Church, church, and more church camp

 Here are my babies on the way to camp.

 It is tough to let them go and have a week of date nights with Gene. 

 Gigi is a camp pro.  This is her third week long summer camp experience.

Greta was so excited about camp.  She is finally old enough to attend.

Notice that there aren't any pictures of when we picked them up from camp?  Turns out that this camp was all church and no camp... for a week.  Oh wait, they did get to swim indoors for 30 minutes a day.  We love Baby Jesus more than the average Joe but really?!?!

ON a positive note, I want to send them back next year.  I have never felt as loved as when we picked them up.  Greta was so relieved to see us that she was holding back the tears.  Unfortunately, I will have to cling to the memory of those super tight hugs because there is no way in hell we could get them to go again. ha ha

Weekender Tote

Vera Bradley Weekender 

I have had my eye on the Vera Bradley Weekender bag for months.  I almost bought one several times but I didn't want to face my husband when I told him how much I paid and that I needed the matching accessories.   It also drives me crazy to purchase an item when I can probably make something similar.
We went on a weekend trip recently and I carried my old, snagged, sad, poopy brown duffel bag.  It was almost embarrassing to carry it to our nice hotel room.  I mean really, I am at the age now that when I travel and climb out of the car my bag is the best looking thing.  I should have a cute bag that distracts folks from the worn traveler.  I vowed that I would sew my own.  So, this weekend I dug through my scraps and sewed my very own custom designed Sherry Porter Weekender Tote... and accessories.

I love it and it was a fraction of the price of the Vera Bradley tote.  There are a few things I would change and that I learned along the way.  This is the first super-duper big, fleece lined, and zippered tote I have made.  Plus, I didn't follow a pattern. I made it up as I went along and decided on measurements based on the size of scraps I had available.  The interior is small black and white polka dot material and has a large pocket (that needs a snap but I forgot to put it in).  Zippers, arghhh!  After putting in all three zippers it dawned on me why I was not getting the clean finish stitch that I desired.  Oh well, next time.  I just won't let anyone who knows how to sew  look at my bag closely.  ha ha

The picture doesn't show the sizes of the accessory bags well.  The taller bag will hold my hairspray, flat iron, shampoo, and brushes.  This is just a fluke because I just pieced together scraps.  Thank goodness for small miracles.  The second bag is a little larger than a make-up bag. I need more products now to look good than I needed a few years ago. They are both lined with water resistant PUL so when my bronzer spills or shampoo lid leaks, they can easily be wiped clean.

Yea, I can't wait to go on a weekend vacation and see how my bags work.

PCS and Military Friends

It normally takes me about six months to get settled in and start making friends when we move someplace new.  I usually need that time to get moved in our new-to-us home, get the kids in their activities, and find my way around.  I am slow and being a military wife for almost two decades hasn't sped up that process.

Gene takes forever (or never) to make a friend.  I don't know what that says about him but he is slow to open up around new people and even slower to let someone in the Focker Circle Of Trust.  I can count his true friends on one hand.  Maybe I should be thankful... when he commits he is committed for life.  That is a good thing in a marriage.  ha ha

It is even more rare for us to both connect with a couple and have our kids get along.  If memory serves me correctly, this phenonmenon has happened in only two or three moves.  You know if you are one of those two or three.

This relationship was a win-win.  You know what I'm talking about... the kind of peeps that you wear your pjs over to their house to have a glass of wine while the kids raise hell in the back of the house.  The more amazing part of this friendship matrimony is that it happened in a span of less than a year.  Sadly, they left us for Hawaii... the other woman.  *sniff* *sniff*

I have been in mourning for about a month now but I feel that it is my duty to create a permanent record and start to move on.  Let the healing begin.  Just kidding, the beautiful part of being in the military is that you always run into people again.  So, instead of saying goodbye I made them a token of my affection that said "see ya' later."  Brad, Tab and family - enjoy Hawaii but know that the neighborhood isn't the same and I am getting a lot more sleep.

Tote bags and Etsy

I have been happily busy in my art/sewing room.  Starting my Etsy store, Poppy Cat Sews, has been a long time coming but I just don't seem to be getting enough different items made for listing.  It's not that I haven't been productive.  I've finished several tote bags in the past couple of weeks and one is going to be listed and available very soon.  The rest, well, they already have a new home.  *smile*

I also plan on sewing and listing some fabric cuff bracelets.  Each one I make I end out keeping for myself.  (shame on me)  There are going to be some running wallet cuffs available in a week or so.  I made one at a friend's request and she really liked it.  They will fit around your wrist or ankle and have room to hold a military ID, keys, and some money.

Can you think of anything that you would like to see available?  I'd really like to know what people are interested in.

I made two of these.  One was an end of the year teacher gift and the other was purchased as a diaper bag.  I wouldn't mind having one of these myself.

This one went as an end of the year teacher's gift.

I bet the person who bought this one as a gift ends out keeping it for herself.  She is moving to Hawaii, how could she not keep it?

This tote was fun to make - the person who bought it got to help pick out the material and design it.

Finally, a tote to list on Etsy.  The orange, green, and brown paisley looks really cute with the pink leopard interior.

Praise Him - Mixed Media Painting

A wonderful friend from my Bible Study class asked me if I could paint her a picture.  She wanted one that reminded her of God's glory but didn't smack people in the face of it when they came to visit.  A picture that had meaning for her. 

She showed me a picture that she had found in a catalog that she liked as an example. I  struggled at the beginning of this painting because I wanted to please my friend who had commissioned me to paint for her - I didn't want her to buy the painting just to be nice.  I wanted her to love it.  After a few days of stagnant work I realized that I have to be true to my style and just started painting (forgetting the example).

The lesson I learned... be true to myself.  Once I relaxed and stopped worrying the picture came together in a day.  It looks nothing like the examples and I am glad.  I wouldn't want it any other way.  I worked over five hours straight and didn't realize it until my family called me for dinner.  The "zone" was happening and that is when I know I love what I am doing.

I love the picture.  It is whimsical and fun but has meaning.  The special secret is that the church is made from her own journal page, which I asked for a photo.  I have painted other pictures like this that have hidden photos and memorabilia. 

My Mom loved nature and gardening.  Someday I will paint myself a picture that includes something with her handwriting.  Handwriting is so personal and brings back so many memories.   I  am going to list this painting on my Etsy store, Poppy Cat Sews, as a custom made piece.   I hope I get to paint for someone soon.  Sharing my art and making something personal for someone else is so rewarding.

On a side note, the study was Brave - Honest Questions Women Ask by Angela Thomas.  It was excellent.

The Perfect Bed

This is a VERY serious post...

How many of us put off decorating our bedrooms?  I am always shopping for the perfect duvet cover, curtains, accessories, etc. but it is always delayed.  Something more important comes up or there is someplace that we would rather spend our money.  We are big fans of mini-vacations.

I finally bought a new duvet cover.  For years we have had a summer weight down comforter on our bed for warmer weather... with a blanket thrown over it.  I just couldn't find something I liked until we spotted this Thomas O'Brien duvet set at... Target.  Gotta love Target.

It wasn't the perfect duvet cover but Gene and I both liked this one.  It sorta hollers "I am man!" so I wanted to liven it up and add some more color.   I started looking at throw pillows but remembered that I have feather pillows that I saved.  All they needed were new shams so Gene and I picked out the material.

I used my Mother's Day "alone time" to sew new shams.  I love them and now I have the perfect duvet cover and pillows for our bed.  Yahoo!  I am happy.  I wonder if I will go to bed at a decent time.  Probably not!

(I would show them pictured on our bed but we just got home from a mini-vacation and there are clothes all over the perfect duvet cover.) 

Family Reunion

 We had a small family reunion near Pacific, MO with my Dad, his sisters, additional family, and some of the cousins.  I was in a beautiful setting and I wish I had taken more pictures of the area.  It's always good to reconnect with family.

Gigi and Gene on the super cool bridge that crossed the far end of the lake.

Gene, Gigi, Ryan, Timothy, and my brother Bill.  They thought I couldn't hear them grumbling about having their picture taken.  ha ha

Bill and his two sons, Timothy and Ryan.  You can't deny the DNA in that group.

Gigi and Greta were playing the ice cold water with their cousin Lauren and Samantha.  I looked like fun... especially since it was unseasonably warm and humid.

My Dad catching up on stories.

This little guy turned out to be a source of great entertainment.  I consider myself lucky that he didn't come home with us in a box poked with air holes.