15 Day Blogger Challenge – Getting to Know the Blogger – The Rest of the Days

SO sorry to have taken so many days off. Been sorta crazy around here! But in a good way. 😉

Now for the rest of the days!! LOL I noticed that I skipped on a while back so I will add it now. 😉

 

Why did you start blogging and what is your blog about?

 3 blogs you visit and read enthusiastically.

 Social Networks/Blog Communities you want others to know you’re a part of.

Closing and any upcoming posts or raffles you would like to share with us.

 

I started my blog to have a place to share my sewing and homeschooling ideas. I have to admit, I share way more sewing than homeschooling…. LOL But we haven’t actually been doing a lot of schooling lately, either… We will be starting back up on Monday!!!!! YILES!!! I don’t think I am quite ready….. LOL

 

3 blogs, just 3???? LOL  There are SOOOOOOO many that I read that I would feel bad just naming a few. I wouldn’t know how to pick! So, I would say a good start would be to check out all the blog buttons I have over on the right. If a blog is there, it’s because I like it. LOL

 

Well, I’m on Facebook and Twitter, although I still don’t “get” Twitter. I would LOVE to add a GFC button but they stopped doing it for blogs other than Blogger back in March.

 

Upcoming posts?? Welllll, I think that today I will be working on a new dress for Cailey. I know for sure that it will be knit and probably grey…… Other than that I’m not sure yet. BUT there will be a tutorial! LOL

OH!!! And in the near future I will be making Cailey and Colin both Christmas shirts. So, more tutorials!!!!! 😉

I will also be putting together a Christmas Unit for both Cailey and Colin, mostly using units that I already have, but I will be sure to share all of that with you.

 

Oh! I read a GREAT book lately!!!! It was Something Witchy by AJ Myers.  I left a review for it over on Amazon if you would like to check it out. 😉

 

 

 

 

 

 

15 DAY BLOGGER CHALLENGE – Getting to Know the Blogger – Days 12 & 13

12. What are a couple of your favorite blog tools that you use?

PicMonkey, hands down. I LOOOOOOOVE PicMonkey!!!! It is so much fun! You can add (oops had a typo there LOL) sooooo many cute and cool things to your pictures! I am thinking about using it if I make Christmas cards this year instead of buying them! LOL

 

 

13. Your top 5 posts and why you think they were successful.

My top posts are always my tutorials. I can submit them to so many different sites and get them out there. AllFreeSewing.com has a newsletter and a few of my tutorials have been featured in them. You also have FreeNeedle.com and SewSet.com.

I think my recent lack of tutorials is probably to blame for the deep fall in views. 😦 I haven’t added a new tutorial since September! YILES!!! I am SOOOOO sorry!!!!

BUT I will be making up for that this week. 😉

I finished my sewing room/library yesterday! YAY!!!!

I am sooooo excited to have my own space!!!! 🙂 I thought I might have to fight The Hubby for it but once I explained to him how I would need that space to possibly start my own business and therefore maybe make some money, he gave it up peaceably…. LOL

 

Here are the fabric choices for my new tutorial –

 

 

And here are the cut pieces –

 

Our old stained and beat up kitchen table is my new cutting table! 🙂 YAY!!!!!!

 

So, stick around! I hope to be posting the new tutorial tomorrow!!!!! I guess I need to get sewing… 😉

 

OH!! Here are a couple of pics of Bonnie and Cloud. They are now nicely adjusted to their new home.

 

 

 

 

 

Are you still out there, Carol??? I thought you might be wondering where my cat pics were. 😉

 

OH! It feels SOOOOOOOO good to get back to sewing!!! I freaked out a little when my all purpose foot went missing but Walmart saved the day! LOL They had ONE kind of foot. ONE!!! Praise the Lord, it fit my machine! LOL

Oh, and if you would like to check out my tutorials, just click the box at the top of the page!! I apologize, though… WordPress used to just have the links under the Tutorial Header but now it’s just a long line of the tutorial posts. You now just have to scroll through them all. ARGH!!!!!!!

 

Don’t forget to check out some of the amazing bloggers that are taking part in this challenge! And stop by and give a little love to A Little Unhinged!!!!!

1. nick powers  11. Ginny @ Just Jist  2. Erica Bodker  12. Alittle Bit of This&That and Couponing  3. Alvina Castro  13. The Glamorous Life of a French Housewife  4. Ms. Morgan  14. Tami @ Thrift Shop Commando  5. Stacy Sews and Schools  15. My Morning Cup of Coffee  6. Laura Shimmerofpink  16. Trooppetrie  7. The Insomniac’s Dream  17. Life According to Lenetta  8. erica- bassgiraffe  18. The Sadder But Wiser Girl  9. Hanging Off The Wire  19. Yolanda Renee  10. Brooke Blogs

 

 

 

 

 

 

15 Day Blogger Challenge – Getting to Know the Blogger – Days 10 & 11

The numbers are so messed up on the first post for this challenge! LOL There are definitely more than 15 questions… 😉

Today’s are –

What are some of your fears?

What are your goals? Parenting, Life, Career?

 

Fears-

Well, as a mother I am sure you can guess my biggest fears…. We will just leave it at that, shall we?????

I also have ophidiophobia, the fear of snakes! BLECK!!! I can’t even watch them on Animal Planet without having a nightmare!!! And I have developed a fear of heights over the years. It’s weird. I can ride most roller coasters but I can’t get on a Ferris wheel!!!! LOL

 

Goals – 

Well, again, as a mother my main goal would be to raise children that believe in the saving power of Christ’s blood. Next would be that they are also healthy and happy. Success is in the eye of the beholder, so I want them to be successful in their own eyes. 😉

I want to grow my blog and start selling my designs/creations.  I was doing really well with the blog up until I stopped coming up with my own tutorials! LOL I was averaging well over 200 views a day and over 2,000 on my busiest. Now I can barely hit 75 views a day! WAH!!!! I was thinking that I would be able to get back to sewing this week but now my regular foot for my machine is MISSING!!!!! It’s just GONE!!!! WAH!!!!! Not sure how long it will take me to replace it! There isn’t a Joann’s, Hancock’s or sewing machine repair place anywhere near here!! I set up my sewing space yesterday and that’s when I noticed it was GONE!!! SIGH…… There is a small hope that it might be somewhere in the sewing room but I seriously doubt. Keep your fingers crossed for me!!! I have presents I need to make!

You should have heard me trying to explain to The Hubby what a foot is and why it’s so important. 😉

A short term goal would be to FINALLLLLY get ALLLLLL the boxes unpacked!!! LOL I am getting close, though!!! I am having a space issue, though. Too much stuff and not enough places to put it all!!

 

 

 

15 Day Blogging Challenge – Getting to Know the Blogger – Days 6 & 7

Today’s questions are –

6. Where have you worked?

7. Has your life gone the way you expected it?

 

I have mostly worked as a stay at home mom but I have had a few outside of the home jobs.

My very first job, other than babysitting, was at Subway. I hated it. I came home smelling of food everyday. The dogs in the neighborhood would follow me up the driveway! LOL

I also worked at a place that made cassette tapes and CDs. CDs were still fairly new so I mostly worked on the cassette tape assembly line.

I worked at Dollar General for a whole day. LOL The Hubby didn’t like the hours they had given me so I quit. When I went in to interview they said I would only have to work one day on the weekends and every other holiday. Well, they had me working both Saturday AND Sunday AND the 4th of July all in the same week.

My last outside the home job was at a place that made metal fans and metal racks for stoves and refrigerators. I learned how to use a spot welder. It was an OK job and paid fairly well, but I missed my kids soooo much.

After that I stuck to in-home child care until we moved to VA. After I started homeschooling I didn’t really have the time to babysit anymore. Although, people always asked…. Oh, you stay at home all day, you must have plenty of time to watch my kids, too!

 

 

The next question is a little harder to answer…. I got married at 18 and had my first child by 19. Then by 21 and 22 I had had 2 more children. LOL I certainly didn’t plan to have 3 so quickly but I wouldn’t change it for the world. We never planned on having 5 kids but again, I wouldn’t change it ever!!!!! If money wasn’t an issue we probably would have had at least one more child. LOL So I guess you could say that even though we didn’t plan our lives, God did and I am perfectly content to be where we are. God knows best and we follow where He leads. Even through trials and tribulations, He is there for us, guiding us and comforting us. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Did I do things in my past that I am not proud of? Sure, hasn’t everyone? But I have a great, big God and His forgiveness covers all. The blood of my savior washed me cleaned!

 

Kind of a short one today.

But I have to add that I am feeling better so I have a long day of further unpacking to do. Yippee…. I am so excited… LOL I swear, the kids’ books are going to be the death of me! LOL

 

 

Don’t forget to check out some of the amazing bloggers that are taking part in this challenge! And stop by and give a little love to A Little Unhinged!!!!!

1. nick powers  11. Ginny @ Just Jist  2. Erica Bodker  12. Alittle Bit of This&That and Couponing  3. Alvina Castro  13. The Glamorous Life of a French Housewife  4. Ms. Morgan  14. Tami @ Thrift Shop Commando  5. Stacy Sews and Schools  15. My Morning Cup of Coffee  6. Laura Shimmerofpink  16. Trooppetrie  7. The Insomniac’s Dream  17. Life According to Lenetta  8. erica- bassgiraffe  18. The Sadder But Wiser Girl  9. Hanging Off The Wire  19. Yolanda Renee  10. Brooke Blogs

 

 

Fly on the Wall

Fly on the Wall

Have you ever thought about what people might think if they saw what goes on behind-the-scenes at your house? Do you ever wonder what it would be like to catch a glimpse of someone else’s daily life? Here’s your chance. Today 15 bloggers are inviting you into their homes to be a fly on the wall.

Buzz around, see what you think, then click on these links for a peek into some other homes:

Baking In A Tornado                                                        The Mommy Chronicles

The Insomniac’s Dream                                                    DeBie Hive

Follow me home . . .                                                        My Brain on Kids

Stacy Sews and Schools                                                    Raising Reagan

Sorry kid, Your Mom Doesn’t Play Well With Others             Simply Chic for You

Just a Little Nutty                                                             Life on the SONny Side 

Frikken Duckie                                                                 Momaical

Sanity Waiting to Happen

A ginormous thank you to Baking In A Tornado for setting this up and great big I’M SORRY for being so late getting mine posted… I sort of forgot… I’m going to blame it on the concussion…. 😉

Soooo, if you were a fly on the wall in MY house here are a few things you might hear…..

Deanna- Mom, you’re out of Diet Pepsi and Dad is out of coffee and ice.

Me- Snot!

The Hubby- You need to go to the store and get coffee, ice and ….. snot???? Wait…. What?? Did one of you say you needed snot??

Me- Never mind…. LOL

Deanna – Hey! The cat’s tail is in the garbage disposal.

Me- NO!! You cannot turn it on!!!!!!

Deanna – Can I put tape on the cats’ ears?

Me- NO!!!!!!!!!! And not on ANY part of their bodies!!!!!

Colin to me – I was born to be awesome!

Me – Yes, you were, Buddy. LOL

We were sitting on the front porch the other day and Deanna gets up to walk off. Her sock snagged on a nail and she went flying. Then she gives me this look like WHY did I do that to her??? I said, “It wasn’t me!!!!” Then she realized it was a nail!

The best part was that she had been trying to walk off in a huff. Hee hee hee!!!

Here’s the basic routine of an average day in my house lately…..

5 am – The Hubby wakes me up. I stagger around for a few minutes and then he asks if I’m ready to take him to work. Ummmm…. NOOOO!!! But do I have a choice????

6 am – I am usually home by now and trying to decide if it would be worth it to go back to sleep. LOL

8 am –  Joshua wakes up by himself. This morning it scared the crud outta me! I had been hearing noises all morning and was trying to stealthily walk through the house brandishing a Swiffer as a weapon. You know, just in case some weirdo had gotten into the house somehow. I walk down the hall and look in the playroom, empty. Then I look in Joshua’s room, also empty. As I turn toward the girls’ room Joshua jumps out of it and screams BOO!!!! I then scream bloody murder. It was a wonder I didn’t wake the house!

9 am – Colin wakes up and screeches MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!

10 am – I go in for about the 5th time to try to get the girls out of bed.

Lately we have been trying and trying and trying to get all unpacked and the house in order….. SIGH……

I heard myself utter these words the day before yesterday, “If I see another science book I am going to SCREAM to high heaven!” The kids, “OH MY GOSH!! Mom has lost it!!! Did you hear what she said about books????”

OH!!!! And while we are on the topic of books some of my friends had some witty remarks to make about my “Book Shelf Incident”.

My Cousin Peggy -“I guess those words really did hurt!”

My friend Wende – “That gives a whole new meaning to being buried in a book!”

Yeah, they are a real laugh riot… 😉 LOL

                                                                                                 

15 Day Blogger Challenge – Getting to Know the Blogger – Days 4 & 5

I decided to combine a couple of days here and there. I *think* my Dad and step-mother are coming to visit next week and I won’t have much time to reallllllly get in deep with the topics. 😉

So for today’s questions I have :

 

4. What type of student were you in school?

5. Who were your closest friends as a teenager?

 

Oh, boy… that first one…. Umm… OK…. LOL Well, in K-4th I was MUCH more interested in socializing. I got into SOOOOO much trouble for talking. Big surprise, huh?? LOL And like I said before, my cousin Amy was in all the same classes as I was in those grades as long as we were in the same school. I can remember actually throwing a fit once when I came back from Indiana and was put in a different class. That did NOT go well and the principal gave in and moved me to Amy’s class. 😉 I can remember having to “stand on the wall” for recess many, many, MANY times for talking. “Standing on the wall” meant that you stood with your back to the schoolyard and facing the wall and heard everyone else having fun during recess. It was the WORST punishment. I can remember after having a few days in a row of standing on the wall and coming home to say, “Well, if you’ve seen one wall, you’ve seen them all.”

5th – 7th was a bit different. I ended up in a lot of advanced classes and did very well. Then I moved back to WV in 8th and all the advanced classes were full. I remember I had to take typing. OH MY GOSH! I was horrible!!!! And the teacher was sooooo mean!! I think that was the first time I had ever made a D.

In 9th grade I went into Honors classes. And then I bombed…. You see, I had discovered SKIPPING CLASS!!!!  Yep…. I was a truant! As long as I showed up to class I did pretty well. LOL But at this point I HATED school. AND I would much rather socialize….. LOL

So glad my kids don’t read my blog…… LOL

And now I homeschool. 😉

 

Now, on to the friends question. My 3 biggest partners in crime were Tina, Traci and Nikki. Oh, my goodness, we got up to some T-R-O-U-B-L-E. LOL

I practically lived at Traci’s house for a while and I literally lived at Tina’s. Tina’s mom, Momma Linda, threw my 16th Birthday party for me. I will never forget that. It was a blast!

I remember the first big dance of high school, the Snowball Dance. I was soooo nervous that I didn’t eat a bite all day. Then my date stood me up. He was such a jerk. BUT I had a killer dress so I went along as a third wheel with Traci and her date. And before the night was over I ended up with my first ever concussion. We went to the ladies’ room to smoke and I felt a little dizzy and sick to my stomach. Before I could call out to Tra to wait, I had passed out, hitting my head on the cinder block wall and again on the concrete floor. I scared Tra to death! She thought I was dead because my eyes were still open. She ran off to get the principal and by the time they got back I was already trying to stand up and figure out what the heck happened. The school called my mom and off to the ER I went.

Concerts and parties and hanging out at the mall (sometimes with day glow hair) and dances and trips to Camden Park. OH!! And the skating rink and dancing at River’s End! Good, good times.

I miss my friends.

 

I have to take a little break from the challenge here and tell you what happened to me yesterday. Oh, boy!!! I was finishing up 2 days of working on a certain bookshelf when the whole thing fell on top of me! I was sitting in the floor in front of the shelf and took some books off to switch them out with a different set, when the whole thing leaned forward and landed smack on my whole body! I have 2 knots on my head, a purple bruise under one eye and several other bruises and scratches. The shelf is 5 ft tall and 6 ft long. I had it packed tight with the kids’ science and history books and it was nailed to wall!!!! SIGH…. But if it had to happen I am glad that it happened to me and not one of the kids. All that work down the toilet. I took the rest of yesterday off from unpacking and I will probably do the same today. The dizziness and the aches and pains remain. AND I am in the middle of a HUGE fibro flare. SIGH…. Praying, praying, praying that it will go away soon!!!!! I still have so much to do!!! I feel like I will never get this house in order!

 

Don’t forget to check out some of the amazing bloggers that are taking part in this challenge! And stop by and give a little love to A Little Unhinged!!!!!

1. nick powers  11. Ginny @ Just Jist  2. Erica Bodker  12. Alittle Bit of This&That and Couponing  3. Alvina Castro  13. The Glamorous Life of a French Housewife  4. Ms. Morgan  14. Tami @ Thrift Shop Commando  5. Stacy Sews and Schools  15. My Morning Cup of Coffee  6. Laura Shimmerofpink  16. Trooppetrie  7. The Insomniac’s Dream  17. Life According to Lenetta  8. erica- bassgiraffe  18. The Sadder But Wiser Girl  9. Hanging Off The Wire  19. Yolanda Renee  10. Brooke Blogs

 

I Made a Button!!!!

Nope, not a sewing button…. A BLOG button!!! YAY!! Look at me looking all like a real blogger! LOL

Do you see it over there on the side??? Right below Archives and right above the RSS buttons?? What do you think???

I made it with the help of this site “Grab My Button” Code Generator and it was VERY easy!!!

If you are new to blogging and need a button that is definitely the place to generate it. Or if you are thinking about blogging, save this! You will want our own button, trust me…. LOL You will need a picture on your site that you want to use as your button. I had one that I made a couple of weeks ago and just went in and added it to my first post. Then I clicked on the picture after it the edit was saved to get the URL. Easy peasy!

Let me know if you try it!!