures as he embarked on his educational journey? The only thing missing was the gut wrenching tears and extreme seperation anxiety I experienced on Ben's first day of Kindergarten. Today was much more enjoyable!

*My New Kindergartener*

*Smile boys, Mom wants a good picture for the scrapbooks!*

*No seriously, I need you to smile. Mom had a very clear idea of how this morning was going to go and you are RUINING IT!* (hubby was pretty sure I was going to lose it at this point!)

*Ahhhh, thank you. Mom's blood pressure just went back down*

*You can always count on Dad for a good startle to start the day!*

This morning's photo shoot did not go exactly as I had envisioned. I have an entire folder full of goofy, fuzzy pictures to show that my boys were simply out of control this morning. They got their wiggles out, at the expense of Mom's nice relaxing morning. Such is life.

We made a lot of curriculum changes this year and I'm very excited to dig into everything. The curriculum I've been using in the past was causing so much frustration and anxiety and I was under the assumption that I was failing as a teacher. I know enough now, to know that a child and a curriculum will just click. It will fit like a glove and what works for one child will not automatically work with the next.

Carter is starting off well over half way through K and is doing almost all 1st grade work. Ben and I had to take a small step back as we adjusted to some new ways of doing things and some new philosophies we're working under. This year, after just a few hours, already feels so much better than the last two years combined.

We only worked for about two hours this morning, and I'm going to have to tweak our schedule a bit here and there to accomodate both boys, but as one of my friends stated this morning "If they learn more than where their seats are and how to stand in line today, you are ahead of the public schools!" Now THAT's putting my first day jitters into perspective!

It's been a looooong time

2011-09-05T18:44:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I've been around here. This place could use some dusting! To catch you all up (because I can't remember where we left off and I'm too ~~lazy~~ busy to go check), I'll rehash some of what I've been going through concerning my TBI:

I spent about 9 hours back in June at the University of Washington Medical Center with a neuropsychologist and his technichian going over my initial injury, my life (in a nutshell) since the injury, the symptoms I exhibit, etc. They tested my intelligence level, they logged my education history, they tested my attention span, my memory, my grip strength, my cognition levels and they may have even tested which direction my pee flowed out when I wasn't looking. I'm not sure... (I jest).

My husband and I went back two weeks later eager to hear my results and to work with my doctor on forming a game plan. Guess what: I'm highly functional. Not only do I not exhibit any residual effects from my injury, but based on my age, gender & education level I tested in the 90th-98th percentile in every. fucking. test (except math ~ he never did tell me that score).

I broke down in tears right there in his office. My doctor was speechless. He kept repeating that this is good news. I get that. In his line of work, he doesn't see these kinds of test scores very often. In fact, he said when my scores landed on his desk, all he could say was "Really???"

It is good news. I'm grateful that my brain is highly functional. I'm grateful that I have above average intelligence and I'm grateful that my problem solving skills can leave the rest of my demographic in the dust. But why is my life so hard? Why do I get caught up in the details? Why do I start projects incessantly without finishing them? He didn't have these answers. He acknowledged that the tests were taken in a sterile environment with little to no distractions, but he said they typically account for that in the test scores. He basically said the doctor equivalent of "I got nuthin'"

He suggested I see a speech therapist (???), but of course, I haven't called yet. He wants me to see a shrink, but again, I haven't researched and found one in my area...why? Because this is WHAT I DO!!!

My husband and I did a lot of soul searching and I spent a lot evenings in tears, but this is what we've come up with: My entire life everything came easy to me. Everything. Growing up I never had to work hard for anything. I never had to learn how to apply myself.

Well, when you're a grown up, easy street doesn't exist. The issue is that basically I don't know what to do when things get hard. I don't know how to dig deep and find that self motivation & self discipline inside myself. Essentially, I have to regrow up. I never learned this life skill as an adolescent, so I'm learning it now.

I invite you to learn it with me. I've never been a main stream, status quo kind of girl. I've always danced to the beat of my own drum and I've been obscenely unapologetic for it. I live my life out side of the box and well, sometimes that makes things a little harder than normal.

This blog will become my journal of my life outside the box.

Changes....

2011-03-24T14:25:00.001-07:00

Last night I went to a support group for survivors of Traumatic Brain Injury. I cried in the car on the way there. I walked in and sat down and immediately started crying again. I sobbed throughout the entire discussion. Two guys actually got up and got me napkins and the facilitator came over to give me a hug part way through. Nothing like making a spectacle of yourself the very first time, huh?

March is Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Month. I had no idea. Last night's meeting was more of a party than a meeting, but I was able to get some great information and some phone numbers of therapists that may be able to help.

I've been crying off and on since I left the meeting. It was such a relief to be in a room full of people that get it. They understand me. They know my life. But it also made me realize just how much work I have in front of me. It's going to be a tough journey, but I'm up for it.

You may have noticed, I've changed the name of this blog. I hope to be around here a little more often. I may or may not be. We'll see how it goes.

That whole balance thing...

2011-02-27T18:51:00.001-08:00

That whole balance thing is proving to be harder than I first thought. My house is back to being a mess, and I'm starting to get that overwhelming feeling of I can't breath again. I make lists, but a simple "to do" list doesn't cut it for me. Unlike most people, I cannot simply put "clean kitchen" on my list. My list looks more like this:

Unload dishwasher
Reload dishwasher
Hand wash dishes
Wipe down counters
Wipe off stove top
Sweep Floor

~*~

In December 1976 my brother's elementary school hosted a Lunch with Santa. My mother, being a chronic volunteer, had signed up to work it. I was two years old. My brother was just shy of his eighth birthday. My mother dressed us up in our pretty clothes and off we went to whisper all of our special wants into Santa's ear.

Hosting an entire elementary school to share a meal with the jolly old fella can be quite an undertaking. My mom was ever the busy bee and she left my brother to keep an eye on me. I found my way out of the cafeteria and out to the steps at the end of corridor. I had mastered the steps in our home almost a full year prior so as long as my brother was right next to me to steady me if I wobbled, what harm there be, right?

No one would expect me to fit between the rungs on the banister. I mean really, what eight year old would think of that? In all honesty, not many parents would even think of that. That wouldn't even be a flicker on even the most helpicopterish parent's radar. Except that's exactly what happened next.

My brother and I were two and a half flights above the ground floor of the school and before he could even register what happened, my little patent leather Mary Jane was dangling through the gap in the banister and my small body slipped through right behind it.

I was free falling and all my big brother could do was watch me fall. And then he screamed. I hit the banister of the flight beneath us and then I slid through those and kept falling. I landed on the ground floor face down. Blood began to pool around my tiny little body.

Everyone came running out to the stairs and somehow my mother made it down to where I lay, motionless. An ambulance was called and we were on our way to the hospital. I regained consciousness as we pulled up to the ER. I tried to stir and was crying out for my Mommy.

The doctors cleaned me up and everyone was astonished to realize that I didn't have a single cut on my body. I had lots of bruises, however. The blood had come from that small piece of skin that attaches your upper lip to your gums. I had severed it. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, I was held in the hospital for a few days of observation and then I was sent home with a clean bill of health.

My guradian angel was truly with me that day.

~*~

Not much thought has been given to my accident over the last 30+ years. It comes up occasionally as we're telling family stories, like my brother's state track meet or the fact that my dad had to repack the car five times in order to fit all of my stuff in when I left for college. My accident is just a part of our history.

A few months ago, some research was brought to my attention concerning traumatic brain injury. In reading this, it was like a lightbulb exploded in my head. In 1976 very little was known about the lasting effects of a head injury. I had only lost consciousness for a short while and I wasn't showing any immediate signs of brain damage so it was assumed all was well.

It's since been shown that brain injury survivors often live lives of complete disarray. Inabilitly to organize, attention deficits, short term memory loss, depression, obesity, frequent headaches, mood swings and other cognitive impairments are just a few of the symptoms associated with TBI.

It was if someone had written an entire book on my life. I'm still reeling from all of this information. When I was first confronted with it I spent several days grieving the life that I could have had. My life dream was to be a lawyer but I couldn't stay organized enough to even graduate from college. I'd always pictured myself having five kids but I could barely manage life with just two. I love homeschooling my children but it takes nearly all of the energy and focus that I can muster to simply write out a lesson plan for one week.

My entire life I've been known as the "loud friend." I've always been a littl "kooky" and my brother often introduces me as his "crazy sister" (I'm his only sister). It's always been a part of who I am and I can't help but wonder now, if it's more a part of what happened.

I'll never know these answers for sure, but I'm finding that at least having this knowledge has eased some of the pressure I put on myself. I always berated myself in my head. "Why are you so lazy?" "Just clean the freakin' kitchen already." "Why is life so hard for me?" "Why do all of these things come so naturally to everyone else except me?" "What's wrong with me?"

Has this information made my life any easier? Has it made organization and time management come more naturally to me? Of course not, but it's given me hope that there is, actually, something physicall wrong with me and that given the right tools, it's a disability that I can overcome.

My doctor referred me to a therapist that specializes in TBI survivors. I've had this person's phone number for about two months now have I called her yet? Of course not, because I lost the phone number for about a month, then I hung it on my fridge and vowed to "call her tomorrow" and tomorrow just never comes. Maybe for this type of appointment the patient's number should be given to the doctor instead of the other way around? I wonder how many of us are out there with all of the information we need to get help, but we just never get around to it.

Never get around to it. That seems to be the story of my life. This is where that changes. This is the year that I find balance. I just didn't realize it would be so hard.

Some Quilty Pictures!!

2011-01-01T08:55:00.000-08:00

I posted a while back that I'd actually sewn some things. I promised pictures and then I promptly disappeared again.....well, here they are! I participated in another string block exchange over the summer and here are the blocks I made (you should be able to click on the picture to make them bigger).

**Also, if you are reading this and you are owed something from me from an exchange ~ you will get it. I'm not sure exactly when, I'll be sorting through my WIPS and my committments in the coming weeks and plan to get everything sorted out. Thank you for your patience**

Finding Balance

2011-01-01T08:43:00.000-08:00

Hello out there????

Wow, it's pretty dusty around here. I think it's time to knock down the cobwebs and spruce this place up a bit.

The last 12-18 months have been doozies. It's as if a great big wrecking ball swung through my life and left a path of distruction in its wake.

I completely let the house go, I fell (way) behind in homeschooling, I've fincked out on some quilting committments and I just plain checked out of life for a while.

Then I joined a gym and started working out. The cobwebs in my brain started to clear and I was seeing life through new eyes. I hated what I saw. I used the month of December and pretty much did nothing but clean and tidy and purge. I'm not even done yet, but I have such a feeling of relief already.

My new challenge and my goal for 2011 is going to be finding a balance. Making time for me and the things I enjoy, while still being available to care for my family. My whole life I've lived in an "all or nothing" state. Quilting? It consumes everything until....Homeschooling? That's got my full focus.....joining the gym? I'm there, everyday, for hours.....

Welcome to 2011. The year of balance. I hope to be around here a bit more often. Look for more sewing projects, more homeschool info and just basically, some more of ME :)

Holy Crap!!

2010-09-05T20:34:00.000-07:00

I actually sewed! All weekend. And I have pictures to prove it. Stay tuned!!

2010-05-29T19:58:00.000-07:00

Spending the afternoon in the ER is not exactly how I planned to spend my day today. Poor Carter broke his arm. Right above the elbow. The doctor came in and said "well, it is a break and this kind is considered a surgical emergency. When was the last time he ate?" I almost passed out. Then I almost puked. I held it together long enough to call Jason. He's working, because, you know. He always misses the "fun stuff". The ortho specialist consulted via telephone and decided he didn't need surgery. They put him in a splint and I have to call Children's Hospital first thing Tues morning to make an appt for a follow up visit and a full cast. Fun times. Fun times.

I'm just sick.....

2010-04-26T22:03:00.000-07:00

**obscene language ahead**

I. AM. FUCKING. LIVID!!! There is no delicate way to say it. So there you have it. My mail today. Or at least what's left of it. My Mother's Day gift, I'm assuming. We have two dogs. Two big dogs and our mail carrier is terrified of them. I can respect that. We live in a rual area, so she just drives around the cul de sac and puts our mail in our box and the dogs can't get to her because of the Invisible Fence. On the chance that we have a box too big to fit in the mailbox, she sits at the top of the driveway and lays on the horn for about five solid minutes. Then one of us frantically runs out to greet her to get her to stop. I can handle that. Evidently today she got over her fear. Or she figured out the dogs were inside and we were not home. And she left a box and our mail sitting on the front porch. Just sitting there. With two hungry dogs inside.

See, we don't ever use our front porch/door. See that camper? It has been sold and that spot is now where I park my van. See that right hand corner of our house? The one closest to the photographer? If you can imagine that wall just a bit further from where the picture cuts off, there is a small stooop and a door that leads directly into my kitchen. We use that door exclusively. So, imagine backing my van into the driveway (because I had groceries in the back and wanted them closest to the door) in the dark & rainy night. Imagine me grabbing my groceries and high tailing it to my kitchen door. Then imagine my dogs' excitement to see me after being out nearly all day. Then imagine my dogs' bladders and how eagerly they wanted to go outside. Then imagine their joy when they discovered a new "chew toy" left on the front porch. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how my Mother's Day gift was ruined. I intend to march my hiney up to the P.O. first thing tomorrow morning and raise 15 kinds of holy hell. Oh yes, you may just find me on YouTube tomorrow. It could get ugly.

Winner Winner, Fabric Winner....

2010-04-25T08:45:00.000-07:00

Wow, I just kind of mentally checked out for a little while there, didn't I? Sorry about that. I finally got around to chosing winner for the fabric giveaway. Drumroll please.......

And the winner is Allison Marie!
Alison Marie said...
How funny - I just wandered over to finally say thanks for the fabric from Rosy Little Things' vintage sheet swap (but not sure which was yours b/c I unwrapped them all right away, I was so excited), and you just so happen to be doing a give-away!
My favorite part of spring cleaning is when you find something special you'd forgotten about, like a card you'd been given, or even a lost button from a favorite sweater. My least fave is that chaotic time in the middle where it looks even worse than when you started, and you just have to muscle through it!

April 8, 2010 12:41 AM

Amen girlfriend! I'm currently still in that state of "where it looks even worse than when you started". I guess I gotta get those muscles out and get working : )

You have 24 hours to contact me and then I'll get your box of goodies out in the mail! Congrats!

More Pyrex

2010-04-12T13:19:00.000-07:00

A Facebook friend asked me about my Pyrex collection yesterday so I grabbed my camera and took pics inside my cupboards. Note, this is not my entire collection as several pieces are being used right now.

Casseroles & Divided dishes:

Smaller Casseroles & bowls:

Mugs:

Misc pieces:

***And no, I have not forgotten about my pending fabric giveaway. Its been sheer laziness on my part. I'll try to get to it tonight : ) ***

Holy Moly Cow!!!

2010-04-11T23:31:00.001-07:00

"A thrifting we will go, a thrifting we will go, high ho the diary o, a thrifting we will go."

WOW. That's pretty much all I can say. I have never gone thrifting on a Sunday evening before, but I'm beginning to think that's my new spot. The stores were dead and I hit the jackpot. More than once!! First up: PYREX!!

please ignore the mess in the background, we're having storage issues with our homeschool supplies

All of this Pyrex was found tonight. In a total of three stores. The majority of it found at one store. It was heavenly. I did observe a moment of silence. It was while I was attempting to stifle my screams. The most expensive piece was $6. Most pieces were under $3.

Check out all of the gorgeous, vintage bias tape and rick rack. Its polka dots! Seriously! They had a ton of it.

And the sheets....oh the sheets they had. I almost cried when I saw these beauties in their original packages! Seriously, I had a hard time composing myself.

And then check all of these out! My kitchen/dining room is such a cluttered mess right now. It looks like Goodwill threw up in my house. And I'm lovin' it!!

I'm Purging!!!

2010-04-01T12:51:00.001-07:00

Its Spring Cleaning Time and I'm purging big time! I can not handle this clutter anymore!! And along with purging comes some destashing!! I just realized that this week marks the two year blogiversary of my very first blog post. Holy Crap! So I thought I'd combine my destashing with a fun giveaway! There are scraps and yardage included. Some really ugly fabric and some gorgeous fabric. Some quilt shop fabric and some larger chain fabric. Its truly an eclectic mix. Just like my stash : )
You know the drill. Post a comment here if you'd like to be entered for the giveaway. How about you tell me your most favorite part and your least favorite part of Spring Cleaning! And if you want a second entry, go ahead and mention it on your blog. But come back and leave a second comment telling me you've done so. Let's see. Its Thursday afternoon here. I'll leave this open until Sunday evening. Then I can get it out in the mail early next week. Ready, Set, GO!!!!!

Coo Coo Cachoo....

2010-03-19T23:23:00.000-07:00

You'll have to excuse me while I have a Mrs. Robinson moment. New Moon comes out on DVD today. "Coo Coo Cachoo Mrs. Robinson......"

Spring Clean-athon

2010-03-17T07:42:00.001-07:00

Did you all finish Monday's tasks? Wonderful! How about yesterday's? What? What do you mean I didn't give any instructions yesterday? Oh yea, we lost power. Again. It wasn't quite as dramatic as last time, but it wasn't any less fun. No really. A nine hour outage when my head and chest feel like they could explode and I'm being followed around by two small children with heads full of snot and drippy noses is simply not my idea of a good time. So, what did I do Monday? Nothing. What am I going to do today? Well, having been sick and then having a power outage (which means no water because our well is run by, wait for it, ELECTRICITY) I haven't done dishes in over three days. Its gross in here. Seriously, its disgusting. So, I'm going to put my Spring Cleaning on hold and catch up with my daily chores. And no, I'm not really feeling any better, but its time to put my big girls panties on and suck it up buttercup. Have a good one!

Clean A Thon...

2010-03-15T08:19:00.000-07:00

Well, the boys and I all woke up sick this morning. What a bummer! That seems to happen whenever I schedule a clean along. Maybe I'm mentally adverse to cleaning? Huh, something to ponder!

Instead of postponing today's Clean A Thon, though I'm going to post the things I was planning to do today so you can all still play along. If I feel better this afternoon, I may try to tackle some of these chores.

Junk Drawers: We all have them. Some are junkier than others. Some have more than one. I have three. Two in my kitchen (you know, those small tiny drawers that just take up space but have no real purprose.) They just seem to collect junk. I also have one in my bathroom. Well, that's more of a whole junk space! LOL!! So today's first assignment is to go through your junk drawers and clean out all of the junk and reorganize the essentials. That means tossing out that electric blue mascara circa 1987. What? I'm the only one? Rubbish!

Pantry: I know I'm not the only one that has obscure random ingredients hiding in my pantry, scratching my head trying to remember why I bought them in the first place. Right? RIGHT? Let's cull those ingredients and put them in a bag or box heading for our local food bank. For those of us that are still thriving in this downturned economy, let's do a little sharing while we're doing a little Spring Cleaning, shall we?

Oh, and while your pantry is empty, let's wipe down those shelves, too. There you have it. Easy Peasy, right? If I get this stuff done this afternoon I'll let ya know. Stay tuned tomorrow. We're diving into our world of plastic containers! You know, the ones who eat their own lids and multiply when we aren't looking? Yea, their days are numbered!

Spring Clean-aThon

2010-03-13T07:13:00.000-08:00

Starting on Monday I will be cleaning my insides, so I figured it was as good a time as any to start on my Spring Cleaning as well! I'll be blogging all of chores and do hope you'll play along, too! I will link to everyone's blog on Monday so we can cheer one another along and know that we are not the only ones that have let our houses get this unsightly! I'll be doing a little tidying, a little surface cleaning and a little deep cleaning. It will not be comprhensive, but it will be a good start! And maybe I'll host another one down the road to keep our momentum going.

Female driver shaving genitals causes accident in Florida

2010-03-12T22:37:00.001-08:00

Female driver shaving genitals causes accident in Florida

Posted using ShareThis

"We've got a problem; we need to reboot"

2010-03-11T12:45:00.000-08:00

Its a bit lengthy, but ssoo worth the watch. I can't wait until his show airs later this month!

The best part of homeschooling????

2010-02-18T23:05:00.001-08:00

Kids in traditional schools love snow days because they get to play hookey, right? (Well, maybe not this year, as from what I gather on FB all of my East Coast friends are totally OVER snow days). BUT, as a homeschool family, we play hookey on SUNdays! Not Sunday, as in church day, but SUNday as in "OMGoodness, we live in the Pacific Northwest and its Feb and its acutally sunny outside!!" We got our lessons done quickly and headed to the park! Its a picture heavy post because I'm having way too much fun with my new camera!

This boy has loved to swing since the day he was born. He cried when we finally took his baby swing out to the garage. When I found him standing up in it, looking over the back of the swing, I knew it was time. He still loves to swing, though.

That's right, boys. Run, run like the wind. Run now, so you'll STOP doing it in my house!!

REAAAAAACCCCHH!!! Carte tried to jump and grab the monky bars at least five times. Each time he thought he was "so close." Finally Jason lifted him up. It was getting sort of pathetic to watch.

Different monky bars, same idea........REEEAAAAACCCHHH!!!!

Hang on buddy! Hang on!!!

Look at those faces! How could we stay inside at the table doing math problems and writing spelling words?

Bee Blocks

2010-02-14T21:44:00.000-08:00

November's Block

January's Block.

Phew....I am finally caught up with my blocks for the Stash Busting Bee. I still have Feb's to make, but I have until the end of the month. I have already decided on what block to make, so the hard part's done : )

In other news, Ben made this sewing machine for me out of legos. Isn't it cute? He actually made it for me last month. One the day my camera died. And I've kept it safe until I got my new camera because I loved it so much and wanted to share it with you here on my blog.

Happy Valentine's everyone!

I got a new camera!!!

2010-02-14T09:13:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited! I've been sewing, and crafting, and homeschooling, and thrifting, and...and...and...!!!

And now I can show you pictures of all of it! Yay me!

Hello????

2010-02-11T13:07:00.000-08:00

I'm still here, but maintaining a craft blog without a camera is really really hard!! Lately I haven't done much sewing or knitting, but today I finally cut into my vintage sheet stash. I'm in the Rosey Little Things vintage sheet FQ swap. I cant' wait to see what goodies I get! And I haven't forgotten about the vintage sheet quilt a long. I'm just waiting to see what I get in the exchange and waiting for a new camera!!! Ugh!!

I promised to keep it real....

2010-01-18T23:36:00.000-08:00

....and blog about what's bouncing around in my head. Well, pretty much all I've been able to think about for the last few days is the special election in MA this week. I am so totally obsessed! Who's gonna win? Martha Coakely or Scott Brown? We shall see!!

Its a Green Smoothie Giveaway!

2010-01-18T14:14:00.000-08:00

If you've ever had any questions about my green smoothie habit. Now's the time to head over to my smoothie blog because I'm celebrating having reached 100 fans on the facebook page with a fabulous giveaway! Hurry over!!

2010-01-16T08:18:00.000-08:00

Remember when I was twitching the other day? This top is the reason why. I made this top over two years ago. I was still a new quilter and didn't know anything! I had originally planned to donate this quilt (once finished) to the Ami Simms Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative. However, she has ceased taking large quilts and now only accepts small ones. So, this quilt has sat in my closet since Dec '07.

So, what's the big deal with this quilt, anyway? My husband's grandfather passed away of Alzheimer's right before our first son was born. He had been declining for years and the death wasn't unexpected, but it did send shock waves through the family. So, I made this quilt in honor of Barney (Barnes Everett Mauk). I made three additional blocks and have them framed individually. One for Jason, one for his father and one for his aunt.

See, Barney loved plaid. He loved to dress in the most obnoxious way he could find. He mixed plaid with everything. Every.Thing. The tackier the better. So, I stumbled upon some funky plaid wrapping paper and knew that was what I had to use. That's also why I used so many different plaids in the quilt top.

I didn't get the quilt top done that year as I had hoped and then (as mentioned above) Ami stopped accepting large quilts. I wasn't sure what to do with it at that time, so I did nothing. I thought about selling it and donating the money to Ami's project, but that just didn't feel right. In the end, I decided to gift the finished quilt to my husband and send a donation to Ami. And it became a permanent UFO. Well, its on the top of my list for 2010.

So what's with the twitching? Remember I said I didn't know what I was doing, right? I pulled this quilt top out the other day, pieced the back and went about to press & baste it. I'm not sure I pressed a single seam in the entire top when I made this thing. So many seams have been flipped and turned by cross seams, its all homespun fabric, so they are unravelling at the speed of light. This quilt top had more strings than a piece of wilty celery. So, I spent several hours trimming up the strings and pressing each block and each seam individually. Then I was sick of looking at it so I folded it up and set in on my sewing table. Which means when I pull it out this afternoon, I'll probably have to repress it. AGAIN! (I'm thinking just a quick quilt in the ditch, the top is so busy anything else would be lost, what do you think?) But I want it finished for my husband. It means a lot to him as he was very close to his grandfather growing up. My only regret is that I didnt' meet this amazing man until the disease had already taken control of his mind and body. The stories my father in law tell about his father could fill volumes. This one's for you, Barney.

2010-01-15T20:09:00.000-08:00

Blogging is hard when you don't have a camera. I shall return soon. We've decided to use our Costco rebate this year to purchase a new one. Stay tuned, my friends. Stay tuned.

Twitch....twitch....

2010-01-06T16:10:00.000-08:00

The next time I decide to make a whole quilt out of homespun fabrics hit me. Hard. In the head. With a frying pan.

I'll explain later, when I'm done twitching.

Rockin' Out

2010-01-05T19:49:00.001-08:00

Crrreeeeepppyyy

2010-01-04T23:48:00.000-08:00

Do you remember that Haley Joel Osmet movie, The Sixth Sense? Remember that line, "I see dead people."

Imagine him saying that line, but with my face. And my voice. And with the words "I collect bed sheets." *shivers* I KNOW! Its totally creepy, right? It gives me nightmares.

I do. I collect them. Vintage ones. Puuuuurrrty Ones. Percale blend ones. Mmmmmm, percale. Anyhoo, does anyone else collect them?

I've been thinking its probably time I do something with them. Because I'm drowning. I can't stop buying them. I have a huge plastic tub filled with them. And I just bought three more yesterday. Its a sickness. So, I have a pattern in mind. Does anyone want to quilt a long with me? Its a quick and easy pattern I designed several years ago. Its a simple one block pattern. The blocks are 10" and there is no secondary design, so you can make as many or as few blocks as you like. Of course, you don't have to use bed sheets, but then your quilt won't look as pretty as mine. (I'm kidding!). This quilt looks great scrappy, or with a fat quarter pack of a single fabric line. Or you could just go nuts. I'm known for doing that occasionally. So anyway, do you want to play along? Leave a comment, link here on your blog, tell your mom, rent a plane with one of those flaggy message thingy's. Shout it from your rooftops. Oh, sorry, I got a little carried away. If you want to play along just let me know. It will probably be at least another week or two before I get started. Go sit and fondle your stash (you know you want to) and find a good selection of fabrics and then come back here and tell me you want to play. Because otherwise I might cry.

It died.

2010-01-04T22:44:00.000-08:00

The camera, that is. Our camera is dead. It bit. the. dust. Or rather, maybe hit. the. floor. is a little more accurate. Either way, it really put a damper on a post I had planned for this week. I wanted to do a "day in our life" post about our homeschool. It was going to be awesome. I mean balloons, streamers, fireworks....ok, not really. But I mean we're an average, suburban family who homeschools their children. What person wouldn't be fascinated by reading that post? HA!

Oh, and here's a funny story with which to leave you. Its no secret that we're cheap. We prefer frugal, but come on. Its time to call a duck a duck, right? We're cheap. Anyhoo, my family totally thinks we're all of bunch of crazy people. They do. Its true. My brother even commented about it on my very first blog post. So anyway, we don't have cable because we don't want to spend the money and I know if we did, I'd sit and watch Food Network all day and make everything Paula Deen can dream up. And we all know that's not a good idea! We also happen to have DSL for our internet service. We're on a desktop because the dog killed the laptop a few years ago. We just haven't gotten around to upgrading yet. So how did you like my funny story? Just kidding. I haven't gotten to the funny part yet. My mom comes out to visit for each of the boys' birthdays. Its very convenient that they are exactly six months apart. A co worker asked her if she was going to bring her laptop so she could answer work emails and my mom said "No, I'm visiting my daughter and they don't have cable, they don't have wireless, they don't get a newspaper and they homeschool their children!!!" Jason says "Wow, that's when I realized we were 'those people'!!" Ok, that's the funny part. I'm sorry, but I just think that's hilarious. Is it only me? Maybe. Humor me, ok? ; )

DOH!

2010-01-03T16:31:00.000-08:00

**smacks forehead with heel of hand**

I totally didn't sync up my email and comments when I switched blogs. I had been a little disappointed that I wasn't getting any comments. at all. And then I was just looking around on my blog and moving some things and I saw "4 comments" and "2 comments". Hhhmm, and so I read them (imagine that!).

To answer some questions about my smoothies:

they taste awesome
its not really a "weightloss drink"
its spinach and fruit and other good stuff blended up
I've challenged myself to drink one quart of it. Everyday. For 365 days.

I have a whole other blog to journal that adventure. I know, I know. But its all about my smoothies. Life happens here. Smoothies happen there. If you are interested, click here to read all about The Year of Green Smoothies Challenge. You can also become a fan on Facebook.

So there you have it. Sorry I didn't get back to any of you about your comments. I'm usually really good about answering them.

Rebound, anyone?

2010-01-02T16:31:00.000-08:00

Jason's aunt & uncle are very into health and wellness. They own a really cool online store and are currently working on getting their products into several national retailers. They sent us a Needak Rebounder for Christmas and we finally got the time to get it out of the box and built yesterday. The boys and I have been bouncing ever since. Its a lot of fun and more of a workout than you would expect. Oh, and let me just tell you. Rebounding can really stimulate the bowels. I'm just sayin'. You've been warned!

Happy New Year

2009-12-31T11:10:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

May you have a blessed and prosperous 2010!

I mentioned last year that I do not do resolutions. And I'm still not too hip to the idea of making that extra long list everything wrong with me that needs fixing in the next 12 months. And trust me, that list would be extra long this year. Seriously. So, I'm not dwelling on that. But I am setting some goals. I have learned a lot about myself and my expectations of others in this last year. I've done quite a bit of growing up and I can not wait to see what this next year has in store for me. So, my goals for next year are:

Do not enter 2011 with any of the same WIP's that are hauting me right now. I will photo and list them later this week. And then its time to get started!
Finish at least 12 projects this year ~ crafty projects. That averages to one per month and I don't think that's too overwhelming. I'm done comparing myself to others and their productivity. However, if I plan to reach my first goal, my finishes will far outnumber 12!
And lastly, my biggest goal (challenge) for 2010 is to drink 1 quart of smoothie everyday. And I will blog the whole adventure. The yummiest of yummy and the nastiest of nasty. You can read all about them. I will post about any weightloss or side effects that I notice. But I have to do this. For my health and that of my family. Feel free to play along ~ or just cheer me on from the sidelines!

Happy 2010! Here's to your health!

Introduction

2009-12-26T21:22:00.000-08:00

Ok, if you are here from my other blog, you pretty much know who I am. But I need a page to link up to in that "about" button up there. So, here it is. Its me, in all my glory.
I'm Jessica. I'm married to the best man in the entire world. I ask myself (and him, too) everyday how exactly I managed to hit the jackpot in the husband department. That man puts up with more...well, he's a saint. Let's just leave it at that. I'm a 30-something stay at home, homeschooling, right wing conservative, mom. I have two boys ~ Ben is six & Carter is four. They keep me busy. Really really busy. On the rare occasions that I'm not chasing, educating or disciplining my children I like to read, quilt & go thrifting. Those things are rare. Oh so very rare these days. Oh, I'm also addicted to green smoothies. Those aren't so rare.

Welcome....

2009-12-26T20:53:00.000-08:00

If you found your way here from my other blog, I'd like to thank you for making the leap. It wasn't a big leap, more of a hop. Maybe even a small step. But either way you are here and I thank you for that. I'm sure many of you (are there actually many of you?) are wondering why the switch? Well, when you title your blog "Jessica's Quilting Corner" you sort of pigeon hole yourself into blogging about one particular thing. I know, right. DU-UH!! And my quilting mo-jo is loooooonngg gone. Well, not really. Its there, its actually bubbling just under the surface threatening to explode at any time. I'm sure it won't be pretty. But life keeps getting in the way. Imagine that. I've just never really felt that blogging about life on a blog titled "Jessica's Quilting Corner" was all that cool. And I ooze coolness. Really, I do.

I've kept a journal my entire life. My. Entire. Life. Until I was in my mid 20's. So, until like last year. Seriously. No? You don't believe me? Oh alright, for about the last decade (gah!!) I've been journal-less. And then I found blog land. WOW!! People write about their daily lives. On the internet. Right there for the whole world to see. And other people READ IT!!! How cool is that?!?! Amazing.

On that other blog, I tried to be someone I'm not. I was afraid of offending people, I was afraid I wouldn't be cool enough to be accepted by the internet (its such an exclusive society, ya know.) I was afraid of so many things. And that's when I lost my blogging mo-jo (that just shows you how cool I am, right? I've used that word TWICE now).

So what does all of this have to do with that geeky looking book on the top of this post? Well, its a book I ordered on the reccomendation of a local homeschool group I'm in. Let me tell you, the book is not at all what I expected. I was expecting a Vicki Iovine - esq book. You remember that one, right? Where she told you what pregnancy was really like. She scared the bejesus out of you with all of those awful stories, but then told you it was all going to be ok, because women have been doing this for a gazillion years and lean on your girlfriends and yada yada yada. Remember? So, that book up there? Not so much. Its more of a "you're a homeschooling mom? Oh, you must believe xyz. No, I know you do. Because my wife does. So that means every homeschooling mom out there does. And you know what, you're an idiot if you believe it. Because that means you take Satan's word of God's." I'm totally serious. Its in the book. Ok, maybe not in those exact words. But the message is there. Trust me. But there is one chapter that really did speak to me. Its about being "real". About not putting up a front because you are afraid of what other moms will think of you. He says to just talk about your life honestly. The ups and downs, the bad days and the good. And that is an idea I can get behind. Thus, the title of my new blog.

So from here on out, I'm keeping it real. If you are my facebook friend you know that I'm pretty good about speaking my mind. I'm no longer going to be afraid to just talk about what's bouncing around in my brain. Whatever it may be. Some things may be funny, some may be sad and others may be outright scary. But it'll all be real. Welcome, this is my life. Pull up a chair and grab a cup of coffee and let's chat. I promise, you'll feel much better about your life after spending some time in mine!