Coin Quilts...

Click on the button above to go to Chickpea Sewing Studio: Chinese Coin Quilts to find out more about this. I think I will be trying to make one this year. I already have my coins cut from a charm pack.

Okay... this is crazy... this is the charm pack I was talking about, I should have said...Soiree' by Lila Tueller go HERE to check it out on Moda's how to for a baby coin quilt. And... you can purchase this totally awesome fabric at Sarah's shop.

My Other Blog

I am trying something new. I have started a new Blog for my PartyLite business. That way this blog is all about family and events and the other is business. I might add a link to new info occasionally, but I will try to keep it on the down low. The new blog is called "Mad About Candles" I think that is pretty fitting for me. I love those crazy candles and like to get them at a good price too. Check it out occasionally or go HERE now to see the latest specials. There will be some awesome deals coming down the blog line.

I'm even thinking of a free... yup, I said FREE give-a-way to one lucky commenter. So check in often.

Brent's Pictures of St. Louis...

Brent, Derek, Aaron, & Mark... The Haunted House Brain Trust... or so they think. Here they are at one of the Haunts in St. Louis where they attended the National Haunted House Convention. Now one might wonder why four guys without a haunted house to call their own would attend the National Haunted House Convention... hmmmmm... any ideas???

Friday when they got to the Convention it was a beautiful day, so after a little walk through they decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and enjoy a little St. Louis scenery. I think this is a great shot of the side view of the St. Louis Arch.

Here is another amazing shot... both could be a postcard for sure.

I Loved this one of the Arch... its just awesome.

This was my favorite shot of all. You can see the Redbuds were already in bloom at the river front park. It's such a pretty picture of the bridge and the Mississippi River. This shot was taken basically at the St. Louis Arch National Monument looking down at the river.

What can I say... None of these guys are quite right in the head... pretty sure they were dropped as babies... No really, they have a great time together and are lucky to be such good buds. Brent said he had a great time... It sure looked like he enjoyed himself.

The Guys Weekend Bonding...

Let's start with the Best Soul Food in St. Louis... SWEETIE PIES on Manchester Avenue. Brent said when they walked in the door as you can imagine they were the only Caucasian faces in the entire restaurant. The woman behind the counter looked up... giggled and went back to doing what she was doing... So Brent, being Brent, asked some guy standing in line in front of the guys what he would suggest as far as the best items there. He said everything was great, but ya gotta try the chicken wings... crazy mutant biggest chicken wings you've ever seen, mac & cheese, and green beans... which had pieces of chicken goodness in em.... yummy goodness all around. Brent would definitely recommend SWEETIE PIES if you're in the area. The guy that Brent was talking to took a liking to our guys and wouldn't leave until they had sampled everything so that he knew he had steered them in the right direction... super nice guy.

Next at 12:15 in the a.m. on Saturday night/Sunday morning the guys thought they would try out this little gem of a restaurant.

Okay... Brent didn't take this picture... we found it online... but the guy in the white apron is Kevin and he was the one that cooked their food. When they walked in... the guy yells at them... in quintessential Missouri Mush Mouth lingo...Wannaslinger!?!?! So the guys all look at each other... thinkin', "What the heck???" Come to find out a Slinger is one of their signature dishes... it consists of hashbrowns, two sausage patties, two to three eggs, and smothered in chili. Everyone around them had it... looked disgusting... guys didn't think so.

So BJ and Derek got the 6 mini burgers... kinda White Castle like... VERY GOOD! Aaron and Mark settled for the tenderloin, which were just okay and now everyone wished they had braved the slinger... shoulda known. If the locals love it, they love it for a reason.

Here is a picture of Brent and Aaron as they're waiting for food at St. Louis' famous EAT-RITE. Brent is always looking for a little local flavor when traveling... Well he found some for sure.

Here is the whole hee-haw gang. Mark, Brent, Derek, and Aaron... gotta love the bumper sticker... EAT-RITE or don't eat at all. The guys said the food was great, the dining experience was exactly that... a dining experience... This was located way downtown St. Louis... You had to be buzzed in to the restaurant... I'm sure Mark was packing heat... Brent says he was.

Surround Yourself With Sunshine...

I am choosing to surround myself with sunshine... I will pretend the sun is shining like its supposed to do... It did officially turn spring a week ago yesterday... I mean come on now... nuf already! So today I choose to surround myself with sunshine. I got the phrase from one of my favorite Janice Kapp Perry songs, "Surround Yourself With Joy". What a beautiful thought... so I am trying... I working on the Sunshine right now.

Surround Yourself With Joy

Life holds much of sorrow that we cannot avoid,
So when you have the chance, When you have the choice,
Surround yourself with joy.

Surround yourself with children, so innocent and sweet,
For life can seem so simple if you can make believe,
Surround yourself with music, and you'll find solace there.
For when your heart is tender your song becomes a prayer
Life holds much of sorrow that we cannot avoid,
So when you have the chance, When you have the choice,
Surround yourself with joy.

Surround yourself with friendship when you feel all alone,
For in the love of others the sweetest joys are known.
Surround yourself with beauty, enjoy God's handiwork,
In sights and sounds of nature the voice of God is heard.
Life holds much of sorrow that we cannot avoid,
So when you have the chance, When you have the choice,
Surround yourself with joy.

Surround yourself with silence for when you are alone
the whisp'rings of the spirit are quietly made known
Surround yourself with Heaven in every waking thought
For there is peace and safety within the Love of God.
Life holds much of sorrow that we cannot avoid,
So when you have the chance, When you have the choice,
Surround yourself with joy.

Huh... could'a sworn the words... Surround yourself with Sunshine were in there... maybe its in the surround yourself with joy... right now sunshine would certainly bring joy... so that is my happy place... I am choosing to be Surrounded by Sunshine (joy).

Off to start my day... have a beautiful sunshiney day, even if its snowing a blizzard or a gray and dismally day.

Love, Kimberly

ps... can you hear the music? I can... that's my true joy!

New Pretties for My Bathroom...

This isn't really all that pretty... but I love the functionality... Over the door towel rack becomes instant jewelery organizer... yeah, yeah! You might think... who would even wear all those... yup that would be me... not together mind you... but a girl needs options.
These are my new pretties for my shelves above the tub. So peaceful and romantic. I can't wait to try them out... no more on that subject... nuf said.

Study in Black and White...

So I think these are the four prints I will go with for my bathroom... May change my mind if I get some new pics... but for now I think I like these best.

Happy Birthday Uncle David!!!

Here is the family present to help Uncle David celebrate his 92nd Birthday. (except me... I took the picture) I think they're a pretty good looking crew if I do say so myself.
I thought this was a sweet shot of Bj, Alex and Uncle David. Uncle David looks pretty dang good for 92... we could only be so lucky... especially when you take into consideration he just under went his second surgery in barely a year. He had a hip replacement for Lynn's birthday last year and a knee replacement for Lynn's birthday this year... not kidding at all... she spent the last two birthday's in the hospital taking care of her daddy... props to you Auntie Lynn... and happy belated birthday to you to.

A Touch of Spring...

BJ, Alexander and I went to Lynn's house to celebrate Uncle David's 92nd birthday.... more pictures of that later... any who I couldn't resist snapping a few pictures... okay maybe quite a few pictures of Lynn's beautiful yard waking up for spring... look a the tiny little Crocus in the upper right hand corner... the very first flowers of spring... then all her beautiful Daffodils... love, love, LOVE!!! the Daffodils. I had to throw in other shots as well. The center shot will be going on my wall in our bathroom matted in white and framed in black... I'm sure I'll have more of those to post later also.

Kiwi's Big Adventure...

You've heard of "Pee Wee's Big Adventure"... well this is Kiwi's Big Adventure... silly little bird will just take off down the hallway when she gets lonely. Brent and I looked up earlier this morning when we heard Kiwi making a ruckus and here she came just a walkin' down the hall singing... do wa did de, did de dum did de do... flapping her wings and shakin' her tail singing... do wa did de, did de dum did de do

okay it maybe didn't sound exactly like that it was more of a screech and squawk... but you get the picture. Then I asked her to step up on my hand and we went for a walk about. She liked the little fountain I think the best and looking out the window to the big outdoors.

This is for you Ali and DeDe

Ali... I think you wrote this to Zach and Alex forever ago... I mean years ago.... when you came out to visit. Then DeDe added to it when she was out for a visit... as you can see it is looking rather tacky, but the guys have not let us erase it. We love you both and wish we had you out to Missouri to visit your cousins more often. We may have to erase this message soon... it's awfully dusty. I'm sure the guys will be sad to see it go. It resides in a place of honor... the back of their toilet... well maybe that is not such an honor, but they do see it every day.

Pretty Spring Table...

Yay! Yay! I finished my spring table runner last evening... I love this happy fabric! Doesn't it look lovely by candlelight? Thanks Sarah for all the fun fabric at your awesome shop... and thanks for setting me straight on how to finish out the runner Miss Natalie. I was pretty happy all around considering this was the first one I attempted without even having directions or a pattern... who needs a pattern anyway?

My Sweet Little Ones...

Lovin' my sweet little ones and they were lovin' being outside... well at least most of the time. What a beautiful evening for enjoying the outdoors.

Everything started out so nice until Gid decided he needed to ride... funny little man... gotta love 'em.

Super Deals Can Be Had by All...

So I'm sure I've mentioned before that I love PartyLite candles... well as many of you may know I also sell them... so I can get my fix of the great fragrances. PartyLite is having a super candle sale... If you spend $40.00 in candles and product, you can purchase 1 doz tealights and get 2 doz tealights free... or you can choose to purchase 1 doz votives and get 2 doz votives free. It's a great way to fill your candle stash. They also have some great savings on other products as well... see below:

Did I mention... amazing savings?!?! If you are at all interested in any of these super savings I will be putting in an order on Friday evening. Just leave me a comment with your email or a way to contact you.

ps... I am always looking for a hostess for my next show. April has some awesome deals coming for Hostesses and guests alike. It's never to late to add a little ambiance to your life.

Thank You Sarah & Natalie...

Woooo Hooooo!!!! I picked up this little gem from Sarah's shop yesterday. I love, love, love the quilt pattern they chose with the little cherries. How cute is that. All I had to do was the final binding and then wa-la... complete. Natalie did the quilting and it is just beautiful. (if you click on the image, you can see a lot more detail) Anywho... One down and three more little beauties to go.

ps... Misty says these are the perfect size for an infant car seat quilt... so there you go... she would definitely know. I just know I enjoyed the entire process and this was something even I could do with my limited quilting experience. I'll leave the intricate patterns to those with more talent and patience.

This That and The Other: CELEBRATION !

This That and The Other: CELEBRATION !

Wanted to make sure I qualify for all 11, yes count them entries... This quilted runner is dying to adorn my kitchen table. I wasn't listed on the links to this post... so I'll try again.

Simply This That and The Other's
Awesome Give-A-Way

Yup... everything in this picture could be yours...
not really... MINE!

You'll seriously do need to check this out.
Fun, Fun, Fun.
I love table runners.

ps... this one is totally mine, no really.

pretty... huh!?!

mine, mine, mine!

In Honor of St. Patty's Day...

This made me roll with laughter....
You'll have to click on the link below, I'm a little YouTube challenged.

Irish Dancing Monkeys

Pretty much nothing more to say... except...
They used this in an Arby's commercial?!?

Check this out...

I finished sewing the strips together... this is the fabric I have for the backing and it's ready for the Awesomeness of Sarah's shop.... well as ready as I know how to get it... so off to Hamilton, MO I go... Can't wait to have this cheery little table runner on my table for spring. yay, yay!

Can I Just Say... I am officially in LOVE!

Well yes of course with BJ but that's not what I'm bloggin' about this time.

I'm in love with these...

I found these little gems at a thrift store. I am always looking for fun ways to burn candles. I love these and the price was way right. Never under estimate a thrift store for ultimate finds. I purchased 4 and shared 2 with my sister, Tamra.

and... ta da!!! These...

I love, love, love these... These are the new Sakura votive pair from PartyLite. Not the bargain of the little gems above... but oh so pretty. The candles that are burning in both pictures are a new PartyLite fragrance... Grapefruit... Love this crisp clean new fragrance and they look so pretty against the floral pattern of the votive pair. I think these will shortly be adorning my shelves over my tub... when the other 4 arrive.

Super Fun Project...

This is the beginning of a table runner I am working on. It is made from one "Soire'e" charm pack - by Lila Tueller for Moda (oh... ps, the price is right... just $7.95 - CRAZY).

Love, Love, Love this bright, fun, uber cute fabric. I only had to add one extra 5 inch square to complete the pattern and then I have a great fabric to back it with. Just had to show you the beginning... way fun.

He Keeps Us Challenged & Laughing...

So... The email went like this...

Kimberly,

Just wanted to let you know that Zach was referred to the office for disciplinary consequences this afternoon. When he was in his Algebra class, he shouted out, “There’s a moose outside.” He then ran to the window and also ran out the classroom door into the hallway.

Zach has been assigned to serve 1 day of in-school suspension on Tuesday, 3/17/09. During the time he spends in ISS, he may complete his class assignments at full credit.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

Cindy O'Brien, KHS Assistant Principal

**************************************************

And so I wrote...

Ms. O'Brien,

Ok... now that I'm done laughing... I am soooo sorry, I'm pretty sure he takes after his dad. Please extend my apologies to the teacher involved. It is obvious Zach was out of line. Once again I will discuss our expectations with him. I'll ask him what he was thinking... I'm pretty sure he was thinking... I wonder how many kids will follow me to the window to look. I'm sorry for the disruption.

He keeps us laughing and challenged.

K....

*****************************************************************

And then I couldn't resist and sent this...

Cindy,

Did it look like this one and did you catch it? I heard it's been running loose in Kearney for a while now. At least it's a happy looking moose.

Sorry... that was my first instinct. It's possible Zach's orneriness comes from both his dad and me. I really will try not to laugh when I discuss the situation with him.

Kimberly

More Pictures to Follow...

Well... we are getting closer. We finished the painting this evening. Might have a few minor touch ups once everything is in place. The bedroom is still pretty much in disaray... but the bed sure looks nice... as you can see... still no new flooring... that will be next on the agenda... more later

So The Conversation Went Like This....

Saturday morning early...

Me: Hey honey... how do you feel about a project this morning?

BJ: NO! (or so he says... I'm not sure I recall it exactly that way)

Next...
While BJ gets up being the uber awesome dad he is and makes pancakes for the boys and Zach's buds that spent the night, I get dressed and prepare to start my day.

Me: So honey do you want me to wait for you to finish your breakfast before we leave to run to town and pick out paint? (please note... I have not eaten at this point... didn't really want anything... too early)

BJ: WHAT?!?! NO!!! I don't want to go with you to town to pick out paint! (Very grouchy... I don't get it.)

Me: okay... well I have to run by Misty's to pick up a check for her candle order and then I have to go in to Liberty to make the deposits I talked about last night and then I plan to go to Lowes to pick out paint. It's okay you don't want to go with me, I'll go by myself... oh btw I'll probably get way too much and the wrong stuff but no biggee... (Oh... I have to mention... I was totally not mad... just determined to start my project... and out the door I go... bet that one was a stunner)

A little later at Misty's.... ring, ring, ring

BJ: Well you could have at least helped with the clean up since I cooked.

Me: Oh... I thought maybe the boys would do that since you fed them... what was I thinking??
(not really the right comment apparently) ... and I did offer to wait, I would have helped with the clean up if asked but I have a timeline and have to get the deposit made.

BJ: Well... why don't you come back and get me before you head in to Liberty?

Me: Oh... Okay (and can I just say... My Bedroom looks AWESOME!!!! and will look more so when we get the new laminate wood flooring down... Bathroom is still in the midst of completion)

More details to follow with pics.