D-I-E-T.....HELP!!!!!

Yep.... I've decided to go on a D-I-E-T!! Pray for me, people.... I'm gonna need it!! I have zero willpower. ZERO!! Right now there are brownies in the kitchen calling my name. WAH!!!!! But I have decided that I want to be more healthy, the weight loss will just be extra. Oh, who am I trying to kid.... The HEALTHY will be the extra! LOL I have finally gotten myself to the point where I am ready to try again. I now know what were my biggest downfalls the last couple of times. Now I know I have fibromyalgia. Now I know WHY I have been craving sweets sooooooooooooooooo much. I have gone vegetarian! And I am eschewing sugar altogether. GULP!!!! I figure if I put it all out here than it will be harder for me to fall off the wagon. LOL I HOPE it will be harder anyway... LOL

I am ALMOST finished with the McCall's M6553. If life would stay out of the way I will be able to get it done! LOL I should have already finished it.

Here is what I have so far........





I am SOOOOOO glad I decided to go with the 2 shades of blue! And wouldn't it look great in grey and pink???? LOL Ohhh, black and red????? OMGosh!!!!!  I need some more fabric.... LOL



When I got home from doing the grocery shopping I found 3 boxes waiting for me. 2 very good friends sent stuff to make and stuff to fill Bags of Hope and Love!!!!!!! Aren't my friends AMAZING??????? THANK YOU!!!!!!!! I am hoping to make my first drop off at the dept. of social services on Tuesday!

I am going to be sewing away on some more bags this weekend!! :)

Ancient Rome and My Little Pony

What a title. LOL  I have been planning away today! I almost have things planned out for the Cs for the first couple of weeks. Yes, I know.... I said I was thinking more along the lines of unschooling.... I find that I am not able to give up that much control yet. LOL That being said, they will have a lot of areas that will be completely led by them. Our animal studies, for example, will be based on whatever animals they are interested in at the time. ;)

SO, Ancient Rome. That will be our first history theme. Here are the books I am planning to use:



Holy Cities: Rome by Saviour Pirotta

DK Eyewitness Books: Ancient Rome



World History Encyclopedia by Parragon Publishing

History in Stone: Ancient Rome by Philip Steele



The Life of a Roman Soldier by Don Nardo

Magic Tree House Research Guide Ancient Rome and Pompeii by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce  (I will be getting "Vacation Under the Volcano" from the library)

The Time Warp Trio: See You Later Gladiator by Jon Scieszka



A Child's History of the World by Virgil M. Hillyer

Will we also be using 2 different lapbooks mixed together. One from Homeschool Share and one from Dynamic2Moms. I will be sharing all our crafts and stuff as we go along. ;)

For science I have a whole bunch of kits from The Young Scientist Club that we will be going through. The first one will be on measurements. If you are looking to buy the kits they are MUCH cheaper through Amazon than the monthly club. You get 3 kits for a little more than one kit.

For math Cailey will be using Saxon Math 3, Colin will be playing games and Joshua (J2) and Deanna will be using Khan Academy along with their text books (Saxon for D and Bob Jones (?) for J2).  They LOOOOOVE Khan Academy!! And so do I! LOL

For Biology D will be using Abeka. She LOOOOVES their science books, they are all she has used since we started homeschooling. J2 will be starting physics! YILES!!! He will be using Khan Academy and HippoCampus.

My goodness, it's gonna be a BUSY year!!! LOL

Now, for the My Little Pony! ;)

Cailey has a skort that she LOOOVES but it has gotten entirely too short for her. She was getting tired of having to wear it with leggings so I decided to fix that for her. I had a small remnant of My Little Pony fabric that I pick up for next to nothing so I made a big ruffle out of it and attached it to the bottom of the skort! All fixed! :) She loves it! YAY!!!



I am sloooooowly making progress on the McCall's M6553. SIGH.... I wish I would hurry up already! LOL

I want to thank everyone that commented yesterday. THANK YOU!!!!! You all are AMAZING!!! :) THANK YOU, again!!! I have the best readers ever! ;)

OOH!!!! I have WONDERFUL news!!! A friend of mine will be starting a Bags of Hope and Love <3 with her congregation!!! YAY!!! Isn't that GRRRRRREAT!!!! Let's just keep spreading the hope and love as far and wide as we can!!! Let's see how many kids we can reach!! WOOO HOOOO!!!

Linking up at http://littleschoolhouseinthesuburbs.com

A Question for My Readers

I was reading a post at another blog this morning (You Know It Happens At Your House Too) and it got me to thinking. ;) What do YOU as my readers want to see?? I know that tutorials are a HUGE factor. In fact when I do a new tutorial my views go WAY up but when it has been a while since I have posted a new tutorial my views go WAY down. *sniff sniff* And I am at a loss as to what to write if I DON'T have a new tutorial. Does that make sense??? Sooooo, what DO you want to see?

Do you like it when I post about the crazy things my kids do? Like what Cailey said at church on Sunday that almost brought the house down?? LOL

I know Carol likes to see my cats. LOL ;)

Is just talking to you enough or should I make a bigger effort to always include some sewing/crafting/homeschooling??

Does my blog look OK?? Or should I look into changing it up some? I know the "look" of a blog can make a difference sometimes.

I am soooo new to all of this that I just really don't know. So I thought it would be best to put it to the experts, YOU! You are the readers, you know what you want to see and read, so let me know!! Seriously, I LOOOOOOVE comments (as long as they are nice to me LOL). And even if you are criticizing me, as long as it isn't ugly, I want to read it!! Talk to me, people!! LOL



If you DO want to read about what's going on in my life, please proceed past this point. ;) If not, you can stop here. LOL



For 2 Sundays in a row I have stood up in front of church to talk about Bags of Hope and Love <3. I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO not a good public speaker.... Now, that being said, it would probably have been better if I had known BEFORE hand that I was going to speak. Well, OK, maybe not... I am THAT bad of a public speaker... LOL

Anyway, my pastor has been doing a series on missional living. So every Sunday he has been inviting different groups within the church to speak about their mission services. Last Sunday the GAs were invited to speak. They had just had a sleepover at the church where they packed boxes for Operation Christmas Child and then made breakfast for the church the next morning. The girls went up on stage and were supposed to sing a song they learned the night before. Well, they started out just OK... Barely singing... Sort of mumbling... You could only hear the leader of the GAs really singing. So when they were finished the pastor asked them to try again and to really sing this time. So, they started again.. More mumbling, barely singing. Then the pastor joined in! When they finished he said something about how they should sing louder or something like that, just picking at them, mind you. Then Cailey pipes up and says, "I thought were doing just fine until you ruined it." Oh, brother!!! If everyone didn't already know that she belongs to me I would have tried crawling under a pew!!! LOL But our pastor is used to her.... ummm.... outspokenness??? and he thinks it's great that. SIGH... I just never know WHAT she's gonna say next.... Afterward everyone commented about how good it was that she keeps him on his toes! LOL



We had to take our pool down. WAH!!!!!! We were unable to get a compatible pump and it turned neon green!!! YUCK!!!!! So, we took it down and will try again next year. I'm a little sad about that. I LOVED the pool!!!!



We are gearing up to start school week after next. WHAT??? WEEK AFTER NEXT???? YILES!!!!! That's .....um.....SOON!!!! Good grief! Where has the summer gone??? And more important, can we get it back???? PLEASE!!!! I guess I need to solidify some real plans, huh??? Usually by this time I have all their planners filled out for at least 6 wks. I am SOOOOOO behind!!! I did try to talk the kids into doing a Jan-Sept school year but they all declined. :(

So, note to self : GET BUSY PLANNING!!!!!! YILES!!!!

Anyone have any fun plans for the long weekend??? As far as I know we only have a Birthday party to go to Saturday. I'm going to try to talk The Hubby into cooking out at some point. Gosh, we are sooooo boring! LOL

I'm a little bit miffed... I just saw that Craft Wars didn't tape to my DVR last night!!!! GRRR!!! Instead it looks like The Hubby taped a bunch of  UFC stuff.... GRRRR!!! I was sooooo looking forward to watching today!! It's the only thing that makes waiting for Project Runway on Thursdays bearable!

Yep, I'm definitely booooooring..... LOL

In sewing news, I have actually started on the McCall’s M6553, and it looks GREAT so far!! I am so glad I decided to color block the front!! It's going to look awesome!!!! After that I will be working on some things for fall from my sketches. SO excited about that!! YAY!!



So, that's what's up with me. What's up with you?? And PLEASE answer my questions!! I reallllllllllllllllly want to know!!! :)

What Have I Been Up to Lately

Well, to be honest, not much. LOL I haven't felt well the past 2 days so I haven't done much of anything. :/ Including blogging! Yes, I am a very bad blogger, again..... :(



But today I made myself go pick up the books that were on hold for me at the library. Here are the books I picked up!

Fashion 101: A Crash Course in Clothing

Fashion Drawing The Basic Principles

100 Unforgettable Dresses

OMGosh!!! This book is AHHHH-MAZING!!! Definitely drool worthy.

In Vogue: An Illustrated History of the World's Most Famous Fashion Magazine

Another amazing book!! Oh my goodness!!!!!



I have also made some decisions about how will homeschool this year. I keep going back and forth on the unschooling vs. the way we have been schooling... I have decided to keep on the way we have been with math and language and to unschool all other topics. That way it helps me keep control in some areas and lets them have control in others. I still may go back and forth.... LOL I just don't know!! I am soooo confused!!!! I like the thought of unschooling but I just don't know if it would work for my kids...



And will someone please remind me to call the lady at the social services dept. I need to ask if it's OK if we put Bibles in the bags.  I keep forgetting to call and ask.

OH! I saw a great meme the other day that reminded me of myself.... LOL



I *think* the image comes from Mommy Has A Potty Mouth but I couldn't swear to it...



I joined Twitter!!! YAY!! I am still trying to figure it all, though... ;) I added the Twitter button over on the side somewhere so click it and follow along! ;)

I have all the fabric cut for the McCall's M6553, I just need the gumption to get sewing on it!!! Fingers crossed that tomorrow is a better day!!! Then I need to sew more bags for Bags of Hope and Love <3. Then I will get started on some of the designs I have been sketching!! That will mean new tutorials! YAY!!! :)

My New Page for Bags of Hope and Love <3

I added a page up at the top. It is for Bags of Hope and Love. Many people have asked how they can help and what items are needed for the bags so I put that all on one page where it will be easier to find. Dummy me,  I forgot to add some important info! LOL So here it   all is.



The Bags of Hope and Love are for foster children. I called my local social services department and spoke with the lady that is over foster care. I asked her if there was a need for this type of donation and she said DEFINITELY. I then asked her what age group she was seeing the most and she replied that preteens and teens were largest group that she sees. Then I asked what items she would like to see in the bags. Here is a list:



Body wash
Deodorant
Razors
Sanitary items
Shampoo
Conditioner
Body spray
Toothbrushes
Toothpaste
Books for teens and preteens
Magazines for teens and preteens
Pens
Journals
Individually wrapped snacks
Juice boxes, water bottles, etc
Blankets
Anything you think might make a teen or preteen feel more at home in a strange place



The other items needed are the bags themselves. I have a tutorial for making drawstring backpacks and that is what I am using. The only difference is that I am fully lining the bags to make them more durable.

More info is also on the Bags of Hope and Love <3 page if you are interested in donating items to make the bags.



These kids that are going into foster care have NOTHING. I mean that. Absolutely NOTHING. Most of the time they are picked up somewhere other than their homes like school, day care, etc. Even times when they are picked up at home they will not be able to bring much more than a plastic bag of items. I want you to stop and think about that for a little bit. Think about how you would feel if that was to happen to you. Then once the children are removed from their homes they must sit in an office for hours waiting on paper work and placement into a foster home. For many of these kids the first foster home will not be their last. They may bounce around from one foster care home to another. Think of how that would feel. My heart just aches and breaks for them.

This may be just a small thing but I think it could give them HOPE. And maybe they will know that someone, somewhere cares about them.

We can all make a difference. Even if we only help one person, it means the WORLD to that person and that is strong. That has meaning.

I don't mean to get all preachy but this means a lot to me. You see, I was one of those kids. I went to a foster  home. I was one of the lucky ones, though. I had another option. I called my dad who lived in a different state and whom I hadn't spoken to in over a year and I begged him to come and get me. He was there the next day. I have no idea what would have happened to me. I could have been one of those kids..... I was 16 when this happened and I was terrified! All I had was my purse and the clothes on my back.  So, you see, I KNOW! I have been there. And I want to help in anyway I can.

There are a lot of charities and a lot of causes. This is one that speaks to me A LOT. Find one that speaks to you and support it in anyway you can.

YAY! A Fixed Sewing Machine and Three New Bags of Hope and Love

YAY!! I figured it out and got it fixed!! :) This time it was actually something simple..... Unlike last time it was NOT the tension, it was the bobbin.... Note to self - Try the simple stuff FIRST!!!

As soon as I got it fixed I started finishing up three tote bags for Bags of Hope and Love. YAY!!! I decided to make totes for girls and backpacks for boys. :)























I am so excited about the bags!!! I think the pink one is my favorite even though I <3 the Pink Panther.

I think I will FINALLLLLLY start cutting the fabric for my dress! YAY!!! But that will probably be all I will be able to do tomorrow. The girls are going to a sleep over at church which means that C2 will be soooooo lonely! We will have to keep him very occupied!

Look at this sweet little picture that I just took of Bonnie!







Isn't she sweet????



I also have a couple of hush hush projects that I will be starting on. I won't be able to really tell y'all about them... I don't want the recipients to find out! ;)

So, anything interesting going on this weekend?? Any cool new projects??

And, Judy, where are you?? Getting worried about you!!!

That !#$%^& Sewing Machine!!!

GRRRR!!! Well, my machine is at it again!!! The tension is all out of whack. I have been fiddling with it all day and it's still messed up. ARGH!!! Good grief!!!!

I managed to get these 2 bags ALMOST done before the tension went haywire! All they need are the tops and the handles. SOOOOOO close!!!!







SIGH..... Off to
beat onwork on my sewing machine some more..... Wish me luck! I'm gonna need it!



At least the cats are nice and relaxed! LOL





















That has to be the life!!! LOL

Oopsy Turned Out OK ;)

I was making another bag today for Bags of Hope and Love when I made a little oopsy.... I sewed the bag up before adding the straps! YILES!!! There was no way that I wanted to take the whole thing apart and start over soooooo I turned it into a tote bag! LOL













I love the little froggies on it!!! :) And I think it turned into a decent tote bag. LOL I think I might make a few totes to go along with the drawstring backpacks just to change it up a bit. ;) SO glad it happened with a girl's bag and not a boy's!

I made the tote with a couple of fat quarters and lined it with sheeting. I had some yellow broadcloth that I picked out of a remnants bin and thought it would be cute to use it for contrast.

D is busy making bracelets to go in the girl bags. She's really getting into the spirit of giving. I am very proud of her! :)

I went homeschool shopping yesterday. LOL It looks a lot like regular school shopping except that I buy what *I* want! LOL I bought lots of colorful ink pens and some cool pencils. Oh, and  lots of markers and colored pencils, paints and silly looking pens!!!  I bought some things to go in the Bags of Hope and Love, too. It was a lot of fun and I found some great deals! Walmart makes me crazy but sometimes you just HAVE to go there.... LOL

Three Little Skirts for Three Little Girls

I finished up the matching skirts for C1 and her 2 BFFs! YAY!!!! Next on my sewing agenda will be a book cover for D's favorite book (on archaeology), girly bags for Bags of Hope and Love and then I will FINALLY be getting to a dress for me. LOL

Still waiting to cut the fabric on this



McCall's M6553  Which just so happens to be on sale again... This time for $1.88!!! OMGosh!! What are you waiting for??? Go grab it!! ;)

I am planning on coloring blocking with 2 different shades of blue. I can't wait! SQUEEE!!!



I have been doing tons of sketching lately. The ideas are coming left and right! YAY!!! I need to get started on some fall things. Summer will be ending soon. It's already been MUCH cooler here, although I don't expect that to last. LOL

So, what have you been up to lately????







Little sleepy heads. :)

YIPPPEEEE!!! Winning Contests! And Other Stuff ;)

I have been VERY lucky lately. I seem to be winning contests left and right! Here are the 2 that I just won!

I won a £40 give away to The Retrosphere from Vintage Living!!!! WOOO HOOO!

This is what I picked.



I can't wait to get my hands on that bag!!! OMGosh!!!





I also won 3 Pink Fig patterns from Ode to Inspiration!! YIPPEE!!

Here are the 3 patterns that I picked!










and one other.... (as I moved the blog, I lost the picture)






TOOO CUTE!!!! I can't wait to try them out! :)



I think I will keep entering contests. I seem to be on a roll. LOL  I used to never win anything. I should have started a blog a LONG time ago! LOL It seems to be my lucky charm!!!



In sewing news.. ;) I have finished 2 of the fat quarter skirts and have the pieces cut for the 3rd! Cailey and her 2 BFFs will look so cute in them!!! Then I will be making some girly bags for Bags of Hope and Love.

Speaking of Bags of Hope and Love, I got up in front of church yesterday and appealed to the congregation to help out in supporting this cause.  I am an awful public speaker. I ten to forget half of what I want to say.... BUT they responded with MUCH love and support! A few ladies expressed interest in helping to sew the bags! YAY!!! And the youth group and GAs are behind helping to fill the bags! AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME! I love my church family. They are so caring and so supportive. They are TRULY the meaning of church family. I thank God for leading me to them.

In homeschooling news, I have Cailey's year sort of rough drafted. Colin will still be more unschooled. I have given the older 2 the task of designing their own year. Once I get their lists I will get the materials together for them. They know what subjects they HAVE to do (math, language, etc).  We will be waiting until the 2nd week in Sept. to actually get started.

It's a blah, dreary day here today. I guess that's good, we need the rain!!! But it makes me not want to get anything done! LOL I reallllly need to go get my van inspected. I wonder if I can put it off another day.... LOL Queen of Procrastination! That's me! ;)

Fat Quarter Skirt Tutorial

I was perusing the fabric aisle at Walmart the other day when I found PINK PANTHER fat quarters!!!! OH MY GOSH!!!!! They were on sale for $5 a pack!!!! So I grabbed 2... LOL I wasn't sure what I was going to do with them though. UNTIL the Cs had a sleepover. Then I knew! Cailey and her 2 BFFs could have matching skirts!! PERFECT!!! And you get a new tutorial! ;)











What I Used-

1/2  a package of fat quarter









Step 1 -





Take one piece of each design or 3 pieces. Set the unique piece aside (to use as a waist band). Then cut the fat quarters into thirds.





Step 2 -





Take the fat quarter that you set aside for the waistband and cut it into fourths. Set 2 aside for the waistband.





Step 3 -





Go ahead and stack the pieces in the order you want to sew them in.



Step 4 -







Pin your first 2 pieces together, right sides touching, and sew the seam!

I usually do a finishing stitch first and then do mu straight stitch, but I'm weird like that. ;)





Step 5 -





Continue pinning and sewing until you have used all your pieces! :)





Step 6 -

Apparently, I forgot to take a picture of this step... SIGH... Sorry about that!!!! It's easy, though. You need to gather the top of the skirt!

On my machine I set both of my stitch settings to the largest number and run 2 lines of straight stitches. Then I pull on the bottom thread on one side and gather, then I pull on the bottom thread from the other side and gather.





Step 7 -





Now, take your 2 waistband pieces and sew one end to one end.



Step 8 -





Now, turn in 1/4 inch at the top and press. Then a 1/4 inch at the bottom and press.



Step 9 -





Fold in half and press!





Step 10 -







Open up the waistband and pin the skirt inside, leaving at least 5" on each side for the ties.





Step 11 -





Run a straight stitch from one of the waist band to the other. This will leave the ends as ties and enclose the top of the skirt inside of the waistband.





Step 12 -





Fold over the ends of the ties, press and stitch across.





Step 13 -





Fold over the raw edges of the side of the skirt 1/4 inch and press. Fold over another 1/4 inch, press and pin. This will enclose those raw edges.



Step 14 -





Pin the sides together and sew the seam but be sure to leave 3 or 4 inches from the top of the waistband down. That will leave room for your child to get the skirt on and off.



Step 15 -





Fold over the bottom of the skirt 3/4 inch and press. Fold over another 3/4 inch, press and pin.

Sew your hem!





Press and you are all DONE!!!! YAY!!!!

















I will be making one skirt with a button closure and one with an elastic waistband, that way the girls will be able to tell which one belongs to them. ;)



As always, let me know what you think! Was this easy to follow??? And definitely let me know if you make one!! I would LOVE to see the pictures! :)