Didn’t you hate seeing that when you were a kid!  I remember watching some of my favorite shows and would groan when that phrase was flashed on the screen at the “not end”.  It meant I would have to wait to see if Laura would say “yes” to Almanzo, or to see the resolution of a situation in the Huxtable family.

simple Analogy is going through some exciting changes and will now be continued over here.  See you there!

Ok, I didn’t exactly follow the directions for the strips.  Instead of sewing the entire batch together into one enormously long piece and then starting the match/sew/cut process, I did it in smaller sections.  Then sewed the four individual sections together.  Hind sight says, “I wish I would have followed the directions so I don’t have verticle seams showing.”  But I still like the way it turned out and I would definitly use this strip piecing method again.

I think I actually like Plan B better!  I am going to cut the leftovers into strips and do this nifty idea.  Meg introduced me to this method, and I used it on some towels, but now it will be done en mass!  I will sew a good size piece of the strips and add  bands of fabric to the top and bottom to get the yardage needed for the back of the duvet.  Actually it will end up being a reversible duvet cover.  He can flip it to which ever side catches his fancy for the day.  Thanks to Plan B!

Number one son’s fabric to finish the duvet is on the way.  Moda’s Basic Building Blocks. 

I looked high and low online for this fabric.  It’s one of my favorites and Landon really likes it.  I finally ordered it from It’s A Stitch.  This store is on the other side of Houston from where I live.  As much as I would dearly love to visit it in person, with gas so high, it’s cheaper to ship it.  Isn’t that CRAZY!  One of two things need to happen . . . either gas prices need to take a chill which I HOPE they do, or they need to get a decent quilt store on my side of town.  The one over here has NOTHING designed since the 80′s.  Ok, maybe a little bit of an exaggeration, but not too much.

My friend Beverly came over with all her bags of beads, I got out my stash, and we cranked out the jewelry!  Five hours worth!  Can you imagine anything more fun? 

I did a wire wrapped bracelet.  This consumed most of my time.   Anyone know where to buy base metal wire on a spool?  I think I could have gone much faster if I had longer wire to work with.

Another wire wrapped ring.

A soldered charm for myself.  Reversible.

I don’t know about you, but when I make stuff it usually is for someone else.  I decided that it was high time for me to have a necklace of my own.  This time the soldered charm went smoother because I had the queen of charms there to guide me.  I think I am getting the hang of it.  It still takes two people to do the jump ring, but Bev and I did pretty well together. 

By the time we wrapped up it was time for dinner.  I invited her family to stay, but I guess the mention of zucchini pretty much killed that one.  Sorry Scott!  We’ll plan for next time to be meat and potatoes night!   I am blessed to have friends who are good enough friends to tell me they don’t like what’s for dinner!

First of all, Landon wanted a patchwork look.  I didn’t have a pattern for this, so I came up with my own design.  I measured the comforter to be covered and added a few inches all around to make sure I’d have plenty to play with.  Then I drew a scale plan on graph paper with each little square equaling 2.25 inches.  I drew my design on the graph paper, figured out the dimensions for each piece, multiplied them by 2.25, then added the seam allowance.  Now that I write this, it sounds pretty straightforward, but I’m telling you it about drove me crazy.  My little pink calculator became my best friend and worst enemy all at the same time.  I did the math on each piece so many times I lost count. 

When I was finally convinced that I had done the math correctly, I cut into the fabric.  I spent one evening cutting, and the next evening sewing.  One side done.

P.S.  I appologize if there were any crazy pictures in my sidebar over the weekend.  I was trying to add my Flickr photos and it was showing other people’s pictures.  I thought I had deleted it, but this new technology got the better of me.  

As a teen I had the occasional pimple and t-zone trouble.  I dealt with it the best I could and just hoped for the time when I was a little older and it would all go away.  But I am in my thirty’s now and it’s worse.  What’s that all about?  So, I feel that it’s time to take things into my own hands.

I found a book at the library that categorizes your skin, recommends products for your type, and gives you some things to stay away from.  It’s called The Skin Type Solution by Leslie Baumann, M.D.  I came across an article written by her and decided to try the book.  It is 475 pages long, but don’t let that scare you.  After your read the first few chapters, which are about her research and philosophy, she has you take a test to find out your type.  Then you go to that chapter and read about problems, needs, and recommendations for your specific skin type.  Revolutionary!  No more one-size-fits-all skin regimens that don’t work.

My skin type . .  ORPW (Oily, Pigmented, Resistant, Wrinkled).  Doesn’t that sound lovely?  I am a red head, therefore very pigmented (lots of freckles) and also prone to wrinkle because I burn easily.  My skin doesn’t react to many soaps, so it is considered resistant.  And although I am not horribly oily, I have just enough to be put in that category.  Once I had my category, it was time to see which products to stay away from and which were recommended. 

Of course you may be thinking that all a doctor would recommend would be prescriptions or the most expensive products from the cosmetics counter.  But that is the best thing about the book!  She recommends a list of products that range from cheap-at-the-grocery-store to more-expensive-at-the-mall.  Sounds good to me!

I also am trying an new foundation.  The one I have used since I was a teenager is leaving my face feeling too heavy and greasy.  So, I am giving Bare Minerals a try.  I really like the way it feels on my face.  It is easy to put on, looks natural, covers well, and doesn’t feel like I have makeup on at all!  The kit came with all the brushes I need to get started, a priming serum, two foundations, a bronzer (you can use it for blush), a finishing powder, and an instructional DVD.  Plus, it is all natural – no chemicals!  Joel is cheering!

I’m off to save my face.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

Sometimes as number two son, he feels left out.  “Landon gets to do all the fun stuff.”  He’s taller so he can drive the go carts at Mountasia.  He’s older, so he can do paintball.  He’s in the youth group, so he can go to camp and do all the fun activities.  We try to do what we can to add flavor to his life too, but sometimes there are “unchangeables” that get in the way . . . like age, height, and birth order.

But the way his room looks is not an unchangeable.  We started working on his room yesterday.  We rearranged the furniture and got a stack of paint samples.  He wants a beachy feel to the room, so we got plenty of sands, blues, and turquoises.  This morning we sifted through them all, then Joel and Noah took a trip to Lowe’s.

Being parents to more than one child brings different challenges, but we are up to the challenge.

Charlie Chan influenced this post.  We checked this one out at the library.

Then a switch of the breaker and a little bit of elbow grease later . . .

Light fixtures are really not that hard to change out.  I guess I can add “electrician” to my resume.

You’ve all heard of the foreign exchange program.  Well, I have a foreign exchange thing going on at my house.

The serger is FOREIGN to me.

I really borrowed it rather than EXCHANGED.

I am the STUDENT.

Wow is all I can say.  That thing is amazing!  Did you see all the turquoise fuzz inside the cover?  That is the shrapnel from my latest project to be revealed soon.  The only thing that I don’t get is how to thread the thing.  My mom threaded it and sent it home with me.  I got so close to finishing the major part of my project, and then one of the threads broke.  Murphy at work yet again.  So, we’ll be making the trek back to Mom’s today for a threading lesson.