Birthdays, sewing, and fatigue

Hello, folks.

It's been a while since I've written.  We've had lots of birthdays this month and things have been crazy.  Today is my son's 15th birthday.  How is that even possible when I am only 21 years old?  It must be a birthday miracle!

My own birthday was yesterday and I received a Brother SE400 combination sewing and embroidery machine.  I began using it last night while making another bag, this time with the Scrumptious line by Bonnie and Camille by Moda.  It is so stinking cute!  Here's a link to the charm pack at Missouri Star Quilt Co.

Me and my new machine

This bag is simply Scrumptious!

I ran out of time to finish it yesterday so I probably won't get it done until next weekend.  I'll try to work on it during the week, but I don't seem to have a lot of time after school plus I am so fatigued, it's not even funny.

Here's a pic of me and my wonderful son at dinner tonight: I can't tell you what a thrill it is to spend all day with teenagers at work and then come home to another teenager, plus his sister who only acts like a teenager most of the time.  Probably one of the major reasons I am so truly tired.

Happy birthday, sweetheart!  Je t'aime! 

And I will end this post by sharing a pic I got from Facebook:  lovely Kit Harington.  Looking forward to seeing Pompeii but even more so, Game of Thrones in April.   You know enough, Jon Snow!

New project--Jelly Roll Race Quilt

If this had truly been a race, I would have lost for sure.  Sewed the wrong way and had to rip out lots of seams, ran out of thread a couple of times, had to watch the video over and over, etc.  I have part of the quilt top finished.  Now I need to attach a border,batting, backing, and binding and I'll be all set.  Easier said than done, huh?  I have a feeling I will have lots of quilt tops that will need to be made into quilts this coming summer.  And that's only about three more months away...

The gorgeous fabric I used was High Street by Moda from Lily Ashbury.  It is truly breathtaking--I am loving the color combinations so much!  The colors truly speak to me!

I made this with a jelly roll bought at my favorite shop, Missouri Star Quilt Co., of course!  I also have a charm pack and this fabric by the yard, called Sage.  I can't wait to many make more beautiful items!

Bonne nuit!  

Snow Day #3 in a row--making cards today

Oh, the weather outside is frightful!  Luckily, the snow stopped more than 24 hours ago but the temperatures are frigid here on the Great Plains.  School was cancelled again in the Kansas City area so I took advantage of the opportunity to make some cards with Close To My Heart's February stamp of the month--Wild About Love.  What adorable little foxes!  I decided to use the Lollydoodle paper packet because the colors and designs just make me happy.

Here are a few cards I've made so far.  I hope you like them.  Happy stamping!

Have a cowl!

Today is our second snow day in a row and I am taking advantage of my free time to make awesome cowls. I used Amazing yarn by Lion Brand, following the 45-minute cowl pattern on Lion Brand's site.  I did change one thing, however.  The pattern says to use one ball and hold both ends of the ball together, but I found I didn't have enough yarn to finish my project.  Plus, getting both ends of the strand was harder than it seemed. So I just used two balls, holding a strand from each together to make the cowl.  I had a little bit of yarn left over from each ball, but I would rather have too much yarn than not enough.

Here is a sampling of the cowls I've made so far:

Rainforest

Glacier Bay

Aurora

Strawberry Fields

Mauna Loa

Wildflowers

All of them together.

I think my favorite is Glacier Bay.  I hope Lion Brand comes out with more colors.  I love how the yarn feels and I love how the colors gradually change from one shade to another.  

Do you have a favorite color?  Let me know what you think!  

Oh, and one more pic.  I sat down to grade with my pumpkin bread, coffee, iPad, and Nutella (today is World Nutella Day), and my cat Storm came to join me.  It appears she prefers Glacier Bay as well!  

Happy February!

Ah, February:  it's my birth month, The Walking Dead returns, Valentine's Day is right around the corner and we celebrate American presidents by taking another day off school and work.  Close To My Heart's spring/summer idea book and catalog just went live and the Groundhog saw his shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter.

I fully intend to enjoy this month even though I am turning another year older.  I had an injury last week that I am still reeling from but I am getting better.  I have resolved to exercise more and take daily walks once my leg heals and the weather turns warmer.  Of course, it looks like a big winter storm is on its way starting Tuesday and the weather will be frigid after that so outdoor time looks doubtful for a while.  But I will start being more active, despite the fact that I love to crochet, scrapbook, make cards, and participate in other sedentary activities.  Can anyone relate to that?

Anyway, I have been busy making soap this past week.  Here are a few of the soaps that are either curing on the rack in the basement or still forming in the mold:

Dragon's Blood soap

Lime Mint soap (my all-time favorite scent)

Sunflower soap

Verbena soap

Very Sexy for Men soap

I have also done some knitting:

And some crocheting:

Some cardmaking:

And even some sewing:

So seriously, who has time to exercise, right?  Well, I will need to make more time because my health depends on it.  My age isn't getting smaller and I really need to start taking better care of myself.  

Happy February, everyone!  Enjoy the days getting longer, the second half of season 4 of The Walking Dead, your loved ones, and all the U.S. presidents.  

Anyone want to join me for a walk, say right around February 23?  Let me know!

--Jenn

P.S.  I just found out about Phillip Seymour Hoffman's passing.  My heart goes out to his family and friends.  I loved him in everything I saw him in and I will miss seeing him in movies.  Here he is in one of my favorites:

Rest in peace, Mr. Hoffman.