consider this.....

I mailed all (but one, which will go out today) of the

giveaway prizes yesterday!!

It was so fun shipping them off...
though I was a little sad to part with it all!

One thing that hit me hard as I was sewing away,
making my fun little items
was that Big Box stores.....sell things

so.darn. cheap.

I would get a bit discouraged when
I would walk into T*rget and
see a cute fabric purse....
for what it COST me to make!

AND they are making a profit.

*Sigh*

It really hit home to me how the 'ma & pop'
stores are going, going....gone,
because there's just no way to compete
with stores who can
buy in HUGE quantities at a fraction
of the cost.

No, I am NOT anti-big business...
I love WM & T*rget.

I'm thrilled that I can buy things I need
for my home for a reasonable price
because the big guys have worked out
some great deals.

BUT.....

for those little people,
just trying to make a buck (or ten!),
it's almost impossible
to compete.

Here's my proposition to you...
would you consider,
at least for the gifts that you buy for
your friends and family...

to buy homemade items?

Etsy is an awesome site for such things.
I really encourage you to stop
by, and take a looksy...
there are some REALLY talented
and creative folks out there!

Buy something that was made by
a gal who is trying to maintain her
stay-at-home status...
or a grandma who just loves to
knit & wants to support her "habit"!!

You know what I mean.

So, that all leads me to....

my continued effort to raise $ for our
adoption.

I am going to make some things
and list them here (and likely on Etsy),
and if you would like to buy something,
just shoot me an email & we will
work the deal!

Here is my first item...

A 35 x 47" very girly rag quilt!


Closer up...


And the back is pretty darn cute too!
$68
(includes shipping)

So, if you have a baby gift you need to buy soon,
please consider this cute and cozy
handmade quilt that any girl would adore!
If you are interested, email me...

LoriatJoyUnspeakable@yahoo.com

But...

even if you don't buy something from me...
please consider a handmade gift
from someone!

Another Encounter with a Favorite Blog Friend!

You know how we tell our kiddos to be oh-so-careful with who they are talking to online? How we harp on them over and over of the dangers to be in contact with someone you don't REALLY know.....

Well many of you will remember that we (the responsible harping parents...with kids in tow), broke those rules when we visited our now GREAT friends, the Saunders. What a blessing this sweet family has been to us!!

Ummm well....we are at it again. Yep, we are going to dinner tonight with one of my blogging buddies!! Jean and her family are in town for a soccer tournament and so...we simply MUST get together to meet face to face!! Funnier still is that my hubby agreed to go along with these meetings....he isn't the most social guy, ESPECIALLY with people he doesn't know. But truth be told....he kinda does "know" them because he had been following Linn's blog when we went to see them and now he also follows Jean's blog. If he denies that, I'm here to tell you that it's true.

So I'm a little nervous....like we are going on a blind date or something. What if they don't like us...what if they think we are crazy rednecks? And wouldn't you know...I have a horrible self-induced haircut at the moment. UGH.

**********************************************

Yesterday while Nick was at his golf lesson I did a little shopping and bought Lucy a new swim suit. When I got home with it she was so excited (though she was a little confused since she already has one from last year....the girl is still learning. More than one of any article of clothing is a must Lucy!). For the rest of the day she kept saying, "Mommy bought me a new swim soup!" Oh my, too cute!! I'm a stickler about pronouncing things correctly to her but it's really hard not to want to call it a swim soup as well....it's just too cute!

Nick's quilt is DONE!!!! I pulled it out of the dryer early this morning, went downstairs to his room to cover him up with it so he would wake up to it!! Sooo, since he is still asleep I will take pics later and post them once he's up!!

I'm sorry...did you just say sexy?

I can't tell you how guilty I feel for not blogging yesterday! (Sorry Nancy if your day was all askew from my neglect!!) Wednesdays are just super busy for me, plus I was having internet problems in the wee hours of the AM.

After we returned home from my woman's bible study that I lead (please know that I use the word lead very loosely...basically, I unlock the church door and start the coffee), K-man called me to say the tags on his work vehicles expired...Tuesday. Well of course they did. He has a deadbeat secretary that goofs up a lot. Good thing she's sharin' a bed with him cause otherwise she'd be so outta here!

So, along with homeschooling Nick, taking him to golf practice AND trying to straighten up the house, I had an unplanned visit to the DMV to fit into my day. Super.

The DMV office and I just don't mix...every stinkin' time I go into that place, my patience is put to the test big time and I usually fail. *sigh* I always forget something that I need and I always have the attitude that it's the fault of the girl behind the desk (how dare she expect ME to abide by the rules....doesn't she know I'm LUCY'S mom?) But I was determined to be nice...no matter what. Whew. I had everything I needed and it went A-OK. That was a first.

Right next door was a fabric store. Never in my wildest dreams would I have guessed that my 14 year old son would request to go in and shop. This manly man (through and through) has been begging me to make him a rag quilt like Lucy's (but in MANLY colors & patterns of course). My BFF Angela made Lucy's quilt & Nick has been jealous of its softness for the longest time. So, in we went.

We had to pick out a host of flannel fabric, which wasn't easy. I had Nick take the six bolts that he decided on and carry them to the counter to be cut. As he was carrying them, he looked at me and said,

"Mom, this is gonna be one sexy quilt." I'm sorry, did you just say sexy??

Here are a few of Nick's fabric picks for his "sexy" quilt.

Here we see Nick practicing his putting (which he did for THREE HOURS!) He also says that the new driver he just bought is sexy....I'm seeing a trend here. Perhaps his new-found adjective is the new awesome.

And we end with a picture of Lucy because well...she thinks she rules the world.