My Goodness..It's A Finish!

So I haven't been as prolific in my crafting as I have in other years, motherhood will do that to a person.  I do have for you today a finished project!  I know, I know, it simply hard to believe isn't it?

*\o/* Cheers

Shanna

Throw-back Thursday!

Here is one of my favorite harvest-time pictures of my Princess Sparrow taken 2 years ago today!

And her first Halloween dressed up like Alice in Wonderland!

I can't believe I made that apron in less than 45 minute!

*\o/* Cheers

Shanna

Dallas, We Have A Problem!

Well, you may have noticed a slew of posts suddenly hit my blog!  It seems there have been a lot of my post simply going to my "draft" section of my blog instead of posting.  I jumped online today to change the background for the fall season and noticed it was especially light in postings.  I am not certain if it is because I was trying to use the Blogger Ap or if all along I had been only saving rather than posting.  Needless to say, there is now about 5-6 months worth of posts if any of you are curious or have the time!

*\o/* Cheers

Shanna

PS-This is my 401st post!!  Can you believe it?!

A Dilemma

di·lem·ma

diˈlemə,dīˈlemə/

noun

1. a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two or more alternatives, especially equally undesirable ones.

   "the people often face the dilemma of feeding themselves or their cattle"

   synonyms:

   quandary, predicament, Catch-22, vicious circle, plight, mess, muddle;More

   • a difficult situation or problem.

     "the insoluble dilemma of adolescence"

     synonyms:

     quandary, predicament, Catch-22, vicious circle, plight, mess, muddle;More

   • LOGIC

     an argument forcing an opponent to choose either of two unfavorable alternatives.
   • 
     

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To do or not to do, that is the question.  What could I be speaking about?  Why Bonnie Hunter's Winter Mystery quilt Grand Illusions of course!  I always start a project with good intentions, however i wonder if I should be realistic this year?  Last year's Celtic Solstice (above) is still in pieces and the year before's mystery, Easy Street (below) is still a lonely quilt top, a mere flimsy.  Would it be right for me to start yet another project?  Are you planning to join in this year on the mystery?

*\o/* Cheers

Shanna

The Nesting Place: A Book review

The Nesting Place:  It Doesn't Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful

By Myquillyn Smith (Published by Zondervan)

By the time we will hit our 11th Anniversary this coming spring, my husband and I will be moving into our 6th apartment since we got married.  The first few apartments we had our fair share of boxes, with nothing on the wall.  It was always going to be temporary, eventually we would find a place we could call home; we'd unpack, settle in...but rarely did it happen.  Then we moved practically to another world going from Alaska to Texas, then came babies, there never seemed any time to settle in.  I was greatly unhappy, disconnected from the place I was spending 98% of my time.

This book is not a miracle book, solving all of your problems, but what it does do is give a person permission to make a home right where they are.  Reading the author's experiences, thoughts and suggestions not only quieted that nagging dissatisfaction I was feeling that I needed to wait until I owned a home before I could make a place of my own.  As we embark on our next move in the spring, I have great plans on how I will make the place our home from the start.  I would high recommend this book for those who want to make a home right where they are, even if it might be temporary housing or apartment life.

Some lessons I learned from this book:

1.  To ask questions.  It can't hurt to ask your landlord if you can paint, we learned our current location allows us to if we will just paint it back before we leave.

2.  To make do.  You don't need to have a fancy magazine spread for a living environment, you can make do with things found on Craig's list, resale shops, garage Sales, or even repurpose things for alternative jobs from your own collection.

3.  Make space.  Sometimes clearing the space, getting rid of items that can be sold, traded or given away will help you obtain money or space for your ideas.

*\o/* Cheers

Shanna

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255  <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Z Moments: Mother Sometimes Knows Best!

This morning was a tough one, a little hand waking me up at about 3 o'clock in the darkness. Someone wanted to snuggle up between my husband and I; they were not being very gentle or quiet about it either.  Mr. Sparrow was completely out, taking up a good portion of the bed, I knew that there just wouldn't be a comfortable spot for my little Sparrow, but she insisted!

She flipped.

She flopped. 

She rolled and sprawled, trying to find the perfect sleeping spot.

Little sparrow was grumpy a couple hours later when I finally convinced her that her bed was the perfect location she was seeking.  When the Sun was shiny, awake, and clamoring for its position in the sky, the little sparrow awoke, bouncing with more energy than a person ought to have for such a sleepless night.  An early nap, I told her would definitely be in store..

" No mommy, I don't need to rest!" she declared in her mighty voice.

"Just sit here a moment in this chair with your covers, your pillow, your favorite drink.  Can you do that for me?"  I asked in my most calm voice.

"Yes...but I will not rest!" She declared once more.  I turned away to load the dishwasher, hoping she had stayed put, I turned back to see this a few minutes later:

A little more than two hours later this:

Sometimes, a Mother does know best!

*\o/* Cheers

Shanna

Yum!

I have been baking...

*\o/* Cheers

Shanna