I share a room with my honey.  He has one side for his computer and all his games.  I have the other side for sewing and crafting.  This is what my side looks like right now.UGH!!

But underneath all my craziness, do you see that vintage replica fabric.  It is hidden right now but you can see a glimpse of it.  See it?  Isn't it wonderful?  What is it about vintage fabric that just keeps my eyes on it forever?

Anyway, enough about my mess.  I have been making a quilt for 4 yrs.  Yes, 4 yrs.  I just can't seem to finish it.  Stuff happens, I guess.  BUT, I plan on completing it this year.  Really!!  I do!!  I am getting my side of the room organized and getting ready to dive in and complete this project.  My honey is going to build me some shelves to help me get organized.  Isn't he the sweetest?

This is the pattern I used.  Isn't is beautiful?  And I love the name of it.

Here are some of the squares I've completed so far.

Here are some of the hundreds of strips I cut out.  Isn't this the best fabric?

I hope to someday in the future, put a picture of my completed quilt on this blog.  Stay tuned girls. 

Thanks for visiting. 

I love surprises!!

I was unsuspecting.  I was minding my own business.  I got a text from a friend asking me if I like the color pink.  Oh, was I intrigued!!  I love the color pink.  Especially vintage pink!!  I told her yes and I asked her why.  She wouldn't tell, she said she will see me later that night.  Oh, I couldn't wait.  I was getting a surprise and it was pink!!

Remember this apron?  Holly posted on her blog that it was her first attempt at making an apron.  I commented that I thought it was adorable.  Little did I know, it would become my very own!!

Not only do I have the pleasure of being a blogging friend to Holly, I am an "in person" friend.  For all you girls who don't know her personally, she is awesome!!  She is cute and funny and talented and she is an inspiration to me. 

So Holly, my new apron is taking first place in my row of aprons. And what I really love about it besides that it is handmade and a gift, I love that it fits me.  I have a few vintage aprons and they are so tiny.  Women years ago must not have had big waists.  I'm just saying. 

Thanks Holly. I feel honored to have my new apron.

Remember, it's all about us Chicks!!

Treasured Christmas!

I wanted to share this piece of Christmas art.  I place it in a special place each year.  When I am pulling out the decorations, this is the one that I can't wait to see.  It was made by a family member years ago.  I was the lucky one to be able to keep the tradition in my home each year.

See the lamp post on the side of the building, each year I have to glue that back on. 

Look at their mouths.  I love it!!!

I love the outfit this girl is wearing.  It's a beautiful blue.

Even the little dog is making music. 

Thanks for letting me share a great Christmas treat.  To the family member that gave this me, THANK YOU!!!  I hope to someday be an old women and pass it on to a lucky member of the younger generation.

Remember, it's all about us Chicks!!

 

Love on a sheet pan!!!!

So one of my best friends and I had our annual bake fest, but was special this year is our daughters joined us.  What an amazing day.  So why did I title this blog "Love on a sheet pan"?  It is because I feel the love with my annual cookie baking.  I bake every year.  Sometimes alone, sometimes with my friends, sometimes with my daughter.  And then after all the baking is done, I give them away to people who mean something in my life, relatives, co workers, my boss........

So here are a few pics to share of my very special day.

Ginger Bread Houses!!! What Fun!!!

So here are a couple pics of my grandkids and the ginger bread house we made together.  Really nothing else to say.  Grandma's pride and joy.

Remember the Christmas Stockings!!!

I posted a while ago about all the Christmas Stockings the Eagles Auxilliary had collected for our Annual Children's Christmas Party.  Here they are, full to brims!!!!  Didn't my ladies come through?!!!!!!  The kids are going to be so excited. 

Remember, it's all about us chicks!!

I am loving the blogging world!!!

I have found a new hobby.  Blogging.  I so appreciate my friend turning me on to this.  Not just the blogging about my own life but I love reading other blogs.  I am finding out that so many women have so much interesting things to talk about, take pictures of and share with the rest of us.  Each day, I am finding new friends, new recipes, new decorating ideas and I LOVE peeking into the homes and lives of others.  I hope to some day have followers on my blog and I hope that others love peeking into my world. 

I was visiting sugarpiefarmhouse.com and she had this bunch of daisies in her kitchen.  Now you know how much I love daisies!!!!  Makes me want to seek out my favorite florist and pick up a bunch for myself.  Can I find fresh daisies in Dec!!!!!

Doesn't this picture make you smile???

Remember, it's all about us Chicks!!!

Today is my 49th Birthday

Boy that was hard to say.  I have been lying about my age for so long I actually had to do the math to see how old I really am.

You are wondering why I lie about my age.  I'm scared I guess.  Scared to turn 50.  I just remember all my life that 50 just seemed so old.  I always thought when a person turned 50 their fun and exciting life was over.  I thought it was time to get the rocking chair out and stop coloring over the gray hair.

So today I had to face that in one year I will turn 50.  My thoughts are changing about turning 50.  My thoughts are now that I would love for this next year to be the year I plan for turning 50.  Wouldn't it be awesome if on my birthday, a year from today, that I feel good about myself.  It would be so cool to turn 50 and be ready to face the rest of my life as a confident and self assured 50 yr old.  I would love it when I turn 50 that "I" am my first priority.   I am on my way to feeling these things.   Baby steps I guess. 

YUMMY!!!!

Thanks Mommy's Kitchen.  This was an easy and very tasty dinner.  The family loved it too!!!

Crock Pot Taco Soup

Plates, plates and more plates

I came across a picture that I just can't seem to get out of my head.  Isn't this the coolest idea.  I sometimes see plates and fall in love but always shy away from picking it up because I wonder what I will do with a single plate.  I guess I don't have the vision like this lady.  Check it out. I saved the pictures and can't find the source of them.  I'm sorry to the person that I am not giving credit to.  I want to find a wall in my house to turn into a "PLATE WALL"

Something else caught my eye that I also think is adorable.  A wall of vintage pot holders.  How cute it this??

Be careful, we might run into each other at the garage sales cause now I am on a mission to find adorable plates.

Remember, it's all about us chicks!!

Tis The Season

Look at all these Christmas Stockings!!!!  I get such a wonderful feeling to see all these stockings piled up together.  They are so colorful and meaningful.  These stockings will be filled with all kinds of goodies for the FOE 2843 Children's Christmas Party.  I admire the women of this auxiliary so much. Ever want to have a home away from home?  Visit an Eagles Club!!!

Crock Pot Taco Soup

I found this recipe on Mommy's Kitchen Blog.  mommyskitchen.net   Now that the weather is getting colder in Phoenix, we need a good crock pot recipe.  Here it is.  By the way, if you ever need an awesome idea food wise.  Go to her blog.  Ton's of recipes and ideas.  I am making this over the weekend.  Hope mine looks as good as hers.  I'll keep you posted.

2 - pounds ground beef, ground turkey or a mixture of
1- lb breakfast sausage + 1 - lb ground beef or turkey
1 1/2 - cups diced onions
1 - 15 oz cans bush's pinto beans, drained & rinsed
1 - 15 oz can bush's kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 - 15 oz can bush's black beans, drained & rinsed
1 - 15 oz can whole kernel corn, drained or 2 cups frozen corn
1 - 14.5 oz can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
1 - 14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes
1 - 14.5 oz can mild rotel (tomatoes with chile's)
1 - cup water
1 - 4.6 oz can sliced black olives, drained
1/2 - cup green olives, sliced, optional
1 - package taco seasoning mix
1 - 1 oz package ranch salad dressing mix

Using a large skillet brown the meat together with the chopped onions. Drain and add the meat mixture to your crock pot. Rinse and drain all of the beans. Next just start adding all of the canned ingredients, water and drained beans to the crock pot. Sprinkle the taco seasoning and ranch dressing mix on top and give it a gentle stir. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

The Commotion In My Head

I am having trouble sharing my healthy living journey on my blog.  This struggle has always been something I only dealt with privately and in my own mind.  I never even talk about it with girlfriends or family.  But, I am hoping that talking about it out loud (even if it is not really out loud) will help me with my self esteem and my whole journey all together. 

Yesterday after work I went and hiked my favorite trail on North Mountain.  Usually this is liberating for me and helps me with my thoughts.  Yesterday though I kept thinking about all the things I needed to get done and I cut the hike short.  Then at the end of the night I was disappointed in myself because once again, I didn’t put myself first.  All the things that need to be done shouldn’t take priority over ME!!!  Lesson learned.  When I am working out, of course my mind is going to try to remember what needs to be done in my life, but all of those things need to be second place on my priority list from now on. 

Got my hiking shoes on ready to take on trail #44 again today!!!  See you at the top!!!!

I love catalogs!!!

In looking through some of my newest catalogs, I saw some cool stuff.  Here are the things that caught my eye and hopefully soon will have a spot in my home. 

Everyone knows how I love decorating and storage.  Wouldn't these look awesome on a shelf holding my pictures and magazines???

Any everyone also knows how much I love flowers.  Look at these vintage looking frog jars.  Perfect for my hall bathroom!!!  I'm trying to a shabby chic look.  Don't you think these would go perfectly????

Ohhh, and look at these!!!  They will fit right in with the old tins I already have displayed.  Don't you think they need a home???  My home???



Thanks for visiting and Remember, it's all about us Chicks!!!

My New Journey

In my blog I have shared my thoughts and my endeavors and even some silly stuff.  But I have decided to share something that is always on my mind and is really a struggle for me every day of my life.

My weight!!!

All my life my weight has been a problem for me.  Always the chubby kid.  Never the girl that the guys paid attention to.  Now don’t feel sorry for me, I have lived a good life.  I have a great job and I have a family and kids and husbands who loved me.  I just deep down have never truly loved myself.  That’s where the “husbands” come in.  It seems that it is hard to love someone when they don’t love themselves.  Again, don’t feel sorry for me.  I have lived and traveled and tons of fun in my life.  It’s just that there has always been this monkey on my back.

So, a few years ago, husband number two walked out of my life.  I was devastated.  I realized that I needed to “get right with myself.”  In the year after he left I had made great progress.  I lost about 80 pounds and was starting to like what I saw in the mirror.  I was a yellow belt in Karate, I worked as a bartender as a second job, I worked out faithfully and almost always ate the right choices.  Not always but I seemed to be learning.  Then, I fell in love.  I don’t know but all of a sudden “I” didn’t matter anymore.  It was right back to where it had always been my whole life.  Everything I did was all about everyone else in my life.  I can’t really seem to figure out why I do that but it must be some kind of personality disorder.  I have since gained 36 pounds back of what I lost.  I am feeling miserable about myself.

So I have a list of things that I would like to accomplish sometime in 2011.  This means that I need to put myself as a higher priority.  So now comes the balancing act.  I still want to be there for my family and I still want to take care of my charity responsibilities but I need to think about myself also.

I had this thought the other day when going through my closet looking for something to wear.  Here I am turning 49 this year and I have a closet full of clothes that I can’t fit into.  They are all adorable clothes.  They are clothes that I would feel terrific if I could wear them.  I said to myself, “What are you going to do, die someday with all these cute clothes in your closet.?”  Sounds stupid, I know.  But, if anyone out there has weight and self esteem issues like me, I am hoping they understand a little of what I am talking about.

So my journey begins today.  12/1/2010

There are many things I want to accomplish in the next 10 years of my life but the one’s I’ve written below are just the weight loss items for now. 

I want to feel comfortable continuing my martial arts training.

I want knee high boots that fit and look good.

I want to feel comfortable sitting in my husband’s lap.

I want to feel good enough about myself to dance as well as my husband. He is a terrific dancer.

I want to feel good in my own skin.

So I know I went on and on and now everyone who reads my blog knows some of my inner most thoughts.  I will keep this blog updated with my getting healthy journey as well as the other things I have going on in my life. 

Gooseberry Patch

So I was wondering if I had anything interesting to enter in my blog today, thinking I might skip another day.  But then I was working on a project and it came to me.  I would like to share Gooseberry Patch. 

I love the cookbooks and craft books.  One year I gave all my special girl friends a cook book with tons of cookie recipes.  I have made a quilt from the pattern from gooseberry patch.  And now I am working on some other items that I will share when they are complete.

Please girls, check them out.  There is even a story behind the creators of Gooseberry Patch. 

Remember, it's all about us Chicks!!

Being Thankful

What does it mean to be thankful? I'm not talking about being polite after someone's opened the door for you. I'm talking about feeling thankful for the true blessings in your life. '"True Blessings" mean the things in your life that resonate importance in your life - the things that touch your core.

You may be wondering why it's important to feel thankful. Oprah talked about this concept a few years ago and she suggested having a thankfulness journal. This is a great idea because it keeps us focussed on the positives in our lives. It helps us see the great things we have and do, and puts our frustrations and worries into perspective. But even if you don't have a journal, you can see the benefits of being conscious of thankfulnesss - again, it keeps us focused on the great and wonderful things in our lives.

How does being thankful affect your life? Let's look at it in terms of someone you may know. Imagine the person who is usually in a bad mood. They are always complaining about something, there is always someone who's done something to them and they're always getting the bum deal. This person is hard to be around and it takes a lot of energy to maintain a relationship with them. By the end of a visit, you're exhausted! Do you think this person is a thankful one? Probably not. In fact, if you asked them what they're thankful for, they may have a hard time telling you.


On the other hand, think of someone else you know. This person is energetic, and has a certain spark to them. They laugh a lot and have a "can-do" attitude. They may be afraid, but they are willing to try new things. If you ask them what they're thankful for, they will be able to list off many. And when you visit with this person, you feel energized, inspired and thankful to know them. It's safe to say that this person is more fulfilled in their life than the unthankful one.

Of course our lives are never perfect but we still strive for perfection. But you know how it is. You reach the top of one mountain and lo and behold! there's another mountain to climb! Don't feel discouraged by this. Be sure to look back at all the mountains you've climbed and acknowledge the growth and progress you've made. Be thankful for the experiences because without them, you wouldn't be where you are today.
And what if where you are today is not where you want to be? Again, be thankful that you are where you are - because now you have a very clear idea of what you don't want. You can now work towards what you do want.

I found this atricle by Trish Hoskin and I hope it inspires many people this Thanksgiving.

And just so you know who is really thankful for her life, Remember, it's all about us Chicks!!

My Old Friend #44

So a few days ago I shared with you my feelings about my friend trail #44.  I hiked trail #44 everyday for the past two weeks.  I am really feeling my muscles again and I must admit, it feels great.  I thought I would share some pics.  Now these pics were taken with my phone so they aren't the best. 

This part of the trail is what I call "The Stairway to Heaven" This picture doesn't really show, but it is brutal.  I'm breathing pretty hard after I get up this path.

This picture is taken on top of the Stairway to Heaven.  Give you a feeling of how high it is.

This next picture is about half up the trail. I am breathing hard and sweating by the time I get here.

This next pic is taken from the top.  Now I love the feeling I get when I see this view. 

Thanks for letting me share an old friend.

Remember, it's all about us Chicks!!

Am I nuts?

Last night I watched the movie "The Titanic".  Good movie, I have seen it all the way through twice.  So all day long I have been thinking about this movie.  And this is the "It's a chick thing" thoughts I have been having.  Not about the ship and how people died.  Not about icebergs.  I have been thinking, how come we women don't get to dress like the ladies in this era.  I am so in love with the clothes and the big hats that they wore.  Now, I probably wouldn't want to wear a corsett but I LOVE THE BIG HATS!!!  All day long I pictured when Kate Winslet stepped out the the car to get on the boat and the first thing we see is her big beautiful hat. 

Don't think I'm crazy, it's just a chick thing.

44

I have a friend.  This friend is always there when I need to pay a visit.  This friend doesn't care how often I visit.  This friend doesn't care if I look good or dress nice when I visit.  This friend lets me vent, have conversations, pray and cry.  This friend doesn't gossip or see my faults. I really should visit this friend more often but for some reason I tend to want to visit this friend when my life is in turmoil.  This friend always seems to ease my pain and help me think more clearly.  One of the best things about this friend, I always feel better about myself after the visit!!!!

Let me introduce you to my friend, Trail #44 on North Mountain. I have been hiking this trail for a few years and yesterday made a promise to my good friend that I will visit more often, not only when I am in turmoil.

Tomorrow I will share the pictures I took on the path of my good friend, Trail #44.

Remember, it's all about us Chicks!!

Polka Dots

I came across this picture and I was drawn to it.  First, I love old photos of sexy women and especially if they have red hair.  Being a red head as a young girl, I hated it.  I always wanted to be a pretty blonde or an alluring brunette like all my girl friends.  It wasn't until I got older that I liked being a red head.  As a matter of fact, I love being a red head.  Sooooo, I think that is why I am drawn to pics of red heads.  But you know what really drew me to this picture, the green polka dot bikini.  Not sure why, but I love polka dots!!!!!

Remember, it's all about us chicks!!