Joy Leanne

I am working on a new pattern for my shop. I am attempting to branch off from just Waldorf dolls. A few weeks ago I worked on some peg dollies. Sunday and Monday were spent working on some wool felt dollies. Then last night I decided to draft up a pattern for a simple, bright rag doll. I was pretty pleased with how my first draft came out on paper! Here is what is looks like sewn up. What do you all think? Do I adjust the pattern so she is wider? or simple adjust the face circle so it's smaller, or does it look ok? I am so excited about this dolly. I love putting fabrics together and this allows me to do just that.

It has been crazy warm here for March. We have broken 80 degrees on more than one occasion. While I am thoroughly enjoying the early spring I am a bit worried about that this means for Summer time in Central VA. But we will cross that bridge in a month or two. For now I am very much enjoying the warm weather. Like the plants, and like my mother, I am happiest in the sun. Fall and winter have their certain charms, and I truly love baking bread and working on quilts while the leave change. However, I come alive when the weather turns warm. I am rediscovering old loves. My sewing machine is getting used again, and I am writing with a desire and enjoyment that has been missing for a very, very long time. I have been updating at my other blog Grace and Manna , journaling, and even working on a writing project that I am not quite ready to share about just yet! I am also discovering some new pass times like mixed media journals Smash books are my newest love! You as you can see over at my Pi...

Weekly Five:   1) Went out with a friend last week and bought a ton of seeds and potting soil and now have an area of little seeds sitting in egg cartons on the out side of my window sill. I am a little nervous that I am not seeing any sprouts yet. Hope I didn't do something wrong! 2) 3 weeks on Weight Watchers and I am finally starting to see some loss. Lost 4 lb so far and celebrated with a new book! :) 3) I got my hair colored for spring. It didn't turn out nearly as light as I wanted and I am thinking I may just skip the "fashion" color for a while. 4) We tilled up a big spot in our front yard. Still needs a lot of work but it should be ready by the time I get sprouts (if that actually does happen) 5) We have had some amazingly beautiful weather lately that makes me content and restless all at the same time. I have been drinking crazy amounts of raspberry tea and reading and mixed media journal lately in attempt to satiate my need for something.

It a pretty dreary day here to far. Gray and wet, though surprising not overly cold. High today is actually 68! Looks like spring is on it's way and I am more than ok with that. After a highly productive Monday and Tuesday we are are slow getting going this morning. Truth be told the girls and I are still lazing around in bed and Abi is actually still asleep after a rough night. At some point I need to get up and do some stuff to get ready for MOPS tomorrow. Also hoping to get some sewing done. I picked up some amazing yarn on vacation and I can't wait to use it!  I finally got around to making myself a dolly before vacation. She is 6 inches and itty bitty. I am in love with her. I will definately be making some this size for Easter. Happy Hump Day and Happy Leap Year!

We got back in town from vacation late Sunday night and jumped back into life first thing Monday morning. Yesterday was actually my first day back into regular routine since the miscarriage. It actually went smoother than I expected. I spent the morning do laundry, grocery shopping, and dealing with FAMIS and Medicaid over the phone and through faxes. Surprisingly it went rather smoothly and every one I talked to was very kind and helpful. In the afternoon I engaged in some serious kitchen therapy. Cooking, baking, bread making, even decorating my Kitchen aide mixer! Nothing soothes me quite like the kitchen. One of the things I made was buffalo chicken hot pockets. I normally use this as a left over re-purpose, but Josh asked for them so I went a head and made the dip and bread solely for this purpose. I've had a couple people ask about it so I thought I would share the recipie here. Filling Ingredients: 1 can chicken (large size) (This is the first place you can use left overs. ...

A few pictures from our week long getaway with Josh's parents. We weren't sure we were going to make it after the misscairage. But the doctor gave the all clear and it has been a great chance to get away for a while. We spent a few days in Gatlinburg, Tn. Now we are up in Ohio visiting his sister. All in all a good trip. More pictures coming next week!

  It occurred to me the other day that I never posted finished pictures of my white spaces quilt. I first shared it in this blog post and was trying to decide if I liked the boarder. I decided to keep it even though it is a less polished look. I bought the jelly roll to make this quilt back in May with some of my birthday money. I new I wanted to make a quilt for myself. A couple weeks before I bought the fabric my husband started a new job and our lives got very crazy. As I thought about what I wanted my quilt to look like I new it would included simple lines and white spaces. My life was so full and crazy and cluttered that I was truly craving some "white space". Over time as I worked on it I realized it was also evolving into a "make do" quilt. Money was very tight for a while so other than the jelly roll I didn't purchase any fabric for this quilt. Even the backing is a sheet gifted from a friend. It may not be the prettiest or most polished quilt but it is...