Owl Be Seeing You...

My friend asked if I would make her soon-to-be-mommy/daughter a diaper bag. The only stipulation was that it had to be owls. Owls. Owls. Owls....hmmmm. OK.  After a very thorough and exhaustive search on the Internet for owl material, I found a pattern that I thought would be cute as a baby motif. As with all modern textile lines, the design comes in different color segways, so for guidance, I once again turned to the excited grandma-to-be for color advice. She didn't care. As long as it had owls. For a girl. This narrowed it down a little for me. Decisions, decisions, decisions...

Here is what I decided upon:

 Pretty bright, don't you agree? But what fun! That Grandma knew what she wanted...and she was right! The owls are adorable!

 Each side panel has a sweet elastic pocket, to carry a bottle, or some other handy-dandy doo-dad they make for babies and their mothers these days.

And the necessary changing pad...'cause you just can never tell when or where you're going to need a quick change...

Did I mention it's reversible? It's reversible...

And a quick peek at the inside of the bag...lots of pockets and a center divider.

In the old days, I would have fixed these pics up a little bit, in either Flickr or Picnik. They did away with Picnik and I'm just not on- board to the other photo-editing sites.

So you're getting RAW!

Did I mention that this bag was supposed to be finished in time for Grandma to take to Texas for the birth of her first grandchild? And that I missed that deadline, then the deadline of Grandpa leaving for Texas? And then the week following the birth of the baby? And a few days after that?

I didn't mention it?

OK, we'll keep it our little secret. I had many reasons for the delay, none of which really matter...

You know what "they" say....

Excuses, excuses, EXCUSES!

Nobody wants to hear them....

But the bag is enormous and bright and happy, and I threw in a few little extra coordinating goodies for the new mommy.

That is my story and I'm stickin' with it!

tutu = 3!

You may recall  yesterday's post, in which I mentioned the fact that Maureen has three girls, three t-shirts.  One of her girls is a sweet baby and one of the t-shirts, a onesie.  Which has a sweet saying on it.

Naturally, I could do only one thing with the onesie...

Attach a tutu to the onesie.  Written in a numeric equation, would look something like this:

          Where:  1 = onesie, 2 = tulle, 3 = degree of cuteness

                                      2 + 1 = 1000(3)

                                            3 = 3000

The significance of the equation?  We're back to the number "3" which is where we began this project...

3 t-shirts, 3 girls and that was  3 X the fun of 1!!!

See, world... I can do math, no matter what my high school math teacher said!

strawberry fields, forever!

I have a boy.  I have two boys, counting Jason.  Neither of which has ever gone for anything frilly, ruffly, or pink.  Boys are just like that, I guess.

Then I found an idea for making t-shirt dresses.  T-shirt dresses.  T-shirt dresses...

Thus began my obsession. 

All I needed?  A little girl with a t-shirt.  Where to find one of those?  (Not the t-shirt, the little girl!).

Aha!  My friend Maureen...she not only has a little girl, she has 3 little girls!  Three opportunities to play with pink and pretty fabric...

The dresses were great fun to put together.  The strawberry dress took me a while, but the other went together in a flash and both have been ready for quite some time.  It's the darned flower that has me stumped, grinding my teeth in frustration.  And the strawberry dress still needs its little flower...I can't make up my mind as to what type of flower would look best on each dress.  The debate has been raging in my mind for over a week...

Oh, the agony of it all!

Perhaps by this Friday, a decision as to the flower will have been made. 

Or not.

she had me at "Live!"

About a month ago, I did a little "investigative" work for my friend, Kathy, while she and her youngest daughter were in NYC.

It was dirty work, sifting through garbage; sitting in my car in the dark, drinking black java; wiring informants; greasing the palms of high-ranking officials.

Not really.

As a token of her appreciation and affection for me, her number one-all-time-favorite-esteemed friend, she brought a gift from a NYC television show...

A Live! With Regis and Kelly tote bag. I love it! It's to die for! Honestly, I am over the moon for this bag.

And if the tote wasn't enough, she included a gift card to the Outback!

I think I might have a lucrative future in the PI business!

Hey,Kathy! If you decide to do any traveling this summer, I'm still available...I hear the South of France is beautiful!

saving the world, one diaper at a time!

Do you remember this dude? Yes, he's CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS! A favorite at our house when Jonathan was little.

My friend Adrienne.....



...is herself a superhero!

She is flying to the rescue of all you moms who are fighting the battle of potty training.

Visit Some of a Kind for this heroic mommy's take on the criminal task of potty training!

Now go, save the world from the stench of poopy pants!

baby-love, oh baby-love!

This is what I made from this little bundle of fabric. It's a onesie dress, for a special little baby who will be arriving soon...Ava. She's a beautiful baby. We know this, because her mom is beautiful.

Speaking of beautiful, every table needs a sweet floral arrangement. Lisa, once again, proved herself to be the ultimate party planner. Seriously, the woman is simply amazing at taking a bland hall and transforming it into a cheerful and happy party environment. She's not in the party business, but she really should be!

Hi, Mommy! Here's Andreana, our beautiful mom-to-be. This isn't her first baby and it might not be her last...what do you think about that, Andreana? Andreana is our go-to Novena gal...she has a Novena for each and every situation. Ava is a gift from the power of a prayerful Novena, said daily by her mother. Yes, prayers do get answered!

A bevy of beauties, but really, the tiniest one is the prettiest of all, don't you agree? She's our beautiful Miss Elizabeth, our youngest and prettiest CRHP sister. We all love her dearly and are devoted to her. But I happen to be her favorite. Elizabeth told me this on Sunday, after spitting up all over my shoulder. She spent the entire afternoon on a wild ride, called "Jostle the Baby with Kelli and Joanne." Sorry, the truth hurts, man!

Finally, this awesome cake baked by Kimberly. It's the best put-together diaper cake I have ever seen (except for the last cake she made for Elizabeth). Perhaps my favorite thing about this cake is the lovely ceramic cross inserted into the top layer...everything on this cake is perfect. Kimberly needs to sell these fabulous cakes!

There were many more photos taken of this fun baby shower, but there's not enough room on my blog to share them all. I'll email the complete set to my lovely CRHP friends...

The rest of my day will be spent in Spring cleaning mode. Or not. After all, it still feels like Winter...

shower power!

A BEARY BABY STORY

A few years back, my family and I decided to attend a different church in our diocese, one that was closer to home. One in which we could tear through the deserted streets early on Sunday mornings to beat the 8 AM church bell.

We were blessed to have fallen in love with Assumption Parish, a beautiful traditional church that is reminiscent of the church I grew up in, during the Renaissance (I held the paint palette for Michelangelo. A sloppy painter, by the way, until I whipped him into shape and told him to get his act together!).

For several years my guys and I just sat in the pew, taking a break from the very active parish we had come from. We weren't about to get caught up in a whirlwind of activity in this church.

Right. Jason took the plunge first, and joined the men's Christ Renews His Parish (CRHP). After his weekend retreat, he seemingly found such peace in his relationship with Jesus. I, on the other hand, was firmly planting my heels into the asphalt of the church parking lot, denying my need to attend this boring weekend. But as often happens, I felt a nudge in my heart, prompting me to change my mind and not to be outdone by my convert-husband. I signed up for the upcoming women's weekend and found love, peace and renewal.

I am so glad I disengaged my heels from the asphalt and took the leap into the world of CRHP. Had I not, I would never have been at this gathering last night...

Meet Maureen. I stalked her on our CRHP weekend, staring her down, examining her face and wondering where I had seen her before! And let me tell you, she has the most beautiful eyes and smile I have ever seen. She lights up the room when she laughs. See her belly? Maureen is the guest of honor...

.......at her baby shower! Yay, a party! Look at all the delicious food the girls brought. And the balloons were outrageous and fun! Lisa and Joanne did the bulk of the decorating and boy, was I relieved! 'Cause it would have looked like a redneck trailer park party had I decorated.

Did I mention that I'm Catholic? I guess by the bottles of wine, you would have guessed that. Catholic girls know how to party...not that much of that wine was consumed, mind you. But it's always nice know that it's there. PARTY!!!

And here is our dear Juanita. She's our girl Friday, the gal who does it all. Really. She has the ability to anticipate the next move hours before that next move is set to take place and then she pounces! I just stand there, like the Comcast turtles. Juanita is on it, man!

This is what you'd call a gaggle of giggling girls. Yup. There are a lot more around somewhere...hello girls, where are you?

Then there are these three...trouble. With a capital "T" that rhymes with...never mind (name that musical). Oh, I have my eye on them. They're always laughing, joking around, being mischievous...pssst....*two of them are teachers! When there's an undercurrent of static, it's these three, giggling, laughing, whispering. Hey, I want to join...

Gifts! That's what we came here for! Gifts! We had no clue, no inkling as to what we should buy. We were lost. Maureen had the audacity not to find out the sex of her baby! I'm all for being surprised at the moment of birth. Afterall, when I was pregnant I didn't find out the sex of my baby. But that's not acceptable at the showers I'm invited to! What am I supposed to make for this baby? There are no co-ed fabrics out there...crikey! Once that little mooshka of a baby arrives, I'm going to have to go into yet another sewing frenzy, gender-appropriate flurry of creativity. Thanks, Maureen! (She did that to get double stuff...diabolical plan...)

Wait! Hold on! I detect a girl outfit. I know boys don't wear Hello Kitty! Hmmmm...one of the CRHP girls is using her powers of persuasion to get a girl-baby birthed. Wow, I didn't know that one could do that. Just buy a gender-appropriate item and voila! The sex is now predetermined. Smart.

Then there was this blessing. As a ruse to throw Maureen a baby shower, Mary Jo suggested to the group that we host a baby shower benefiting the Women's Help Center. As part of the Center's program, they provide clothing and other items for mother's and babies in need. Gently worn or used items are accepted and quite often, new items such as clothing and diapers find their way to the Angel Closet at the Center. With Maureen present, I nervoulsy (I was afraid I was going to slip and spill the beans) explained to my peeps what was needed for the closet, emphasizing that if they didn't have any used items to donate, a little t-shirt or pants from Wal-Mart ($3-$6) would greatly be appreciated.

Suffice it to say, my sisters didn't stint on their giving in the least. Bags and bags of brand new baby clothing, diapers, binkies, bottles, toys were piled on the table. Gently used items like a Lands End jean jacket (help me, I swooned over that), a big rubber crate of shoes (oh, the cutest little sandals and tennis shoes), baby food, cash donations...

And this afternoon, I found these Mary Janes in the back of my truck, amidst all the lovely donations I gathered last night. What little girl wouldn't love these shoes? What mother wouldn't be proud to place these precious shoes on her little girl's feet?

I am amazed at the power of the Holy Spirit, at the generosity of these women whom I call my sisters. I didn't ask for much, but they gave abundantly from their maternal hearts. Because of these women and many like them, babies all over the city will have decent clothing, warm blankets, clean bottoms. And mommies won't have to fret and cry that they have nothing decent for their children to wear.

Maureen lights up a room with her smile. My CRHP sisters light up a mother's life with their generous hearts. Babies are born. We smile and humanity is illuminated with the joy of new life, new love, joyful hearts.

Thank you, ladies. Perhaps one day, a mother who received your love in the form of baby clothing will one day be in a position to help another needy mother. And so it goes...the light shines on.

the lady loves red.

It's my friend Suzy's birthday today. She loves the color red. Every purse I have ever seen her with has been red. In honor of her ability to embrace other colors, I made her a red ensemble. Here is a small red coin purse, along with a coordinating key fob. There's a matching wallet, but it's very terrible and I despise the pattern. Suzy's getting the wallet, but you're not going to get to see it. Unless I change my mind and really, after showing you these photos, it won't be surprising that the wallet reeks.

And here, my friends, is my pitiful attempt at Photoshop Elements. I really need to practice this program...if you look not-so-closely, you can see where I chopped out a chunk of the card holder (twice). And if you look not-so-closely still, you'll see where I didn't cut out the background. It's a good thing "I got no pride" (yes, I realize that phrase isn't grammatically correct), else I'd be right humbled.

When there's a 17 year-old kid grumbling that he's hungry and you have only minutes to feed the beast before you're out the door to join the birthday girl and friends, you just gotta go with crappy photos.

I'm thinking of posting a tutorial within the week...how 'bout a quick snap card/change holder?

gator rodeo!

I've been busy, lately. But it's not been all sewing and personal stuff, I've been hunting Gators! Maybe a team of Gators? Like this bunch. Winners!

Or maybe this Gator. Hey, I'm no cougar...he could be my son. And besides, when you have handy MacGyver, who needs a Tebow? But Tim is cute, isn't he?

No, I wrastled me a real gator. Hey, he took my beer! I was out in the North Florida swamps in the early morning this weekend, bow in hand and cooler beside me when this lizard reared up and grabbed my beer. So I shot him. Twice. I had to make sure he was dead before I hauled him onto my boat...I jumped in the water and gave him a good heave-ho!

Once I was back on shore, I slapped him over my shoulder and carried him to my pickup. "You want a beer, well here's a beer!" Just trying to humiliate him.

He's a big boy! Just look at all that skin! Once I skin and tan him, he'll make some awesome purses, wallets and belts!

Hey, wait a minute...who's this guy? Alright, it wasn't I who captured the reptilian, it was Scott, my neighbor across the street. He's this millennium's answer to Crockodile Dundee, the eighties' Steve Irwin. Poor Steve, I miss that bloke. Or Jeff Corwin...no, he sold out to Food Network (great hunters don't get a cooking show, for goodness sake!). The neighborhood tries to keep Scott under wraps, we don't talk about him too much to outsiders. He captures wild critters for us and if the world finds out about him, there goes our critter cowboy. And then who will save our property from huge wild turtles? Scott caught a gargantuan tortoise in my front garden and the dang thing urinated all over the place, except that it looks like diarrhea. Who would put up with that, except Scott?

Hey, Gator! You remind me of someone. Yeah, don't poke your eye out...it hurts!

warning...turn away, don't read this!

My friend Randi is cleaning her shop to make room for new Fall fabrics. Yummy. She's giving away all her leftovers...not the food type, the fabric type. In my world, leftovers are lifesavers! The scraps vary anywhere from 6 to 22 inches in length, 44-inches wide, which is a very generous scrap! All you have to do to enter is visit her beautiful blog (one of my very first blog-addictions) and answer the burning question: "What was your favorite TV show as a kid?" That's not the only way to enter. If you Tweet and/or blog about it, you can enter again. Just go over to I have to say... to verify the rules and regulations of this fabulous giveaway.

I don't know why I'm telling you about this giveaway...I'm totally ruining my odds of winning this treasure. I'm hoping the lipstick doesn't come off the fabric. Who would want to win lipstick-laden fabric?

late breaking News!

In a bold move, the President continues his "teachable" moment. Summoned to the White House, Terri finds herself at what's been coined as the "Beer Summit." The President decided to invite Terri, as he discovered she's prone to calling certain friends of hers "dumb blonde." In a savvy move, the invitation extended "Senora Malo" to participate in the race discussions enabled the President to cover all ethnic and social bases. In one fell swoop, the Senora represents not only senior citizens, but also undocumented aliens, the downtrodden, the hopeless, the tired and just plain down-on-their-luck people throughout the Fruited Plain. Originally scheduled for the Oval Office, the President decided to move the meeting outside to the picnic table, as the President didn't want "that tart in my office!"

And really, who can blame him? Just look at Senora Malo and behind her, the macho-muchacho, "I slipped a roofie in her drink and I think it's starting to take effect." I just hope Terri's learned her lesson about being nice and not "malo." Her last remaining friends? Pam, Carol and Patti...and all blonde.

***Terri is the best friend a friend could want. We just like to mess with each other. If I didn't love Terri, her name would be stricken from my list. Come home, Terri!

winner,winner!

And the winner is "J" from Tales From the Cookie Jar. "J" said this:
"I definitely like a drinkie-poo every night...I mean every now and again. :0"

Me too, J!

aint it just so?

We are about to enter the BBQ season. Therefore it is important to refresh your memory on the etiquette of this sublime outdoorcooking activity.When a man volunteers to do the BBQ the following chain of events are put into motion:

Routine...

(1) The woman buys the food.
(2) The woman makes the salad, prepares the vegetables, and makes dessert.
(3) The woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it on a tray along with the necessary cooking utensils and sauces, and takes it to the man who is lounging beside the grill - beer in hand.
(4) The woman remains outside the compulsory three meter exclusion zone where the exuberance of testosterone and other manly bonding activities can take place without the interference of the woman.Here comes the important part:

(5) THE MAN PLACES THE MEAT ON THE GRILL.More routine...

(6) The woman goes inside to organize the plates and cutlery.
(7) The woman comes out to tell the man that the meat is looking great. He thanks her and asks if she will bring another beer while he flips the meat
Important again:

(8) THE MAN TAKES THE MEAT OFF THE GRILL AND HANDS IT TO THE WOMAN.More routine...

(9) The woman prepares the plates, salad, bread, utensils, napkins, sauces, and brings them to the table..
(10) After eating, the woman clears the table and does the dishes.And most important of all:

(11) Everyone PRAISES the MAN and THANKS HIM for his cooking efforts..
(12)The man asks the woman how she enjoyed 'her night off',and, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes that there's just no pleasing some women.

Thanks, Julie, for the great reminder. Speaking of reminders, don't forget to enter the Wristlet Giveaway...just click here to enter.

label me!

Sandra is a relatively new friend of mine, we found each other through the blogging world. It's a phenomena that I don't quite understand, but it's as if kindred spirits somehow find each other. Sandra is the author of Pepperberry & Co., a crafty, creative blog. Kind of what mine was meant to be, but took on a life of its own and am not always sure what it's all about. I digress. Sandra composed an excellent tutorial on how to print your own cloth labels and I must say, it is the best on the internet. Her tutorial is featured on One Pretty Thing, now another site that I shall have to peruse. Sandra is so interesting and her writing, oh, her writing is wonderful! She's an Aussie, which delights me when I read her posts and her spellings include "colour," and "favourite." The way those words were meant to be spelled! She holds giveaways and has one of her cats choose the winner...what clever kitties! I'm not sure if our sweet dog could do that...

Please visit Sandra and explore her delightful blog. Check out her other tutorials, too. What a clever, clever girl!

friendship recipe.

I have a new friend, Annie. I acquired her at PF Chang's two Saturdays ago. My girlfriend Suzy has a charming tradition of bringing a hostess gift to an invited party. Being an independent thinker, I decided to put a twist on Suzy's little tradition and bring a gift to Annie, kind of a "you're my new friend" gift. Upon meeting Annie, I was thrilled to discover that she was fun, talkative and charming. Hi, Annie. Thanks for being my friend. I had fun at dinner, you and Russel made me laugh.

A few days later, Jason came home with this bag of "stuff" and directions. How wonderfully clever, what a from-the-heart gift from Annie. Amish Friendship Bread Starter. Hi, Annie, I adore this gift. Thank you so much, it's like having a piece of you right here on my counter! I mix it every day and let the gas out of the bag (not me!).

You see, you have to take care of this starter and follow the directions. Which makes me think of Annie and the fun we had at dinner. And what a cute couple Annie and Russel are. And how I can't wait for the day to make the bread. Isn't that the way of friendship: taking care of the starter and over time, watching it bloom into a beautiful loaf of bread.

***And yes, my counter tops are turquoise. Jealous?

Riverside Arts Market, Jacksonville: Part I

You're acquainted with these two ladies...Ivy and Irene. Or is it Irene and Ivy? One is my mother-in-law, the other, her sister. I know who's who, but do you? I met them this morning, down at the Riverside Arts Market, a new "happening" here in Jacksonville. Today was the Grand Opening and boy, was it a huge success! Ivy is the unofficial mayor of this event. She knows every brick by name, every plant as it was planted. We checked on its progress at least twice a week and sometimes Ivy would sneak down there on her own, just to see what changes had occurred while she slept. It all takes place under the two bridges, complete with an open-air "theater."

Here is a lovely young woman, who's name escapes me. She makes extraordinary jewelery, tiny beads intricately woven into wonderful shapes and designs. She was very friendly and filled me in on the process of getting set up in the Market. She also has an Etsy store, lemongrove.etsy.com.

Here's another friend, I don't remember his name. Oh please, give me a break! I want to call him Clyde, I can't imagine why! He sells homemade cakes. What a smile! I couldn't resist him. He was as charming as his smile, I promise you that. Yummy cakes for sale, but all I could seem to focus on was his smile. Check out the sweet story of how this cake business came to be, right here.

OK. These are amazing soaps. And I did ask for a business card, but I don't think they had any. And the man was kind of grumpy, so I didn't take his picture. So there! That'll larn 'ya to be cranky with me! But the soaps were lovely.

So many, many people. So many, many dogs on leashes. Two twins. Two curious, lively & energetic twins. Need I even mention that we got separated? No, I didn't think there was a need for that...anyway, after searching high and low, I found the two darlings on a bench, eating some just-purchased English pasties and people-watching. I was tempted to sternly warn them about the dangers of walking away from my side, but they were so cute sitting there on the bench. So I sat with them and marveled at their treasures...

**Tomorrow, Part II of the Amazing Riverside Arts Market adventure.

Getting Out the Vote!

Meet Gingerbean! Her pageant mother is entering her into one of those pageants where poor unsuspecting little girls must live out the fantasy that their mothers wished they had lived when they were younger and much more lithe. Overbearing, bossy, and just plain miserable mothers who subject their female offspring to prance around the stage to please "the man." I mean, I thought that we were past all that nonsense. What happened to Women's Rights? What would Susan B. Anthony say, or worse yet, Mrs. Banks? You know, Mary Poppins' employer...the wife of Mr. Banks, the banker? She marched around her parlour, singing, "Our daughter's daughters will adore us, and they'll sing in grateful chorus, well done...well done...well done, Sister Suffragette!" Look at poor Gingerbean up there in the Plaid Coat Competition, being made to strut her stuff in front of the judges...shameful! Mindy, you've set the Women's Movement back hundreds of years! Well done, Mommie Dearest!

Oh, well...just go and vote, please. If she loses, poor Gingerbean is going to have a lunatic mother on her hands. Thank you.

likeness.

I'm fortunate to have some very good friends. When the going gets tough, we're always there for each other. I love each and every one of my girls dearly. I wouldn't trade not a one of 'em for all the wine in the Nappa Valley. For all the frilly martini drinks, for all the ...sorry. So when I came across this picture of my girlfriend, I just had to share it. Truth be told, it's one of her better pictures. She looked fantastic this day. Her complexion is vibrant, her choice in clothing and color suits her mood, her teeth are back in and she even had her nails done. All in all, I think you'd agree, if you know her, that it's a sweet photo. So Terri, I didn't think you'd mind if I posted this picture. That's OK, you can thank me later.