My Bobbin

This is Bobbin, my baby. He is a little over a year old now. I named him Bobbin because I bought him with the money I made from my sewing business. He has been such a joy to me. Well, last weekend he was close to death. Friday nite he was having trouble, walking, crying in pain and vomiting. By Saturday morning he was in shock and near death. It was a very long night. I truly believed he was going to die. I wasnt sure if he was stepped on and had a broken hip or if he had been poisoned. To make a long story short, our vet, Dr. Carrier went ahead and treated him for Addison's disease, even though the test results would not be back for a few days. Now the tests are in and he does have Addison's Disease. It is very complicated and will require treatment his entire life. I am so grateful to know what the cause of his illness is and so very glad that he is still alive.

Happy Birthday, Baby!!

Tomorrow is my daughter, Hannah's Birthday. She will be ten years old, but she seems like 20 already. Hannah is my miracle baby. She had menangitis when she was only 6 weeks old. She was in a Children's Hospital for 2 weeks. The doctor in charge of her case, pretty much told me she would die and not be leaving the hospital. I refused to believe him and I told him that I knew God would heal her. We had people all over the country praying for her. When he saw that she would leave, he told me she would probably be deaf and learning disabled. WRONG!! She hears fine, is very smart and sings like an angel. I am so glad he was wrong. She is a true blessing to me as all six of my children are.

Confessions of a Wanna Be Farm Girl

I confess. I have always dreamed of owning some acreage, having horses, a garden and any other critters I felt like having. Well...I have been growing a vegatable garden for a few weeks now. I am growing the entire garden from seed, so there isnt much to show yet. But, have no fear, I will be posting pictures. Well...today the girls and I went and bought 8 baby chickens. We have raised them in the past...several years ago. Then it was more for fun and learning for the little girls. Now, however, it is for those reasons, plus the eggs. I figure if we are able to have organic vegatables from our own yard...we should have hormone free eggs also. The girls are very smitten with the chicks, now. I am sure when they are feathered and not as cute...they will lose interest and I will have to harrass them into feeding them. Bobbin, my baby dog, loves them...but Whiskers, our outdoor cat...is totally disqusted with the whole thing.

My New 1930's Stash

Last weekend, my family took a mini vacation in Orlando. We went to a hotel with waterslides and cool pools for the kids. I enjoyed watching them play for hours...and I got to play too. I was able to check out four quilt shops. I was so excited to see that all of them had reproductions. In the Lakeland area, they are very rare to find. I don't know what it is that attracts me to them. I think it is the pretty pastel colors, the clean and timeless look of them. I have been collecting them for a while and have had several quilts planned for them. Today, I am going to use them in a new baby quilt that I have designed. I wanted to make two quilts for my cover photo. One, in pastels (my repros) and one in bold colors. So, today I am going to delve into my new goodies. I will post picks as soon as I can. In the meantime, I will post a picture of my newest stash.

Nature Walks

Yesterday, I took some of the girls to the lake to feed the ducks. The ducks weren't very hungry and the irritating seagulls took the fun away by swiping bread from the ducks. So, we did what all adventurous girls do...we Explored!! We found a nest full of duck or swan eggs. A very cool find. Rebecca was responsible for this find. I love hanging out with the girls.

They Grow Up So Fast

My oldest daughter, Abby, turned 15 the other day. Now I have two teenagers on the road. Aaahh!! Well, she is a "restrictedly licensed driver" as she likes to say. First thing in the morning, we went to the DMV for her to take her written test and of course she passed. She is very happy. For her family party that night, she wanted my desert pizza instead of birthday cake. I made it bigger than usual, since we had many to feed. It was so good! The recipe is very simple....just roll premade cookie dough on a stone or cookie sheet and bake. When it is cooled, spread a mixture of cream cheese, vanilla and sugar to taste. I dont like mine too sweet. Then place fresh fruit on top. Yummy!

Sewing Therapy Results

Well, my Saturday sewing didn't work out as I would have liked. I had to clean my sewing room some before I could sew. My girls had gotten there to work on their art projects and made some messes. Then I got a million interuptions.I decided just to make a simple sundress for my youngest daughter, so that I didn't really have to think, just sew. I even had expectations that she might be able to wear it to church the next day. I had a multi-sized pattern that I traced first because I have other girls to make the same dress for. That took a long time. Then, more interuptions and time for dinner. I didnt turn on my sewing machine until 8pm. From then on it was smooth sailing. The only problem....by the time I was ready to put the dress together, she was asleep, so I couldnt try it on her for sizing. Anyway, this is Sunday night...actually early Monday morning and I just sewed on the buttons. I think it is adorable. I am going to make her many of these to wear this summer with cute little sandals. I am also going to make her a matching wristlet, to take her offering to church. I finally remember to use on of my "made by Mommy" tags too. I did enjoy my "fun sewing" time. Now, it is time to get back to "work sewing."