My latest project~

I have long been inspired by photos in magazines and on blogs of all white furniture and decor.  While I love color, I always seem to gravitate back to the all-white pictures.  I've read countless tales from women who just love their white slip-coverd furniture even if they have active little children. 

Recently I found a brand-new blog called Dreamy Whites.  That I was inspired is an understatement!  She told in one of her first posts about how she wraps her furniture in vintage linen sheets.  She uses large sheets over her couches too.  Her couches are already slipcovered in white but she puts the sheet over it too. That way she only has to wash the slip covers once a year and can just throw the sheet in the wash when it needs it.  Love the concept:)  I have been wanting a change in furniture, but knew we wouldn't be buying new any time in the forseeable future.  So when I read this blog an idea started to form.  It took root and blossomed rapidly!  You see, I had this HUGE stack of white vintage linens.  I have put them in a garage sale multiple times - never sold any.  I almost took them to goodwill last fall.  Now I am sooo glad I didn't:)

The inspiration from Dreamy Whites blog along w/ my stack of linens led to the story below...

 Take a stack of vintage white tablecloths...

shrink 35 yards of piping cord...

untangle 35 yards of piping cord...

make some pattern pieces...

{tools}

MAKE 35 yards of piping...

reading the books first - optional...

(thank you Kara for the loan of the books)

draping, pinning, chalking, cutting...

stressing is also optional...

(thanks again, to Kara, for being here to help w/ the draping, pinning, chalking, cutting, deciding, stressing...!)

1 1/2 days took

 this....

to this.  Whadaya think???

pillow is from Damask Designs.  I'm thinking it is soooo fun to finally be able to use neat pillows in my living room!

Little Sister loves it:)  I still need to buy velcro to put on the backs of the cushions to keep them closed and neatly tucked.  Little Sister suggested 'sticky tack'!:)  I'm holding out for the velcro though!

My love seat is getting the same treatment.  I'm thinking I will wait till next week on that one though.  I've got some people who would probably appreciate it if I worked on their stuff too:)

Birthday Party

We finally had cake and ice cream and presents for Big Sister's birthday on Saturday evening.  Cake was very much thrown together at the last minute.  I had no idea what I was going to do even when I started putting the icing on.  I'd bought life savers w/ the idea of putting the candles in them, but the original idea had been w/ cupcakes.  I decided a cake was easier so... this is what we ended up with.

Big Sister had left Thursday with her Grandpa and Grandma to spend a couple days in Holmes County.  They got back Saturday afternoon w/ yummy doughnuts and chocolate for everyone.  Emma immediately plopped her chocolate E on the cake.  Cute addition if I do say so myself!

The birthday girls:)  My Mom and Emma share a birthday.  It's always been special for them and they always spend at least a day together to celebrate:)

There she blows!!

And Big Sister cut the cake this year.  She is growing up! 

American Girl doll 'Lanie' from Grandma.  We gave her the accessories set for Lanie and the second book about Lanie.  Travis gave Mom a new meat thermometer since hers had broken at Christmas time while the guys were trying to get the meat done.  I will be making her a new dress in the near (i hope) future!!

Little Sister thought she was pretty neat too;)

Best Friends.  Big Sister is thrilled and has actually played w/ her American Girl dolls and accessories more now than when she was younger.  Go Big Sister - don't grow up too fast!  The day is coming that you will pack them away to wait for the day you give them to your little girl.  We love you lots, Emma, be good for Jesus!!!

Roses are red....

In the 12 years we have been married I have progressed from hinting about flowers for Valentine's to honestly not thinking about getting them.  I mean, really, you can buy a lot of groceries, or new shoes for the kids, or go out to eat, or make a house payment, (not really:) for the amount you spend on roses.  So why expect my husband to remember to buy flowers that eventually get thrown away.  I told myself all these things plus a whole lot of other stuff over the years.  And it worked, I'm to the point that it really isn't a big deal.  It's just a Hallmark Holiday...right??

And yet, there is still something in the way God made a woman that just thrills to be remembered and appreciated.  It doesn't have to be flowers, but it seems that most women enjoy receiving them.  This year my husband totally surprised me!!  I hadn't even given it the tiniest thought!!  It was so fun:)  He brought them home on Friday night and left them in the car till after dinner.  While I was doing the dishes he headed back outside.  Not unusual, we have all these piles of snow around and something always needs shoveling.  And there is always corn to be brought in to keep our stove going.  So I thought not a thing!!

Then there was a knock on the front door.  My first thought was: 'Oh, Travis must need to come in that door and it's locked.'  Little Sister said, "who is at the door?"  Seeing that it was, in fact, unlocked, I decided maybe someone had stopped in.  You know, there is always someone dropping off sewing or picking some up, or - something!

So I replied, " I don't know," and headed for the door.  I pulled it open and a hand came around the corner full of roses; a voice said, "you have a delivery!"  I screamed, I really did.  I was soooo excited:)  The surprise ones are always the best!  The girls all liked them pretty well too.  Little Sister tried to pull one out for herself but I told her she'd get her own roses someday - these were MINE!  Kinda selfish maybe but I'm like that sometimes!!! 

Thank you so much, honey, I love you!

The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.    Isaiah 35:1

Move along now....

The writer of this blog said it better than I can even attempt...

Check it out - Flower Patch Farmgirl

Happy Birthday to Big Sister and My Mom!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Portrait

This is a picture of me.  Drawn by Little Sister.  She's 4.  Did she capture the real me??

Middle Sister

My favorite outfit

And Middle Sister lost one of her top front teeth!  She was delighted:)

Little Sister wanted her picture taken too!

Sad hearts.

We were so sad to see the Colts lose the Super Bowl.  But still glad we were able to watch the game.  And I was so impressed with my girls attitudes.  Little Sister, of course, didn't even know what was going on.  Big sister kept saying 'it's great for the Saints 'cause they've never won a Super Bowl, but still...'  She was sad.  So was I.
Middle Sister sat there quiet for awhile, then said, 'it's not about winning, it's about doing your best'. 

GO MIDDLE SISTER!!!  That's the attitude!  We still love the Colts, there will still be blue jersey's worn around here, we will root for them every game they play.  Like their coach said after the game - "there is only one happy team at the end of the season.  We'll sulk about it for awhile then we'll pick ourselves back up and see what 2010 has for us!"   GO COLTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Still Wintertime.