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Borderline Pneumonia

 

Have you ever been sick and it seems like you just can't get well? That's how I've felt for 3 weeks. A couple days ago I was starting to feel a lot better and then yesterday, ALL day, either I was blowing my runny nose or sneezing my head off. Allergies right? That's what I though too since the weather is starting to change and it's getting cooler. So I took some benedryl before bed last night and woke up feeling really bad. My whole head was congested and it sent me into this kind of depression. Kind of like, I'm just never going to get better, might as well accept it...

Paul on the other hand was not convinced and made me go to the doctor. It took him about an hour to convince me because I'm always there for an hour or two and I certainly didn't want them to send me home with “It's viral, nothing we can do”. I have lots of work to do and it was going to interrupt my day. Of course this cold or whatever it is was doing that too.

So I went to the dr. and I'm glad I did. They pricked my finger, ran some tests, and came back with borderline pneumonia. I got some antibiotics and a shot in the rear and I was on my way. The pressure and congestion in my head are much better but the steroid shot is making me a little cranky.

On a totally different, way out there, kind of note- my son bought his very first cd the other night. He has a PSP that can play mp3's and has a ton that my husband put on there that he likes but this was his money and he got to choose it. You'll never guess what he bought. Boston- greatest hits. His favorite song? Long Time. I'm an eighties girl and I think its pretty cool that he got what he likes and not just what is popular right now. And I like it too. In fact I've already put it into my itunes. So, you may ask, how does he, a 9 yr. Old, even know about Boston? RockBand. He loved “More than a Feeling” and wanted to hear more.

It's a new day.

Last week I was really discouraged.  There were many reasons for that.  The biggest was probably that I am a woman and it was that time when I'm about to have my 'womanly' time.  That looks stupid.  Okay, so I'm was a few days away from starting.  For some reason, I didn't realize it, or maybe, subconciencely (how do you spell that?), I didn't want to acknowledge that my God given ability to bear children was the source of my poutiness.  I don't know really but whatever the reason I had the funk.  And I was mad at everybody.  My husband the most, bless him.  He has learned over the years though.  He used to say 'aren't you about to start' and that made me REALLY mad and then I'd be in denial for a few days until I did actually start.  He knows me so well that he just keeps his thoughts to himself and we are all better for it.  Why can't we admit why we feel so bad, or even think it could be the problem?  We women are weird sometimes.  I will admit that.

 

So the other reason I was down was that I felt like I never can get ahead.  On top of that, I feel like I don't have any real goals.  This whole business of bags started as a way to bring in some extra funds to do the extras.  Stuff for the kids mainly but also for me just to play with.  Now its still that, but more and I'm not sure where exactly I want to go from here.  I know I should have a goal but I'm really indecisive and making small decisions are difficult.  Ask my husband... no don't.  So this week, I've decided to make some goals.  I bought myself a planner and some new fabric as well.   I have made one major decision.  I've cut out offering custom orders online.  It really stresses me out and in the long run, I will survive without them.  I've given myself until this next Monday to put my goals down on paper and hopefully I'll share them with you and get some input.  So that's where I'm at.

 

Here is some of the new & old fabric I've just purchased and am itching to work with...  

Day One- Biggest Loser

So my husband says to me, I going to take a 30-day challenge and lose some weight. I was like, ok, great.  Then our minister decided he would take the challenge along with him and make it like "The Biggest Loser" on tv.  I thought, you know, I would love to beat both of them, so I joined.  We now have, hang on let me count... 7 people in on the game and I believe it's been changed to a 60-day challenge.  I mean business people. Today was a good day and I'm optomistic for the coming days.  I actually drank all my water on the first day!!  This is huge for me since I absolutely HATE water.  We still haven't decided on a prize yet but hopefully it will be worthwhile. 

Still not back in the groove of things since Cooper's Closet.  I did clean up my studio and put most everything away today but it's still kind of chaotic in here.  I'd like to be productive tomorrow, especially since I will need something to take my mind off food.  Have I ever mentioned how much I like to eat?  Well, I do. 

Maddie had a birthday at the beginning of this month and I never posted about it so I'll do that now.  Mom let us break into her house (very brave woman let me add) to have a pool party for 11 little girls.  I made a cake to look like a pool/ocean/water? with ocean animals on it.  It turned out pretty cute, and it tasted pretty good too.  Gotta move on because now I'm thinking about cake... The best part was that all my family (all 3 sisters) were able to come up and celebrate with us. 

   

What a weekend.

I have been very busy lately.  With school back in session, I have been working full-time, re-stocking old products, and creating new ones as well!  I haven't had any time to blog and really today is no different except I HAVE to tell you what happened this past Friday.  No, it doesn't have anything to do with madbags. 

So this little story takes place in my little town of Columbus, MS.  Somehow I happen to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.  Alot.  I suppose God likes to shake me up every now and again to see how blessed I am.  Ok, so my husband is going back to school and had a class right before lunch.  I asked if he wanted to meet me for lunch after his class and he said sure!  Since the university is close to where we would eat, I told him I would meet him.  So I drove and met him for lunch at Mi Toro and had a yummy lunch. 

I had a few errands to run so we both took my car and left his at the restaurant.  We were on our way to fill up my car with gas when we heard sirens.  I couldn't figure out where they were coming from at first.  There were several coming from different directions and going to several different locations.  We were like, that was weird!  Even undercover cars were putting on their siren and adding themselves to the chase.  We went ahead and got gas wondering what in the heck was going on but had no answers.  After getting gas, I dropped Paul off at his truck.  We saw a few cop cars at a nearby bank and thought, hmm, maybe it was a bank robbery, then, nah. 

So now I'm in my car, Paul's behind me in his truck.  We have a by-pass road that goes around our city that is 4-lanes and has a 70mph speed limit.  We got on it to go home.  As soon as were were going 70+ I saw smoke on the other side of the road. Then the car in front of me hit their brakes.  I immediately thought, O NO! there's been a wreck!  But no, that is not what happened.  At this point, all the cars in back of me are trying to come to a halt as well, Paul included.  As I'm watching Paul in my rearview mirror, making sure he is ok, I see the dump truck.  It came up over the hill tires smoking and skidding sideways.  It stopped right next to Paul's truck and I about had a heartattack.  I felt like I was in a movie watching a pile-up.  A this point emotions are taking over let me tell ya.  I remember turning around to see what was happening in front of me and that's when I realized that the smoke on the other side of the road was from a police car.  It had stopped so fast it blew a tire.  The policeman of this car had run across the concrete median and stopped traffic, was running between our lanes with his gun drawn and heading toward Paul.  He stopped right in front of Paul's truck.  Here is where I almost had a second heart attack.  Then, a motorcycle comes barreling through and the cop steps out from the truck and shoots at it.  He shot down probably to try and get the tires, but I was so scared of a ricochet!  The motorcycle kept going and the cop took off running.  As soon as that, 15-20 cops came through after him.  We still don't know what is going on!  We drove on home and from time to time, had to pull over for more cops to pass.  It took me a while to calm down.  I ended up calling Paul on his cell and to get him to help me calm down.  He was pretty rattled too.  I had a major headache after that! 

We got home and turned on the news and calling the station to try and figure out what had happened but they wouldn't tell us anything but watch us at 6.  Thanks.  We finally found out what happened about an hour later-  The guy had robbed that bank!  They caught him shortly after the chase we witnessed and he was busted with the money and a gun. 

I still don't know how in the world no one crashed or was hurt in all that.  God is so good to us and I thank Him so much for the way He takes care of my family. 

Alright, now that that's out of my system, I'm going back to work!

Because he loves me...

The last few weeks have been crazy and definitely gone by really fast!  First we left for vacation down to the beach and then as soon as we got home, Paul left with the kids to Nashville for their annual fishing trip.  I really don't like to fish so I stay home and get to have "me" time.  You may wonder, what do I do during this time?  Well simply put, whatever I want. 

I had big plans to sew and sew and sew, but well, I didn't sew one time.  If you are waiting for some toy boxes to be listed, you will have to wait a little longer.  Sorry!  I just couldn't make myself enter my sewing room let alone get in there and sew.  I read alot while they were gone, had a garage sale (one not worthy of my time I may add), traveled to a larger town close to us for some shopping with my parents, and did some Spring cleaning, moved furniture around etc.  I also took lots of long baths.  I love to do that and it was nice not having to worry about anyone knocking on the door every 2 minutes wondering when I'll get out. 

My best friend and I went to the opening night of Sex and the City too.  We got all dressed up for our girls nite out and had so much fun!  We went to Harvey's for dinner and then onto the late movie.  I have watched all the episodes on tbs and thought the movie stayed true to the characters.  I suppose it stayed true to the HBO format too.  I'm glad I never watched it on HBO too because it's way too graphic for me like that.  The characters are what pull me in, not all that other stuff.  Here is a picture of us before we left-

I read two books and finished one I had started before we left on vacation.  I am a sucker for trashy romance novels.  Some of my favorites are Linda Howard, Kat Martin, Carla Neggers, and recently Lisa Jackson.  If they would get rid of the foul language, they would be perfect!  Once I get started on these, it's really hard to put them down.  Carla, I have a ton to pass on to you if you want them.  I bought two bookshelves for my bedroom and made a place for all mine and Paul's books.  Mom, you are welcome to get any you want too :)

About the title.  My husband can be really romantic.  They got home from Nashville on Tuesday and on Thursday he brought me roses and a sweet card and tried to cook me a steak and shrimp dinner.  He didn't realize I had already told the kids we would eat and swim over at my mother's so we postponed the dinner until last night.  What did he do that for?  Well just because.  The steak and shrimp were soooo good and perfect since we will be eating camp food all next week.   yuk.  We leave on Sunday for church camp so I won't be able to post until after that.  I'm sure I'll have lots to say after that!

Graduation + Beach wedding = Vacation!

I have traveled alot this past week!  First myself, Jaden, and Maddie traveled to Louisiana to see my nephew graduate!  Dalton was so handsome!  I can't believe he is old enough to graduate.

Paul drove down the same day to Florida for a wedding rehearsal.  A previous youth member was getting married and Paul was performing the ceremony.  The next day me and the kids traveled over to meet him so we could be at the wedding as well.  It was beautiful!  It was my first beach wedding and it was so much fun.

After the wedding, we stayed a few days and just enjoyed being together and watching our kids enjoy the beach for the first time.  With the exception of jelly fish, it was amazing! 

It's really late so I'll have to add more details later.  Enjoy the collages!

Smartie Pants

This past Saturday we traveled 3 1/2 hours to Albertsville, AL to see a friend of ours get married and then 3 1/2 back home.  I didn't get any pictures of the wedding (just tried to keep my children still after that long trip) but we stopped to eat at a pizza joint called The Loop in Birmingham that was really good and I got some pics there.   Paul ordered a milkshake and we all got a taste...yummmy...

We enjoyed ourselves, can you tell?

Yesterday Jaden was honored with two awards at his school.  He received an award for being on the Principal's List and also one for getting the 2nd highest average in his class.  Go Bear!  I took pictures during the ceremony but they aren't very clear.  I took this one at home today.

this one was during the ceremony

We are so proud of his accomplishments this year!!

Today we had another proud moment as Maddie graduated from Pre-school.  They were all so sweet in their cap & gowns.

During the processional

Maddie & Jaden (after I snapped the picture Maddie said "He put his arm around me!" so proudly.  Yesterday she tried to hug him at his school and he wouldn't have any of it.)

Maddie and the grands, Meemee & Pawpaw

Maddie & her teachers Miss Tiffany and Miss Gloria

Summer is officially here and the kids are now out of school.  They are outside as I type spraying each other with water guns.   

Remember you have until tomorow (May 21) to enter the Summer Giveaway!  You can see details here.   

 

Holy Moly.

Wow.  Let me say that again.  Wow.  I am completely taken back and humbled by the many, many purchases made Tuesday.  I've had a few sales in the past where maybe 5 purchases were made at most, and that was over like a couple of days.  I couldn't hardly function with all the sales that came in.  I would try to do something and then I'd hear that little chime that meant I had gotten another email.  Of course I had to check it and would be wowed again.  THANK you soooo much!  I am still working on getting everything packaged and sent out, so if you placed an order (with the exception of those waiting for toy boxes), it will most likely go out tomorrow. 

Did  I mention how totally blown away I was, and still am?  Just checking.  This little job of mine started out as something I could do to help pay for dance and things like taking the kids out to McDonalds when I felt like it.  My husband is a minister and well, ministry doesn't always make the big bucks.  We decided early on that I would stay at home with our children while they were little, and I've never regretted it.  Was it always easy?  Heck no.  In fact, there have been many times in our lives that God has provided for us at just the right time.  There have been many sacrifices made by staying home and not working but the good has always out-weighed the bad.  My most memorable God-providing-moment came when Jaden was about 4 months old.  I nursed him up until that time.  Formula was so expensive so I was so thankful he was able to do that.  I had never had a problem in that area either, in fact I usually had too much milk, so much so that I had to stand over the shower and let them empty some so he could eat without getting sprayed.  I always get a laugh thinking how that must have looked to my husband.  Not attractive I'm sure.  Ok, back to the story.  About that time, I caught a really bad cold/flu bug and my milk just dried up.  We had to buy some formula, which Jaden had no problem taking.  After about a week my milk came back in but Jaden didn't want anything to do with me.  He wanted that formula.  We were having trouble making ends meet as it was so I didn't know what we were going to do.  I tried to get help from WIC but we made $200 more than what you had to make in order to qualify.  $200 more a year people.  Anyway, so I dried up and we have no money for formula.  We lived in Florida at the time and my sister lived near us.  Florida has these places called Food Banks where you can go and buy food by the pound really cheap.  It's usually dented cans, torn boxed items but where the food is still in the plastic and contained.  Its just a place that's run by the community to help folks like us.  My sister was in charge of keeping the food pantry stocked at church.  She visited the Food Bank regularly to keep it stocked and ready when anyone needed groceries.  She frequently kept us stocked as well.  It had been a week since I was having to buy formula and wondering where we would find the money to buy more.  God was listening to our prayers for help though because Gena, my sister, called me and said "You'll never guess what just came into the food bank today."  I'm getting teary eyed right now thinking about what came next.  It just so happened that Similac was beginning a new marketing strategy and changing all their labels etc etc.  They had pulled several pallets of formula off with the old labels and donated it to the food bank.  They were giving it away free.  No limitations.  I was able to get 10 months of formula for free.  Jaden had been using Enfamil, but he didn't mind the change at all.  I had never seen formula at the food bank, and never did again while we lived there.  God is good, all the time.  Don't ever underestimate His power.  I was trying to figure out how we get more money, and instead He just provided the goods.  Anytime we struggle now, I just remember to have faith in Him to provide as I know He will give us just what we need, at just the right time.

Yesterday I was reminded that He is still at work in our lives.  During the summer I don't do a lot of business because the kids are out of school.  I was worried about how I would make my payments for what I owe on my machine during that time.  I bet He was just sitting there going "Duh, when have I ever failed you?"  Thank you God for providing once again.  And thank you to all of you again for making purchases yesterday!

Come back tomorrow and find out how to be entered in the next giveaway....

That's a bunch of bull-

And Mad made me take her picture with it.  Both her and Jaden think bulls are so funny.  We ate at Sante Fe yesterday for lunch and as soon as we got close to it, she started giggling and saying look at that bull mom!  It always goes downhill from there.  There is another restaurant in town called Mi Toros (one of my favs, and THE BEST mexican place to eat).  In the parking lot is another bull but sometimes if you park in the right spot, you will end up facing the rear of the bull if you get my drift.  Jaden always has to point out how we are parked in the bull's butt.  So what does Maddie yell out when we get close to Santa Fe's bull yesterday?  Yep, Look at that bull's butt!  I was so embarrassed but thankfully no one was around to hear it.  Of course I'm telling you all now though huh?   

I also wanted to show you my lilies!  They are starting to bloom-  Lilies are one of my favorite plants and I love the bright yellow color of them.  O and I don't have to do anything special to keep them alive.  This is very important, since as I've said in the past, I tend to kill anything green. 

Here's an update to the watermelon plants that the kids and Paul planted.  First thing in the morning, they head out to the back porch to look at them.  They are steadily growing and soon will be put into the ground.  Hopefully they will still grow once they are put into the clay we call dirt around here. 

I'm hoping to post a coupon tomorrow for Market Street on Saturday so check back. 

Have a great week! 

Some things you may not know about me...

1.  I like lists.  I make lists all the time.  My husband is the opposite when it comes to list-making and doesn't understand my obsession.  I make lists for what I'm going to do for the day, what I need to buy at the store, fabric lists, price lists, whatever it is, I'm gonna make a list for it.  Does it help me?  Sometimes.  I am a visual person so I need to have those reminders to help me accomplish my goals.  Most of the time though,  I don't get finished with everything I needed to accomplish and then I'm just ill about it.  Do I keep making lists, yes!  It's what I do.

2.  I like organization.  I like a clean house.  I like everything in its place.  Don't just come over unannounced though because the house will probably be a wreck.  My workroom stayed nice and pretty for about a week, maybe two.  Now, for the most part, it looks like this-

            

My fabric scrap bins stay full, well over-full really, and anytime I have a show coming up (Market Street Festival... May 3... you know you want to come see me) my studio is in complete shambles.  I don't have a lot of storage area for completed items so my dining room usually holds the overflow.  I actually cleared off the dining table last night and we had breakfast this morning.  Yummy pancakes. 

3.  I really love food.  The thought of pancakes reminded me of this fact.  I love all kinds of food.  As for sweets, I'm not so much into chocolate but I love sugar.  Hard candy is the BEST.  This is all I'm gonna say because if I don't stop, I'll have to go fix me something.

4. I'm cheap.  I mean really cheap.  It's really hard for me to make big purchases.  For the first two years of MadBags,  I used my very first sewing machine that I got when I was 9 or 10.  It's a Kenmore.  Great machine by the way.  Anyway, I also had another machine that a friend had loaned me when her mother passed away and she had no interest in sewing.  Some of you know that both of those machines died, well temporarily (I've had them fixed just recently).  I had wanted an embroidery/sewing machine for years but just couldn't stomach the price.  When both my machines quit on me, (you can read about it here) in the same week no less,  I had to bite the bullet and get a new one.  It was time.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my Bernina.  I was, however, sick for a long time afterwards thinking about how much it cost.  And it's not just big stuff that makes me queasy.  I will search long and hard for the best price/quality on everything before buying. 

5. I am a Diet Dr. Pepper addict and I hate water.

6. I am non-confrontational.  I loathe public speaking.  My husband is a minister and is totally comfortable speaking to large crowds, whatever.  I am extremely content to blend in with the crowd.  Of course I'm claustrophobic so I'll probably be blending in with the edge of the crowd.  Makes my escape much easier...hee hee.  In college, I had to take Speech.  Let me just say that I was in the bathroom everyday before that class.  I really like what I do because I can work alone in my studio and make contact via the internet which is much easier for me.  Shows are a little stressful for me but it's good for business so I just grin & bear it.  If you saw the newspaper article I was in, you'll see that I had to be interviewed.  The author of the article originally contacted me through email and asked if she could interview me.  I wrote back, can we do it over email???  She said, I'd like to call and speak to you.  I said ok... I was nervous from then on.  I even asked Paul if he thought it would be ok if I asked my best friend to talk to her as me and answer the questions for me.  He was like, uh, no Sara, you have to be the one the do it.  Get over yourself and do it.  Ok he didn't say that last part but I'm sure that's what he was thinking.   So I did it.  I sweated all the way through it with my death grip on the receiver.

7.  I have been working on some new things.  Surprise, I've made a list of them...

• I have the Ginger Blossom line from Michael Miller listed in my shop
• I am now making cute boutique aprons.  I wear mine everyday in the studio.

   

• I just got in a ton of these sippy cups that you can personalize.  They are so cute!  I wish my kids were still small enough to use them.  No wait, that means diapers.. ok so maybe I don't.

• I also ordered baby bloomers and baby boxers to personalize. 

• All these things (with the exception of fabric) and more will be available at my Market Street booth! 

 

Girl's Retreat '08

Every year we take the teen girls on a retreat to the beach.  We had the best time!  Our theme was "Broken & Beautiful" and I commend the ladies who planned it for a wonderful job well done! Thank you Amy & Lisa for putting so much for the time, effort, blood, sweat, and tears that went into making this weekend so powerful.  God shone through the two of you and I am blessed to be able to have women like you in my life. 

Red-neck kite flying, Chuck E. Cheese, & Landscaping

That sure is a big title right?  I've had lots of things to blog about but not enough time to actually do it.  I'm combining several days into this one so BEWARE: it's long one.

One day last week,it was really breezy and Maddie wanted to fly her kite.  She wanted it to go really high but it was hard for her to hold onto so Paul rigged up something to make it easier for her.  This is what we like to call "Red-neck kite flying"

Yes that's right, that's a fishing pole she's hanging onto, that's attached to the kite string.  Pretty ingenious I think (way to go hubby).  All that work Paul did and the she only flew it a little while and then was ready to do something else of course. That same day she had to get her Kindergarten shots.  4 to be exact.  I told her that morning what we were going to do and she immediately was not happy about the day.  I finally convinced her it had to be done and I would be with her the whole time so that she was so upset.  When we got there we had to wait about 20-30 to be seen and during that time she kept saying "When are they gonna call my name mom?, I'm ready for my shots!!!" Once we got back to the back she told the dr. Where are my shots??.  I was like, forgive her, she's a little nervous and just wants to get it over with.  But when the nurses came in holding four needles in one hand, she said rather quickly... "I don't want any shots!  I'm not ready, I'm not ready!".  She made it through couragiously and I took her to dollar tree to pick out one goodie for each shot.  She was happy with that, and I got out pretty cheap in the process :)

Last Friday night Paul & I drove over to T-town (Tuscaloosa, AL) for a night out to celebrate a friend's birthday.  The five of us went to a japanese steakhouse, which is one of my fav places to eat by the way, and filled up to the point of nausea!  I made myself not eat all day except for one muffin mid-day so that I would be able to enjoy all the food.  It was great.  After that Matt (the birthday boy) wanted to get some Starbucks coffee and then after that, we asked what he wanted to do next and he jokingly said, let's find an arcade!  Of course Paul was over that and said YES!  The only place we could find that wasn't a smoke filled pool hall, was Chuck E. Cheese!  I made everyone swear they wouldn't tell my children who were stuck at home with a babysitter and then said, I'm in let's go!  I hope we don't wait for another birthday to do it again. 

And finally, we come to the landscaping part of this blog!  Paul surprised me the other day by asking me if I would like to redo the front of the house?  I was like, uh, of course I do!  It looked terrible, since we really had let it go.  I took before and after pictures so you can see the difference.  It's hard to believe what a difference a little bit of dirt, mulch, and a whole day or hard work can do.

We started by going to Lowe's and picking up some stones for edging, some cow manure (which totally grossed my son out), and a hoe.  We still had some major weeding to do so instead of using the hand tool we had, we got the hoe.  It was so much better!  I especially liked the part where Paul used it.. hee hee.

After that, we stopped at the co-op and picked up a few scoops of mulch.  We've never bought it like that before and were surprised how much mulch comes from two scoops!  It was a crazy amount.  We ended up giving about a third of it to our neighbor since we couldn't use it all. 

Here's the before/after pictures!  (you can click on the pics to see them bigger)

I'm so proud of how it turned out!!!

   

   

   

We just enough stones leftover that we made a little garden around the mailbox.  I have to say I am extremely pleased with the new look of the house!  The window closest to the front door is my studio and I enjoy looking out of it now while I'm working.

We also picked up some watermelon seeds for the kids to plant.  Paul helped them get started in small buckets.  They were really excited about growing something-  I hope they grow!  I promised them I wouldn't touch them since I tend to kill all living plants.  Hopefully my pretty new flowers will take root and not die since I put them in the ground.

I think that about wraps things up.  Time to catch up in my studio...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weird Science

This year for the science fair, Jaden made a project about Fossils.  At school he placed and was asked to take his project to the State Science Fair.  Yesterday was the day!  He was really excited, especially the part about him missing a whole day of school for it.  We drove out to MSU early yesterday morning not knowing what to expect.  I will be better prepared if we ever have to go back.  We were suppose to meet his school's coordinator between 9 and 10 am to get his information packet and also to set up his table.  I didn't want to be too early but I really didn't want to cut it too close either so we got there about 9:20.  It took all of 10 minutes to set up his little table and board.  Looking at the schedule, we realized we had the next hour to do nothing since we had until 10:30 to set up and then have a general assembly.  We walked around and looked at other projects for a bit and then went outside and enjoyed the nice weather. 

Paul & Jaden walking around the older kids projects.  Jaden grades were set up all around the coliseum (in the hall).  I have to say, it was not my favorite place since I am extremely chlostrophobic.

^ Jaden & Paul outside.

v Me & Jaden outside.

Jaden standing by his project.

I didn't realize I would be staring at what you see here for 3 hours.  While the judges walked around talking to each child, parents could not stay with them.  Can you believe that?  Jaden had to sit at his table for 3 hours!  We were able to check on him from time to time but he was bored I know.  I can't even sit still for 3 hours.  It was hard enough for us, and Paul and I at least had each other to talk to.  If he goes next year, we will know to bring his psp for sure.  At our lunch break, I was able to get him a sketch pad, colored pencils, and once of those crayola pad with special markers so he did have something to do.  I told Paul he should be good though since he didn't know anyone sitting by him.  I would have been more worried if it wasn't like that.  Paul told me at one point though, when he was checking on him, (Jaden didn't see Paul) he had a look on his face like he really wanted to just make a poot noise or something.  He was fighting it with difficulty.  Can you imagine hundreds of 8-11 yr. olds sitting still for 3 hours?  Ok I think I've got my point across.

Jaden didn't place but we are so very proud of him.  He is such a smart kid!  He came home with his report card today with all A's and 1 B.  He was so distraught about the B, I had to console him.  I hate that he worries about it but I hope he continues to do well in school.   

Here is what I got in the mail yesterday (thanks to Ann from Texstyle Textures). 

^ (close up of my bag)

I officially have something to put in my Press photos!  Thanks again Ann!

I need to focus

Ever have trouble getting back into groove of things?  I am having some today!  Tuesdays & Thursdays are my hard labor work days since Mad goes to school on those days.  The other days of the week fall under "whatever I can do, do" days.  With Maddie home it's hard to accomplish much.  Some days I do, some days I don't.  Today should be a very productive day, but I'm having trouble keeping my mind on task.  I have stuff to do but I did not prepare well for today and most of the time have sat here trying to figure out what to do next...

Obviously I'm not sewing because I'm sitting here blogging :)  I just found you can listen to the 80's online and I'm currently listening to "I heard a rumor" by Banarama.  I love the 80's. 

I played Bunko last night and won a prize!  Last month I didn't get to play because Jaden had a soccer game the same night.  He had a game last night too but since his cousins went to watch the game with Paul he didn't mind me going to play with my friends.  They won!  We only have 2 games left and I can't say I'm disappointed that the season will be coming to an end.  It seems like we've been doing soccer forever!  I'm ready for a break!!!

Ok, speaking of break, I suppose I need to get back to work.   Focus Sara. Focus!

Giveaway Winner :)

I used this site - http://www.mathgoodies.com/calculators/random_no_custom.html  to choose a random number from the comments.  Go check it out, it's fun to put in numbers and see what it comes up with... It chose lucky no. 3!  Brenda, if you will send me your mailing info I will get this out to you asap :)  You can send the info to madbags@bellsouth.net.  Thanks again for everyone that played along, I hope to have some more giveaways in the near future.  It was fun!!!

Spring Break is over :(

I'm happy and sad at the same time.  My husband's family and my family have been here all week and it's been great getting to spend time with them.  My kids have enjoyed their cousins so much.  Jaden did not want to go back to school today!  Staying up (the kid NEVER gets tired) late and sleeping in are pure joy for him and getting up early this morning was not fun, although he got into groove of things quicker than me.  I also enjoy sleeping in.  Although I was sad to see everyone go, I'm happy to be able to get back in the groove of things.  I'm a list person and like things to be on schedule if you know what I mean. 

I know my mom is ready for a rest too.  We've all been over at her house eating her food and messing up the place.  Thanks mom for putting up with all of us!

In between family departures and arrivals, Brandi and I took a day trip to Tupelo. She had an exam to take and I needed a day spent with my best friend.  Throw in browsing fabrics and eating at Red Lobster and you have THE perfect day! 

Yummy red lobster biscuits...

Random barber shop.  Love the name.

Maddie spent the night with Camryn (Brandi's daughter) Friday night for Cam's birthday party/sleepover.  They took the girls to Applebees and to see Horton Hears a Who.  So Cute!

The next several pictures are of time spent with cousins, aunts, and grands. 

Bella & Madeline in their matching dresses from MeeMee.

What Jaden did ALL spring break.  Play video games....

Mad & Aunt Gena

Cousins!

My parents have so much fun stuff to play on... They had the best time on the tire swing!

Bella in her Easter dress that Carla made.  I want to sew like her when I grow up. 

Where's Bella?

Happy Birthday Bella!!! #3!!

Hunting easter eggs at meemees and papas

more tire swing fun.

my handsome nephews Corey & Dylan

Taking aride down the driveway with Papa 

So sweet :)

Easter Sunday.  My two are getting too big!

Two beautiful girls on the seasaw

Cam & Mad at church Easter Sunday. Pretty pretty.

The sistas minus 1.  We missed you LeAnne!!!

 

Jaden & Corey at McDonalds. 

Looks like trouble just waiting to happen right????

Happy Monday everyone!!!

PTB Giveaway!!!

I'm feeling generous today. 

For my first giveaway, yes that means there will be more down the road, I've decided to give away this Portable Toy Box-

The bear and cup are not included, unless you would like to take on the wrath of my daughter.  Who knows, I may even throw in a fabric scrap pack or something along with it... All you have to do is leave a comment here and I'll randomly pick one as the winner.  You have until midnight tonight (Saturday) so start leaving comments! I'll let you know who won on Monday, the 24th.

I have to share a funny story with you.  I was reading a blog from Sommer Designs (Carrie) and a picture she had posted triggered a memory.  Does that ever happen to you?  It's amazing to me that in a split second an image can just jump start your brain and take you back so far as if it had just happened.  Ok, enough of that, let's get to the story right?  Carrie had posted a mosaic with lots of pictures and one of them was of a sticker of "I heart San Francisco". That's what triggered the memory for me.  All the way back to 2nd grade.  We lived in Louisiana at the time and went to a private school right across the state line in Mississippi.  My teacher had been on vacation and when she came back, she was telling us all about her exciting trip to California.  San Francisco to be exact.  At the end she said she had a surprise for each of us.  Everyone got a sticker that said "I heart SF!"  Why is this so important?  My name is Sara and my maiden name is Freeman.  I didn't get the whole SF meaning San Francisco.  My wide eyes just thought everyone loved ME!  Even the boys and especially the little boy I had a crush on.  I suppose the teacher didn't have the heart to tell me the truth because she never corrected me when I shouted, "Everyone loves me!"  It was a great day indeed :)

Now leave a comment people and show me some real love.

Mama's Broccoli Potato Soup

Does it taste as good as it looks? Better actually.  My mom is always so good about bringing me things I don't normally get to eat (my family is extremely picky).  Walk into her house and there is always something on the stove cooking or simmering.  That bowl there is the last of what she had brought me a couple of days ago.  I didn't have to make lunch for myself for several days because of that :)

How did I get so lucky to have such a wonderful mom?  I don't know but I sure do thank God everytime I think about her.  Working with teens as many years as we have, you see alot of moms that aren't so great so I know what a good one I've got. 

I love you mama.

Pictures are in! Yay!

Both Soccer pictures and Dance pictures came in this week and I'm so excited about how each turned out!  I feel so blessed to have such beautiful children- inside and out.

Something else arrived this week and I can't wait to use them!  I now officially have REAL labels to put on my products.  They are woven labels and I love the look of them.  I may have to order a bunch in different colors so I can match the prints I use.  I really like black and white though so I may just stick to these for a while.  I have an obsession with always wanting more... Gotta get over that :)

Last Week Part 2

Where were we?  Ah... I think we are now to Friday.  What an interesting day that was.  Jaden was in a play that morning so me and Mad took off to the school to see him.  All students in Merit (gifted program) have been learning about Black History and put on a neat little play about how far we have come since segregation.  Jaden was a peaceful protestor.  He and a group of other peaceful protestors walked across the stage with signs of protest.  I would have shown you a picture but it happened so fast I didn't have time to get my camera out of my purse!  He did do a great job though :)

Once I got home from the play, I remembered I had to fix a shirt for Maddie's class.

Since it was leap day, she had to have a frog and bring 29 things.  I got confused and thought it all had to be on her shirt.  It's been a long week what can I say?  I took an old blank t-shirt and printed out a clipart frog onto an iron-on printable fabric.  Cut it out, ironed it on, then took safety pins, added a purple bead to each one, then pinned 29 of them onto her shirt.  It actually turned out pretty cute for only 20 minutes of work. Of course, all she really had to wear was green.  At least the frog was green!

After that I dropped Maddie off at school and then went straight to the sale.  There were gobs of people in the store being the first day open to the public so it was very busy.  At random times there would loads of people and then it would be nobody.  Never can tell- Nothing out of the ordinary and I really just chatted with the other ladies there most of the time.  One time though I almost laughed out loud.  A customer had come up to my table and was looking at the Hot Iron Mitts and was going on and on about how cute they were to her friend.  Probably said "This is just too cute" 4 times and then looked at her friend and said, "What is it?".  I was so glad I had my back turned becuase I really almost cackled.  I was just about to get up to let her know what it was when her friend saw the sign I had up explaining what they were.  So funny. 

For dinner, my best friend Brandi and I had made plans to meet at Chili's to eat supper and then she was going to come back and sit with me to keep me company until we closed up at 9pm.  I have to explain first where we were.  In Columbus, we have 2 main streets really perpendicular to each other.  Our store was on the end of one of them, Hwy. 45.  I had to travel back towards the middle of town to get to Chili's.  When I left I had no idea anything was going on down the street.  I got about a 1/2 mile down the road and I started noticing several business had cops with lights on just sitting in the parking lots.   I first noticed them at Best Western, then a little further, they were lined up on the side street beside Walmart, then across the road they were all over a small bank, and then again down another side street near a shopping plaza.  I had visions of Walmart being evacuated the night before and wondered if there was another CODE BLUE!  I went on to Chili's and as soon as I walked in they had one of their TVs turned up loud so everyone could hear tuned into the local news.  There had been a shooting and 4 people had been shot, one being one of two suspects, the other was still at large.  I noticed a few older couples got up and left the restaurant.  Now me, I was thinking why would anyone come into Chili's?  It's on the other end of the highway so I figured we were pretty safe.  It turns out that what happened was the guy that started everything had confronted his wife and an ex-city counselman that were together of an affair and then starting shooting, first the man and then his wife.  All of this in front of a pump-n-save.  Then he started walking away, when a patrolman showed up.  The officer was also shot and then the guy took the police car to a nearby bank, left the car and on foot went near walmart (still not sure if he went in or not), then was found by the best western and shot in the head.  Everyone survived but the shooter (from what i've heard but it's only a rumor) is braindead.  Before I knew all the details, my friend and I ate our dinner then headed back to Cooper's.  After hearing all kinds of stories of what might have happened we closed up shop and headed home.

Still lots of activity going on but we couldn't resist trying to get some kind of picture of it.  The only place we could get close to was the bank.

We needed a reason to be at McDonald's to get the picture so we went through drive-thru and I got a caramel sundae.  Brandi wanted ice cream too so after we got the picture we went to Sonic and she got a fudge cake sundae.  The complete store is that there were never two suspects, just alot of confusing reports from everyone that it seemed as if there were two.  They had gotten the one suspect pretty quickly after all of it happened to begin with.

Got back home safe and sound (and I might add extremely full) and was pretty tired after all that! 

Saturday seemed pretty tame compared to the past few days.  Traffic in the store stayed steady but when the half price sale started there were lots and lots of people coming in.  I had my best show yet there and I have to say I am pleased and feel like it was well worth my time.  I left a little earlier since I was so tired.  I packed everything up and was out of there around 7:30pm, went home and crashed.

I must have slept hard because I woke up with a crick in my neck.  We went to church and then planned to come home and grill chicken for lunch.  It was such a beautiful day!  It was so breezy and nice we opened up all the windows and doors in the house and just enjoyed it.

 

Jaden went over to a friends house to play.  Maddie asked us if we had a kite and of course we don't.  BUT I came up with a great idea for one.  For Valentine's Day we got the kids heart balloons along with some goodies that still have air in them (can you believe it?).  I cut off the weight and tied a really long piece of yarn to the existing string.   It was great!  Maddie even made a paper tail for it.  It made the perfect kite since it never falls to the ground, even when the wind died down. HA.