Fabric & Friends.....the fabric store I talk to everyone about!

It's official....I'm obsessed with this fabric store.  It is a little less than 10 miles from home, has more fabric than the law should allow, holds classes, and monthly sales with free (fantastic) food.  What's not to love??  So I thought I'd share some pictures from last week's trip. 

The store is housed in an large turn of the century home. 

Love this sunburst with the date of original construction!

They have a huge selection of batiks.  This is just a hallway, but is filled from floor to ceiling with bolts of fabric.  Every room has multiple finished or unfinished quilts hanging up for inspiration. 

There are eleven rooms (I count the two halls too, because they are packed with fabric too) like this one, filled from top to bottom with fabric and many also have islands in the center of the room with more fabric!!  It is seriously a sight to behold.  They always have new inventory coming in but keep lots of popular fabrics on hand.  There are two rooms with cutting areas. It does get a bit tight in the store during the sale weekends, but it is all good fun as we are all having such a good time.  They even have a clearance room!

They also carry a large variety of notions, patterns, batting, even some dyed wool for needle felting. I so enjoy just being there.  I love seeing people carring around half finished projects.  You can feel the excitement and creative energy throughout.The amazing thing is that it is only been open since November of 2010. 

 I think of podcast I listened to recently that talked about how others can't be who they are supposed to be until we become who we are supposed to be.  I think of the lady who started this shop.  I'm sure it was a big risk to start a fabric shop in a tiny town in the middle of a deep recession.  But she followed her dream and in turn is helping others fulfill theirs.  How much fun and creativity has been brought to so many with this quilt shop!

I was finally able to get my friend to come with me last weekend.  She had been looking for a specific fabric for her daughter's bed room.  Of course they had it!  She was so excited to find it and get started making things...I could see the wheels turning in her head.  In fact we made plans to meet back there on Friday. The lady that cut her fabric pointed her to this quilt, which is using the pink version of the fabric (her's was periwinkle and much prettier I think!)  So I have created another addict!! Ha Ha!!

Inside Jobs



Brayden helping Dad put in a new shower fixtures. He is Daddy's shadow lately.   

If you live in a temperate climate as I do, you find that this month and next are the best times to do inside jobs.  The holiday bustle is over and now there is time to catch up on many projects and hobbies that have gotten pushed under the proverbial bed.  So I thought I'd share what is going on inside here. 

-This is the time of year when I read more that usual, so far I have read "The Help", "Water for Elephants" and then watched the movies.  I had to read the books first!  Greatly enjoyed both books and movies.  Currently reading "Traveling with Pomegranates" by: Sue Monk Kidd (She wrote "The Secret Life of Bees") Plan on rereading "7 Habits of Highly Effective Families" soon.  Also catching up on magazine reading too. 

- Sewing for home, I have made two sets of curtains, and am about to make a robe for myself (GASP!!) which never happens.  My parents gave me a JoAnn's gift card for Christmas so I was able to get the fabric and pattern with it.  Otherwise it would have been much more economical to just buy one, although not near as much fun that way.  Need to make myself some more flannel hankies, cotton napkins and various other projects. 

- Purging / reorganizing.  Got two bags full of clothes to give to Goodwill.  My closet looks so much better.  Need to do the same in every closet & cabinet in the house. 

- Planning some redecoration.  Redoing the kids bathroom soon, new paint, vanity, lights, faucets, I'm making a shower curtain.  Dragonfly theme. 

-Need to pick colors for Brayden and our bedrooms.  Hope to get all these things painted before garden planting time. 

- Speaking of garden, I finally made a garden journal with pictures and variety preferences.  Have been browsing seed catalogs and will order seeds in Feb. 

- Thinking about a family birthday party for Brayden who will turn 6! in March. 

I really don't mind this time of year (ok, check back around the end of Feb, I may be whining by then).  There are so many indoor jobs that need to be done that are really pushed aside until this time of year.  I like cozying up, catching up on some reading and watching a little more TV & movies than any other time of year.  What are you doing this winter?

Thanks Jack Johnson!

My kids in their Colts gear. 

I love this song by Jack Johnson.  I love his music, it is so mellow and joyful.  I love the songs he writes about his children, because the echo my heart.  Below are the lyrics to his latest single that I love.  Thanks for sharing your gift Jack!

"In The Morning"  By: Jack Johnson

So much love
The kids are laughing in their sleep
Swimming through their dreams into the morning
So peaceful all the stories that we're told
Lead them through the night back from the shadows
So much joy every little girl and boy
Even better when they wake up tomorrow
So much love
In their little mistletee
Gonna miss you till we meet again in the morning
So much peace in their pitter-patter feet
Any open eyes can see that minds are reaching
So much joy
I'm afraid to be swept away
Upstream there's a spring that brings in the new day

These are the gifts we keep
And this is the morning that we breathe
And then we see
These moments are the only gifts we need

And your crazy curly morning hair
Your maka piapia stare
Smiling down from the top of the stairs
You're so sweet
And your robot pictures spread around
I swear your feet don't touch the ground
Once it starts it don't slow down
But I don't want it to

And these are the gifts we keep
And this is the morning that we breathe
And then we see
These moments are the only gifts we need

Teaching Kids Self Sufficiency

Brenna has been asking to learn to sew.  I believe she needs to learn to hand sew before machine sewing.  This is her second lesson, sewing on a button.  She did great, but she does get very frustrated at times.  Not sure who she gets that from ...  ;^)

Brayden helping dad make venison sausage.  He loves helping Dad grind venison meat too.  He was obsessed with the meat grinder section of the Cabela's Bookie for the longest time. 

Brayden with Dad going for a walk in the woods.  It's still rabbit and squirrel season so Jeremy took his gun just in case...not that he should have bothered, with the kids scaring them off!

I look at the things that we are teaching our kids and they are the things that we were taught as children too.  However most people don't know how to do these very basic things for themselves.  I don't know about you, but I know that our world is an unstable place, the future is uncertain.  If I can teach my kids how to feed and cloth themselves they will be ahead of the game even if they don't need to rely on these skills for daily life, they will know how to if they need or want to.  I love to see the confidence on their faces when they are learning to do these things for themselves.  

New Years in KY

We spent New Year's weekend in Ky with my family celebrating Christmas.  My Aunt called the morning of New Year's Eve and asked if we'd like to go to a Noon Year's celebration for kids at the local science museum.  There was crafts, a magic show and at noon a balloon drop.  The kids had a great time. 

First balloons dropping.  The kid with his mouth wide open is my nephew Jacob (LOL), Brayden is right in front of him. 

Brenna with all the balloons she could hold.  It sounded like a war in there with all the kids jumping on balloons and popping them. 

My niece Anna & Brenna with the giant turnips my Dad raised this year.  Some were as big as volleyballs!

My brother got my kids a remote controlled helicopter and boat.  Of course we had to take the boat for a spin. 

It was very mild while we were down, as you can see, no coats in January!!  It was in the 60's!

Long after the kids had lost interest and went to play in the pasture, my Dad and husband are still playing with the boat.....boys never really grow up!!

Holiday Handmades Review

You have seen in previous posts I did even more sewing this holiday season than usual.  Part of that was because of the awesome quilt shop I live near now!  My favorite finds there are the great variety of children's fabrics.  I really fell in love with the "Dr. Seuss" fabrics and the Moda "Funky Monkey" fabrics. 

These are travel pillowcases I made for my children from fat quarters.  Could these fabrics be any more fun?

This is an ABC soft book that I made for my 1 year old niece.  I found this wonderful tutorial at Obsessively Stitching. 

The great part of this project was that I had most of the scraps to do each letter of the alphabet, anything I didn't have was a cinch to find at the quilt shop! I didn't have any zebra fabric so I zig zag stitched a piece of yellow quilting fabric.  I hand stitched around each letter, other than that I really was a pretty quick project.

I made these iPod cozies from scraps of the funky monkey fabric from the kiddos pj pants. I pulled some vintage buttons out of my stash that I scored at a garage sale this summer.  (In case you don't know, old buttons go like gang busters at garage sales, I was darn lucky to get these and at a great deal!) I always use brown or black hair bands for the elastic closures.

I found these funky monkey panels at the quilt shop and knew they would make a nice soft book for my 2 year old niece.  I like the soft books because they are great quiet activity for church. I just did some highlight stitching around certain elements of each page (I didn't photograph each page, there were 8).  Also new this year to my handmades....MY VERY OWN TAGS!!  See bottom left corner of this photo!  My friend Brook turned me onto these (and gave me a coupon!) tags found at NameMaker.com. 

All I Want For Christmas Is You

On Christmas Eve Brayden asked me what I wanted for Christmas.  I replied, "All I want is you two." meaning my two kiddos.  And you know what?  That's just what I got!!  My husband had a young artist that he had employed while he was at Brown County State Park.  She is very talented and he decided to have her do a pencil portrait of our kids based upon this beautiful photo taken by our friend and talented artist Brook Rieman. 

Photo By: Brook Rieman

Pencil portrait by: Shauna Neukam

This picture doesn't do this justice!  What talent!  Brenna said she could stare at it all day!

I got my wish!  Thanks to my wonderful hubby!  I love a good surprise and he sure did that!  Thanks Shauna, you did a fantastic job!

2011 Christmas

Making cookies on Christmas Eve, right after this we went to see Alvin and the Chipmunks at the theatre.  That was a real treat for us as we only go to the movies once or twice a year. 

We let the kids open one gift on Christmas eve.  The sock monkey pj pants that I made looked super cute on them.

Christmas morning, B & B were thrilled with their Harry Potter brooms.

Brenna flipped over the Harry Potter glasses, she wore them all day long, even to Grandma's house.

Brayden in the robe I made for him.

The kids opening their school sweatshirts.  Brenna didn't think I had gotten them and had asked if I could get them next year.

Is he not the cutest?  Look at those little lips!

After the kids played for awhile and they watched the Polar Express (the only thing Brayden asked Santa for for Christmas) we headed up to Jeremy's parents house to celebrate some more.  Here is Natalie (Noonie as our 2 year old niece Sophie calls her) our youngest niece who is 1 year old.

Maddie with the iPod cozy I made her and Livy in the robe I made for her.  My little nieces aren't so little anymore!

Silly Drew liked his pirate robe!

Sammy looking "peaceful" in her robe!

Brenna is very excited when she opens her gift from her grandparents.  Hogwarts Lego set!! Just what she wanted!

Brayden loved the gift from his grandparents too!  A labyrinth!  He is really into mazes so this was perfect!

View from our room at the Inn.

It was a fantastic Christmas day as usual! We had our traditional prime rib at Jeremy's family's house.  Jeremy's parents also surprised all their children and their spouses with a night at a local inn.  They did this last year as well and it was such a huge hit with us all!  We loved it!  This year we had rooms overlooking the lake with a jet tub and fireplace.  We all hung out and played games and laughed and joked.  Jeremy's parents watched all 10 grandchildren while we had our night out (ages: 1,2,4,5,6,7,8,9,11 &11). We are so grateful to them.  It was a great day.  Jeremy got me a special gift too!  I'll share that with you in an upcoming post!