And now random thoughts.....

So i am taking my blogging style from Jen today.... Thanks Jen.


Maddie is obsessed with the gingerbread playdough, that i made for her at christmas time (you can find the pin over on my pintrest board) itdoes smell just like gingerbread.
She has been making me spicy tuna balls for a few days..... (not sure where she comes up with this stuff.....)

I am in a crafty slump which i will remedy today!

I am annoyed at how the gas prices just keep rising....

Dom and i made a tent for maddie on saturday. She is loving loving loving it! That is another post so i will leave it at that.

I am realizing just how blessed i am to have a friend who loves me for who i am and doesn't judge me.... Yup, blessed! Blessed indeededoo...... And even though she is like a bizillion miles away we are still sharing, talking and kinda virtually hanging out everyday with our bbm chats!

I have offically deactivated my facebook account last week.... I totally am soooo okay with it. I beleive it was becoming an idol for me. (can anyone relate?) i was also getting so annoyed with all the drama... And for me God was leading me to be done with it. Now.... I did not delete it because my best friend is having a baby and you better be certain that i will be reactivating that sucker to see the baby pics.........

I am blogging from my ipad which means no photos....

Maddie just handed me a wad of play dough and asked me to make Flynn Ryder... Really she thinks i am that talenetd to be able to sculpt flynn ryder out of gingerbread playdough.... Lol

She told me that he looks scary and so we squished him....


Have i mentioned that i am sick of this odd winter that we have had up north.... So weird... One snow storm.... Not really cold..... I love winter. I really do. I think it is beautiful, but i like it to be cold and snowy and we had none of that....

Spring hurry up and arrive.

And now i am going to begin my craftyness. I have no place to go today and i am happy that i can just be home with my liitle one and enjoy her spicy tuna balls..... Mmmm.

Quilt a metaphor for my life?

Last year Jen and I took a trip to Lancaster, PA. 

While on that fabulous Fun trip I bought lots and lots of 

my very favorite fabrics .... 1930's repro.

I have always had a love of these fabrics. 

I knew that I wanted to make HUGE dresden plates out of them

and make a quilt for my bed. 

I also purchased red fabric for the sashing... it is an odd choice

for me since I don't really love red all that much. 

It was a labor of love hand stitching all those wedges together to

make each Dresden. 

I cut all the sashing and got to work. 

I put the quilt top together...

I HATED IT! 

Seriously Loathed it. 

All I saw was the red. 

eww. 

I didn't even take a picture of it. 

I folded it up and put it away. 

I did tell my Mom about it. 

She kept telling me that she would pull it apart....

She took it and ripped out all the stitches.

(What a MOM) 

she then carefully washed 12 HUGE blocks 

rolled them and placed them carefully into a bag.

Which I carefully placed onto a shelf into my closet. 

I wanted to forget about it. 

I was annoyed and frustrated by it.

It was not how I envisioned it. 

My Mother knowing how much work went into 

all those blocks kept at me. 

"lets take it up to Kindred Quilts and figure this out" She'd say.

So one day in the fall we did just that. 

I picked out a cream color Kona to do all the sashing with. 

A wonderful Lady won owns the shop figured out all the math for the sashing and the all that

stuff that goes into a quilt. 

We came home and the fabric sat and sat. 

Mom finally cut it last week. 

(I was in no hurry) 

Mind you I have no directions for this quilt... 

it was something that was in my head 

Also, I am not a quilter.... really I am not. 

Quilters would not consider me to be a QUILTER. 

with that said. 

I actually started to get excited about getting the quilt top together. 

So I began. 

Got it together... and realized that I had pieced it together all wrong. 

Oh I was not happy. 

but, I was going to leave it. I was going to leave it together wrong, 

because I was frustrated and sick of this quilt. 

My Mom dropped in yesterday. I brought out the quilt top to show her...

"Amy, I will rip it apart for you." she told me again. 

No Mom, No. I don't want you too.... 

She took it anyway. 

She sat and drew me a picture of how it is supposed to look.

Of how it will be when It is finally finished. 

How could I have seen it so differently in my mind

I loved the idea of it. I loved the vision I had

standing in a tiny little quilt shop in Lancaster with Jen, a year ago. 

The vision I had was so different then the one that my

Mom had just loving drawn out for me to see. 

She had showed me that what will be the finished 

quilt is more beautiful then anything I would have ever imagined 

or dreamt of in my head.  

  I received an email from her last night that simply said. 

(All unwanted stitches removed, ready for a good pressing, and then ready to stitch!  
Didn't, take long.   Talk to you on Sunday,  Mom) 

Which started me thinking. 

that quilt is like my life. 

I had a grand dream of what I wanted it to be. 

I wanted to quickly stitch up some pieces of fabric together. 

Held together by more pieces of thread and fabric. and when I thought 

I had finished it I disliked it. 

My Mother, like My Heavenly Father told me, 

I will take it out for you. I will help you to make it the way it is supposed to be. 

(and he does that for me, when I let HIM)

and He has done that for me my entire life. 

And My Mother showed me that in helping me with this quilt.

No, I wouldn't have dreamt this life for me. 

I wouldn't have chosen this  bumpy road or journey for my life. 

I didn't envision it this way, But When God looks at our Whole lives

He sees the completed Quilt. 

He sees all the unwanted stitches. He sees all the scars. 

He sees where he has mended us. and Healed us. 

and carried us along. 

He sees the beautiful Quilt that my Mom drew out for me yesterday. 

That he can use to bring others to Him. 

If I can touch one person with the trials that I have gone thru in my life,

Then every bump, scar, bruise is worth it.

Because in the end, He will take that quilt even with all its imperfections

(and it will be more loved and beautiful for them) 

 I am more loved and blessed and beautiful for every scar I have. 

I am more desired and gifted then I ever allow myself to feel. 

I have a precious, precious gift of my  life. 

No one else has my story. It is only mine. 

and I am so grateful for it. 

I needed this quilt to be a reminder of all that I just wrote about. 

I needed to make every single mistake

so that I could allow correction to take place and heal my heart. 

Thank you Lord,  that you used my Mom to show me that lesson. 

Thank you Mom that you allowed God to work in you to help me. 

This verse has been in my head all week. 

I found it on pinterest and I understand why now. 

I recreated it and please fell free to take it. it is high res so you can print it out if you want to. 

Romans 5:8

The Message (MSG)

 ^6-8Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn't, and doesn't, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn't been so weak, we wouldn't have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him. 

*revision to this post. 

The image above was recreated by me, 

I  found it on PINTEREST. 

I didn't have a direct link back to the 

picture. until now. Mollie at 

http://crookedtooth.tumblr.com/

emailed me to let me know that the image was indeed hers. 

just to be clear, I just was so moved by it that I honestly and truly recreated it in Photoshop.

sorry to offend anyone. 

Longing

How i long to run barefoot through the grass.
How i wish for the days of my youth when
i was carefree and had no pains or aches in my heart.
When my hearts desire was just growing up to be a wife and a mother.
I long for the days before my views of this world became jaded.
When i could lay on a blanket and stare up at the blue sky,

Clouds passing by above me.
Twirling and spinning as i daydreamed about what lie ahead.

Oh how i long for those days, to be childlike.

featured

I was featured 

YAY!!!! 

How exciting. 

over on Nifty Thrifty. 

For my Wreath

 go on over and take a look at the other cool blogs that were featured. 

what direction will you go....

I have had this lamp for maybe 15 years. 

I bought it and rewired it and 

made it good as new. 

I love it. 

It has traveled with me to all the places we have ever called home. 

It needed a new shade... 

so I ran down to Target bought a white one and 

I thought it needed a little something. 

Ahh, maps. 

So I grabbed an Atlas and some Mod Podge

and started to rip and glue. 

and I was happy. 

Sorry for the dark photos it was night.... 

and have I ever shown you my little turtle...

Heather Bailey. I bought the kit about a year ago..

I didn't have any polyfill to stuff her with so I used rice. 

Makes her good and heavy. 

We have been experiencing a few bumps in the road as of late...

and Jen sent me this verse yesterday. 

Which helped. 

No not worry but instead  pray  & do it with Thanksgiving. 

I need to put it in our Father's very capable hands. 

I need to give it to HIM. 

He can handle it when we can't. 

We  ( I ) need to do this with everything. 

EVERYTHING. 

So what direction will you go. 

are you going to worry..... 

or instead are you going to pray about everything and Thank Him

for everything he has done. 

Everything trial every bump in the road... 

Everything. 

Feel free to copy this verse. That I have made

Print it out....  or send it to costco and have it made in poster size 

Hang it on your wall so that you can be reminded to Give it to HIM. 

and be Thankful. 

mornings & rollie pollies

Maddie and I sit in front of the fire in the morning for a while. 

She usually eats some breakfast.

I drink my coffee and read some blogs... 

And when I get up 2 make my second cup of coffee she always, 

always, steals my ipad and plays

temple run. 

She is a whiz on that thing. 

seriously, I stink at it... 

So , never blogged about the rollie pollies I made her. 

I got the Pattern from MADE. 

I made the large ones 

they come together quickly. 

they are awesome and all my kids use them daily. 

they loved Maddie's so much I made another one.

this time I used a yellow corduroy 

It has a very fine whale and is so so sooooo soft. 

put a little nicey jane in the handle to give it that extra something. 

I was seriously just trying to take a normal photo of my

child with the rollie pollie

but why on earth would that ever happen....

She likes to swim on the sofa. 

Yes, she takes off all the pillows and swims.

I may or may  not have bribed her (with a cookie) to sit on the 

rollie pollie.

oh I forgot to mention that every morning after we take the girls to school 

and we cuddle by the fire 

we use these rice packs that I made to stay cozy until the fire warms the house. 

these rice packs are the simplest most wonderful things ever. 

YUP. toasty toes...

I throw them in the microwave for a bit

and cuddle under a blanket and we are all warm and toasty. 

if you have never made a rice pack

you should. 

just google it and you get about a billion and one tutorials for it. 

I made them for Christmas gifts this year and people loved them. 

You can use them for aches and pains or toasty toes...

you can even keep one in the freezer for a cold pack.

enjoy your day. 

snuggle with someone...  

New wreath

honestly, 

not sure why but I can't seem to come up with any creative post names lately... 

Really! New wreath... I mean come on....

Oh well. 

So if you are still reading... 

I thought a new wreath for February was in order. 

I didn't want to make a Valentines wreath... 

So this is what I came up with. 

Best part... 

I didn't buy a thing. 

Stuff that I found around the house. 

SO I told my hubby that it was FREE...

He argued and said that it really wasn't free being that 

at sometime I had bought the things....

OK, way to burst my bubble!

I had actually wrapped the yarn around the wreath about a month ago.

Just couldn't make up my mind which direction to go. 

and so I made some felt flowers, paper flowers, 

some buttons and a doily... 

there you have it.

oh and I stamped a shipping tag and burned the edges.

I love it! 

(better then the dead Christmas wreath that I had somehow overlooked... )

Maddie had to get in the action...

and her dollies too. 

Have a happy day! 

linking up here...

Sausage Bread

Cooking. 

I don't mind cooking. 

I am not sure as I would say I am one who LOVES to cook. 

but I certainly do love eating. 

I can cook. 

My Family is surviving. 

My issue is always the same.

What to make. 

What to make for dinner. 

That is what I struggle with. 

I have never tried meal planning, I think I should be doing that. 

It usually goes like this. 

I say " Honey, what do you want for supper?"

Honey says  "I don't care" 

okay, I walk into the grocery store...

hmmm... what to make, what to make....

Then it hits me. 

 anyway, My Mom gave me this recipe.
It is TO DIE FOR.

YUP, that is what it should be called.

So here is the recipe.
Please make this for your family.
They will thank you!

This recipe is easy... And it is very filling.
I get my pizza dough from the local pizzeria
Just ask for a ball of dough. 3 bucks...
I am sure you can make your own too but
I don't think it is ever as tasty.

To Die For Sausage Bread. 

1 ball Pizza dough

Saute:

small onion, minced

1/2 red pepper, minced

2 cloves garlic - minced

1  t oregano

1/2 t basil

1 pound Italian sausage - out of casing - broken up as you fry

1 egg,  separated

8 oz. mozzarella - shredded

2 - 3 T parmesan cheese

Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Saute onion, garlic, & pepper in olive oil, set aside.  Saute sausage, breaking up as you go.  Add Salt, pepper,  onion, &  garlic mixture.  Mix in egg yolk.  Salt & pepper to taste,  also some parmesan at this point.  

1. Roll out dough to 15 X 14 approximately  Spread on meat mixture.  Sprinkle with parmesan & shredded mozzarella.  (I added some parsley too).  Roll like a jelly roll. 

1. Place on large cookie sheet,  Bake in 350 oven about 45 minutes.  Let rest about 1 hour.  

ENJOY!  

REDO

Okay, I am drawing a blank trying to name this post.. 

So Redo it is. 

My Dad brought me this UGLY lamp. 

He got it for FREE! YAY Dad! 

He moved a huge library and they were throwing it out. 

He thought of me and snatched it up. 

First thing first... 

I ripped off the shade and 

found a  lovely skeleton. 

I was debating about leaving her like this 

and painting the brass lamp...

I had seen a long time ago somewhere on a blog...

(forgive me I can't recall where) 

She took the shade ripped strips and covered it in that. 

So I went to my stash and found these Heather Bailey fabric 

that I have had for a while. 

I thought that would be pretty. 

and started at it. 

Ripping and tying... 

and Voila... when it was done...

I HATED it. 

Looked horrible. 

See....  

that wasn't right. 

so again this morning I thought oh... put the strips on

the other direction. 

So I pulled the entire thing apart and started to  

REDO 

the shade. 

and voila again... 

I loved it. 

I still may just paint that lamp... not sure yet. 

I kinda liked the brass .

I will live with her a while and then decide. 

not sure if I am going to leave it up on the mantel.. 

I kind of like it up there. 

I need one more small globe to add to my collection. 

The other night a jewelry commercial came on... 

Kay jewelers I think... they were showing a husband giving his wife some

diamond heart necklace.. 

(something I would NEVER want) 

I told Dom, instead of the necklace for Valentines day

he could just get me a small globe. 

He laughed. 

Trip home

The day we left for home it started to snow at about 5 am. 

Yes, the entire state shut down.

No roads were plowed not even highways. 

I was a wreck the entire drive home. 

So this was the day that we were going to drive around so that I could take pictures of all the beautiful homes.

That did not happen. 

So I got a few as we were driving.

I had a feeling it was going to be a long long long drive home. 

and it was. But we had out coffee, GOD and each other. 

I cried (okay I balled my eyes out like a little baby)

on most of the ride home. 

Seriously, thought we were going to die. 

Thought we would not see our children again on this earth. 

And I kept asking God to please protect us and get us home safely to 

our babies. 

HE DID! 

This was the highway. A 3 lane highway. 

Tractor trailers would come flying passed on the right... 

OH MAn, did we see a lot of accidents. 

not good for one who thinks she is about to die... 

(my parents lived in New London when they were first married, 

so I took this photo for them...)

I have to say that I have never felt a gripping fear like that before. 

Satan surely had his hands upon my body and mind. 

It was a terrible feeling. 

My husband was so so patient with me. 

(Bless him)

He normally doesn't have much tolerance for me balling like a little baby..... hehe

But he kept reassuring me telling me to breath and relax. 

Over and over and over again. 

I do have a terrible fear of bridges. 

I usually do okay and can drive over them no issues...

but the snow covered HUGE bridges with the tractor trailers flying by next to us

was more then I could bear.....

What a ride. 

AS soon as we crossed over the border into NY the roads were a little slushy but fine. 

YAY! here come the plows. (this was in NY)

we made it home! Praise God! 

The trip was an amazing time spent with my husband. 

Much needed. 

and long overdue. 

The kids survived. They didn't kill each other or burn down the house. And we are  going to make a habit of getting away for a few days alone every few months. 

ps... someday if I ever get to have a house in Connecticut.. I would definitely choose one with a widow's watch and some amazing chimneys... and fabulous front doors!