She's Sew Pretty

It's My Wonderful Life

Woot!  Woot!  I'm done with school for the semester.  No classes until January 25th!  What does that mean?  I'll have more time for this!

Looking at Christmas lights and going to parades.   If you live near Clovis, California, you really should take a ride over to Cindy Lane to see the houses lit up for Christmas.  Most people drive through the neighborhood.  My hubby and I decided to walk last night.  It was 35°!  That's way too cold for us Californians! We saw the lights up close and got some exercise though.  I told my hubby that walking while it was that cold burns twice as many calories.  On Saturday, we went to the annual Christmas parade with my best friend and her son.  If it weren't for hot coffee and hot chocolate we would have been popsicles!

We've been watching lots of Christmas movie's too.  I think we may have been visited by one of Scrooge's ghosts during the parade. ;P

A Pink Christmas Memory

 

It was December 1965 in Hanau, Germany at the housing area for American soldier's families.  It was late afternoon and the sky was dark and heavy with snow clouds.  The lawn and the playground were blanketed in snow and more was coming down.  Yet everywhere children's voices rang out with excitement. Snow ball fights had been fought.  Sleds dragged up and down the hill. We'd been waiting outside all afternoon for an important visitor.  My dad was building superintendent and he told us, that morning, that he was bringing someone special. We were beginning to worry that my dad and his important guest weren't coming after all.

Then all of a sudden we heard the toot of a horn and an army jeep came down the street decorated to look like a sleigh.   My daddy was driving and waving from the seat beside him was Santa.  No little girl could have been prouder of her daddy.  He had delivered Santa to us.  I don't remember what Santa brought me that year but I'll never forget how I felt when my daddy arrived with Santa. 

Go visit Beverly and read about more Christmas memories.  It just so happens that this is one of my very favorite memories of my dad.  I don't have a picture but I do remember wearing a pink snowsuit just like Ralphies in The Christmas Story.

The Stockings Were Hung...

Tree is up.

  Stockings are hung.  

One extra stocking this year.  One more stocking to fill.  It's the time again where I ask you for stocking stuffer ideas.  Last year, I bought guitar picks, guitar and banjo strings, and chocolate for the guys in my life.  The girls are always easy.  Fingernail polish, perfume and chocolate.  Anyone have some more ideas?  Low budget, but smile worthy stocking stuffers? 

Tiny Pink Cupcakes

I was trying to figure out what I would blog about for Pink Saturday this week.  I didn't have a clue until my fabric order from the Fat Quarter Shop arrived in the mail.  Look at this adorable fabric.  The fabric on the left is Timeless Treasures Pink Tossed Cupcakes and the fabric on the right is Little Lady Pink by Lakehouse Dry Goods. The ribbon is  also from the Fat Quarter Shop.

My daughter in law and I played with clay tonight.  The Christmasy cupcake and the teeny tiniest strawberry and cherry were made by her.  I've been making more cupcakes for pincushion toppers.  Did you know that making faux food is one way to stay out of the kitchen?  Snack food and polymer clay just don't mix well.  That's my diet tip for the day! :o)

Happy Pink Saturday.  I hope you find lots of pink things to make you smile today.  Go see Beverly and find more pink posts to inspire you.

Happy Thanksgiving

I just wanted to wish all of my friends and family the happiest of Thanksgivings.  I have so much to be thankful for this year.  My family, my friends, relatively good health.  I finally have a doctor who is knowledgeable about diabetes and is keeping my blood sugars and my eyes in a healthy state.  My etsy shop continues to make me a little extra money every month and I have sent pincushions all over the world.  I am thankful for the wonderful friends I have made here in blogland.  I am thankful that I will be turning 50 surrounded by my family who love me. My posts about turning 50 are totally tongue in cheek.  I truly believe that age is just a number and that as long as you laugh every day, you will age gracefully.  Who cares about wrinkles when they are all laugh lines.  Take time today to count your blessings too.  I'm sure they are many.  Bless you for showing up and reading me as I post less and less.  I've been busy with school, but I do have A's in both of my college courses.  Happy Turkey Day everyone and happy day to my friends around the world.

Pink Love

I'm planning on a pink weekend.  I'll be working on pink pincushions and making more pink roses.  I'll also be reading Comfort Food which just happens to have a pink cupcake on the cover.  It's about a woman planning her own 50th birthday party.  I'll be turning 50 in less than a month.  The big Five Oh!  Are you over 50?  Tell me how you celebrated your 50th birthday or if you're younger, tell me about your mom's birthday.  I remember when I was 34, my friend's mom turned 50.  We had a huge party for her and she was crying and crying.  I remember thinking, "Good grief, woman...get a grip!".  But, just in case, I feel like crying, I'll do it quietly into my pink hankie.

Beverly asks us to spotlight a blog each week.  Have you all met Beverly's best friend Jeanne.  I have enjoyed getting to know her through Pink Saturdays.  She is a beautiful red head who will never be anything but young at heart!

Happy Pink Saturday Beverly and friends.  I hope your day is filled with lots of pink surprises!

What I Should Be Doing

I should be doing something productive.  I have pincushions to sew.  I have lessons to study.  My bathrooms could use a good scrubbing.  I know there are flowers that need to be pruned.  I have at least one load of laundry to do.  I'm sure I could probably go load the dishwasher or wash the kitchen floor.  We're out of cereal.  There's nothing in the freezer for dinner. 
I should be taking care of at least one of those things. 

What am I doing instead?  Playing with Photoshop.  Scanning old Christmas cards.  Changing the tag on this cute card with kitties.  It read "A Christmas Wish for Aunt and Uncle".  Now it reads, "For you". So, it's for you.  Have fun.  Make some Christmas tags.  Do something "for you".  

I guess I'd better get to work.  Once I get some of that "work" done, I'll have more time "for me"!

*Edited to say:  and not only am I still goofing off...I decided to give my blog a little makeover.  what do you think?

Playing Tag on a Pink Saturday

I've spent this week getting to know my new daughter-in-law.  Turns out, she likes playing with paper too.  You can get a lot of talking done while creating tags.  I scanned some old Christmas cards and sent them to my daughter-in-law and she printed them on photo paper.  We spent three nights this week making Christmas tags.  I'm participating in Creative Breathing's Christmas Tag Swap.  These are three of the eighteen I made. (15 for the swap and 3 for me) I still think the one on the left needs something else but I'm not sure what.  Any suggestions?

Did you think that I forgot about Pink Saturday?  I promised Beverly I would find something pink to share.

 

This little lady's coat is red on the original card. When it was scanned, it turned out a pretty pink.  Well, of course she had to be turned into a tag just for Pink Saturday!

 

Happy Pink Saturday everyone!  Thank you for all of your thoughtful comments last week.  Maybe if we all spread kindness one blog at a time, we can do our part to change the world. One of those sweet people who spreads words of kindness everywhere she visits is Sheila at The Quintessential Magpie.  Her comments always make me smile and visits to her blog are a delight!!  Go see the cute pink and colorful critters she has on display today.

Veteran's Day 2009

Veteran's Day Parade 2009~Fresno, California

I spent the day with my hubby at the Veteran's Day parade in downtown Fresno, California.  The day was cold and overcast but, the streets were crowded with people like us who wanted to pay respect to our Veterans.  So many emotions played through my mind today.  Pride.  Sorrow.  Even amusement.

Pride for our soldiers who have given their lives for our freedom.  Pride in the soldiers who served our country and currently serve.  Pride for the many young boys and girls in the ROTC, who marched in today's parade and who are planning to serve in the military.

Sorrow.  It is days like these that I miss my dad the most.  He was in the Army for 20 years.  I was born on a military base in Germany.  So many memories drifted through my mind today.  My dad picking us up in an Army jeep when the snow was too thick to walk to school.  Watching him shine his buckles and badges with Brasso.  That smell will always live in my memory.  

Amusement.  The sweet little girl who kept giving my husband shy smiles.  The little boy on the other side of me who tried in vain to steal my diet coke.  I only grinned at him.  The little girl named Olivia who kept escaping from her grandmother and then cowered at the sound of the fireworks and the jets flying over.

It was a good day. A good day to be an American. 

Pink Saturday Hats

I don't know about you but I wish the most pressing thing on my mind was, "what hat should I wear today?".  The sadness and stress of this week has made it hard for me to find something pink to share.  Yesterday's events in Texas, today's events in Orlando, the every day stress of being a parent in this society has all added up to making me wish that I had a hat I could just hide under.  Maybe a big sun hat on the beach somewhere.  Maybe a baseball hat on my head as I take a long, long walk.  Bring back hats. Bring back peace.  Our children and their children and even their children's children deserve a peaceful place to hang their hat.  Isn't it way past time? Have a  Pink and Peaceful Saturday.  I'm hoping we all will.

My apologies to Beverly for standing on my pink soap box.