Winter cold has got me down:(

Not down enough to keep me from my machine though....ha..ha..ha!
Sandy came over to finish the stitching on her G-babie's
Valentine dresses
and
I made Maddie's dress!
The only things that really cry Valentine....are the buttons!
I like the way it turned out.....
the Moda fabric is such great quality:D

Sister Love.......and Valentine dresses :D

Margo's Outfit!
(felted sweater hearts)

Milly's Jumper.....felted sweater heart!
one on the back too:D

Sandy and I are now spending every Wed.
doing something together.....nothing is off limits...LOL
This Wednesday was set aside to make Valentine dresses
for our Grandbabies:D
We got a start....and will have to finish up at a later date.
We made these little jumpers with a light lining....
then quilted them front and back.
I think you can see that here....if you look closely.




I consider my sister my best friend!!!!
I love spending time with her and working on projects together.
Over the years we have followed one another from interest to interest!
I guess you could say that we both inherited similar genes
from our parents.....
and our interests have always been similar as well.
We both became art teachers,
we are both artists,
love sewing,
love homemaking,
enjoy our homes
and
both put our family before anything else.
We went to the same college,
got our Master's Degrees from the same institution.
We retired the same year so that we could spend more time together.
We have shared a booth at the Antique Mall for 3+ years now
and both have an addiction to "thrifting"!
We are constantly running into each other at
Goodwill or at Jackman's
buying fabric for our next project.

When we were young, we fought like cats and dogs........
I guess the 3 1/2 yr. age difference had a lot to do with that:)
But........when I left for college,
we both missed the other
and
it wasn't long before she was coming down
to spend week-ends with me at Cape!

Having a sister that 'get's me' is sooooo special!
We share all our pains and excitement.
We really understand each other
and
rely on each other for an honest opinion.

While everyone in my family is important to me.....
my sis has a special place!
The kids have their own family's
and are spending most of their time raising their children
.....as it should be:)
Hubby has his brother and buddies
that love to watch sports with him or share their stories
about jobs, politics, finance and golf.

My sis and I are on the same page almost all the time.
I am so lucky to have such a wonderful sister
that loves me like no other.......
always has and always will!
I love her so much and thank God for this blessing
he has given me all my life!

Gallery Walls..........

Many years ago I started a Gallery Wall
on the lower level where hubby and I have our desks and computers:D
At the time.....weddings were happening every year
and
it wasn't any time that we had plenty of photos to fill
the largest of the walls.
Periodically I have added more black frames and new pics
as the children arrived on the scene.
It has been a work in progress since it began.....just as it should be!

But.............after receiving new pics
of many of the grandchildren as Christmas gifts....
I felt it was time to re-do the entire thing
.....WOW!

I had NO IDEA how much time that would take
....but....
well worth it in the end.

I started by taking down photos,
taking them apart,
cleaning the glass and frame,
adding matts if I planed on changing the photo size.

You see...I wanted more current pics
of the children and families....
even though I loved the old photos as well.
I simply left the old photo behind the new photo
so that sometime in the future they will be waiting for me there:D

What started as one wall has grown into a 3 wall extravaganza.....and I simply love it!
We are all about FAMILY around here.....and that is what these walls speak to............



I have added some 3D elements since Gallery Walls are so in these days!

Below is the third wall to get into the act....LOL! Did I mention that I had to find all the pics on my computer, size them to the frames I had available and print them out?
That was another it took me soooooo long:D



The door to the right is the entrance
to the powder room I mentioned in one of the last posts:D

linked to Coastal Charm....here

A Stitch in Time.......

This little quilt has been in my Stash Closet
for some time now!

I forgot about it and several others until the cleaning & purging started:D

Last night after all the kids left,
I decided it was time to find something to use as a border.

This is as far as I got and now the hand sewing begins!
Fun to sew while watching T.V. on a lazy, cold, winter evening!

I found several unfinished quilts in the closet.....so
I will be working on completing all of them
in the next several days :D

I used a variety of fabrics from my stash.
I loved all the different colors, shapes and themes!

It is hard to see from these photos,
but the border is a mini heart pattern.....white hearts on red background!
Great for Valentines Day.

linked to Romantic Home Blog here
linked to French Country Cottage here

Painting Projects:D

A lot of painting going on here......different kinds I must admit,
but still painting!
The kids wanted to paint today
and
I had purchased Birdhouses for them at Michael's.

Chase had so much fun painting his.....
while Milly painted some small canvases I had!
She had worked on her Birdhouse a week ago while visiting:)

Hunter wasn't interested.....not yet anyway.
He was all absorbed in the XBox
with Papa:D
They were having so much fun.....I understood the attraction:)

Papa and I have been involved in some painting of our own....
The lower level bath needed a little TLC.
I found a gray blue I liked and we set to work the other night.
Once finished, we tackled the woodwork.
I like the change
it makes for a much brighter room:)
Haven't decided what to hang on the walls
but did pull out a couple of pieces I had in my stash.
I used to have blue all over the house
so I have plenty of embellishments...
just need to pick the right ones!
We purchased a new light fixture and I painted another mirror we had
Annie Sloan Pure White.
A little sanding and waxing and it was good to go!

We had the gang today......

It is funny how quickly you can fall back in the routine
of "short order cook"
and
Master "Cleaner Upper"...LOL!
Now that 3 of them are 5 yrs. old and one is 8....
they are so much livelier and LOUDER!
We had fun playing games,
eating,
XBox,
eating,
running,
eating,
jumping and giggling:D
They are so much fun to have around.....
but I am happy that they are all tucked in and sleeping upstairs now:D
Grandma is tired!

Can't wait for a little warm weather:D

For our Anniversary........hubby got me a 22 rifle!
Not a gift that just everyone would enjoy
...but...
I am so looking forward to going to the shooting range the next warm day:)
I would never shoot anything that is living....not my style,
but a few oil cans or a carton of eggs could make for a fun hour or two.
I have always had a 22 since I was a little girl.
Dad bought me one many many years ago
and I would accompany him to the near-by quarry.
We would set up our targets and have such fun.
I was always a pretty good shot.....
and though it has been awhile,
I am really getting excited about trying my hand at it again...
soon, I hope!
What are you dreaming about while winter nips at your nose?