a weekend visitor + quilt in progress

It was Olivia's turn to bring home one of the MANY class pets.

Hello Goldie.

Or Golden. We are not quite sure of it's name. Or gender. But the girls are L O V I N G it.

And I finally just said "heck with it" and sewed all my vintage quilt blocks together realizing that I was not going to finish a dozen more in a timely manner. I will make do with a lap quilt size...although it is really more of a baby quilt size. I'd love to photograph a wee newborn on this (or two, hint-hint!) someday. The back will be the yellow sheet that features the butterflies prominently. Wonder how long it will take to get me to that step?

View more crafty goodness by clicking the button above. I shared my quilt :)

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a yarn wreath + a dog

My yarn wreath.

For some reason, I still cannot seem to capture the flowers well. In this photo, the sun was shining directly on them it seems. Each one was handmade using a different method and just things I had...yarn, felted sweaters, felt, fabric.

(photos from iphone)

I photographed it on my front door but it cannot stay there b/c I do not have a porch or any protection from the elements out there. I have always wanted a porch and now since neighbors have installed a fabulous one on their house, I have major porch envy.

I will find a cozy home for it indoors. Maybe hanging over the mirror on my mantle? I was super inspired by yarn wreaths from all over the internet but particularly from this Flickr Member.

Here is a photo of the wreath using my Hipstamatic App on the Iphone.

And a picture of my pooch with the same photo treatment. I love how it bumps up the quality of a simple camera phone and makes almost anything look artsy.

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meal plan monday + more

My Monday blew by me in a jiffy. I spent 8:45-3pm ish with Shelby at a school field trip to Sun Rock Farms in NKY. Wow, that place (and the staff) are pretty amazing. It is an animal lover's paradise. It was quite chilly though...at least the parents thought so, I never heard one child mention it.
I think I was home 15 minutes before I had to return to school for Olivia's basketball practice after she mistakenly rode the bus home after school instead of staying after. So back we went with me in very dirty jeans from the earlier part of the day.
I guess we got back around 5:30p and quickly attacked some homework at the countertop while I made dinner.
I was back out the door again at 6:45 for the monthly PTO meeting. See... I told you it was a busy day!

Which means the meal plan gets shared today but includes Sunday :?

Sunday: Baked Split Chicken Breasts, Corn, Green Beans and mashed potatoes (just have to share that 2 chicken breasts were a mere $2.67 and we have leftovers for another serving of something...like chicken salad maybe?)
Monday: Hamburgers on the grill
Tuesday: Spaghetti, meatballs, garlic bread and salad
Wednesday: Pork Chops on the grill, rice maybe?
Thursday: Dance + Basketball game = drive thru
Friday: ?

If you want to see a crazy amount of people planning meals with links to recipes, visit the original Monday Meal plan blog.

And since I am not sharing any true recipes again this week, let me share what I made for lunch. Using the thin style buns, I added sharp cheddar and thinly sliced apples. I warmed up the panini press, sprayed it with light cooking oil and cooked this until crispy. It was super. The apples kept sliding out of the sandwich though! Pin It

new look for the old blog

Did you notice my cutesy upgrade?! I got the "ready to wear" blog design from Little Dreamer Designs. It was SO easy to update using all of these premade items. The only downfall for me was that my blogger template is O L D so I could not use the page backgrounds. Bummer.

Get yours by clicking the photo below.If you use them, leave me a comment and a link! Pin It

what's making me smile this friday

...working on a version of this wreath and have this one in my sight (sights--sight's?) next


...Shelby did NOT cry before school this morning :)
...I am about to put a pot of chili on the stove
...mini brownies are ready for frosting and taking to Kacie's tonight
...this dip is nearly ready to go too
...enjoying Pandora radio and my own personal "Outfield" station. Just heard "When Love Walks in" by Van Halen and boy did that take me back a few years (decades?!)
...this day is pretty close to perfection, sunny and just the right chill in the air
...I am pretty sure that I am about to get up and clean well enough that I will feel comfortable getting out our Halloween decorations. I am getting up to do that n o w . . . Pin It