Suzi Homemaker Apron Giveaway

The fabulous ladies at Suzi Homeaker AU are sponsoring a Hostess Apron Giveaway at Sassy Apron Swap.

You get entries by leaving comments and it is open to Everyone. So go check it out. You have till Tuesday, April 21.



They create very HOT vintage Aprons.

Happy Easters

Happy Easter

To all my peeps.

From my little peeps.

Marilyn's Oatmeal Cake - Birthday Post

My oldest boy turned 13 this week. I have to say the thing I love most about my boy is his simplicity. He loves simple things. He didn't ask for anything for his birthday. He got some money and wanted to go to the flea market to find some old treasures. He had a ball just looking at old junk and finding "the groovy" in it. When I pressed him for something he wanted he said that a jar of pickles all to himself would be about the coolest thing ever. (he has 4 younger siblings and the thought of possession of food only for himself was pretty tempting). So his sisters got him a jar of pickles and promises not to snitch them, and a jar of Nutella all to himself. He thought that was a real treat.
That is what I mean the boy loves the simple life. Nothing makes him happier that free time out in the woods in our backyard. We asked him what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday and all he said was that he wanted an apple pie. So his little sister made him one. We did get out of him that he does like the oatmeal cake recipe I got from my mom. So we made that. Here is the fabulous cake recipe. It has to date back to at least the 1950's if not before. It is pretty fabulous.

Marilyn's Oatmeal Cake


(You know when you find an old recipe that looks like this, you have found a real treasure. Recipes only look that beat up when they have been made about 1000 times.)


Pour 1 1/2 cup boiling water over
1 cup oatmeal
Let stand

Cream and add to cooled oatmeal
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs

Mix well.
Blend in:
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

Pour into a greased pan and bake at 375 deg. F for 35 minutes.

Frosting:
Mix:
6 Tbsp Butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup canned milk (any milk will do, even cream)
1/2 tsp vanilla
Cook till thick (10 minutes) and add 1/2 cup coconut and 1/2 cup nuts. Beat until it can be spread.

(I followed those directions and it separated on me and the butter came out, so I added about 3/4 cup powdered sugar and it fluffed up into the yummiest frosting ever. )

(I also increased the amount of the nuts and coconut to 1 cup each)

Gock's Frocks Giveaway

If you don't know about Gock's Frocks you have been missing out!!! Kristen of Gock's Frocks is a very talented clothing designer. She artfully uses the many bold and beautiful fabrics available now to create unique children's clothing (and now adult skirts too!). My friends Vea, Jill and Michelle put me onto her site months ago. Her dresses inspired the gifts I made for my three girls this Christmas. Her color use is so exciting.

Anyway she is having a give away open now to April 13th. She will pick three lucky winners. :o) So run on over there and check out her blog and her two etsy shops,
Gock's Frocks and Betty's Closet.

Fintess Challenge

Ok so it is now the end of March. What happened to my New Years resolution to lose 30 pounds by now?? What ever!
Well my friend Shawnee told me about the fitness challenge over at Abby's A Feathered Nest. She has started a Fitness challenge instead of an Apron Swap. What a fabulous idea. :o) I would love to drop those 30+ pounds so I could wear the new apron patterns I have just cooked up without having to size MY OWN patterns up to fit ME. I just made the cutest blue apron from my Tea for Two apron swap partner and I doesn't fit me! Sad days! I have to adjust the pattern to make myself one. Anyway, if you are interested in playing in Abby's Challenge, she is still taking entrants. You just don't get as much time as the rest of us. :o) Go to her blog and check it out. $$ is involved. Winner takes all.

Lemons

I have been a member of the Four Seasons Quilt Swap for 5 rounds now and have loved it every time. I get so excited about the theme she picks and some up with a dozen or more quilts in my head. Then I get my partner's preferences and my mind goes blank. That happens to me with every apron swap too but I digress.
This round we had to do a monochromatic quilt in the color your partner chose and based on the season they picked. You also had to take into consideration their style preference. That got tricky. I was so excited about this theme and then got hung up with the season thing. It kept pointing me toward something representational. Her color was yellow, her season was summer and her style was NOT whimsical which means (in my mind) cutesy country stuff. Not my thing either so we were good there. Well the summer theme kept me trying to make a picture but to do that you need plenty of contrasts and that is hard to do with one color at least for me it is. So in the end I went with abstract squares, lemons and yellow black and white.

I am not much of a quilter but I really enjoyed this one and wished that I had made one for myself. I usually make two and sent the better one but I was out of time so I just made the one and hoped for the best.
You should go to the FSQS site and check out their flickr group. There are some fantastic quilts in it. Totally fabulous!

What Would Jane Do?

I been on a Jane Eyre kick for several months.

I made it a quest to watch every copy of the movie I could get my hands on and to re-read the book. Don't ask me how many times I have read it. I couldn't count. Well Actually I have only "Read it" once, just now but I have listened to it at least 50 times on tape. I have a nasty reading disability that makes reading rather difficult but not attainable. So, my clever mother figured this out very early in the game and invested I don't know how much money in books on tame at least 30 years ago. She knew that my appetite for literature was way beyond my actual ability. (see she has the same problem and knew what a struggle it was for me and my siblings). So as I plodded my way through Dick and Jane she would dangle the carrot of a fabulous book on tape for me. I remember in third grade that if I read a chapter in Dick and Jane each day, she would let me then have unlimited time the rest of the day to listen to any book I wanted. So that summer I listened to Robinson Crusoe, The Three Musketeers, The Sea Wolf (my favorite by far), Heidi, Swiss Family Robinson, and so many more. I would drink up the books. I am an auditory learner and I just was the happiest kid from then on. Being a clever mother and educator she knew that if she could set my heart of good literature that the desire to read would be there and that I would keep struggling at it till I could become proficient. When I was in Junior High, she bought Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. I was in ecstasy. I listened to them over and over again. I practically had them memorized. I simply fell in love with Jane. Who doesn't? She was the perfect 19th century model of a heroine. She is strong willed but not self centered. She know who she is and doesn't waver. She loves God and knows that he loves her and that this knowledge gives her the strength to do what she knows is right no matter how hard the task. I wanted to be her so bad. She is smart, funny, and humble. I also really enjoyed Mr Rochester. I really loved the fact that they hero and heroine weren't "pretty". I was a little plain myself and could identify with Jane.
If you haven't read the book, do it! You will love it. I have an extra copy now that I just finished and would love to pass it on to someone else to read now. Don't get too excited. It is just a cheap copy I picked up at Wal-mart a million years ago but it has the whole story there and that is what matters.

I spent about 2 months collecting copies of all the movies made of Jane Eyre that I could find. I wanted to share them with you and maybe you will enjoy them too. I always find something to enjoy in each of them. They all catch some part of the book that just makes my heart sing.
If you haven't read the book, Stop here and read it first. The story is so fabulous it is worth the read and difficult language to feel the story for the first time. In reading it as an adult I really wished it had been my first time. It is such an emotional book and I really get into that. I love being transported to someone else's dilemmas and struggles. I wish I hadn't know what was coming next because it would have made the read so much more exiting and gripping. It was still fabulous and Bryan got me the book on CD so you know what I will be listening to over and over as I sew this spring.

Here are the movie versions I could get my hands on and how well I liked each of them.

The Oldest version I could get my hands on was the 1934 film starring Colin Clive as Rochester and Virginia Bruce as Jane. It was an interesting interpretation. Jane finds out about the wife fairly quickly and is pretty upset with Edward and leaves him to work in a soup kitchen. Interesting. He divorces his wife and everyone lives happily ever after. As far as following the story, this one only uses the names but they story is not the same. It was interesting to see. The young Jane is a real pill and the older Jane is a 1930's spit fire. She has enough attitude to spare for all. It was pretty funny to see such a sassy Jane. I wouldn't buy this one but if you have Netflix you can rent it.


The next one I saw the the 1944 version with Orson Wells and Joan Fontaine. I have always liked this version. The girl playing young Jane is simply fabulous. You can't help but love her. I actually like Wells as Rochester. I love to watch his face. Fontaine is not my favorite. She makes Jane always look so pathetic and so much the martyr. Jane had more spunk than Fontain seems to be able to muster. It is worth the watching just because the the filming. The photography in this film is fabulous.


Then I found the 1970 version with George C Scott and Susannah York. I enjoyed this one. I like the interactions between Jane and Rochester. Scott is just a little too old though and York looks really old. She should be 18 and she looks 35. Scott is a very harsh Rochester. I have noticed that problem with a lot of Scott's characters but he does look the part.


The 1973 BBC version with Michael Jayston and Sorcha Cusack was very disappointing. It was really drawn out but not with the story. There is a lot of Rochester brooding and her is really cruel in this version. Not really what you get from the book. I don't recommend this one. I have no desire to ever see it again.


I really love the 1983 version with Timothy Dalton and Zelah Clarke. This is the first version I owned. I love Zelah's portrayal of Jane. I really identified with Jane as a teen and loved the strength portrayed by Zelah. I really enjoyed Dalton's Rochester also. He is a little mean but much better than most. The Bertha Mason on this film is really nasty. She really fits the description from the book. I love it. I really recommend watching this one.


Then comes the 1996 version with Anna Paquin and William Hurt. I love this version too. It is very short but I love to watch Hurt portray Rochester. Rochester has a really tender side. After all, Nature intended him to be a good man and you see that in his performance. I wish this one was longer.


Then next year Samantha Morton and Ciaran Hinds starred in a version of the movie. This one is really short. I was so excited to see that Hinds would play Rochester because he is such an interesting actor and really isn't that good looking at times. I hoped he would be fabulous but I am afraid not. He is volatile and abusive and just totally misses the mark. It left me feeling kinda creepy about the whole story. Morton kinda looks scared through the whole thing. It brings out a very unhealthy relationship between Jane and Rochester that just really wasn't the case. There are some really great aspects of this film but all in all it is very disappointing. Rochester actually throws a fit when Jane leaves him. Not cool.


I have to admit that the last version, 2006 with Toby Stephens Ruth Wilson is my favorite. I love the young Jane, the aunt Reed is fabulously nasty, and Jane is divine. She is the best Jane in MHO. She captures Jane's spirit, her great faith, her sweetness and her strength. I like this Rochester too. You really see his struggle with himself and his battle over what to do. I love the portrayal of the Rivers' home. You don't always get to seem St John, Mary, Diana, and Hannah. They are delightful. We even get Miss Oliver which is even more rare. This version is a real treat. A little racy but a real treat. There are some suggestive scenes when Jan is thinking about Rochester while teaching at Morton. In reading the book it makes me wonder if that is a memory or a dream. In the book she dreams of scenes like that and wakes alone and devastated. One think I didn't like so much was the Bertha Character. She is just plain too good looking and not near crazy enough. In the book Rochester is disgusted by her nasty character and crude behavior before she is completely mad. This version kinda makes you wonder about her. I do love Adele and Mrs Fairfax. They both do a fabulous job and it is great to see Bessy too. I hate it when they leave her out.

I would love to hear from you and what you think of the versions you have seen. I know I have missed a few but I couldn't get my hands on them. Apparently there is a Charlton Heston version in from the 1940's. Holy cow. I would love to see that one. There is also a musical version. I had no idea. (yes I live in a bubble I guess). I don't have access to that one and am not sure I could deal with them all singing. I would love to hear what you think.
I will pick one of my commenters on Friday night and I will pass along my copy of the book for someone else to read.

Hurry Big Fabric Sale!

Run, don't walk, over to Quilt Arts online. They are having a 50% off sale. Yes, that's right ... 50% off all fabric! And all the top designers -- Amy, Joel, Kaffe, Heather, Denyse, Tina, Sandy, and more. Kokka and Japanese fabrics, too. Fat quarters are only $1.25 ... Patterns galore...yup ...all 50% off!
I think I just ordered half their stock so you better hurry over there before it is all gone!

Fabulous!

My friend Jenna of SwapDex has posted an interview this weekend about my swappingness and my fried Shawnee's marvelous swappingness. It was so fun to answer the questions and she got lots of funny info on us. :o) I talk too much!
Anyway to celebrate her birthday Jenna posted an joint interview on us. If you haven't already checked out Swapdex you should. Jenna posts links and write-ups on swaps she finds on the Internet that are WORTH checking out. I always find fabulous swaps to join there. Go check it out!

Oh My Moda

Yes I know I need to be posting pictures of my sewing room but I am up to my eyeballs painting my house. Every free minute of the day is spent painting and painting, papaya Orange, buttercup yellow, pear green, fiesta Chile pink, imperial plum, La Fonda turquoise, and on and on and on. My skin and hair are sporting a rainbow of spots. I have also been battling the worst flue and strep infection I have had in a long time. Thanks to Silver Shield I am back on the mend and painting like crazy to finish up this house.
I am going to post about the room as soon as I have free minute that I am not coughing, painting or swapping something.
In the mean time I wanted you to share a lovely site that I discovered recently and have to share with you. It is fabulous!!!

Go check out Moda Bake Shop.

It is loaded with projects that use their wonderful fabric packs. As some of you know, I occasionally work at my friend's quilt shop when she needs my help. When I first saw the charm packs, layer cakes, and jelly rolls and such I wasn't sure if I liked them but have found them to be more fun than I ever imagined. They give you a wonderfully coordinated scrap bag effect to your project. You can mix and match fabrics from a whole line of fabric without having to buy the whole line of fabric. The sizes are very usable too. Anyway, I am not paid to promote Moda's line or fabric bundles. What I love about these projects is their scrappiness and the ideas they offer to USE UP your fabric stash. (after all remember that when the stash is gone YOU CAN BUY MORE!) I am looking at ways to use up my stash this month to reduce the clutter in my sewing room and here is a quick way to get ideas. Every post is a tutorial or a recipe for something to sustain you while you sew. :o)

Buttermilk Pie - Oh My!

I saw a picture of a buttermilk pie over at Warm Pie, Happy Home. She promised to post the recipe in the next post but that was on Feb 1st and I couldn't wait any longer. I needed a worthy desert for Sunday dinner yesterday. Well after a little thought I KNEW that buttermilk pie had to happen. So I went off on a quest for a recipe. I searched blog land and food sites gathering information. I finally put together several recipes that I found and came up with a pie to try. One thing I noticed was that this is a Southern Pie. (the South does have good pie!) The recipes I found though fell into to lines. Northern versions of this pie called for lemon for flavor which would be lovely. The Southern versions called for only Vanilla. Well the South won out, A. because my husband is a Civil War buff, and B. because I don't have any lemons. :o) I gave the pie my own twist. I figured that anything with that much butter, buttermilk and eggs should be pretty good with nutmeg. I was right!
Another thing I noticed was that most recipes called for 2 cups of sugar, I used 1 cup and it was still rather sweet, even for my sugar fiend of a husband. So I will post it as I made it but will be trying less sugar next time.

Buttermilk Pie

3 large eggs
1 cup sugar (use more like 2/3 to 3/4 cup)
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla
1 unbaked 9" pie crust
Nutmeg

Beat the eggs in a mixer. Mix the flour and sugar together (this keeps the flour from lumping when you add it to the eggs). Add the mix to the eggs. Mix until creamy. Add melted butter and mix well. Add the buttermilk and vanilla extract.
Pour into your pie shell.
Bake at 325 deg F for at least 1 hour to 1 hour 15 min or until the custard sets. (don't know when that sets?? I'll tell you)
When a custard is set it will still jiggle, it is a custard after all. But when it is done the center shouldn't jiggle more than the outside edges. If the center is still a little sloshy, then give it a few more minutes. It all depends of how deep your pie dish is and things like that. I baked 2 pies and one needed 15 minutes longer than the other. Go figure.

I had to fight my whole family off while this pie cooled. It is wonderful warm but even better cool.

If you look at the bottom right of that slice of pie you will notice that is a little bit slippy and could have used another 5 or so minutes but NO ONE was going to wait for that. The second pie was firmer.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

I have to admit that I have never been a brussel sprout eater. They always tasted to bitter to me. One year though my Dad grew some in the garden and convinced me to try them and they were so wonderful. Their flavor was so light and buttery. I tried them again from the store and they tasted nasty again.

Well we tried some at a restaurant a few weeks ago with the kids and they were fabulous. So on the way home Brayn had me get a huge bag of them from the grocery store. We tried them roasted (thank you Jill!) and they are fabulous. The bitterness of the sprouts goes away and kinda works for this dish.

I fixed them again yesterday for my mom for Sunday dinner and decided I getter post them here before I forget what I did. (it was so hard you know!) They are wonderfully buttery cabbagy inside, and toasty and tasty outside like french fries.

You take a bunch of brussel sprout. Wash them and trim them if needed.
Dry them with a towel.
Toss them with some olive oil, not much is needed, just a drizzle or 1-2 tablespoons.
Arrange them on a baking sheet and sprinkle them with salt and pepper to your taste.
Then Bake them at 400 deg F for about 30 to 40 minutes.
Enjoy!
They really are tasty. Many of you know that Bryan absolutely hates vegetables and he can't get enough of these. Most of my kids like them too. Kids have more taste buds than grown-ups and have more bitter receptors than we do and that is why they turn their nose up and things we seem to love. My littlest ones do taste them though and hopefully will develop a love of them. We will work on them with boiled cabbage and get them to love that flavor, or baked with butter. That is tasty too.

Apron Model

My niece Katie agreed to pose in the Mama Byrd Sweetheart apron for me. Some of you have wanted to see it on someone. So here you go.


Thanks Katie!

Quilt Guilt

Ok so it has been one month since I posted my shame. It is time for me to post again and see where I have improved.
I tried to do the 15 minute per day thing and didn't do the best but I did try and steps forward are what matter.
Here are the shots again.
Front Door View

Help there is a child in there!! Oh wait the floor is clear so the child is safe to play while I sew. Never mind.

Back Door View

Kinda clean floor. Who knew there was carpet in there. Wow. Now to work on getting new flooring. ..... Carpet and stray threads don't mix well.

Cutting Table/Desk

I can actually cut out on that table now and sit at my desk and dream up projects!

Sewing Table

My mom discarded her old sewing table that she got a few years ago and let me have it. She got a new custom build job that allows her to have her sewing and computer at the same place.

Closet O' Crap

Do you know what is in there. NO because you can SHUT THE DOOR now. I did get all the 2000 pounds of wheat out of there into the newly finished storage room/safe room. I was then able to clear the floor and get that stuff into tubs stacked nice and neat in there.

Fabric Storage Shelves

Next project to tackle is this shelf. We will see what 15 minutes per day concentrated on that shelf gets us in one month.


Well I did come a long way but am no where near the end of this project. I want a clean, photo worthy studio when I am done. I WILL GET THERE!
One thing that I found was about a whole shelf worth of projects that need to be finished that I owe people. One problem I have is not being able to say no to people. I love doing things for other people but then I don't get to do things for my children and that is sad.
I finished up 21 diapers for my great nephew. It felt so great to get that off my conscience. I see those kinds of projects and know I need to do them but have a stack of things due today to do and they just get farther and farther behind and I feel worse and worse. So I am going to try to work my way through those projects and see if I can't track them on the sidebar or something. It would be nice to have the shelf space back for things I want to do! There are so many dresses and aprons in my head just waiting for free time to spill out onto paper and fabric and dance off on a life of their own. :o) Maybe to your house.... Maybe..... We will have to see what I can get done.

Goals for February.

1. Keep up the 15 minutes of de-cluttering everyday.
2. Start in with about 15 minutes everyday working on Guilt projects.

Before and so far pictures (we aren't to the after sage yet)








Thank you for all the comments of encouragement and shared shame in January. I want to see what you are doing. Post and let me know what you have accomplished.
Next month I want to lose a couple of hundred pounds of unwanted fabric. Stay tuned. I might have to do some tutorials for getting rid of things in a fun, re-purposed way and maybe liberate some of the good stuff and send it off to new homes where it will be loved and USED!!!

I almost forgot about the name of this post. The unfinished projects on my shelf are mostly quilting projects and my husband calls them quilt guilt. I also am in a quilt guild I started a few years ago and often misspell the word guild to guilt. :o)

Sneek Peek at New Pattern

I have been working on a new pattern for a few weeks now and would like to get you a sneak peek at the apron.

I have made this Sweetheart Apron from a picture of a vintage apron from the 50's. The pattern will be ready for sale very shortly in both hard copy and PDF format thanks to my fabulous niece Alisa.

I think I might have to do a Mama Byrd's Sweet Heart Apron Giveaway. The pattern comes in three sizes Small which fits 2T to about 6T, Medium which fits larger children to teens and Large which fits adults.
I can't wait till this one is done! It is so much fun and works up really fast and only take 1 to 1 1/3 yards of fabric!
Here is the small size apron. It only take about 1/3 to 1/2 yard fabric to make.

Challenge 2009 and a little bit of Honesty

If you have a weak stomach then this post is not for you. I have contemplated posting this for months but never had the guts. Then I saw a post at Skip to my Lou that gave me some courage. Granted her room doesn't look half as bad as mine but it looks bad enough. :o)
I am one crafty Mama. I sew like a Madd woman and can whip out just about what ever I need to Johnny on the spot. I am very laid back and can go with the flow and change on a dime if needed. This craftiness has a price though. I live in a mess.
My crafting is usually guilt ridden because I can think of about a dozen other things that I need to do. So, when I craft I get in the sewing room as fast as I can, sew like a tornado and get back out to do the dishes or something like that. The craft supplies are usually left where ever I put them last and the pile grows. Also my house is in the middle of a construction zone as we add onto the house to move my mom in here. As we work on other rooms, their contents gets left in my craft room. That doesn't help. Also when company is coming with no notice, the contents of the living room gets dumped in the middle of the floor of my sewing room. That doesn't help me either. (thank you DH and D kids)
Then my sewing closet, instead of holding neat little boxes of crafty supplies, contains about 2000 pounds of wheat storage that is waiting for pantry room to put it.
Also this is my room after about 3 weeks of insane Christmas sewing projects and a new pattern design.
Result.....
My sewing room makes me sick every time I pass it and I HATE to have people come into it to get supplies from me. I have tried all kinds of tactics that work for a month or two but then the clutter creeps back in as in crazy stress of my life goes out of control again.
So I am going at it like AA or the basic steps of repentance.
I AM ADMITTING I HAVE A PROBLEM.
(are you wondering what the other steps of repentance are?..... I would be at this point, ....
they are 1 admit you did something wrong, make amends or fix it if you can, apologize for doing the thing to the person you hurt (self, others, God) and promise never to do it again and pray for forgiveness)
Back to the mess now.
Here is my plan. I had to shock my self into reality so I figured I would come clean and admit that I don't live in organized crafty land. I will admit that my craft space is the black hole of Calcutta (what ever that is).
AND....
I am posting pictures of my craft room on the first of every month this year to show my progress and keep myself accountable for my actions.
Trust me I am sick about the state of this room and more embarrassed that you can imagine that you are seeing my craft guts strung out all over the place. I contemplated cleaning it up a bit before the shots but that wouldn't be honest.
So here are the scary details of my craft room. Please run now if you are weak, this is very Scary!
View through the front door of my craft room.


View through the back door of my craft room.

Yes my craft room has a back door. The contractor cut one so heat from the wood stove could get in there and keep me warm.

My SAD sewing table.

I really can sew there, honest.

My cutting table/desk.

No I can't cut stuff there right now.

My wall of fabric storage.

DH built these for me last year to help me organize and it did work of 3 or 4 months. Then the clutter came back.

Closet O' Crap

Honestly there are no excuses here. Can't think of one, except for the 2000 pounds of wheat in there somewhere.

There I have purged and told all. There are no more secrets in that room.
Now onward and upward. I am bent on cleaning and organizing the mell of a hess (to quot my dad) and bring order once and for all to my favorite room (after the kitchen).
I do plan on enlisting some help. I will be using the Fly Lady and the Slob Sisters since they are the ones that understand the cluttered person's mind and do realize that we are not lazy but just don't have a clue about order. Sorry we just don't get it but we ARE able to learn and do work very hard. We just need pointers. :o)
So I would like to issue the challenge to any of the rest of you out there that have been living with a deep dark cluttered secret and would like some public help to get it organized, to do just that. Go public and get it done. We will all be here to cheer you on.

I issue this challenge to everyone that reads this post.

***edited to add***
My plan for January:
Set the timer for 15 minutes everyday and de-clutter in the sewing room for those 15 minutes.
When the timer rings, turn it off and walk away.

Why fifteen minutes - you can do anything for just 15 minutes. It is long enough to get some real work done, and short enough that you don't burn out. The ADD person can keep on task for 15 minutes at a time.
The key is that you stay on that task ONLY for your 15 minutes. If you find things that need to be put somewhere else then put them in a basket, bag, or box and put them away when the timer goes off. If you don't you will distract yourself into another room or other task and get nowhere fast.
Now we will see what that does for me and I will take pictures again on Feb 1st and see where I get. :o)

New Apron Swap

Hello, all my swapping friends!

It is time for a new swap for a new year.

My dear friend Shawnee, of the Flirty Apron Swap, and I are teaming up together to offer you the Sassy/Flirty Apron Swap.

The name of the swap is

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice!

It is a Valentine's Day apron swap.

Think Pink, Pink Pink!

Red and white work too. :o)

To sign up for this swap, click on the buy now button to be directed to the registration form.

I should tell you now that this swap is different from the other swaps I have done with you.

This apron swap has a $5 charge.

I know this is different from the ones I have done with you in the past.

The $5 is kind of a swap insurance if you want to call it that. The money goes to help provide fabulous prized and to help cover apron angel expenses. The payment is set up through paypal. If you can't do paypal I can work with you, just contact me and we will figure it out. :o)

Sign-ups run from now till January 9th or until the swap fills up so get your spot now. We can only take a limited number this month and next month.

For more information about the swap check out the new swap blog at Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice!

There are two teams for this swap for sign up and organizational convenience for me and Shawnee. You will all be entered into the same swap regardless of what person you sign up under. The team bit just helps me and Shawnee keep track of people and hopefully cut down on our work loads.

Fabulous Nativity Set!

Check out this fabulous Nativity Scene PDF that I found over at Etsy. (Ok my niece designed it and made it But it is fabulous)


It is so simple but so lovely and quick to work up. I love the embellishments she includes. You can follow her design or do your own thing with the directions she included.
She has them on sale right now as her introductory PDF. If you are quick you can get one and get it made before Christmas! (yes I am that kind of crafter.)

Go get your copy at Becky Jane Creations!