Sharing the love

It felt good to finally leave the house today after my self-imposed hermit like, p.j. clad Thanksgiving holiday! We went to church and then this afternoon my Marine Parent group packed up Christmas care packages to send to the soldiers.

Blonde rascal went with me and did a fantastic job packing boxes. We filled them with tons of items that our community so generously donated. Non-perishable food, snacks, Bibles, books, magazines, candy, DVD's, socks, toiletries, toys(decks of cards, whoopee cushions, water guns...) and handwritten cards.

Our Marine got orders to deploy to Iraq in May. With that in mind, I teared up a little while jamming those boxes full of love for our soldiers. Very soon that could be my Marine opening, with much delight, a care package from home. That could be my Marine spending Christmas in Iraq.

I prayed over each box I packed. I prayed that the package would bring joy to the soldier, that the soldier would know that he/she was loved & appreciated and most of all for his/her protection.

I was proud of blonde rascal for helping, he really had fun although he wanted desperately to dip into the candy supply!

I talked with him about the importance of helping others, which includes giving of your time just like he did today.
(Pictures taken with my phone...so excuse the poor quality!)


I don't know what the final count was....but I would guess about 300 boxes.
God bless our soldiers!

Tag, kindness and basking

My girl Martha at Elizabeth Hill Cottage tagged me with 7 random things. Go see her. She is a funny gal. Her sarcasm is classic, her family is cute, she shares house stalking with her readers and she is a lover of all things re-purposing/painting/decorating. In a nutshell, she rocks!

I am too lazy to go back and read my previous tags to avoid repeating myself...but you wouldn't remember anyway, right?

1. My toenails are always painted, have been since high school no doubt, which was longer ago than I choose to accept. However due to that fact they have become a little yellow. This winter I have decided to give them a break, my toes are sans polish until spring. This is killing me because I normally wear flip flops until it snows (and it hasn't even been really cold yet) but I refuse to have my nasty yellow toes seen in public. Did you need to know all that? Probably not. I will be brief from now on...

2. I can't stand to have dry lips or hands. I am a chap stick/hand lotion addict.

3. I never go to bed w/o washing my face and brushing/flossing. Never. I don't care how tired, how late, how sick...whatever. I can't rest with a make up face and yuck mouth. The only step I will occasionally skip if I am devastatingly tired is flossing.

4. I miss prank calling. I am so glad I grew up in the pre-caller id days. (Right Linda??)

5. The house next door to us when I was a kid was haunted or whatever you want to call it...the spirit world was wreaking havoc. After the original owner died people would buy the house and then move out quickly. One family that stayed the longest, we became good friends with. The day they moved out they came over and told us all about it. Good creepy stuff that to this day can give me the chills. I love a good scare...I mean as long as that stuff happens in a house other than mine.

6. A dirty, cluttered car interior is a pet peeve of mine.

7. I had a stalker in college. He would leave notes on my car telling me he saw me on campus and liked what I was wearing or how my hair looked. The fact that at a university of 20,000 people and he could pick me out on campus and then find my car was somewhat disturbing. The campus police caught him and made him come apologize to me face to face so I would know what he looked like. He was a weenie. I so could have taken him down.

I tag Jen A. aka Lori E. with 7 random things...because she is nothing if not random. And I think it has been 2 long weeks since she posted last. Shame.

Look what my sweet new friend Tricia Anne at Notes of Sincerity blessed me with!

She likes me, she really does!! She is a doll. Creative, kind and a city girl turned country girl like me! I could so sit on the front porch and drink coffee with her. We could compare notes on the precarious, dangerous, problematic and dubious situations that girls like ourselves can get into while facing life in the country. Unfortunately she is clearly more refined and graceful than I am so we would be discussing my fumbling country mishaps.

If you are reading this...then TAG! I heart your blog!

So Thanksgiving has come and gone. Our theme this year was chill. We basked in the chilled out environment. I have not left the house since Tuesday! heehehehehe! It was just hubs, blonde rascal and I. Don't misunderstand me, I love my family and cherish having family gatherings, but a quiet holiday this year was soothing.

We have stayed in jammies for most of our waking hours every day. Many of games of Sorry have been played, tossing the football around outside, laughing, watching movies...ahhh.

Hubs cooked some pork rump butt on the smoker all night for T-day lunch. I fixed a salad, green bean casserole and some rolls. DONE. Easy, not rushed and casual. It was so nice.

Turkey day morning we watched the Macy's parade and then the dog show. In the hound dog category, the Dachshund did not place. I had to console our little fraulein Missy...She felt it was a terrible injustice. Something about there being prejudice against her breed's German heritage and the fact that dogs with the long legs always win. I told her life was not fair.

Also to pass our time we pulled out the "box-o-pranks" that my pesky brother-in-law Mark & sweet sister-in-law Sherri gave blonde rascal for his birthday. (Actually I believe the story goes that my red rascal nephew chose this gift) Sure guys, every 8 year old boy needs to get his hands on itching powder. Funny, thanks.

Anyway we tried out the old "I found a severed finger in a box" prank.Pretty good huh?

I get another check mark by my name...

...on the teacher's list of moms that are total kiss~ups!

Blonde rascal gets out tomorrow @ 1:15 for Thanksgiving break. I made these cute little treats for his class....
Little acorns! They are kisses, mini vanilla wafers and a peanut butter chip stem. Frosting as glue and call it done. Easy as pie and adorable. I TOTALLY copied this off some blog I ran across...so whoever that was you deserve all the credit.

Last year I made these pilgrim hats which were fab...
... and was going to make them again this year, but the acorns seemed like a fun idea.

I am kidding about kissing up to the teacher....sort of. What honestly brings me the most joy is time spent making things with blonde rascal. Today for instance he and I ate candy by the handful had a great time putting the acorns together.

And best of all he is delighted by taking fun treats to all of his classmates. I am thrilled to do this while I can. In a few short years I am sure he will be horrified at the thought of taking goodies to school that his mommy made. I say phooey on that day!

It WAS a good weekend...

...until the Tech v. Oklahoma game last night. Just what in the heyyyllll was THAT? It would appear that blonde rascal's youth football team got off the bus in Norman to play. I am a loyal fan, I will dry my tears and move on. I still have the joy from beating Texas alive in my memory and a 10-1 record is, well, really good.

I had another crazy week. I was at blonde rascal's school practically every day. I help his teacher on Tues. mornings. Weds. morning was the "Turkey Trot" where you go P.E. with your child and walk/run around the track and they give away a turkey. I didn't win the turkey but I did have fun with these turkeys...

That afternoon I helped in the library. The joy...being surrounded by books!


Thurs. morning was Thanksgiving lunch at school. Here is blondie and his teacher......she is adorable both inside and out! B.R. looks just a little mischievous.

Friday morning I had a movie date at 11:20 with Jen A. to see Twilight! Blonde rascal woke up with a pink gooey eye Friday. I rushed him to a clinic in hopes that it wouldn't be pink eye and he could go to school... so I could go to the movies. Spoken like a true concerned, loving mother huh?

The Dr. said he didn't feel like it was pink eye but more irritation from his contact. He has never had trouble with his contact before...but whatever. I got my hopes up and asked "So...umm....can he go to school?" "No, he better stay home just to be on the safe side." Awwwwwww heck! That was o.k. I mean, I could go to the movies another day. Right? I decided we would go home and enjoy our day together. While waiting for his Rx drops to be ready we stopped my m-i-l's house to see her kitchen, which is in the middle of a remodel. Turns out she had no plans that afternoon so B.R. got to stay with Meemaw while I went to see the movie! Yah Meemaw!! Yah Edward and Bella!

Have you seen it yet? Sigh. It was good, really good. Jen A. has not read the series yet. I am going to stay on her until she does. The theater was pretty packed and you could tell everyone in the theater had read the book....except Jen A. The book naturally goes into so much more detail...when something would happen and the audience would laugh, based on their knowledge from the book....Jen A. was like "huh?" Poor girl.

Early this morning blonde rascal awoke with his other eye crusty and pink. By the way he only wears a contact in his left eye...so I would say that the diagnosis of "contact irritation" does not apply to his right eye, eh?

He has had a stuffy nose so maybe it is just congestion coming out all over...but nonetheless we stayed home from church this morning and have the Rx drops going in BOTH eyes.

He feels fine, so out come the pillows and blankets for a cozy Sunday morning tent...
And despite the previously mentioned annihilation of our beloved Red Raiders last night.......blonde rascal still has his guns up, a die hard fan indeed.

Me? I'm chillaxin' this morning......drinking coffee whilst sporting my completely cute coffee cup jammie pants. I could not say no to them this week during my Stein Mart run.

Sure it's ugly now...

I found this little number at Stein Mart today. (This is a terrible picture but I am too lazy to take another) The shop elsewhere price was $149 and the SM price was $79. No joke.

A piece of adornment on the swirly arm was broken off (and for the fact that it is plain ugly) so it was on clearance. Add in my coupon and I picked up this little woofer for $20.

Had I not been inspired by so many "trash to treasure" makeovers on all the many blogs that I love to read, then this lamp would have never even gotten a first glance from me.

BUT imagine a touch up paint job of some sort, a different plate and/or painting the existing plate with chalkboard paint, removing that gawwwwwdy scroll thing at the bottom.

If I hurry and complete this project then I can use this plate that I saw at Dillards and can't stop dreaming about...

What's that smell?

You know hubs was out of town this weekend. A cold front blew in Friday night, hubs called inquiring about how cold it was going to get. "I dunno....cold" was my reply. For fear that the pipes would freeze in the horse trailer a.k.a. "Hilton on wheels" he asked me to go out and open the valve to empty the pipes.

Blonde rascal and I bundle up and run out the trailer. I call hubs on my cell phone to get the specifics on what exactly I am doing. He explains how to open the valve for the "gray water" which is the water for the sinks. I open it and no water comes out, which is good because that means there was no water in the pipes to freeze. I am standing there talking to hubs and all of a sudden I hear water rushing out. Blonde rascal was fiddling with the valve, so I thought I must not have gotten it open far enough.

I say to hubs "oh b.r. got it open and there was water in there....OH MY GOSH why does that gray water SMELL SO BAD???" Blonde rascal then says "I opened the black water valve"

Black water is the toilet holding tank water. Yes it is. Thankfully you dump the enzyme bacteria whatever into the tank and it eats everything in the holding tank making it all liquid. Really vile liquid that is technically supposed to be dumped at a RV dumping spot.

So blonde rascal and I run screaming in the night back to the house locking the door behind us.

Thankfully the trailer is parked near the horse stalls, which smell anyway, and it is all dirt so it...ahem... soaked in.

I anticipate that we could be receiving a nasty letter, and a hefty fine, from the E.P.A. stating that their satellite picked up a toxic cloud lingering over our property Friday night!

Life is never dull here at the Quilty Chick Ranch. Why me?

It's All Good

Another busy week rolling to an end. The Marine was in town until Weds. morning, Thurs. I volunteered at the book fair and ate lunch at school with blonde rascal. This morning was the 6 wk. awards at school....I'll spare you the details of blonde rascal's awards because I know all of your children are brilliant too!! A run to the grocery store and I am home.

I just had a big bowl of chili for lunch. Oh yea, greasy, fattening, nasty Wolf brand chili with cheese on top and saltines. It was sooooo good. I much prefer homemade chili but that can in the pantry was calling my name.

After school I am taking b.r. and 2 friends to see Madagascar. I hope the "chili repercussions" hold off until after the movie. However sitting by three 8 year old boys...no one would think of blaming me!

I have really good news! My big news that The Marine was getting married...is off! No wedding!! Praise God! The Marine is fine, I am not happy for any grief this decision may cause him but am so thrilled he is not getting married. Their young age, not knowing each other long and general immaturity took care of that relationship. Just thankful it was now and not a year after marriage.

It was all a good lesson in "let go and let God" for hubs and I. We chose to support the Marine, roll with it and PRAY, instead of freaking out. Then it all ended up working for the best. Besides all that, it really is true that I am too young to be a m-i-l.

Speaking of marriage...Tuesday was big anniversary #13 for hubs and I!! I spent our anniversary evening at a quilt class. Nothing says love like quilting!! he he har har.

It was a revolutionary quilt class though... slice and dice. Holy toledo. Easy, easy, easy and quick. After cutting the initial 12" squares, then there is no measuring or matching of seams. A dreamy no brainer quilt. I am the queen of fast and easy. Wait... if you are going to repeat that Quilty Chick is fast and easy, then please do so in the context of quilting!

B.R. wants a Texas Tech (woohoo!) quilt for Christmas, so thank goodness this one will be quick.I pieced the rows together last night. It is a totally cute scrappy look.

Quilters make quilts because they love making them and giving them to people. There is no way to sell a quilt and re coop the money invested in the fabric (good quilting fabric is not cheap) and your time. That is why people buy quilts from JC Penny for $69.99, it is cheap fabric and was made in a sweat shop in China....making it affordable.

However, making this fast quilt in Texas Tech fabric got my wheels turning. Lubbock, TX is positively electric with Tech fever right now. Tech craze is at an all time high with them being #2 in the nation. Especially if we were to beat OU next weekend...I just bet I could sell these quilts and profit. Advertise on Craigslist? It could be lucrative. Hmmmm.....mama could make some Christmas cash.....

Lastly I will leave you with a scene of the rebellion and general chaos I deal with around here. After getting ready this morning and walking into the kitchen here is what I find....


Val the 13 yr. old curmudgeon diabetic cat, who has come to a stage in life where he could quite frankly give a damn about any previous rules or regulations regarding him being banned from all kitchen surfaces...and Missy the miniature doxie with tons of moxie, who will do everything in her power to annoy the ever loving life out of Val.

How a dog with 2" long legs got on the table AND the fact that the 2 of them were cohabiting so calmly in the same vicinity is all just amazing. Time to get out the Lysol surface spray.

Hubs left yesterday and will be gone until Sunday. He went on the annual boys trip, to Colorado with 2 of his high school buddies. Lord help 'em. They will spend the whole weekend reliving the glory days....days of courdory Levi's, shaggy afro do's, babes and v-8 engines.

The football weekend

Here is how our weekend played out...

Friday night we went and watched the high school team from blonde rascal's school district.The youth football team got to go down on the field and cheer the big Tigers on as they ran out on the field.
Blonde rascal thought that was quite an honor!

You have to love small town Friday night games. There are young and old alike packed in the stands. It was cold, we were snuggled in under a quilt. The FFA was tailgating and selling smoked sausage....yum...plus a run to the concession stand for blonde rascal to stock up on Gatorade, Skittles and a hot dog.

The hometown team romped on its opponent.

Seeing friends in the stands........it's all good stuff!

Well...good for a little while anyway...we got cold and b.r. got tired so we left at halftime. Perfect.

Then Saturday, for the love of all things sacred was the big Tech/OSU game.YEEE HAAAWWWWW! Get those guns up!!!!! GO Tech!!!! We spanked 'em, if you don't mind me saying. Bless my soul, Tech is undefeated and #2 in the nation. They are off this weekend and next weekend play Oklahoma which will be tough, very tough.

Of course Sunday was the most important game of all....blonde rascal and the Tiger Bowl! You know they already won, yes they did the little munchkins.

Since it was the championship game and all, they got to run out of the tiger head like the varsity team does. That was cool. Add in some cutie pie tiny cheerleaders and it is big time.

The Marine was in town, it made it extra special that he got to see his little brother play ball.
I got to pose with my little champion when we got home.#1 Baby!!!!

On an unrelated note, go see Chris at Just a Girl. She is hosting an "I Can Make That" soiree. Click on all the fabulous links at the end of her post to get some FANTASTIC, unbelievably easy ideas for gifts you can make. There are some crafty women out there, that is for sure. Not that I spent a good hour this morning soaking in the ideas or anything. No sir, I would never leisurely spend an hour on the interwebz....I am much too busy with housework and such.

Breaking News.....

The Tiger Royal team has won the Tiger Bowl! 6 - 0 in over time!! They were undefeated the entire season! Yeah Tigers!!!!!!

Really?

Every time I have written a check recently I have trouble grasping that the date is November. November? Already? Wow. Sure it makes sense with Halloween being just last week, but wow November. Is it just me or are y'all shocked by the arrival of this month too?

Further awe arose as I was in the WalMartz yesterday morning, in my running shorts no less and the catchy tune of "Winter Wonderland" was being piped in over the intercom. Wait... Christmas? Seriously I feel like I am in a strange time dimension that is moving way too fast.

A sign of getting old no doubt.

I also feel like mentioning that I am proud of Brittney Spears. Random, I know. I was downloading some new tunes to the i-pod, because if I get too used to the tunes I run to, then it affects my mojo. The tunes keep me motivated. Gotta keep it fresh.

So I downloaded "So What" by Pink. For crying out loud I love that song...it rawks! And then I'll have to be honest, the beat to Brittney's "Womanizer" is really good. Good running tempo, so I downloaded it. Granted she sounds a little nasal-ish and over computerized through most of it, but it all goes back to the beat.

It got me to thinking that Brit has really come a long way. I honestly thought she was DONE. What with her disturbing behavior, looking like a homeless hooker and strange companions...I doubted she would ever make a comeback, or even live for that matter. Poor girl and her poor sweet children. But kudos to her dad for stepping in and saving his child from herself. Keep up the good work Brit!

OK so I have wasted a good 5 minutes of your day today. Sorry. But you know that is how it is here at Quilty Chick...my stream of consciousness is totally random and sometimes you just have to get swept up in that stream with me!

Various & sundry information

Whew. Another busy week. Busy weeks lead to a backlog of laundry. Look what I found lounging in my growing pile of laundry to be folded.


Then when I finally tackled the folding, she mistook that for belly scratching time. Silly girl.


The most important thing I have to say today is that Texas Tech won. Uuh-huuhh...WHO'S YOUR DADDY??!? Oh sorry, I'm still all caught up in the emotion of that game. Yep, we won thereby removing Texas from the #1 spot in the nation. We are ranked #2...that is a first in school history! That game was over the top intense, with Tech scoring the wining touchdown in the last second of the game. Yes, LAST second. The most beautiful last second touchdown pass I have ever seen. Legendary. I had reflux it was so crazy.

We play OSU this weekend which I know will also be reflux inducing. Go Red Raiders! The alumni association emailed me asking for a donation for the stadium enlargement fund. They know to strike while school spirit is high. Only they are barking up the wrong tree with me. I figure they got enough tuition money out of my parents all those years ago! They have resorted to email since I don't answer their calls.

(You should know that I have a source who shall remain nameless (Jennifer Aniston) who sent me a text during the game saying her husband, who was at the game, texted her saying that Matthew McCaughnahottie was at the game! He is a UT fan, poor boy. He was accompanied by his baby mama and baby Levi the love child. Matthew was in little old Lubbock, TX! By the way Jen A. is no longer a figment of your imagination....she has a blog!!)

(I apologize for the world's longest run-on sentence in the paragraph above.)

AND speaking of football... ( I don't even LIKE football unless it is my college team OR my boy!)...blonde rascal's team is going to the Tiger Bowl! That is right folks they won their playoff game last week! They have a perfect record and now are championship bound. WOOO-hooo!#91 is where it's at, baby!!!

LOOK I actually made a quilt! I named myself quilty chick and NEVER have anything to show for it! But alas, a baby quilt for my sweet & nutty friend Kristen.We had a surprise shower for her under the guise of our usual "scrapbook night"...she had no idea!
Just look at her carrying in her scrapbook bag! We pulled off the surprise! That was a fun, fun night with the girls!


Anyway making that quilt is why I have not revealed my new sewing room....it has been totally trashed during and since making that quilt!!!


I told you a few posts ago that I had 2 big events coming up, that if nothing else would be blog worthy. Well event #1 is that......



...I am going to be a mother-in-law!!! No, I did not say Grandma....I said M-I-L. Heaven help us all. The Marine, my 20 year old stepson, announced he would be getting married in Feb. I'll go ahead and just list the obvious reasons this is disturbing to hubs and I....
1. They have only dated since June, when he got out of boot camp. Other than constant texting & talking on the phone, they have only physically been together when he had like 36 hour leave over Labor Day weekend. She is a local girl, they have known each other sort of through their individual circle of friends. So length of dating...not long enough to really know each other.
2. Military life. Tough on newlyweds.
3. Military pay. Tough on newlyweds.
4. Life period. Tough on newlyweds...especially such young ones.

I know there a billion stories of how young love survived all that and more....but when it is your own kid you want them to avoid those struggles. We shared why we thought it would be wise to wait....but you know they don't listen. We also assured him we would support him no matter what and love her.

Oiy. I am only 37. Is that old enough to qualify as a m-i-l? I have to come up with a blog name for the d-i-l. I know....d-i-l!!!! For now, the "d-i-l to be".

The Marine will be home Saturday - Weds. as they get a short leave in honor of Veteran's Day. It will be great to have him home. I am sure we will get to see lots of the d-i-l to be as they will be inseparable no doubt. Which is good since we hardly know her. Oiy again.

I will be blogging full coverage wedding planning and events as they unfold. Oh dear.





We're still coming down off the sugar high at our house...