Stitch Fix Review

Ok. I'm a lemming like Stephie and joined the Stitch Fix group. Stephie had posted about trying it, and I decided to give it a try. I had some hesitations--I'm semi-hard to fit (super long legs and arms for a 5'5" gal, and short-waisted) and then there's the whole weird-o age thing...I don't want to look like a 50-something trying to look like I'm 25, yet I'm not ready for polyester pants and the nursing home look. :) BUT, I hate to shop. When Stephie was still available to shop with me more frequently, it wasn't so bad, but now it's just a total hassle and I don't want to do it. So, what the heck? I gave it a try, and I was really pleased overall with what I received this time. I pinned some outfits that I liked onto a "My Style" pinterest board, and I really think that helped. Plus, I made sure that I was totally honest on the questionnaire that they give you, and I think that they really paid attention to that (for example, I made sure that they understood that I have a very fair complexion and whites and yellows look awful on me). Anyway, I decided to post what I got, just for fun. You get five items, and 3 days to decide if you want them. You pay $20 upfront, but that's deducted if you keep anything (and let's be honest--by the time you pay gas to drive around and eat lunch, you've spent more than $20). What you don't want, you send back in a postage paid envelope and drop it in your mailbox/post office. So, that was pretty easy.

So, here goes:

First, was this top:

Hmmm. Not a good start. The color was fine, but it was shorter than I like, and flared at the bottom. Jerry said it looked like a maternity top (or what we used to wear as a maternity top). Don't want to go there. Wasn't crazy about the stripes, either (and please excuse the bad selfie pictures. Not good at them, nor do I have a full-length mirror). Uh, no on this top. 

Next: 

Ok. Much better. I had said that I like cardigan sweaters, and that jewel tones looked good with my complexion. Funny thing is that Stephie got one in a different color in her box, too, but that's ok. :) This was a keeper. 

And...

I was surprised that these jeans fit as well as they did, since I have trouble with getting jeans to fit. They are a darker blue, which I needed for dressier jeans, and I thought that the back pockets were actually kind of cute. Needed these and kept them. 

Another top:

Ok. This is a top that I might not have selected for myself, but I like it. It will be good with a blazer and for dressier nights (I'm thinking our anniversary, for example). Once again, good color and I like the nice folds. It's quite comfy. {On a side note, we put thoughts to ourselves on the mirror of our bathroom to inspire us. That's what the writing is all about.}

And last:

This necklace was just so-so. Nothing to write home about. I don't wear much jewelry, mostly because I'm overly picky about jewelry, so this didn't do that much for me. Decided that it wasn't worth the cost. 

Ok. Had I kept everything, I would have gotten a 25% discount, so it all would have been $178 (the jeans were the most expensive item, and jeans everywhere are expensive), which isn't bad, as the quality seems pretty good. The prices without the discount were about like GAP prices (and you can choose your price point). I seriously thought about keeping everything, because there would only have been $4.50 difference, but I just didn't like the top and didn't know what I would do with it if I kept it. Probably will have buyer's remorse. 

They also send you a card with your items on it and styling suggestions, which I really liked:

Hey. I need all the help I can get, you know. So, yeah. I'll do this again. If you would like to try it, I'm attaching a link to Stephie's referral thing. If you sign up using this link, she will get credit towards her next fix, and can spend more money on food items (and she needs new clothes for her new job). So, you can help a young lady out while making shopping easy on you! 

Here you go...

Stitch Fix

If you want more detail on exactly how it works, Stephie did a much better job at explaining. Follow the link below.

Stephie's Stitch Fix Review

Thanks for letting me show you my new clothes. It was actually fun and I'm excited to have a few new things to wear. Plus, they are kind of springy colored, and goodness knows, we need spring to arrive. I haven't updated this blog in awhile, so I promise to do a real update soon. Have a great weekend and let's all hope for spring to hurry up and come. 

A Wonderful Week with Best Friends

A week ago today, I was sitting at a McDonald's catching up with a dear friend from Indiana. We had been attempting to meet for the day (the drive is a bit longer for her, but there is quite a nice antique mall near there, which is always a good incentive). I met Shirley close to 18 years ago when we attended Bethel church in West Lafayette, Indiana. Shirley and Jerry sang together in a group we called "The Ensemble" (ok--not an original name, but boy, could that group sing!). Our children are the same ages, and we just "clicked". Through the years, we've had many joys and sorrows that we have seen each other through. I haven't seen her in at least a couple of years, and was so excited to get to see her, that I forgot to take a picture of the two of us. Our visit wasn't long enough, but we plan on getting together with our husbands some weekend in the near future.

My week wasn't over, though. Friday, Jerry and I drove to Anna, Illinois to meet Sheila (my high school best friend of 42 years) and her husband, Dennis. We stayed at a bed and breakfast named The Davie School Inn. The innkeeper, Gary, was a fabulous host. Several years ago, the four of us (along with Stephie) stayed at a place called The Old Squat Inn. Trust me, we never, never want to go back there, but it has given us lots of laughs over the year. The Davie School Inn was perfect! Each room is named a color. It will come as no surprise to any of my life-long friends that Jerry and I stayed in the pink room. It wasn't overly pink, of which I'm sure Jerry was quite happy about. He has been hankering to try out a Temper-Pedic mattress, so he didn't care what color room it was. We were thrilled with our room. I liked that it was extra roomy, and the soft towels were an added bonus.

We got there well before Sheila and Dennis, so Gary suggested that we try The Blue Boar Restaurant. Once we got settled in the room, we headed out for dinner. Southern Illinois is like southern Indiana, and has gentle rolling hills, and it was actually in the lower 60's, so that was very pleasant. We had a nice dinner, and as we were leaving, we saw that next to the restaurant was a rock formation with a natural spring coming out of it. They had built a nice bridge and sitting area next to it, so we wandered over to look at it. The taxidermy animals were inside of the restaurant, over to the side from where I was sitting. I'm not sure what they are supposed to be representing (or doing), but as you can guess, I had to take a picture of them.

Sheila and Dennis arrived around 10:30, and we all met in their room (the yellow room) to enjoy the Gigi cupcakes that Sheila had brought. It was a wonderful way to celebrate a myriad of things: Jerry's new job, our 42 year friendship, my birthday (a little late) and just general love for each other. We planned on meeting in their room for breakfast, as Gary brings breakfast to you whenever you want (within reason, of course). Sure enough, at 8:30 the next morning, Gary knocked on the door and brought in omelets, hash browns, bacon, fresh fruit, pastries and orange juice. Holy cow it was good! Sheila's room had a table that four could easily sit at and enjoy the meal. After we sufficiently stuffed ourselves, we got ready for our shopping expeditions. Gary had told us of a town in Missouri that had a stream of fun thrift/antique stores, so the two of us headed out, while our husbands lounged around watching NCAA basketball.

 We easily found the town (which, thinking back on it, is a major surprise for us--yay for GPS). The stores were very fun to poke around in, and the prices were wonderful--much better than here in central Illinois. Just the outside decoration of the first shop was fun to see.

We poked around and shopped for most of the afternoon. By the time we got back, it was just about time for dinner. Gary had suggested an all-you-can-eat fried chicken restaurant that was fabulous. Our dinner had fried chicken, along with homemade biscuits and apple butter, homemade dumplings (savory), green beans, and cole slaw. Yum! This is a picture of the four of us at dinner.

 By this time, we were kind of waddling back to the inn, and spent the evening in our room catching up and making new memories. What fun Sheila and I have together, and we're very blessed that our husbands get along so well together. The next morning, Gary brought us baked french toast, sausage, and fresh fruit for breakfast. We sat and talked some more (we had a list of things to discuss that Sheila had written on the blackboard, although we did all get in trouble and had our names put on the board before the weekend was over) before we had to head out to get back home in time to pick up our beagles. I am so blessed that God put Sheila into my life all of those many years ago. We have been through so much together, and we don't get to see each other nearly enough. We've promised ourselves that we won't wait another 10 years before we do this again (and we will definitely go back to Davie School Inn instead of The Old Squat Inn). I'm back to catching up on things before heading back to work tomorrow. Spring hasn't arrived quite yet, but I'm hoping that by Easter, we will at least have a few warmer days. I'm also hoping for a good strawberry crop this year, so if that means that spring comes a little later than last year, I'm ok with that.

I hope that each of you have a wonderful spring, and that you count your blessings for each person that God has put into your life. I know that I thank God for both Shirley and Sheila and the love that they have given me, and I love them both. Thank you for the love and memories from both of you this past week.

Winter Into Spring

Have I mentioned that I'm not a fan of winter? Even though I've lived in either Indiana or Illinois for most of my life (minus 4 years in KY at school and 3 years in NC), I've never learned to like it. I can barely tolerate it. However, the upside of winter is that you appreciate the arrival of spring so much more.

It's been an odd month and a half. The week before Christmas, within a span of 48 hours, I learned that Stephie's job was a mess, and then Jerry's job at Caterpillar had been eliminated. It seemed fitting that I learned this during the darkest part of winter. I will admit that it was a hard week for me. I will also admit that the news hit me hard, and I've struggled to figure it out. However, like winter into spring, I'm beginning to see God's hand at work as I learn (once again--I'm a slow learner, apparently) to put my trust in Him and allow Him to guide us through this process. Slowly, things are emerging and beginning to show life. Stephie has found a new job, and Jerry has been put into a pool within Caterpillar to hopefully find a new position at Caterpillar. I'm calling 2013 the year of transitions.

You know how dirty and gray the yard looks in the middle of winter? Yet, already, I'm seeing a few daffodil leaves come up just enough to give me hope. Years ago, my grandmother would insist that the winter had been too cold and had killed everything (she would start this at the end of February, because by then in Mississippi, things had been blooming for weeks). We would assure her that no, things weren't dead--they were just taking awhile. Sure enough, within a few weeks, her yard would be in full bloom and, once again, beautiful. Patience is a virtue (and one that I could stand some work on). So it is that I'm beginning to see some things happen that shows me that God has this under control and I should back off with the worrying!

I'm one of those people that sticks in a CD while in the car, and on occasion, the lyrics on the CD will really speak to me, and I'll listen to it until it's about worn out. So it has been with a Larnelle Harris CD that I just randomly stuck in the CD player recently (and if you know me at all, you know I have a soft spot for my tenors). It's one of his lesser known CDs called I Want to be a Star (like a star in heaven, shining for Jesus, not like a star on stage). Anyway, several of the songs really were exactly what I needed to hear. This one, in particular, has spoken to me the past couple of weeks (I told you I listen to them a long time when they speak to me).  I would like to share the lyrics with you:

If Not For the Storms

Words by Larnelle Harris

If all I had were blue skies

And days of perfect peace

Always sailing smoothly over

Gentle, Quiet seas

There's so much about You

I might have never known

But I have faced the wind and waves

And I see how faith has grown

If not for the storms

I couldn't say that You're my shelter

If not for the storms

I would have never known Your strength

I found You so faithful

Through all that You allowed

If not for the storms

There's no way I'd know You

As I know You now.

A shepherd strong and tender

I'd only read about

Met me in the middle of

My moments filled with doubt

A provider, a protector

A friend who knew my need

There's so much I can tell of who

You've proven Yourself to be.

If not for the storms

I couldn't say that You're my shelter

If not for the storms

I would have never known Your strength

I found You so faithful

Through all that You allowed

If not for the storms

There's no way I'd know You

As I know You now.

Sometimes it's hard to see the reasons for the trial I'm in

Looking from this earthly point of view

But You have surely proven to me time and time again

I can depend on you

To bring me through.

If not for the storms

I couldn't say that You're my shelter

If not for the storms

I would have never known Your strength

I found You so faithful

Through all that You allowed

If not for the storms

There's no way I'd know You

As I know You now.

So, yeah. That's kind of where I am right now. People are praying for our situations, and I feel the prayers. If you are so inclined, we would cherish your prayers that Jerry finds the right job for our family and that things will all come together for both him and Stephie in their new positions. Pray that God will see us through, as we continue to trust in Him, and not allow fear and doubt to overtake our thoughts, and that God will allow this time to bring us closer to Him as we see His work in our lives.

Thank you for remembering us, and God bless each of you. 

My Perfect Miracle

24 years ago today, God gave me a wonderful gift and privilege when I was blessed with a perfect baby girl. I had always dreamed about having a baby, and finally realizing the joy when I held her was truly a special moment.

I was in labor for quite awhile, and she seemed to be taking her own time. Then, all of a sudden, she decided that now was the time to come out and play. I learned several years later that this was the way Stephie would get ready for school...dawdle around and then race out the door like a fire was under her feet! But, when the doctor handed this precious bundle to us, tears came down our faces as we looked on the miracle that God had given us. We didn't have any idea if we were having a girl or a boy, so when Jerry looked at me and said, "We have a beautiful baby girl", my heart was full.

Jerry and Stephie

Stephie has been so much fun to raise. Always being a happy child, she would sit on the step stool, with her sippy cup in her hand while I fixed dinner, and we would sing together. If you know me at all, you will not be surprised to learn that I didn't teach her ordinary children's songs. She learned show tunes and could belt out "Who Will Buy" (from Oliver) and "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning" (Oklahoma) by the age of three. These were mixed with various Disney songs (The Little Mermaid songs were a favorite during bath time). She did adore singing Old MacDonald, but only if the animal could be a cat. We had our old Bitsy at that point, and Stephie adored Bitsy (although, the feeling was not reciprocated for several years). Stephie's first "word" (while I would love to say it was Momma) was "Guh" when she was ten months old. By dinner time, we had figured out that was her word for Bitsy. Her head would snap around when she heard Bitty in anticipation of getting to possibly see/catch Bitty. Bitsy learned to run very fast. It appears that her tendency towards becoming a crazy cat lady started early in life.

Helping me cook

Through the years, being able to watch Stephie grow and mature has been a gift. Although our move to Illinois wasn't quite the ideal couple of years (moving a 12-year-old wasn't very fun), she soon settled in and flourished over here. We've watched her faith grow, and her love for the less fortunate is truly heart-warming to see. Clearly, we are blessed and proud.

So, today, I celebrate our daughter's life and thank God for blessing us for the past 24 years. May God continue to bless and keep Stephie in His care and give us many more years to watch her continue to bless others with her presence.

Stephie, I love you more than words can say, and I consider it a privilege to be your momma and your friend. You are everything I wanted and more. Happy birthday, baby.

Momma

A Tribute to a Beautiful Woman

Today is my beautiful momma's birthday, and I would like to reflect on the privilege I have had having her as my momma for 55 years.

Momma and Grandfather Savage

Momma was born in Brookhaven, Mississippi, as an only child to my Ma-Ma and grandfather. From the moment she was born, she was loved with a passion that every child should know. Not only was she an only child, but she was the only grandchild on her dad's side, and the only grandchild that lived nearby on her mother's side. As a result, she got a lot of attention and love. I say this, knowing that one would assume that she was a spoiled only child, but truthfully, that's pretty far from the truth. Even though she was loved with everything they had, my grandparents did not allow her to be spoiled. As Ma-Ma would say, "You children aren't spoiled, just well-loved".

Momma around 8 years old

Momma grew up making many trips to New Orleans (both grandparents graduated from Tulane, and loved the city), and many summers were spent in North Carolina with my grandmother (Ma-Ma) and great-grandmother (Mommee). Children from the community were always coming over (her best friend, Virginia, was a frequent guest), so there wasn't any isolation for her. She dearly loved her parents, and my great-grandparents, Mommee and Poppee (Ma-Ma's parents). Her life revolved around school and parties. She claims that her senior year in high school was basically one giant dinner party. She was an accomplished pianist and oboist. Because she couldn't march with her oboe, she carried the bell lyre (which was the main reason I started playing the bells). She loved her band friends, and my grandmother promoted the band with all she had. As Momma's friend, Rita, once told me, "Truthfully, your momma was the only one that was really very good, but the rest of us kept practicing because we didn't want to disappoint your grandmother!" During the summers, she would attend music camps, and it was at one of these that she met the band director at a small university in Indiana named DePauw University. He started recruiting Momma for the school, and by the time her senior year came around, she had decided she wanted to attend DePauw. There was just one small issue--it was north of the Mason-Dixon line, and this just wasn't acceptable. My grandfather offered her any car she wanted if she would just stay south of this important line (they actually wanted her to attend Ole Miss), but she was determined to attend DePauw. So, off to DePauw she went, declaring a major in music education. That lasted a short time. She discovered a couple of things: 1. Music takes a lot of time, and she didn't want to spend all of her valuable potential party time in the practice room, and 2. Music theory is HARD (see #1) (as a side note, I figured out the same thing some 20 years later). Meanwhile, she had a class with Ken Wagoner, and he encouraged her to change majors to psychology, of which she did. She still talks about what an awesome professor Dr. Wagoner was.

Senior in high school piano recital

Through all of this, she met my dad, and became engaged to him. Plans were made to be married over spring break of her junior year (my dad's senior year). Forty days before they were to be married, my grandfather laid down for a nap and never woke up. They scaled down the reception, but kept the date. Not sure how they got through this time (Momma claims her grades weren't very good that semester), but if you know my momma at all, you know that she is a strong person that stands up to adversity and keeps going. 

Momma and Ma-Ma 1954

Ten months after she and Daddy were married, my brother, Steve was born. Two years later, I was born, and three years after me, Michael was born. Three babies in five years kept her very busy. The fall after Michael was born, Stephen contracted rheumatic fever and was bedridden for six months. It was discovered that Michael was allergic to milk, and I had pneumonia more than once that winter. To this day, I have no idea how she handled all of this, but she did. Our yard was always filled with neighborhood children, which she couldn't figure out why until she overheard a mother say to her child, "Go down to Barbara's. She likes kids." Of course, Momma couldn't turn them away.

After we were in school, Momma drove back and forth to Indiana State University and got her elementary education degree and began to teach 6th grade. She then got her masters from DePauw, and continued teaching for several years. In 1975, she and my dad separated and then divorced. In October of 1976, she married Allan Feld, and a few years later, quit teaching so that she could help operate the new carpet store that she and Allan had opened. In December of 1980, Allan suddenly got a terrible headache, and by dinnertime, had passed away from a massive cerebral hemorrhage. Momma was left with a brand-new business and no one to help her run it. I quit my job at the local children's clothing store, and for a year and a half, the two of us ran it. In 1982, Michael joined the business, and to this day, he and Momma, along with my sister-in-law, Julie, run the business. I'm so very proud of them and how they have continued to run a successful business for all of these years.

My momma is a passionate person. She loves her music, her animals, her yard and flowers, but most of all, she loves her children and her grandchildren. She will tell you how fantastic all of us are with very little encouragement. Her love for children doesn't stop at biological children. She adores her in-law children (they are considered one of her own) and through the years, has taken on children from the community, just like her mother did. She spent countless hours being a Girl Scout leader, as well as a Cub Scout leader. She spent hours accompanying students for music contest. We used to joke about her wanting to adopt every child in her classroom that she didn't think were loved the way that they should have been (truly, there were years that this was a real concern for me). Her hugs are just about the best thing in the world, and my husband will tell you that she loves him as much as she loves us. She just loves her family with all she has, as every mother should.

Our family at Amy and Joseph's wedding in August, 2012

So, today, I celebrate my Momma and rejoice that I have had so many wonderful years learning from her and trying to be half the momma that she is. Momma, I love you so very, very much and I'm so proud to be your daughter. With all my love, Julie

Fall thoughts

It's been quite awhile since I last posted a blog entry. Somehow, the summer got away from me, and now that Labor Day weekend has arrived, I'm beginning to think of fall and fall things. It's past strawberry and peach time, and I'm ready to start picking apples and watch the leaves turn. I love fall evenings, but I don't like the thought of winter weather.

It was a strange summer. The last time I remember a summer so hot and dry, I was pregnant with Stephie and living in North Carolina. I would stay in the house until Jerry had started up the car and let it run with the air conditioner going before I would waddle out to join him.

This was the summer of weddings. Stephie's best friend got married the end of June and then my niece, Amy, got married the first weekend of August at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. The Cafe Brauer right next to the zoo was the actual venue, and it was beautiful. I so enjoyed seeing my family, as this was the first wedding of our girls. Amy was beautiful, and seeing Joseph (her new husband) with tears in his eyes as he watched Amy walk in on my brother's arm, was indeed a special moment. One thing that my brothers and I did right was raise some beautiful, awesome girls. I was able to get a picture of my momma with her granddaughters after the ceremony.

L-R Stephie, Katie, Joseph, Amy, Momma, Lainey, Liz

See what I mean? Beautiful girls from a beautiful grandmother. Time really flew quickly, and it's almost hard to believe that our girls are old enough to be married. Amy is now living with Joseph in Barcelona, Spain.

Stephie accepted a job with a wonderful NFP company named Jumpstart. She works out of Dominican University in River Forest, IL and recruits volunteers to work with at-risk preschool children with their literacy skills. It's a perfect job for my bookworm. :) She loves, loves, loves the people that she is working with and is so excited about her new position. We are thrilled for her.

Jerry and I are both looking forward to some cooler days to enjoy some outside activities before we head into winter weather. I'm going to attempt to be better about keeping up with this blog, if for no other reason than it just feels good to write about what's going on--even if no one reads it or cares (which is more than likely the case, and I'm certainly ok with that). So many people I care about are struggling with various health or personal issues that sometimes it's good for me to reflect on the good things that have happened. At times, I get so wrapped up in the problems that I forget all of the good that God has done for me and the people that I love, and I have to ask for His forgiveness that I focus on the wrong things. I'm thankful for the love that I have from my family and friends, and mostly for the love that God has for me.

I hope that each of you has a wonderful fall season. Eat lots of apples, make some apple cake and enjoy all things fall.

I'm All Organized!

A couple of months ago, I posted that my friend, Betsey, and I were organizing my sewing room while Jerry was out of town. Well, at long last, it's finished! I waited until Jerry was able to make me a board to hang some of my rulers on, plus we had a couple of other ideas that we needed to finish that took a little longer than anticipated.

I love it! If you know me at all, you know that I struggle to be organized. Way back in the 5th grade, Mr. Casey (who was probably the hottest teacher I ever had, but who notices this stuff when you are 11?) told Momma during a parent-teacher conference, "Julia's mind is like her desk. Cluttered." Momma was a bit horrified at the time, but really, it was the truth. My desk always looked like a bomb went off in it. Even after we would have the scheduled desk-cleaning-day, by the next day, it looked pretty much like it did the day before we cleaned everything out. Sigh.

Anyway, it's always been hard for me to figure out where things should go. Betsey (and this is just one of her gifts) just seems to know how to put things in places that make so much sense! I've been able to start organizing other closets and yesterday, I worked on our sunroom, getting it ready for the summer. I'm on a roll!

I promised pictures of my finished room. It's a little room (I think it's about 10x12), so we had to figure out how to maximize my space. We took the doors off of the closet and bought bins and crates to put in the closet. I need to buy a couple more, but they have been out of stock with the color I want. I hopefully will get them soon. I've put my unfinished projects in there (shhh...way too many, but we won't talk about that anymore), and I can hang some projects (like my colon polyp capes I'm making for the Cancer Queens). Jerry put a solid board on the shelf of the closet, so that I can put books and magazines (and cat food) up there.

While cleaning out the closet, Betsey and I found a box that contained a childhood book about a little girl and her doll. In the back of the book, the child could cut out the girl as a paper doll and dress her in paper doll clothes. This was Momma's book, and then I played with it as a child. It was in surprisingly good shape, so Betsey suggested framing the doll and the clothes. I bought a shadow box, and Stephie framed it for me. I love it! I put the shadowbox above my thread case that I have all of my threads organized in. I also have the book, but it's on top of another shelf. Here's Adeline!

Jerry framed a piece of pegboard for me so that I could hang my larger rulers. I bought a set of drawers that hold my scissors, rotary cutters and tapes. And, yes, those are my extra three sewing machines under the table that I haven't been able to part with.

Years and years ago, Ma-Ma bought a cabinet for her sewing room. I inherited it over 27 years ago. I remember her getting it. She had ordered it from either JC Penney or Montgomery Ward (I forget which one) and Daddy had to go get it with his truck. It was so shiny and big! It's always held our fabric and sewing supplies. There was no way I was going to part with this cabinet. Betsey suggested covering the front with favorite family pictures. I still have some more to put up, but I ran out of frames and keep forgetting to put frames on my Wal Mart list. As goofy as this sounds, having this cabinet is like having a part of Ma-Ma in my sewing room with me, and having my family pictures is like having them nearby, too.

Betsey and I bought several white containers for my fabric in the cabinet and separated the fabric so that there is a container for browns, greens, reds, batiks, etc. Now, I can go to just one container to find the piece of fabric that I need! It's great.

 Jerry and I had already put some cubicles where my old dresser that Stephie took stood, so we bought some fabric drawers and organized more fabric, my embroidery items, current projects, etc, and we still had some openings that I could put some of my pretties in. On the top is the book I mentioned, and some other things. Above my metal cabinet, Jerry put a shelf that has my Momma's childhood Singer "toy" sewing machine (it would never fly now, because it has a real needle and actually sews). Because she never had the desire to sew, it is in pristine condition (I even have the box). It's a treasure!

So, that's the grand tour! I've really enjoyed sewing in my room. I have a southern exposure, so a bright sunny day like today is really fun--being able to work while enjoying the sun at the same time.

Thanks for dropping by! It's time to go work on those Cancer Queen outfits! Need to be ready for that new colonoscopy song that's premiering in May!! I feel the creative juices flowing! Until next time....have a wonderful spring.

Julie