Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Day 181/365

A beautiful day of enjoying the scenery and being ever so grateful for everything He sends my way . . .
A quick research lesson at the library with Matt . . .
Time at home to do a bit of homemaking  . . .
I'm not exactly sure how I am so blessed, but God sure looks out for my little family. 

New Quilt Top

Hi! Welcome back!!
Check out my new quilt top concept. The idea morphed off of something I saw on facebook. The woman said she colored a little squiggle on a piece of paper every time she paid extra on a bill.
She was having so much fun, but I didn't see the productivity in coloring on a piece of paper. I do, however, really really love making squiggles in my quilting and need a fun way to track this so I came up with my own version . . .
The heart in the center is just because I'm a girl (maybe a girlie-girl sometimes) and, of course, like hearts. Then I came up with my personal list of what I want to track and corresponding colors:

• $ saved/stashed~~ green

• cash earned~~ pink

• barter~~ blue

• extra paid on bills~~ orange

• bless out~~ purple

• bless in~~ gray/black

• tithes & offerings~~ maroon

So far I am having a blast just paying my bills and noticing my blessings. It's amazing what I become aware of when I really begin to pay close attention!!
What do you do to make bill paying and saving money fun?
How effective is your system??

Sunday, June 28, 2015

My First Crazy Quilt

A bit of sewing today between bouts of general homemaking projects . . . .

Random Acts of . . .

Homemaking   . . . . . 
A few dishes washed . . .
A kitchen sink bleached out . . .
A couple pans slowly boiling to remove food burned on by my favorite teen. . . .

Random Acts of. . .

Cooking . . .

This morning I have started a fresh jug of sweet sun tea in my kitchen window. There's just something about sun tea and sweet tea that just can't compare at all to other types!!
And today's tea varieties? Five (5) Orange Pekoe and three (3) Lemon tea bags. . . 
Yummy!!!!!

Why are the Rosebushes Dead?

As I wander through the greenway at 300 N Pine St I am noticing how many dead rosebushes there are. This despite a professional landscape company being paid (out of our tax dollars) to maintain the property in a manner that is supposed to reflect well on Joliet.
I am baffled.
Maybe Joliet city officials need to walk through the greenways/common areas throughout the city and get an up close first hand lol at what our money is/is not paying for!!?!!

Friday, June 26, 2015

Joy Dare ~~ June 25, 2015

3 gifts today in someone older than you~~

* educational legacy of Elmer Wells Rowley

* focus on His Will

* looking to the future

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Water Shortage??

How can the City of Joliet say there is a water shortage and restrict watering yet have this situation going on for weeks on end at multiple locations???
And they just raised water prices on top of it!!!
Wondering what would happen if we all start acting like this is a third world country and line up at these locations with pitchers, buckets and coffee carafes for free water???!!!!!!
Your thoughts, please.

Be Grateful Challenge ~~ June 25, 2015

        ~*~ waking in a peaceful neighborhood; a dream (nightmare) that was surely a reminder from God to keep in mind why I bought a house; the remembering of hours Matt and I spent on yard work last night and how our landscape projects are coming together finally; fresh, hot coffee brewing; my sweet teen son; peaceful drive to work and nice chat with Mom; carrots in a shower (please, this is not NYC, an episode of Seinfeld and you are Not Cramer!!!); off in a peaceful setting for a bit; thoughts of a potential fire out back tonight on the homestead; chicken salad on crackers and a bottle of cold grape juice for lunch :] ; project finished and new one started; picking up my Matt at library; so tired I can barely walk; ling hot bath; sweet sweet son; dear friends who sincerely care; that tiny bit of hope and knowing He will work it all out for His Divine Will

314 N Pine St, Joliet, IL 60435

I'm wondering exactly how long it's been since they mowed??!
And do they own a good old-fashioned scythe??
Or a machete???

319 N Pine St, Joliet, IL 60435

Did you ever stop and look at someone else's property and wonder what they're thinking? 
All the vines have got to be wreaking havoc on the house's siding, right?
And the three (3) foot weeds out back? Is the a new system for raising pit bulls???
I guess I wouldn't be shaking my head so badly if I saw regular pruning, trimming, planting grass/ flowers/ veggies .  .
  But, IMHO, this just looks like plain old neglect . . .
Any thoughts?

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Paying it Forward

I have to start with question for you:

What if you and your special needs teen son were homeless?

Now stop a moment, close your eyes and imagine this~ no rush, take a few minutes . . .

A single mom with a teen son cannot stay in a shelter together in the family rooms so you must each grab a mat on the floor of the drop-in room. This means sleeping in a room with many many other people who's lives are in various situations. This also means a very loud room for a teen who can't handle noise.
After a few nights you are back sleeping on the streets, and, while you are at work, your son is wandering the streets, visiting the local library (a popular homeless hangout) and McDonald's (the library and McDonald's offer free Wi-Fi). You eat your meals at local shelters but, as teen males eat like human composters, your son is still hungry the majority of the day.

This is your child. These are your lives and have fallen apart.

And so, may I ask you, as you sit at McDonald's enjoying pancakes and chicken nuggets with your own teen son for father's day  . . .
What would you do when his homeless schoolmate sits down at the next table and only has a dollar to buy a drink?
What, then would you want done for your son?

What did I do? Bought the young man pancakes and chicken nuggets, of course!!  But I do have to admit I waited until we were finished eating. Yeah, God says "go get that young man food" and I say "in a minute". I'm nothing if not consistent. :( I'm still working on that.

Please, think about this then
Pay it Forward

306/308 N Pine St, Joliet. 60435

Wondering if the owners' mower has gone on strike  . . . ??

Be Grateful Challenge ~~ June 22, 2015

      peaceful neighborhood; sweet teen smile; fresh, hot coffee; chubby cheeks; greeting from Mr McDoodles; break in my  car and quilting for a few minutes; rushing home to take down laundry (would you just look at what's left of my clothesline once again?!!); Matt taking down our new tent before it blows away and lessons learned about folding it; eating supper on the front patio; hearing/watching very large limb fall from neighbor's tree into alley and onto his fence; my sweet son volunteering to help neighbors clear branch away and being rewarded with free firewood (the learned pride of bartering to care for his homestead!!); quietly quilting after bath time  . . .

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Matt Joyce~ Landscaper Extraordinaire

I am so grateful for all the help Matt gave me Sunday with trimming the back yard!!

Monday, June 22, 2015

Chicken and Waffles at McDonald's???

Well, no . . .
For father's day we went to McDonald's for our brunch . . . 
Thought I'd introduce Matt to a yummy treat~ McDonald's-style so we popped into the McDonald's in Cass St in Joliet.
You can make a really super delicious version of waffles and chicken at our local McDonald's simply by ordering the two (2) pancakes (just $1) and whatever size chicken nuggets suits your appetite. Exchange the sauce for the nuggets for pancake syrup.
Once you have your order and are comfortably seated, open you tray of pancakes and apply butter patties.
Next, pile your chicken nuggets on top.
Then pour pancake syrup over it to your hearts content!!
Ah, sit back and smell the aroma of fresh hit nuggets and pancakes absorbing the syrup!!
Slowly cut a nugget and take a bite if that with some pancake too!!
Soooooo Yummy!!!
Stop by your local McDonald's to try this the leave me a comment with tour thoughts . . .
AND . . . Do you think McDonald's should market this combination as a meal deal?

Sunday, June 21, 2015

Choosing Trim

Okay, friends, I'm choosing trim for the Hello Kitty dress and could use some help.
Please, chime in in the comments below  . . .

Upcycled Baby Dress

A basic red and blue theme leaves me open to add embellishments as the mood dictates.

On a side note, all current dresses are size 9-12 months. Over time I will have baby dresses in a variety of sizes. Stay tuned and let me know if there's one that appeals to you so arrangements can be made to set it aside.
Which one of these dresses is your favorite?
For your own baby?
For a gift?

Upcycled Lady Bug Baby Dress

Honestly, I must tell you that my intention was to only make the bodice out of the lady bug material, but the dark blue had several stains on the back and so was unsuitable for use as the skirt of the dress. This means I am using an entire half yard of purchased material on one dress increasing the overall cost.
Still in all, this dress will be adorable!

Winnie the Pooh Upcycled Baby Dress

Just another custom made one of a kind upcycled baby dress  . . .
I'm loving the nostalgic Pooh Bear pattern  that will be the bodice . . .

Upcycled Irish Baby Dress

The green material was a splurge . . .
And a chance to get more in touch with Irish roots . . .
Somewhere I have a bit of trim just for this dress . . .
But that's a secret for now!
=]

Baby Dresses

Hello there! Come on in and see what mischief I'm up to!!
These are the next four (4) upcycled baby dresses. I cut these out Friday night, I think. I like having my projects all cut out and lined up for me to work on. It's very motivational.
The only problem? Yes, which dress to sew first!!!

My First Crazy Quilt

Hi! Happy father's day!! Yes, we've had a busy day (I'll post more about that later), yet I've been able to take multiple breaks to quilt. At this point I realize I need a larger variety of scrap color options for quilting so I'm going to stop for a bit and cut out patterns for a few more baby dresses, bonnets and booties. The scraps left from those dresses will provide materials for this crazy quilt. So far I have three (3) dresses cut out . . . I'll post pics of all as soon as get this next batch ready to sew.
Stay Tuned!!

Day 173/365

Happy Father's Day to all the single moms doing double duty!!!
So far my morning is:
* messing around with my cell phone
* washing dishes
* Matt hanging out laundry for me

Another day on the homestead  . . .

:-]

My First Crazy Quilt

Hey there!!! Welcome back! Matt and I are watching Storage Wars while it rains . . . I'm quilting and Matt has been working on a top secret project he's planning to enter in the Will County Fair.
A nice quiet evening at home  ^_~

Saturday, June 20, 2015

Day 172/365

A bit of rain rolled in so we've decided to sit a spell on the front patio. Because our homestead is woodsy, the rain is extra special. Now everything will be fresh and will smell like we live deep in the woods.
Refreshing!!!

Joy Dare •• June 20, 2015

A gift bent, beautiful, loved~~

~_~   patience

:-)   son maturing

*_*    home time