At what point will random projects become boring to you?

Brace yourselves... this time it's a boy project! Well, sort of... I made this for my friend K's little boy. Kermit wasn't the first choice but I was trying to find fabric in the colors she told me she liked. So... Kermit it was! The back is white buttery fleece because for some reason a minky fabric hoarder bought all of the blue and green minky. Grr! Luckily, I had the white on hand from the first quilt.

I should be done with quilts for a while... I have one more to do hopefully this weekend... and ALL of the BAG fabric should be here hopefully by Friday!!! Can't wait!!! There are some GREAT prints coming! And... I have another pattern I'm going to test out. There's one part of it that I can't quite figure out so that's where my Aunt Emily comes in to rescue me before I break something or waste fabric. Not sure how it will all turn out... the pattern is weird considering how simple the bag is, but then, patterns themselves are a foreign language to me so I really have no idea what I'm talking about. I also have a dress I want to try and make.

Did I mention that Nola tries to nap on ALL of the quilts? I think she's trying to tell me something... so a dog bed is in the works at some point, which will be a waste I'm sure of since she sleeps with me at night and isn't allowed off the bed (she'll pee somewhere, plus, I enjoy her company, she's a great spooner!). Maybe I will make a throw to put on the bed for during the daytime when she's gated in the bedroom ... that would be a better use of effort. Solved that problem. That's for being here to talk me through that one.

Good night!

This is what we do for fun... enjoy!

Forward

The following email has been routed to my inbox on numerous occasions. I'm posting it because I love the reminder it offers... I am one who finds it hard to let go of the 'small' stuff sometimes so this is especially helpful for me! Enjoy! (...and sorry for the 'forward!')

The Mayonnaise Jar

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 Beers.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two Beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed. 'Now,' said the professor as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things---your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else---the small stuff. 'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you... '

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.. Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.

Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the Beer represented. The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.' The Beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of Beers with a friend.'

Thing #1!

Kimberly gave me an award!!! Her last post was about it so that's why you couldn't click her link yesterday. Click on her now! She's a great mom and is super cool - we found each other by way of Nikki, who designed our blogs! Kimberly is a "green" mom and I've learned lots of really neat things from her - I always feel like I should be making a list for things to do, things to look for, things to research, things to buy, etc... for one day when I have my own children. She is always finding the neatest things. Did I mention that she has two adorable girls? Go check out her blog! I promise you'll learn something new and fun! Thank you Kimberly!

Ok, so I am supposed to write about 7 things that I love...

1) My family - I think that this is quite possibly everyone's #1 in the list of seven! There are a few things I wish I could change sometimes, but then I remember the Serenity prayer! ;) I most love my sister... I hate that we used to not be as close as we are now. I look back and feel really sad about it, but if it contributed to where we are now, then I'm okay with that.

2) Friends - Oh how I love you all! I've learned so much from each person and I love that everyone is from all walks of life. I love that I have friends that are peers and friends that are 60. I love having friends online, friends I've never even met face to face, yet friends who I've shared SO much with - new friends and old friends! I think my oldest online friends are from 2000 - almost 10 years!

3) Picnics on warm sunny days... although I often have a toss up between playing outside and staying in with the windows open, cleaning the house. Mmmm....

4) Nola. Do I really need to say more? :) My sister lived with me for almost six years before moving to Goldsboro to be with her now husband. When she left it was lonely, but I was okay. Then, I had six of my best Greenville friends leave too! One has since come back, but everyone else is still away... I was SO lonely! Enter: Nola Belle! Nola was actually named because "Enola" is alone spelled backwards. I hated "Enola" and it reminded me of Enola Gay so...

5) Luka Bleu and Finley, sweet, sweet kittens! (Luka is technically 'senior' but he'll always be a kitten...)

6) Hope Aid. I love it. Everything about it.

7) #7 IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK.



I am now passing this award to.... (drum roll please...)

1) Abbie
2) Jess
3) Jill
4) Sarah
5) Pam
6) Karlei
7) Emily
8) Ali
9) Debbie
10) Suz
11) Kristi
12) Evelyn
13) Opus #6
14) Jenn

I was SO excited, I couldn't pick just 7, so I decided to spread the love according to my excitement!

Two VERY cool things!

Thing #1: I will tell you about tomorrow - it's from my friend (NO CLICK YET) Kimberly (NO CLICK YET!)! Ok, I know I linked her name but DON'T click on it yet! It will blow my thing that I'm going to tell you about! See, I did that to test you... do you really like surprises?

Thing #2: I cannot tell you until someone else tells first! Or until I've been given the clear to tell... in which case, I promise to tell! Maybe we'll have a simultaneous 'telling-of-the-thing' and schedule our posts to post at the same time (hey, hint, hint! lol!)

Err, Fresh Prince is still on, I have GOT to go to bed!

Lots of my friends got snow today -- HAPPY SNOW DAY! We got rain... and a tornado! I'm thankful no one was hurt. Good night! (For real this time!)

Circumstance.

Our circumstance doesn't determine our future. That's a popular and powerful phrase. But if you take time to really think about circumstance, it's depth is unbelievable. Cirumstance. Some people believe that there is no circumstance and that God has put each person where He wants them for a reason. Regardless of which of these you believe, or which is 'correct' in any sense of the term, we are who and where we are and we cannot change all parts of that.

Lots of times people ask me why I help people around the world. Why can't I help people here, because lots of people right here in our own country need help. This is true. I have never denied this. However, we have SO many resources for people to take advantage of in the US.

When Hope Aid was founded, it was done so because resources are not available, and when they are, not everyone has access. Hope Aid is a bridge for that.

Helping others isn't just a 'calling' or 'passion' for me, it's what I feel like I was born to do. Why are some people born into wealth and enough when others are born in mud huts leaving much to be desired? I wasn't born into wealth by any means, but I was born in a country that has more than enough. A country whose people are cared for via government assistance or community organizations. Shelters may be full, but there are often many options for someone who is homeless. Work may be hard to come by, but there are plenty of jobs that will pay money.

Not everyone has that luxury. I'm not really sure where I'm going with this, these are just some thoughts that I've been thinking for a while but after watching the trailor for The Mountain Thief, I decided to go head and post. Fresh Prince is on and I can rap the entire intro song. That's sad. It's after midnight and I've obviously lost my thoughts here... good night! Let's talk more about this! Have you blogged about it before? I'm thinking I might try Do Something Monday again. I removed the linky from my blog but I think I need Do Something back. It kept me humble. It kept things real.

Good night all!

Grateful.

Lately, this blog hasn't really been about much more than every day things. I used to post about more important things. I feel sad that I didn't even write about how I saw Slumdog Millionaire, and that it was a wonderful movie. I haven't even followed up on some of my posts.

I have a lot to catch up on. Til then, check out the video. I want to see this film.