My Favorite Verse

When something speaks to you in a way you haven't been spoken to in a while, your heart takes notice, and it listens, because it simply cannot not listen.

For me, that something was this Sunday post by Julie at Joy's Hope.

While I enjoy all of Julie's Sunday posts, this one spoke to me and I found myself back at her blog reading it again and again and again. And then I realized, I was reading it again and again and again because it was waiting for me to recognize that I wanted to share it. With you. With everyone.

So here it is.

Wow. Awesome. Powerful. Humbling.

My favorite verse.

Envious! (sorry for the second immediate post)

I cannot even begin to tell you how envious I am of quilters....I love, love, LOVE quilts! I love the design of them, I love that time that goes into them, I love the story that is behind each one that is made. I love them. And if you haven't been over to Amy's Blogger's Quilt Festival yet, you really have to. Have to. As in, go right now. The quilts are amazing. Stunning. Beautiful.

I will be spending my entire Saturday night leaving comments on all of them. Now, are you the one envious of how I spend my weekend nights? :)

My Fave Friday #7....PUPPIES!

Y'all, I cannot even begin to tell you how much I love my two sweet puppies, Mollie and Macy....so this My Fave Friday is dedicated to how much I love them! If you have puppies, I am sure you know exactly what I mean.


And I have to admit, originally this post was HUGE because there were so many wonderful pictures of my sweet girls that I wanted to share. But to spare everyone that may not love them the way I love them, I decided I would only share my absolute favorites.

Here is the story of our lives with Mollie and Macy.

Meet Mollie.

Full name: Mollie Margaret Arnold Crum

(we got her before we were married and Arnold is my maiden name)

Also known as MolMol, Mol, Mollie Girl, Princess Mollie Paws and Momma's Girl.

Likes: being with her mom, scavaging for food, and laying in the window sill like a cat

Dislikes: being without her mom, going outside in the rain, being pestered by Zach

This pic is my fave because this is her and my hubby the day we brought her home.

It was bittersweet because we had just lost a dog and hubby wasn't sure we were ready

for another one. I knew the minute I held her that we were.

And she was the one for us. And she was. Pets are wonderful healers.

Our first Christmas with Mollie.

All was right in her world.

Then, we brought Macy home.

Meet Macy.

Full name: Macy Mae Crum

(we got her after we were married, so no maiden name)

Also known as MeiMei, Noodles, Noodle House and Princess Brown Cheek

Likes: being on squirrel patrol in the backyard, running, walking, playing chase and sun bathing

Dislikes: umm.....nothing really

I love this picture because this shows her in all her glory....being outside in the sunshine with a toy in her mouth. Perfect Macy.

I picked out Macy as a Christmas present for my husband.

Boy, was he surprised. And so was Molly.

The day we brought Macy home, Mollie had nothing

to do with me for the entire week afterwards.

Notice my husband holding her in the photo below.

She barely wanted to be near me.

After I had already picked Macy out, but before I

had picked her up, we found out I was pregnant with Z.

Puppies are great training for kids.

Everyone should have a dog, or two, before having babies.

If I thought Mollie was mad when I brought Macy home,

it was nothing compared to the two weeks she wanted

nothing to do with me once I brought Zach home

and she realized he was staying.

But she warmed up eventually.
And his puppies are his best buds.

Especially Macy. I have a ton of the two of them like this.

Our girls are a huge part of our family, we love them so much and we are so lucky to have them!

(On a side note, anyone interested in a pet link up party? )

Surrounded by love

I have been thinking for some time that I wanted to create a post dedicated to my stepmother and showcase her talent for sewing, as she is the reason I discovered the love of sewing myself. I've posted before about how sewing has saved my life (read about it here), but my stepmother is the reason I have enjoyed it so much.

She is the one that made the special trip to Walmart to scope out the sewing machine I was thinking about getting to get started and told me to get it because it was a good little machine. She is the one who bought me a walking foot before I even knew what the heck I would need it for AND the one that walked me through over the phone how to attach it to my sewing machine when I finally realized I needed it. She is the one who whole heartedly smiled when I gave her my very first bag that I made even though it wasn't very good.

And while I have been mulling over all the wonderful things I wanted to say about her and her talents, I haven't posted before now because honestly, there aren't enough words to share the love and gratitude I feel for having her in my life, and not only for her sewing skills. My stepmother is a selfless person, she is thoughtful and I am so thankful that she came into my father's and my family's lives.

Imagine my surprise when I receive an email from her last night telling me that she is inspired by my sewing, that I inspire her and she is proud of me. Barely being able to hold back the tears, I called her immediately to tell her that she doesn't even know the half of it, that it is she that inspires me, and there is no doubt about it.

Instead of simply using words to describe her and her talents, I thought I would share all the ways in which my family and I feel surrounded by her love and how we are so very lucky to have her in our lives.

When I discovered I was pregnant, she is the one

who made gave me this sweet quilt as my first baby gift.

When I couldn't find any cute boy crib bedding,

she is the one who made me super soft minky

bedding that Z still snuggles today and when I

couldn't find curtains, she made those too.

She is the the one that made us boppy pillows,

burp clothes, bibs and towels wraps

for when we brought Z home.

She is the one that embroidered pillows when

I called and said Z was ready for a toddler bed,

a nap mat when Z needed one for preschool, and

a cute monkey when I told her that Z's 2nd birthday was

going to be a jungle theme.

She is the one that made Z banana shaped bean bags

to go with the monkey bean bag toss game

at his birthday party.

And a stick horse at Christmas.

When I called and said I had seen the cutest monkey stocking

cap in the airport in Detroit, she was the one

that surprised me by making Z the exact same hat.

She is the one that makes my hubby and I

our favorite lap blankets for snuggling in front of the tv which

are our most favorite Christmas gifts.

And she is the one that made us our own king sized quilt

for our bed this past Christmas which immediately

replaced the "luxury" quilt from Pottery Barn

we recieved as a wedding present. That blanket now sits

on our closet floor since being replaced by this one.

My husband describes it as the "perfect" blanket.

Sally, thank you. I love you.

Now or Never!

While it still mostly feels like popsicle weather here in the Big D (proof of that later in the post), I decided it was now or never to decorate for Halloween, especially because it IS finally October, which is crazy enough in itself.

I have seen so many spooky festive mantels on so many of my favorite blogs, but unfortunately the mantel in my family room is unusually narrow (a big mantle will definitely be on my list in my next home!) so I normally decorate my entry way instead for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Here's a peek at my start today....

(I buy most of my holiday decorations at Garden Ridge after the actual holiday when they are up to a crazy 90% off. The skeleton and the witch I found at Ross this season for under $10 each.)

And if you needed proof that it is still popsicle weather somewhere, here is my kid eating a popsicle barefoot in a tshirt and shorts on October 2nd. Happy Saturday!

My Hometown

I grew up in the kind of small town that as a teenager you can't wait to leave and you swear you are never coming back. The very same kind of small town you wish you lived in when you are raising kids of your own in the big city. The kind where streets are numbered 1-12 from east to west and lettered A-O running north and south. I used to live at the corner of 6th & High. And even though after college I made my big escape, the older I get, the more I realize that my hometown is where my heart is. My hometown is, well, home.

A few weeks ago I made mention that I was going to join my stepmom this year in being a vendor at my town's annual Fall festival, The Maple Leaf Festival. I cannot even begin to explain how much I love the Maple Leaf Festival, except to maybe go as far as to say that I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! I love everything about it....the parade, the food, the rides, the crowds, the booths, and well, the maple leaves themselves. My small town of 4,000 swells to over 100,000 over the course of the weekend when the weather is right, so much so that traffic is stopped for miles on the single lane highways in all four directions just trying to get into town. I love it.

(speaking of Fall, look what I found in my yard over the weekend! yes!)

I love it so much that this weekend I found myself starting to get nervous since it is really only 6 weeks away. What I can't yet tell is what exactly the nerves are about....am I worried if I will have enough stuff? Am I worried if anyone will think its good enough to buy? I am not quite sure yet, though it may be a little of both. Since I will be selling baby blankets, hand bags, shoulder bags, sling bags and crayon rolls, I've started building my existing stock with every free moment. This weekend I snuck a few hours of sewing in (2 to be exact!) while Z was napping and here's what I worked on:

I won't be listing these on etsy and I will actually be closing the shop about a week or two before Maple Leaf. Does anyone have any tips for being a vendor they would like to share? My stepmom has been doing this every year for as long as I can remember, so I am sure I am safe in her hands, but it never hurts to ask. :)

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I am partying it up this week at the linky parties over in my sidebar! Join me!

10 of my favorite things....

Okay, I will start by saying please do not let the title fool you, this post will NOT be comparable to anything you will see on Oprah's "My Favorite Things" show nor will I be giving anything away....no $5000 refridgerators and no $20000 cars you will have to pay taxes on.

No, this list is going to be relatively simple, but it is exactly what I need at the moment in order to remember all that I am thankful for because quite simply...I am tired. Exhausted. Being a full time working momma with a job that has required travel more often than not lately, I am tired. So I want to stop and remember some of my most favorite things. I can start with the obvious...my husband, my little guy, my family, friends and sweet puppy dogs, but I want this list to be of my favorite things....things that make me happy. So here it goes:

1) Diet Coke - anyone that knows me knows I have been addicted since the 7th grade. Not good I know, but I love it.


2) Haribo Gummi Bears - they have to be Haribo or I will not touch them, but I love them.

3) Fall Weather - I love the leaves, the cool crisp air, bonfires, hayrack rides, the Baldwin City Maple Leaf Festival, football games....all of it....I love it.


4) Neckwarmers from my baby dogs - Have you ever had a neckwarmer? You know, when you are laying on the couch and one of your sweet puppy dogs comes and nuzzles her neck across your neck? My husband and I call those neckwarmers, and I love them.

5) Being in the kitchen - I love to cook, but even if I am not the one cooking, I love being in the kitchen. I love the smells, the sounds, the tastes....I love the smell of garlic on my hands. And right along with it comes....

6) Cookbooks - I love reading them, I love looking at the pictures, I love the lists of ingredients.

7) Sewing - One of my more recent favorite things to do, but a favorite nonetheless. Read about how I believe it has saved my life by clicking here...

8) Peonies - Peonies may actually be my most favorite, favorite thing. I remember my grandmother's yard being full of peony bushes and they remind me of her with every bloom. I love them because I love her.

9) My Pilly - this needs no explanation as everyone loves their pilly, right?

10) The Sunday paper - Okay, so I love skipping over the entire paper and going straight to the Sunday advertisements, but it still counts at the Sunday paper, right?

Okay, those are all my favorite things and I feel better just thinking about them! Now I have to go do another one of my most favorite things and put my little man to bed! Good night!

The Whole Point

I am the kinda girl who's mind is always racing, who's always looking forward to the next "thing" or the next "event". I lay in bed at night tossing and turning for hours because my mind will not slow down. I am a multi tasker. I am a planner. I am not comfortable unless I am juggling 52 million things at once or have the next several months planned out ahead of time. And when you are the mother of a newborn or a toddler, that's perfectly fine because planning a routine is something most new moms strive for. And boy did I have the daily routine down. So for the first two years of my little man's life, I was content with "living" his routine each day because, well, that was my job as his mother, or at least that is how I felt about it.

But when my little man turned 2 this time last year and started to become more independant and he didn't "need" his momma as much all of the time, I started to feel, well, useless really and my mind started to race into overdrive. What's next? What can I plan?

My husband, bless his heart, is not a planner. He is the most chill person when it comes to having, or not having, plans. He prefers it actually. How the two of us got married I am not quite sure actually. Opposites attract maybe? Must be. But one day, as I was in planning overdrive my husband casually mentioned under his breath that I should get a hobby. And he was right. But I had never had a hobby before, besides reading (which I love), so I decided to try my hand at a few different crafting type things. But like I have mentioned in a previous post, I am not a crafty kinda girl. And then I thought about my Stepmom who has sewn almost her entire life and I was struck by how much she truly enjoys it. So I decided to give it a try. I bought a $100 sewing maching at Wal Mart and got started.

Sewing, for me, has really been a life saver. And I am not trying to be dramatic, I am not really a dramatic kinda girl. Planner? Yes. Dramatic? No. But when I say it was a life saver, I mean it. It gave me back a life of my own. My own. And I love it. I love coordinating fabrics, I love reading patterns (I don't really love cutting fabric, but there's always something right?), I love piecing the pieces together and seeing something wonderful come to life that I've created from scratch. And what I love the most is that is slows me down, it keeps it from racing 100 miles a minute. It forces me to slow down, to take my time, to do it right without focusing on what comes next. And I love that. And I needed it.

As a result of my new found love for sewing, a whole stock pile of items that I loved were accumulating in my sewing room (which is really my formal dining room at the moment, but minor details). And unfortunately, one person can only have so many baby blankets (especially for an almost 3 year old boy that doesn't care for cute girl stuff!) and I only have so many friends having babies, which is why I created my etsy store. I honestly, and please know that I mean this, do not care about selling a single thing, I just can't keep it all and I want to share it because I am proud of it.

Which actually brings me to the whole point of my story.

Something else I hope to do with my life, besides be the best wife and mother I can be, is to contribute. Contribute to my family, contribute to my community, and contribute to this world. And I am hoping one way I can do that is by donating some of the items that I make. This time I am contributing the below butterfly blanket / crayon roll combo and the below Amy Frenchy style Hand bag to a friend's silent auction that is raisining money to assist a memeber of their church in the adoption process. I am so humbled to be able to contribute to the silent auction and I thank my friends for the opportunity. Because it definitely wasn't without all the usual doubts and fears of self-consciousness...."What if my items were not good enough? What if no one wanted them? What if they didn't bring any bids?" Well, guess what? If no one bid on them, I bet they would make some one happy for free at the end of the night. And that's perfectly fine by me as well. :)

I have another project in the works that is aimed at contributing to the community, I hope to share after a quick trip to Baltimore!

Blog Hop!

Pensieve's 3rd Annual Blog Hop '10!

How fun is this? I told you I was becoming a party girl (shhhh those who knew me in college!)!!

Now....a short intro about me.....hmmmm.....like my site says I am just a small town girl who found her home in the big city....I love my husband, my little boy, my family, my friends and my two sweet Cavaliers Mollie Girl and Macy Mae.

I am a full time working mom and once my little man turned two and started to become more self sufficient, I started to realize that outside of taking care of my family and going to work every day, I really didn't have anything for me, anything that I liked to do or that I was passionate about.

I tried my hand at a few different crafty thing, but I realized that I just am not the crafty type. So, I tried sewing instead and I LOVE IT! I love finding fabrics that make my heart race and I love even more taking two pieces of fabric and making them into something that someone else can use and enjoy. Then Sew Super Sweet was born!

I am a new blogger, but I hope you enjoy your time here! I know I am going to enjoy "hopping" around this weekend! Thanks for "hopping" by!!

The best!

Earlier in the week I posted about visting some friends who recently had a baby, but what I didn't mention was that I tried another recipe from "The Pioneer Woman Cooks", my new most favorite cookbook. This time I tried her lasagna recipe, though when I say tried, I mean I tried to make it for my friends therefore I didn't actually get to "try" any myself. And I wasn't the only one disappointed.

In fact, my husband had the nerve to say "Why don't you ever cook anything like that for me?" as soon as I pulled the lasagna from the oven. And while I do not blame him one bit for wanting it, I wanted it to, I had to not be swayed by this but instead focus on his comment because it was coming from a man who anytime I try to fix a square meal to include all the food groups he is quick to blurt out that he was really just wanting soup for dinner. That's right, soup.

So, because I love him, I decided to forgive him and I made the lasagna again tonight. This time for us. And it was everything I expected it to be...and more. It was the best lasagna I have ever had...ever. And I made it. And you should try it. Here it is:

I think...no, I know what I loved about it is the spicy breakfast sausage in the recipe. Every few bites it was like a spicy little kick. And it was wonderful. The best. I am glad I love my husband.

Motherhood - Day 3 versus Year 3

This evening, M (my husband), Z (my little man) and I took dinner (I made the Pioneer Woman lasagna, more on that later in the week!) to our friends who had a darling baby girl over the weekend. And when I say darling, I mean darling. I am not lying when I say I held that baby for the entire 90 minutes we were there. I cradled that sweet baby girl in my left arm, I snuggled her and cooed to her and breathed in her sweet baby smell. Sorry if I am gushing, but she is darling.

What I enjoyed almost as much though (but not quite!), was seeing my friend as a new mom. I mean, what an awesome responsibility she now has! And seeing her tonight brought back all the feelings I had when I had a three day old baby at home, so much in fact that I even teared up at one point. I could see the same nervousness, the same anxiousness, the same bewilderedness that I felt as a new mom. But I could also see the same pride, the same adoration and the same love that I had for my newborn baby and it was incredible to see and experience again.

As I was rocking my own little man this evening before bedtime, I started thinking about all the lessons of motherhood that I had learned in the last three years and I think the most important one of all I learned when my own little one was three days old.....above all else, trust your mommy instincts. And any time I have a tough decision to make, I try to take a step back and truly listen to what my mommy instincts are telling me. Here are a few other things I have learned:

• Trust your mommy instincts (sorry, but this one is worth repeating and will always be at the top of the list)
• Sometimes, babies just cry. That's what babies do. And it is okay. Yes, it can be un-nerving, but it is also okay.
• You have to find what works for you and your baby, and it is not necessarily going to be what works best for your best friend. Or your sister. Or your neighbor. And that is okay.
• People are going to have all sorts of opinions about everything and they are not going to be afraid to share them. And its perfectly okay not to listen. But is is also perfectly okay to listen. You might learn something.
• Cheap perfumed wipes cause diaper rash.
• Once you get the 1 year old figured out, he turns 2. Once you get the 2 year old figured out, he turns 3.
• Having a kid is hard and frustrating and it is okay to admit it and talk about and ask for help.
• But it is also the most incredibly rewarding, most incredibly joyful, most including inspiring, most incredibly loving thing I have ever experienced.

What are some of the lessons of motherhood you have learned?

Seriously in love.

Have you ever found something that you totally fell in love with the instant that you came in contact with it and you COULD. NOT. WAIT. to tell everyone you know about it? I had this very expierence a few weeks ago when my copy of "The Pioneer Woman Cooks" arrived in the mail from Amazon. I had sent a few reviews of it out in blogland and I decided to order it as a birthday present to myself. I cannot even begin to gush enough about how much I love this cookbook. I mean, I love cookbooks. They are one of my most favorite things. But, this cookbook, I sat down and read from cover to cover, front to back, first page to last page, all in one day.

Not only are the recipes to die for, I mean, I would cook every single recipe in this book. Every one. No lie. But Ree Drummond, or the "Accidental Country Girl" as she calls herself, is wildly clever and witty and the way she shares her life in this book is endearing. I loved it. Oh wait, I already said that.

As a testiment, I've already tried my first recipe from the cookbook for a Berry Cobbler and it was "Mmmmm so delicious" as my little man says! Even my husband told me two different times tonight that the cobbler was great. The recipe in the book used blackberries, but any berries could be used so I used blueberries. Start to finish it was done in 70 minutes, 10 mins prep and 60 mins to bake. So easy and so yummy. Have a look for yourself:

The Pioneer Woman

(thepioneerwoman.com)

Mine

Try the book and definitely try the cobbler. You will not be disappointed. I will let you know what I decide to try next!

I had a feeling this would happen....

So....I had a feeling this was going to happen. But before I tell the story, I need to set the context for what led up to today....

Context #1 : I recently made a shoulder bag for my momma in the Amy Butler Frenchy pattern, which I love. Well, my oldest sister (we will call her Sis from here on out) liked it and mentioned it to my mother so in turn my mother asked me to make Sis one for birthday, which is coming up in the month of August. I then went out and found the perfect fabric for my Sis's bag and just finished it this weekend. As a reference point, here is my mom's bag. I obviously can't show you my Sis's yet or it would ruin the surprise.

Context #2 : My other sister (we will call her my Seester from here on out) emailed me a few weeks ago and the conversation went like this:

Seester : "If you were going to pick one of your shoulder bags on etsy for me, which one would you pick? Just curious."

Me : "I wouldn't pick any of those for you my seester because none of them look like you. While they look like me, they don't look like you. The only reason I have not made you one yet is because I haven't found a fabric combination that looks like "you", but when I do, I will make you one. And don't try and be sneaky and buy something from my store. You are my seester for crying out loud."

Which, I have since found fabric that I think looks like her, though you can never really be sure about this sister because she is extremely picky. And picky doesn't even begin to explain it.

Fast forward to this morning when I finished Sis's bag and immediately fall in love with it. I should've known better, but I was so eager to share, I texted a picture of it to my Seester.....big mistake. She texts back "I hope that is mine, if it isn't, it shoud be". Uh oh. And here now lies my problem...my Seester has now seen my Sis's bag, but won't see her own until it arrives on her doorstep. What if she is let down? What if she likes my Sis's bag better? Then what? As my 3 year old son would say...."Awwww Nuts".

The Beginning

There are a lot of things I love in my life....my husband, my little one, my family, my puppies, Diet Coke, mint chocolate chip ice cream, Haribo gummi bears (more on those another time)...you know, the usual. But I also love sewing and I love to cook. Two things I don't necessarily think I would have ever expected to find out about myself, that is, until I stopped expecting my life to look a certain way. And boy, did I expect it to look a certain way for a really long time. About 30 years to be exact. But here I am, at 32 (just yesterday!), finally allowing myself the freedom to "be" something other than I have been expecting for so long. So this, for, me, is going to be my journey into who I am supposed to be, who I am not supposed to be, the sewing projects I am going to tackle and the recipes I am going to burn. Hopefully I find one or two to keep along the way.