April 5, 2012
It’s still sinking in that we own our house! We were finally able to take possession last Saturday and things have been a total whirlwind since.
What drew us to this particular house was size and location. It needs lots and lots of love, but once all is said and done, it’s going to be INCREDIBLE!
The house boasts 6 bedrooms (!), 4 full bathrooms, an office for The Hubs, a room for sewing and playing, a huge kitchen (that needs the most love of all), a huge breakfast room, formal dining room, den, 2 car garage, deck and screened in porch! The whole thing is about 3100 square feet and has another 700 or so unfinished in the basement. We’re so excited that we have room for everyone and we can really spread out. It’s just down the street from the preschool, is about a mile from the elementary school, and takes The Hubs 10 minutes to get to work. Perfection!
When we took possession of it on Saturday, we didn’t sit still long! My brother was our real estate agent and is also doing construction work for us! Within hours of getting the keys, we’d already torn down a wall!
Then we started the overwhelming task of ripping off wallpaper, painting, and removing carpet. We’ve had to bring in some extra help because Mom and I just weren’t able to get it done with the girls underfoot and the 150 mile round trip daily commute. But we’ve made amazing progress so far and tomorrow morning, come Hell or high water, we’re going to be moving our stuff into our house! There’s still LOTS of work to be done, but we’re loving the amazing transformation already and I can’t wait to get things finished up.
I’ve figured out how to swing a crow bar while wearing a sleeping Ella! And it’s not my favorite job, but I can tear out carpet and tack strips like no one’s business!
I can’t believe tomorrow night we’ll be sleeping in a house we own, that we overhauled from top to bottom in 1 week! I’m sure Ella will be glad to have her crib back instead of my creative uses for the Moby wrap.
So stay tuned for some really great before, during, and after shots! I can’t WAIT to see it all finished!
8 Comments »
March 25, 2012
Well, this is the month I hang my head in shame. I have no project to share today.
I normally don’t start them until after the 20th anyway, but after a very busy week, I found myself down and out with a sinus infection AND strep throat, with flu-like symptoms and a fever. Other than going to the doctor yesterday, I haven’t left my bed since Friday. I’m extremely thankful that we’re still living with my parents so I don’t have to worry about the girls. The Hubs has been out of the country on business for the past 3 weeks and there’s no way I could do this alone!
So there’s no March Christmas project today. I haven’t started it yet and I’m a little behind on some orders, so I might not get to it at all. A week from TODAY is the last day the previous owners have to turn over possession of the house and after that will be a whirlwind of wallpaper-stripping, knocking down walls, painting, and ripping up carpet before we can move in and host Easter/Chloe’s 2nd birthday party for my entire family on the 8th and Easter/April birthdays for The Hubs’ family on the 14th. It’s going to be a busy few weeks for sure!
I have done some sewing and have a few cool tutorials to share in the mean time. I also hope you’re up for a little house reno because I’m so stinking excited about it I can’t stop talking about it!
4 Comments »
March 17, 2012
The giveaway has ended and there are 5 lucky winners! Sofie had a blast today drawing your names out of a bowl. I was going to do random number drawings like usual, but Sofie’s been very into helping lately and I knew she’d have a blast helping me choose your names out!
I’ve sent the winners an email so they can claim their prize! Congrats! Thanks to everyone who entered.
Don’t forget you can still pick up your own copy of Twixt at: Amazon.com & BarnesandNoble.com & as an ebook at Kindle, Nook, iBooks & Kobo.
**A note from the author: BIG CONGRATULATIONS to Amber, Trixie, Mariah, Heather, and Barbara for winning the paperback copies of my novel TWIXT!! What some of you may not know is that Melissa’s mother Marcia taught me how to sew–and since she is a master quilter, I included a magical quilt in the novel in her honor and thanked her in my Acknowledgements page in the book. So for those of you who love to sew, who knows what magical journeys can happen through your stitching… ; )
I sincerely hope you enjoy TWIXT, and I’d like to say a HUGE THANK YOU to Melissa for doing this contest! Her website is so beautiful and I’m deeply honored that she featured my novel on her blog! : ) ~Diane J. Reed
3 Comments »
March 10, 2012
***THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED***
I’ve changed a few things around on the blog lately so you may or may not have noticed I have my first Sponsor! Author Diane Reed is sharing her newly-released book, Twixt.
Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day:
A Magical Irish Romance!
Twixt is an epic tale about a love so powerful
that not even the sweep of time can tear it apart…
Everyone in Ophir Creek, Idaho knows the wild legend of Corvine O’Dannan, a mysterious Irish woman with “fairy powers” who came to town during the gold rush to find her fortune, only to be betrayed by her lover and meet a tragic end—
Fast forward to the twenty-first century, and her descendent Rose doesn’t have time for such nonsense! After a crash-and-burn marriage, she’s returned to her hometown to renovate her father’s gold-panning business and to start over. But everything changes on her 30th birthday when her friend talks her into doing a love spell. Unbeknownst to them, they conjure the spirit of the very same man who once tormented Rose’s ancestor. Why? Because Rose was Corvine O’Dannan in a past life—and her really bad habit of attracting Mr. Wrong still haunts her, and now jeopardizes her life.
What Rose doesn’t realize is that along with this dark curse comes an extraordinary blessing—in the form of a soul guardian named Chance Murphy who’s been protecting her for centuries. But this time around, the evil spirit that now plagues Rose has stolen Chance’s body. So the only way that Chance can reach her is late at night in her dreams, when he appears as a magical raven who escorts her to an enchanted island off the coast of Ireland. There, Chance becomes a man again, and he shows Rose how she can heal her past through the fairies’ special brand of magic. But will Rose finally be able to forge a new future and make the man of her dreams become real? Only if she can once again believe . . .
The author, Diane Reed, is actually a family friend and I’m so thrilled and honored that she asked to sponsor my blog with her amazing first book! It’s pretty awesome to say I know someone who has written a book–and even cooler that my Mom is thanked on the acknowledgements page!
But the best part is that Diane has sent me FIVE COPIES, all autographed, to give away to 5 lucky readers!
Trust me, you don’t want to miss out on this beautifully written book. It’s a great love story that transcends time and leaves your heart wanting more. I wish I could give copies to everyone so you could all experience the magic of it. To enter for a chance to win an autographed copy of Twixt, simply leave me a comment on this post! I’ll draw the winners next Saturday, March 17th. What a great way to celebrate St Patrick’s Day!
And if you just can’t wait to get your hands on a copy, you can get one today at one of the following retailers: Amazon.com & BarnesandNoble.com & as an ebook at Kindle, Nook, iBooks & Kobo.
**For more information on how to become Sew Like My Mom sponsor, please email me at sewlikemymom@gmail.com for details!
59 Comments »
March 8, 2012
It’s no secret to anyone around here that my girls are LOVING this time we’re living with my parents. There’s always extra laps to sit in, extra arms to snuggle in, and lots of extra kisses. But Sofie recently discovered another plus to life at Grammy and Granddad’s. Sewing.
Last week she asked to see what Grammy was doing so Mom picked her up and Sof excitedly sat in her lap. Mom was making a miniature doll quilt and Sofie absolutely adored guiding the tiny pieces through the machine with her fingers.
It was only a matter of time before she caught the bug, so I wasn’t surprised that she liked it. But what truly shocked me was when she kept asking Mom over and over again to do it more. So Mom pulled out the little Hello Kitty sewing machine she’d picked up at a quilt show years ago, cut a few little squares from some flannel and taught Sofie the basics.
She’s become quite the pro! She knows how to raise and lower the foot when she starts and stops.
And she always turns the wheel to leave her needle in the up position.
We were both completely certain that her interest would fade quickly. The first day they sewed all the squares together in groups of two. Sofie then bugged Grammy for 2 days until we had a chance to “snow” (as Sof calls it) again and they put the put the squares into groups of 4. She waited anxiously for her next turn to sew and talked about it to anyone who would listen, including the men that were here for 3 days replacing the AC unit!
The last day they pieced all the squares together into 1 little quilt top Sofie’s going to use as a blanket for her beloved Curious George. I couldn’t help but snap a million pictures of her sewing all by herself! It’s not every day that a 3 year old wants to make a quilt and actually does all the sewing alone!
She concentrated so hard on what she was doing.
Each time she got done with a seam she opened the project and squealed with delight. She was so proud of herself for sewing.
Once the top was totally pieced she was sad the project was over (her part, anyway!) and was asking to do it again. We need to back the little blanket before George starts using it and she’s dying to get it done.
Who knows what the future holds for Sofie and sewing, but for now Mom and I are totally eating up her enthusiasm! If she truly loves it and continues it, she’ll be the 5th generation of sewing women in my family and she too can sew like her Mom!
29 Comments »
