Something I Can Do, Apparently.

My garden is actually growing! I'm shocked - I think once again though, I may have planted things too close together. But so far, so good. Last year my tomatoes were aweful - pathetic little shriveled up things. We were able to get about 2 mouse bites from them. This year, I'm already seeing beeeauuutiiful little green round tomatoes on the vine. The blooms are staying put (last year they all fell off).
I would swear that the corn (back right) has grown another foot since I took this picture, and so has the cantaloupe (front left). The little sprout in his diaper has grown a smidgen too.
Here's what we've got going so far:

Tomatoes
Green Beans
Okra
Red, Yellow and Orange Peppers
Cilantro
Basil
Corn
Cantaloupe
Squash
Zuchinni
Lima Beans
Onions
Hoping to have some room to plant pumpkins in a few months. The kids are having fun watching things grow - hopefully that will encourage them to actually eat something that doesn't come out of a bag in the freezer.
Well - off to do some creating in the "sewing room - or dining room as some people like to call it" - I've got some cool projects in the works but I need to work on them some more before I share the pictures. Here's a hint - one project involves my husband's suit pants.

An Apron Project

My daughter is "graduating" from Kindergarten this coming week and this is the apron that the parents are giving to her teacher. Another mom purchased the canvas apron with the name stamped on the top and then I added the pockets and trim as well as the applique on the top. The pockets are off of old camo that I have laying around - (I save everything!) - I also changed out the strap around the neck to make it adjustable - just cut it off, then made a button hole for the strap to come through.
Thought this was a cute, easy idea for a teacher's gift - maybe you'll give it a try?

The Tale of Mr. Grassy Hopper

This blog post has absolutely nothing to do with sewing, crafts or vintage anything, unless it's about what goes on at my house that prevents me from writing about sewing, crafts and vintage-y stuff or creating nifty creative sewing, crafts and vintage projects.

Instead, this is the tale of one plastic grasshopper.

It all began like any other normal chaotic day  - 2 year old boy wakes up at the crack of dawn with some putrid smelling nasty in his diaper and proceeds to climb out of his crib (which he is not supposed to be doing) and then climbs into my bed via my head as a launch pad for the center of the bed where it's nice and cozy.  My eyes burn and nose wrinkles, so I'm up quickly to change the nasti-ness diaper.  Then, big yellow dog wants outside - it's barely light out, I haven't had my coffee, and my glasses are knocked down onto the floor someplace that will be perfectly positioned for my foot to crunch- probably from the boy climbing onto my head earlier.  Kids get breakfast, girl is off to school, boy wants breakfast again while I'm getting myself something to eat, I eat - with the boy, again, because he wants whatever I'm having - I drink a gallon of coffee, read my blogs, do laundry, take boy for walk.....blah, blah, blah.  

Lunch time rolls around - my boy wants dinosaur chicken nuggets with Ranch dressing to "dip".  "Dipping" is the key word - anything that can be dipped in Ranch is always better!  Including little plastic green grasshoppers!  It's especially fun to swim them around in it on the kiddy sized table - right at the doggie's nose level.   Well, when a plastic green grasshopper is disguised in Ranch dressing - he looks mighty tasty to a yellow lab.  Next thing I know, Mr. Grasshopper is gone and my doggie is licking his lips and my boy is crying for his grasshopper.

I pried is big ole chompers open and see nothing, bug is gone......so I called the vet and he tells me to give him Hydrogen Peroxide and some bread in order to make the bug come up the shoot instead of down the shoot.  After two doses and some waiting around....success!

I did have to poke around in the puke with a stick to find mr. grassy hopper, but sure enough, there he was - all yucky, but a beautiful thing~

I was picturing taking my dog to the vet and having them surgically remove the bug at the tune of a few grand$$$$$.

awww.......

Grasshopper is recused, boy is happy, dog is well, and now nap time!!

Lesson learned - Hydrogen Peroxide will make your dog throw up and Ranch dressing really does make anything taste better - oh, and dogs are best put outside before lunch time.

My blog was visited by Bea of Bea's Blabber and she gave me this award.Thank you, Bea!

The rules for accepting this award are:

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.

2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

I've been secretly visiting several blogs lately and I'm glad to have the chance to share them with you. Hopefully they will inspire you to get creative this summer!

So here my blog picks for the award. Be sure to check them out - you'll be so glad you did!

Stacie at Creative Crate
Eren at This Vintage Chica
Wendy at The Shabby Nest
Andrea at Everyday Beauty
Kelli and Rian at Presser Foot
Heather at Past Present Collection
Tif at Dottie Angel
Tracy at Tracy Porter - Be Inspired!
Mique at Thirty Handmade Days
Nikki at You SEW Girl
Amy at Tie One On
Julie at Jane's Apron
Daria at "Apron A Day
Wardrobe Refashion
Gabreial at Vintage Indie

New and Improved Friendship Bracelets

Do you remember making friendship bracelets as a kid? I sure do - although I had completely forgotten how to do. My daughter decided that she wanted to start making them, so we googled instructions and I think we realized that she would need more help at it than we thought - so, I ended up having to make a few before I really figured it out enough to show her.
These are what I've come up with so far, and I love them! They're fun to do while you're watching a movie (makes you feel like you're actually accomplishing something besides sitting on your butt). I added the charms and the button closure (vintage button, of course) so that they can be removed - not like the old days when you just wore them until they fell off. A friend of mine is having a birthday this week and this is what I came up with for a gift for her - I made the bracelet and then decided that that wasn't quite enough, so I made the coffee cozy too.



Then, this is what it looks like all wrapped up pretty.
Maybe I'll get into jewelry making now, who knows?

Coffee Koozie Creations....gotta get me some, coffee that is

I need some coffee....I think I may drink too much coffee....and diet cokes (just during the 1/2 price happy hour at Sonic though), or maybe I just need more sleep, think I'll just go re-heat a cup o java from this morning though since my girl is due home from school shortly and the boy will be waking up soon, almost time for round #2!  But it is already 90 degrees today!  It's May for crying out loud.....ugh.  Oh, yeah, I do live in Texas....  Our air conditioner is on the fritze too - this should be a fun weekend.

Look what I made for the teachers at my daughter's elementary school yesterday.  I think they are just too stinkin cute, or is that just my boy peaking at me!  I pounded out 10 of these yesterday along with 4 dozen cupcakes - not too bad for a day's work, huh?

They weren't difficult to make, and they made good use of those little pieces of fabric I have laying around.  They will also be nice in the summer for frosty cold beverages - I hate sweaty glasses.

Will try to get some of these posted to Etsy soon.

Pure Vintage Sweetness Apron

I just posted this sweet apron on my Etsy shop. To me, it is the epitome of "upcycled" fashion. The fabric is from a 1940's (or so) flour or grain sack which someone recycled into a table runner by cutting it into a scalloped shape and adding the hand crochet work along the edges. I then got my hands on it to turn it into something for the 21st century fashionista! I added the two pockets, made from vintage napkins (side note - my son, who is supposed to be sleeping peacefully has now awoke from his slumber and is hollering for me to come get him...better make this one fast!)....so anyway, the pockets are vintage napkins.
Check out the cute buttons! They are so retro cool. The ties are extra long and made from a vintage pillowcase.
I couldn't decide which picture to post - so I'm putting some here on my blog that don't appear on Etsy.
Hope you likey!
Are you being affected by this darn Piggy Flu thing?! We sure are down here in Texas - many schools are closed and most extracurricular activities are cancelled. Crazy.
I figured out how to download a free copy of the Twilight manuscript from iTunes the other day...what fun! Now I can run around the house doing whatever I need to do....let's see....on the list today - clean up the mud all over my carpet from my darn dog, cleaning up stinky milk drips from the sticky kitchen floor - compliments of my 2 year old son, clean up little itsy bitsy pieces of foam that came off of my daughter's egg crate cushion thingy on her bed that had been drug out into the living room to act as some prop, and ah yes, clean the finger nail polish off of the wall in the kitchen that was mysteriously splattered there....must have little elves running around the house, I'm sure.

Jack Ingram at Polo on the Prairie

This past weekend we packed up the kids and headed out to Albany, Texas to attend the Polo on the Prairie event which raises money for MD Anderson Cancer Center. It's such a fun thing to do - I never get tired of really "texas" things - I moved to Houston in 1996 and granted there was a very obvious period of adjustment (I'm a midwest girl) - I do love Texas (minus the scorching, unbearable, suck the life out of you heat, the rocky ground which makes it near impossible to grow anything, and the lack of trees of any size).

Polo on the Prairie is cool because it's held out in the middle of nowhere on this huge ranch. Regulation Polo match starts things off, then your obvious Texas cuisine of brisket, white bread, potatoes, pinto beans, and peach cobble. After dinner Jack Ingram performed under the huge white tent with an enormous Texas flag hung over his head - Then we watched fireworks and packed the tuckered out kids back into the truck and headed home.

One of my best friends swore to me that she and "Jack" were friends, so after the concert I went up with my daughter in tow (she was taking the pictures) to talk to him. What a great guy, so gracious and patient with all of the fans. He didn't deny knowing Jennifer, I don't know if he was just being polite or if he's just that mellow. He's got that cool rocker-dude from Texas look that I love-

I find it so fascinating when someone can make a living performing on stage. It's interesting to think about their life and what fun it must be to meet so many people. I'm also intriqued by how someone writes music - the process, the inspiration, and then the act of performing something so personal. Anyway - we love Jack Ingram! What fun to get to meet him.

Lovely photo of myself with the eyes closed, huh? And, in case you are wondering - yes, my hair is now a strange orange-ish color....let's just call that an "oops". I'll log that one beside the Yentl hair. I was trying to go for a darker color - more on the brown side. Also trying to grow it out a bit...aww...always wanting something I don't have-