Thursday, August 27, 2009

A little productive...


...just a little lost.

The kids are gone off to school and I am left alone to complete my oh so long list of projects. Some how it's a little overwhelming at this point but I am up for the challenge.

First on my list was to finish my swaps for Silver Bella. I have to say I am not sure if this is how is was suppose to be done but this is what I came up with for the mini-Quilt swap.

They are 5x7 pieces of material decorated. Sheila of Blessed and Distressed, has offered to host this swap and will put the panels together to form 12 different 4 paneled quilts to share.




I incorporated very little embroidery as my stitching needs refinement, so what I did sew was small.
This post is cut short by the needs of my youngest...he needs me :) Kindergarten doesn't start until 12:45.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Tomorrow Starts School...

...and I have to say I am really going to miss my kids.

But I won't miss scenes like this...

A roll of tape later and this is the "guys jail"

Some how my candles and other oddities made it into my boys room where they had a blast creating a new and exciting game.
I can feel my cleaning bug doing the happy dance inside...the rooms may actually stay cleaner longer than 1 hour.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Hooked on Friday...

...Anthropologie
I got the most adorable card in the mail yesterday.




It is a birthday card offering me 15% off this entire month.
How sweet!
That store never ceases to amaze me...

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Hummingbird Rescue...

It was another amazing day here in Sugar Grove…

Last week my neighbor Cindy Babka called me and asked for my help. She explained that when she opened her front door, a small hummingbird flew in and tried desperately to fly out through her closed family room window.


I grabbed a net and headed over. To my surprise there it was, this tiny little bird fluttering like mad, desperate to get out the solid glass window.

The angle of the window did not allow for use of my net so I jumped up on a stool and gently cupped the bird in my hand. I thought my heart was going to pop out of my chest as this oh so tiny, living, thing climbed into my hand and did not try to escape.



I held this amazing creature in the palm of my hand, stroked its back and checked it for any possible injury. I could feel it’s tiny, fast, beating heart as he/she let me do what ever I needed to.




It felt like an eternity as we sat on the front porch staring at one another. The hummingbird even allowed me to get back into my car and drive home to show my kids just what had made my heart so happy.

The kids could not believe their eyes, something with such beauty sitting right in front of them, allowing them to stare and be just plain amazed.

\

After all of the kids had their chance to look at our newest friend we decided to give it a rest in my decorative bird cage. We were afraid that it was injured since it hadn’t left my hand since getting him off the window.


Easier said than done, he/she didn’t want to leave my hand and held on tightly with its teeny little feet. As it fluttered around the cage, we realized it wasn’t hurt and let the cage open to allow it to fly free.

Honestly, I never in a million years would have imagined I would get the opportunity to hold a hummingbird. They are only something of my dreams and a miracle of God’s handiwork.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Random Poll...Sleep

How much sleep do you get?


I was reading an article in Better Homes and Gardens last night and it asked accomplished women how they maintained their health during their rise to success.

It was something quoted by Alexandra Stoddard (a designer and author) that caught my attention and gave me pause. She talked about how important it is to make time for yourself as you cared for your family.

Time is something that is relative to each person and unfortunately I am thinking I spend too much time sleeping. To be completely honest, I love my bed.

If I really want to be productive and successful, maybe I need to give up some of my sleeping hours?

It is something that confuses me…

I have friends that can’t sleep at all and spend most of their nights reading, on the computer or watching TV. Some go to bed early and some go to bed very late.

What is the right combination and if there is a combination does it make for a more successful person?

Is it a question of what you are willing to sacrifice to make it all work?

Ok…now I want to ask you what is your sleeping pattern? This is a random poll that I think will provide some answers. I have my predictions but want to see if I can prove them.

So please leave a comment…I would really appreciate it and I will report back to you on its results.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Is it time....

....to go back to school?
It's raining out today and the kids are trying to amuse themselves while I clean up after the weekend.

Is rollerskating in the house ok?


Is dressing up/torturing Maggie a crime?

At this point I really don't care...its going to be a long day!

Friday, August 14, 2009

AND THE WINNER IS...






LAUREL




Congratulations


Now a little congrats to myself this morning....


It has been just amazing and it's only 9:30 central time.




To start it off, a neighbor called and asked if I could help rescue a


HUMMINGBIRD!!!
Pictures will have to come later..
I ran right over with a long net and my anticipation of seeing one up close and personal because it was in her house.


The net was not going to do it so...I put my hand up there and it climbed right onto my palm and just rested there for a while.


It turned out to be a long while as we brought the sweet thing back


to my house to meet my kids.


I have a very large decorative bird case so I was going to let her rest in there...but she did not want to leave the palm of my hand. She held onto my fingers and wouldn't release.






Finally after a little bit she flew away and we were very happy that she wasn't injured.


If that were not the best thing ever...outside of being close to my owl, who we released on Wednesday night...




































informed me that I won her

JEANNE D' ARC giveaway.
It's a great day here in Sugar Grove!







Monday, August 10, 2009

100th Post...yes a give away too...


...and I didn't realize it!
Wow!!! When I started writing this blog I didn't know if I could keep up with it or what direction I was going in. That was back in January.

Today we are in August and what a difference 100 posts make.
I have "EVOLVED" in that short span of time.

My faith has been strengthen by all that has happened. Making new friends, focusing on my family, discovering my inner creative artist, starting a small business and finding a new lease on life...all of this in 100 posts.

As in every one's life, there are ups and downs. This year I have had many but with The Accountant standing by my side cheering me on...I am happy to say life keeps getting better.

My kids understand me more than I do myself. They make signs for me and help me come up with more ideas, they are a part of this experience in every way.

My friends from all aspects of my life have offered me so much support that I can hardly express my gratitude. I have learned from them, leaned on them and in return I only hope to offer them the best of me and my love in return.

Since most folks have a give away for their 100th post, I shall follow suit.

So today .... I will give to the lucky winner... a $50.00 gift certificate to...
ANTHROPOLOGIE!!!!

Plus one of my "Magic Friendship Wands".

To enter: Please leave a comment on how you have "EVOLVED".

A post linking back to my blog will enter you another time!
I will close the give away on Thursday at 11:59pm and announce the winner on Friday morning!

Thank you all for your support through my growing process...I look forward to 100 more!

Thursday, August 6, 2009

The Hannaford Farm Family Owl


I know I have always talked about how wonderful it is to live in a rural setting and today was no exception.

Over the past several weeks we have been listening to two Great Horned Owls carry on conversations through the night and sometimes into the wee hours of the morning.

Our neighbors, Brian and Cindy Babka, have been following the pair of juvenile owls around our neighborhood since the first time they heard the screeching. Brian armed himself with a high powered light and tracked the birds to the many rooftops of their neighbors.

Other families in the neighborhood have joined in and taken an interest in the pair of owls, following them around just to get a glimpse of their beauty.

Little did neighbor, Michele Bruno, know she would get an up close and personal meeting with one of the two owls. On Wednesday morning, as she walked around the house, she noticed the large, brown bird floating in her pool. Its head was not submerged and it was still alive, neck deep in water.

Not knowing what to do, Michele called her neighbor over to help assess the situation. The two immediately started calling rescue agency after rescue agency only to find none of them were able to help and if they might have been able to assist, it would have been too late to save the bird.

Fearing they could further injure the bird or injure themselves, Michele luckily tracked down Sugar Grove Police Officer, Tom Barna. Officer Barna called for assistance and Officer Aaron Riley arrived on the scene. Together the two officers were able to rescue the owl from the water by placing a noose over the bird’s neck and gently placing it into a lidded box.

Knowing just what the owl needed, Officer Barna called the Fox Valley Wildlife Center in Elburn, Illinois, who then graciously took the scared, drenched owl into their care.

A few hours had passed and our curiosity could not be contained, we needed to know what happened to our neighborhood owl. We called the Fox Valley Wildlife Center and listened to the hours but didn’t understand that the hospital is not open to the public.

Upon seeing the faces of our kids huddled around the doorway, the staff couldn’t help but provide us with a picture of our friend in his cage. They gave us as much information that they could about his condition.

We learned that the owl must have been trying to catch something to eat out of the pool and for some reason ended up getting his feathers too wet. The wet feathers prevented him from getting out of the water and basically held him hostage until he was rescued.

The owl was dehydrated and scared but for the most part he was completely healthy. No broken wings or any maladies to worry about. The hospital staff plans on keeping the owl for approximately a week and then releasing it back into the wild.

One of our biggest concerns was that this young owl would desperately miss his sibling back at Hannaford Farm. So we kindly requested that when he is ready for life back in the wild suburbs, that he could be released back where he was found. No, not back at the pool but back at the barn where we believe the owls are living.

To everyone’s delight they staff of the Fox Valley Wildlife Center agrees with this philosophy and hopes to have him returned home as soon as our friend the owl is eating his mice and gaining strength again.

Many people had a hand in insuring this animal was saved from certain death and we are all personally thankful. It is fortunate that we have a place like the Fox Valley Wildlife Center that cares for wounded animals.

A special thank you goes to the Sugar Grove Officers who put aside normal protocol and rescued this beautiful animal. In turn they helped a scared homeowner who had run out of options and then thoughtfully brought our neighborhood owl to a place where it could be cared for.

Living in a small, rural town is the greatest!

p.s. as a follow up with the sibling owl left behind here in Hannaford Farm…he/she was out looking for his brother right where he was last seen. We watched the owl go from rooftop to rooftop calling out with their familiar screeches. It broke our hearts knowing just what he/she was missing. Hopefully soon they will be reunited.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

I love being...

...a Midwestern Girl!

Why you ask? Because this is corn season...

...and we have corn as far as the eye can see.

Since sweet corn is seasonal, we have to eat it while we can get it.

So having our local farmer right down the road is a big help.

He is fully stocked and ready to fill our cravings for fresh summertime veggies.

Dinner was out of sight tonight!!!!

We even had some interesting ears of corn ....

Monday, August 3, 2009

Want to know the sad reality...

...I didn't get one craft project done last week or this weekend. It just amazes me how "things" come up and I am drawn into something else, leaving my plans in the dust.

My thoughts of embroidery vanished into thin air as the neighbors opened their pool and invited us for dinner. Now, I have to say that we had a great time and I am not complaining, but even my best laid crafting plans don't hold a candle to the fun of summer.

Oh well, the kids only have a few more weeks till they return to the routine of school. We should enjoy the flexability of our schedule and just roll with it.

I did learn one very useful tip while reading a magazine by the pool...if you wiggle your toes you will unclench your jaw. I have a habit of clenching my jaw tightly as I focus intently on things, so this is a technique I am really excited about applying to everyday life.

Ok...lets see what today brings...computer problems, doctors appoitments, mothers birthday shopping, swimming lessons, small workout, tons of laundry...hummmm do you think there will be any craft time coming today?