Surprises

I know what you are all thinking. Stefanie who? I have been absent for a while. I have nothing to offer as far as excuses go, just the usual family stuff. December and January are hugely busy months for our family. I believe that those two months will be my "Sit quietly and reflect on the year past and to come, and enjoy my family." sort of months. I hope everyone is okay with that. :)

I have struggled with creativity lately, with doomy gloomy weather, and some bothersome health issues. Nothing to go into tremendous detail about. Just... blah. I have worked in bits and pieces, but do have so many ideas I want to see to completion. I am not normally a person who has UFO's, but I confess. I have too many to count. Progress comes in many forms though, and I will get there.

I have had so many wonderful, terrific, perfectly lovely things happen in the last couple of months. I will try to share more in separate posts, but since this one is titled "Surprises", I guess I'll stick to that.

My husband threw me the swankiest, coolest, most awesome surprise party ever. The venue was perfect, with velvet chairs in my favorite color, silver vases filled with bright orange gerber daisies, a three tiered fondant covered cake of delicious flavors, foods of all shapes and sizes... *sigh* Loved every minute, but the overwhelming feeling of love and support from family and friends was the best. I cried. I am so blessed. Truly truly blessed.

The next big surprise for me came yesterday when I was with my sewing group. One of my friends said she had a hard time finding my blog. So another friend, without missing a beat, grabbed her IPad. She types in Sweet by Stefanie G, and voila! Something comes up, she shows it to me and, recognizing the logo, said, "See right here!" I did indeed recognize the site. But it was not my blog.

It was my website.

It even took me a moment to digest this new tidbit. Yes, the site is live. Yes, it is still the same disappointing site it was months ago. Part of it is my fault, the photography, the delay. BUT I did not launch this. I called the provider, and indeed, they said I hadn't launched, they didn't know how it became live, but it did, and now what to do? We have a plan of action now, and I guess nothing kicks you solidly into gear than a surprise like that. :-/

Speaking of surprises, if you are a customer and found that you could place items into a cart that went nowhere, I am so terribly sorry. Please email me and I promise to make it right.

If you are a wholesale house who thinks that the site isn't a best representation of me or my brand, you are correct. I haven't made too many mistakes, but this sure feels like a doosy. Honesty, there it is.

So there you have some new thoughts and surprises. It's time for some new photography, and much business catching up. But when you know it's time, it's definitely time. Somebody hit the "launch" button, and it wasn't me. I may not have been ready before, but it is time to pull my big girl panties on and get to work. I would call this a "Serendipitous" event. I will embrace it and make it good.

Enjoy your day!

Anticipation...

Waiting for a preview of my new website is like waiting to give birth. Seriously. It can show up in my "in-box" any day now!! In the meantime, I have sent off some patterns to be previewed by a wholesale house, and worked on some new designs.

The "cake dudes" (Really. I don't know what else to call them.) embroidery set is almost ready to go to the designer who puts things into a lovely readable format. They are turning out so cute, and today I'll be working them into a wall quilt pattern. :)

I've also been enjoying quality kid time, like taking pictures of my son, when he got stuck in his car. Because, only a great mom would photograph the incident before lending a hand. Not so much enjoying the child pictured having Chicken Pox. Apparently you can still get them even though you have been vaccinated. Who knew. And yes, my having Shingles is what gave it to him. Poor guy. And poor Mama, he has been making up for two sick weeks with all the terrible two"ness" he can muster. Glad he is better though! Besides, being a little naughty makes for great photo opportunity. :)

My oldest daughter got to go to her first dance in high school. She was so EXCITED! Of course she looked beautiful, and of course I felt old, but she so enjoyed this first right of passage, and I enjoyed the girl time shopping for dresses and doing her hair and make-up.

 

 

Also, if I haven't mentioned that fall is my favorite season, let me just state for the record, that I LOVE fall! The colors, the cooler temps, and my favorite holiday of all, Halloween. I feel re-energized. Look forward to future postings of fabulous fall stuff. A recipe I'm thinking, some Halloweenish decor... Can't wait!  Enjoy your day! :0)

A Cool Guy Indeed

My son and I, (Hubby was working, DARN IT) got to meet a legend today!!! The great Edgar Martinez, formerly of the Seattle Mariners was in Spokane today, signing bottles of his signature tequila. (The Hubby will be appreciating that no doubt, although he isn't sure he wants to drink it or save it now!)

There wasn't a huge crowd after me, so I got to talk to him a bit, and all I can say is, what a nice guy. (And EXTREMELY good looking.) He is a gentleman. I asked him if he missed Seattle, the game, the camaraderie. (In hindsight, how lame, everyone he meets must ask him the same thing!) He graciously answered, and didn't roll his eyes at me, "This question again?" *sigh* Nope, perfect gentleman.

And of course he misses it. :)

Loving today, enjoy yours :0)

A Surprise in This Day...

I received a call this morning from a friend. Her mother was trying to foster an abused dog, and it just wasn't working out. It was too timid of her other dog, who outweighs this one by a whopping 110 pounds! He is a smallish Shitzu, brown, named Cocoa. He is missing an eye due to being hit upside his little head with a 2x4. So sad. So of course I said "Bring him over".

It has been awhile since I had my two little poodles. I had them each 17 years, and not a day goes by that I don't think about them, and miss them. So I needed a doggie bed. Fast. He would be here in an hour.

Enter two large pieces of Chenille, and strips of chocolate dot cotton (sewn together to create one long strip) for the sides. (With the name Cocoa, the chocolate dot seemed appropriate. :) Add one heart applique one of the chenille pieces, sew the strip between the layers, stuff full of polyfil, and VOILA'! One cute doggie bed.

He must love it, as indicated by his being super comfy on the couch. *sigh* He is very scared right now, but seems to enjoy the loving pets from the family members.

It's funny, my husband and I have been visiting shelters for a few weeks, not really in the market for another pet at all, just seeing what is out there I guess. (Weird? Probably.) I told him that I would wait for the right one to come along. That the dog should need us. Well this one definitely needs us.

Welcome Cocoa. :)

Wowza.

So thankful right now, and blessed with wonderful friends and family.

My best friend took a helicopter ride to the hospital last Monday. She had fallen very ill, and went into respiratory distress. While on the flight en route, she went into respiratory arrest and was placed on a ventilator. For all of Monday she was hooked up to every tube and monitor imaginable. The only things keeping her alive were drugs and that ventilator. To the doctors and nurses I was her sister. Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to go in her room in the ICU.  I can't thank her family enough for allowing me as much time as I wanted with her. I never realized how much I relied on her for everything. I wanted to be there every second. I wanted to breathe for her. I felt helpless. We all did.

She tried so hard to communicate. She whispered, she signed, she drew in my palm. She was desperate, and it was difficult to watch my lively spirited friend get frustrated. Thankfully on Tuesday evening they took out the tube. She wanted to talk, a lot! Still on many meds though, she wouldn't start remembering our conversations until Thursday evening/Friday morning. I know she has a black hole where several days should be. (She won't remember the foot rub, or saying "This isn't how our sleepover was supposed to be!"  We were planning a girl's night, with a hair cut and highlights so she feels fresh before her bakery opens.)

Yes, she is opening up a bakery. She is the very friend I have worked with for 14 years, now going on to open a wonderful bakery and cafe with another friend. There is still much to do to get ready, but she needs to build her strength, as she just went home. There are plenty of people to help get it going, but I know how much she wants to be there.

One thing is for sure. I can't let days go by, or weeks or months, without telling my loved ones that I love them. Not just my "family" but my chosen family as well. She won't remember me telling her how much I love her, or that I need her friendship like the air I breathe, while in the hospital.

But she'll remember it today.

So Proud!

Our Monkey in the Middle, Madison, won first place in a Holocaust writing project! The contest had participants from Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, and British Columbia. She wrote "What Impels You to Action?" and all I can say is that it is one amazing piece of work from a twelve year old.

We made the drive from Spokane to Mercer Island for the ceremony, where she read an excerpt from her piece. It was a big deal for us, for her, and her grandparents were able to make it over as well. She wasn't nervous a bit about reading in front of that large a group either. *So Proud of her.*

We also took in a bit of Seattle. We have some family there, so we were treated to a nice BBQ, and some pretty fantastic weather. It's always so great to see the little ones, all boys, playing together! A lovely weekend for sure, and I can't wait to get back there. We would love to live there, but the logistics of a move like that just aren't in the cards right now. But maybe, someday...

Madison in front of the Holocaust Memorial...

Just before we head back home, we stopped for some dinner with the grandparents, and some summer shopping for the girls. Props to the Hubby for getting through the shopping with a smile. Most of the time. A bit sad to leave, truly love it there.

The weather here is finally gorgeous, so I'm off for a nice long walk, and as usual, my long list to tackle.

Enjoy your day!!

Gloomy Day Embroidery

Nothing makes a girl (this girl anyway) happier on a doomy gloomy day than a drawer full of colorful floss! The possibilities seem endless, and today was the day to work on those embroidery patterns. I have started some wonderful, "sophisticated funky" designs, and some sweet whimsical ones. I can't wait to share those with you, but right now I'll just share my little project.

A name tag. I need one for a work day I have coming up. I am lucky enough to work a meet and greet event at The Top Stitch, featuring Anna Maria Horner. I am even luckier, in that I get to participate in her Patchwork Prism quilt workshop! I'll use the name tag not only for this event, though, but for other shows I may do in the future. I wanted it to reflect me, what I do, but not be so huge as to be a purse sized name tag on my chest.

Here's the smallish project! Now to trim it, and sew it onto a lovely gold fabric, possibly embellish it a little more, add some buttons... Geez, by the time I'm done it will be the perfect example of "overdone". Yeah, I better stop sooner than later. I'll share the after pic soon!

Do you like the 1990's rose color of my hoop? I remember buying it with some other supplies when I got my first apartment. I was 18, and so eager to create things for my new little (and by little, of course I mean TINY) abode. I have other hoops for sure, but this one gets used the most. I learned to embroider when I was young. I don't know how young exactly, but I distinctly remember my Mom showing how to do the perfect french knot. I think I french knotted EVERYTHING. I was so proud of my new skill. She also taught me to sew, that I remember being in 7th grade. I made the prairie style skirts that were so popular then. (Wow. So dating myself in this blog post.)  Other students didn't believe me until I showed them the hand stitching that attached the lace to the bottom of the skirt. They were very impressed. I fell in love with sewing, and stitching, and all things crafty.

So you now know some random stuff about me. :0)

Enjoy your day!  

What's Up Today?

Apologies for (possibly) a very boring blog post. I completely understand if you choose to bail. Now. :0)

I have been diligently working, sewing, writing, and researching daily for weeks now. Testers are getting back to me about slight helpful changes they would like to see in the patterns, and I have been quite the recluse lately. I didn't even get my book club book read. That is RARE, especially for a "recluse". I truly have felt such a creative high, I just wanted to ride that. I so wish, (really, WISH) that I wasn't such an obsessive personality. I started the year wanting to be balanced. I would wake early and exercise. (I did, solidly, for weeks, I promise.) I would devote so many hours to my business, per week. (I did meet those minimums as well.) And I would do this while keeping the house clean, cooking, blah, blah, blah.

Somehow however, my time spent working out shifted to just working. Again. I do this repeatedly. I do the same with my weight struggles. I work out and obsess over my food until I reach optimal weight, shift focus, gain weight, repeat. *sigh* Now I am obsessively working on my business, not to my family's detriment, as they are still #1, just detrimental to me. (Seriously as I type this I am munching on Chicago style popcorn. Half cheese, half caramel corn. So much for a proper lunch.)

Today is catch up day. Adelle is playing on the stereo, as she is playing on every one's stereos now I'm sure. P and I have already been to City Hall to renew my business license, grocery shopped, and hit Starbucks. We've also been working on:

Mixing our PlayDoh colors.

Working on taxes, both business and home. No fun pictures for that, unless I took one of myself ripping hair from my own head. Not alone in that sentiment surely. When I need a break from that, I do this.

I look at the stash. I touch the stash, I re-organize the stash. Am the only one who thinks that is relaxing? I organize by designer. (copious quantities of Amy Butler, Anna Maria Horner, Moda) I organize by size. I organize by color. It makes me happy. It's a good break. Coupled with my hot coffee and dark chocolate from Trader Joe's, it's a really good break. :0)

As a side note, I had to register my daughter for high school already. So not ready. That by the way, is a colossal understatement. I want to bury my head in the sand, but alas, she is getting older. We have continuing conversations about what university she wants to attend, and how she's going to make that happen. She's a type A, that one. Once she sets her mind to something... It. Will. Happen. Love that girl.

Well, I'm thinking I have procrastinated quite enough, it's back to taxes for me. Or fabric admiring.

Enjoy your day. :0)

My Pinterest Inspired Jar of Conversation Hearts

I wanted to make each member of our family their own "Jar of Hearts", but put my own spin on it, and make them something that we would continue to use...

You see, I have teenage girls. Two of them. One is fairly good at communication, but the other, not so much. Sometimes it's like pulling teeth to find out the details of a day with the younger one.  Some of you know how that is, right? Me: "How was your day?"  Teenager: "Mmm, fine." Me: "Anything interesting happen today?" Teenager: "No." Me: *Sigh*. That's about how it goes. Most days.

The older is a bit better, usually she freely spills the drama, the details of the day. *Unless. The drama involved her. Then she is sad and withdrawn, and will want to talk, just not in front of any other family members.*

So while spending an inordinate amount of time on my favorite site ever, Pinterest, I came across a jar of hearts idea. Basically it was a Mason jar filled with simple little puffy hearts, that you could place anywhere to let the person know you were thinking of them. Lunches, instrument cases, etc... What a neato project! Easy and quick. But I wanted to make these little hearts a bit more, well, conversational. So I made a list of words for each family member. Some words crossed over to all three kiddos, especially the words of encouragement, like awesome, proud, dream. Some words were very specific to that child, their nicknames, favorite book, etc... (By the way, my hubby has a whole different set of hearts, with inside jokes, nicknames and others) Each set of hearts is in their favorite color. Their main heart is embroidered with "Love", in their color, on a red background. Each child also has a heart that says "sad". This is an important one, it means that they can leave their heart in place where I will find it. I will know who's it is because of the color, and I will know that one of my children is sad, they need me to know, and they can come to me when they're ready. My oldest struggles to maintain her composure when she's sad, and this lets her off the hook from trying to talk before she's ready. (Poor kid is so much like me that way.) They can leave me their "love" heart to let me know they love me, and I can do the same. I can leave the "awesome" heart on their pillow with a piece of candy for a job well done. I will leave the "love", and their nickname hearts together to let them know that no one will ever love them more. No one will ever share that name with them. Our little secret. Each jar has a postcard with each word and what it means so they'll never forget.

The hearts were so easy, just cut out with pinking shears, layered wrong sides together, and sewn around the whole heart with a little fluff of stuffing in the middle. By the way, I just used a Sharpie for the writing. I don't plan on washing these, and I did the writing before they were sewn.

These were the Hubby's hearts. He loved them. :0)

That's all for today, Happy Valentine's Day! It's another doomy gloomy day today, lots of laundry and housecleaning to catch up on. I did however, have a wonderful brunch out with Mr. Perfect. I'm enjoying my day, go out and enjoy yours!