I have a few gift certificates listed in my store

Wow, it is almost Christmas. I can't believe it. It is 106 F today. Pretty hot, but just heat, no humdity. Above is what I have been trying to finish and I am almost there. I switched out sewing machines the Really fancy one was getting tired. I think when I go back to the States I will need to find an industrial one. I just use them relentlessly. They are both "fine horses" but I am using a thourghbred for something a nice draft horse could do. Anyway I am rambeling. I have been asked on several accasions for gift certificates, well I have listened! Yipee, I figured out how to list them in my little store, so if you want to get one for a friend or mother-in-law, go for it. This is just a short post, I really want to finish "Norbert".

I have stocked my store

Hello dear ladies, I have finally stocked my store. I have been meaning to for ages, but I finally got around to it after trying to cope with my newest bizarre experience at the Alice Springs Hospital. If you really want to hear about it I will be happy to share, but I am afraid it will terrify any young mother who may be getting ready to move to this fine region. My Emma gets to have surgery tomorrow morning, and I am kinda nauseous about the whole thing. After all we were the only ones in the waiting room wearing shoes. We also smelled the best. But that is my bias opinion. OK, now onto other things...Ladies, I think I am going to start having to wear a Santa hat. Your Men love you! I am so thrilled to be a part of the secrets, but I figure you will not know if I am talking about you or not, so the picture above is of your massive quilt (in progress of course, and your husband is NOT on the list. Duh! that would be a dead give away). I hope you love it, you husband is one sweet thing! He has been emailing me from Baghdad, and this is sorta what we came up with. Let's see...what else did I want to chatter about for this posting?? I am reading '"Outlander" again to get ready for out trip to Scotland in the summer. If you have not read it and like romantic fiction...this is the book for you. Diana Gabaldon has captured my inner monologues to a "T" and while I am married to the best man ever (once again my opinion entirely!) he does come a little short of Jamie's 6'5" (Oh and by the way...YES!!!!! Diana is writing a 7th book to her Outlander series, Get ready Lonnie, Becky and Molly we have TONS to talk about !). What a hunk of man. That was not really what I wanted to tell you about. Humm...there are some great new fabric lines coming out in January. So if you are going to be one of the ladies up higher on my list (the ones I will have to get to after Christmas) I will be more than happy to send you some links to fabric I will be ordering. Oh and I have a great new idea for "I Spy Quilts" I will be making one for my sister when she has her sweet baby boy, so I will post some pictures. Too cute, but it is stuck in my mind instead of out on fabric! It will be a variation of my owl changing pad...but with little quirky prints instead of the owls. I know what I wanted to tell you about! Marnie is working on my new site! I am soooo excited about it. Please feel free to tell me things you would like to see on the new site...things that would make ordering bags easier. I will seriously consider your opinions, and reward you richly (just ask C. Vu). I am using several of her ideas. I love you all and will talk with you after surgery in the morning. Wish my little Emma well!

"the House isn't a Home without you"

I made this last set of bags and lap quilt for a very dear new widow. Her Husband, SGT McKenzie, died after an encounter with a chemical IED in Baghdad. I don't know all the details, but suffice it to say it is a terrible tragedy. I have had their stack of uniforms for months and months, but holding his enormous BDUs was just so sad....I kept putting it off. And when I did work on it it was just bits at a time, Finally I decided to make it and see what would happen. I had so much uniform left over (he was a very big man) that I decided to make her a lap quilt as well. This pattern is a variation of a classic Log Cabin, but a little more contemporary. All the fabric in this quilt was donated to my little Hero Bag and Hero Quilt cause by Westminster Fabrics and Purl Patchwork. Westminster was very generous and gave me about 100 yards of Kaffe Fassett fabric for my Hero bags and Hero Quilts. They really blew me away with their generosity.

The DCU messenger bag I made to C. is really 4 bags in one. The removable flap is reversible as is the bag itself. The backpacks for the two boys are a little bigger, they are made from the cargo pocket of the pants and the adjustable waist band make the straps more comfortable. The Nicole Tote I made from his BDU top and it is probably one of the biggest I have ever made.

OK for the rest of the week I will be cranking out bags like a regular Christmas elf. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU NEED YOUR BAGS BY CHRISTMAS!!! I will do everything I can to make that happen. You all are awesome and the reason I do what I do. Thank you so much for your kind support!

Another Weird Experience

My husband and I attract strange people. We always have and it is so fun to talk about our crazy experiences right before we go to sleep...well today's experience was too strange to save for only him so I am bringing it to you all as well. OK...my 4 year old and I went to the market this morning to finish up some Christmas shopping. We found the above Aborigine paintings from some artists out of Santa Teresa. My sisters and mom will get to fight over them. But the funny thing happened as I was looking at a ladies art stall. She had some really lovely necklaces, hand hammered silver leaves and lovely beading. and while I was looking at her stuff an Aborigine lady came up to me and thrust her necklace over my head. Yep...kinda an invasion of personal space, but I was in so much shock that I let it go and looked down at what was now hanging around my neck. it was a long strand of indigenous beans and seeds and these strange dried husks of something. She was going on about how it was really native art and she had just created it that morning and that I should smell it. I did and almost vomited all over the lady. It smelled like roasted human feces. I took it off my head as quickly as I could and she wouldn't take it back. Said I could buy it for $40. Nothing like paying for S***. I politely told her I didn't think it would make it through customs. Hummmmm I wonder who on my list I could have given that to?

Thanksgiving is Tomorrow! Happy Thanksgiving!

One of my favorite holidays! My family has so much to be thankful for this year, the Lord has really blessed us and we are so grateful. This will be the first Thanksgiving in about 3 years that we will be celebrating together....so let the cooking begin! Well, the cooking has turned into quite an adventure. I did not get on the ball soon enough (hard to get in the mood to slave over the hot stove when you house is being sieged by several extra kiddos ((see below)) and it is about 110 outside) so my order to the commissary in Japan didn't get placed. That is fine I decided...I will just do it old school. So above are some of my ingredients that I selected at the market this morning. No canned pumpkin for our pies, and the sweet potato casserole will be fresh as will the marshmallow on top. I have made marshmallow before and just loved it, I am confident this will be the best sweet potatoes of my life (I am boosting my own confidence! Ha ha ha ) and who wouldn't want to eat something with an ingredient named "Edible Gelatine"?? Not to be confused with "Un-Edible Gelatine". Ummmmm

I was totally rocking out the bags and even a quilt until disaster struck. Not my family, my friend's (oh by the way Sam is doing GREAT! He has not stopped eating since he woke up from surgery. As soon as he woke up he consumed 2 ham sandwiches and has been pigging out ever since. His energy, now that he is able to sleep at night and have a good healthy diet, is insane. He is a madman! I am thrilled! Thank you so much for your prayers a wonderful wishes. I love that little savage and I am so grateful to you all for your kind thoughts.) Her Grandma passed away and she felt led to go home and be with her family. It must have been destiny because that day an AMC flight was leaving (C17 I think). I acquired her 2 kiddos and have enjoyed their extra chaos (my 6 year old and her 6 year old pretty much detest one another) so that has been fun....I will take extra boys any day, but the emotional turmoil that comes along with extra girls is really something to behold. But anyway I have been mediating and counseling little girls oh, and putting in crazy time in the 23 year old Land Cruiser we ramble around in. Extra kids = Extra driving. And did I mention it is getting HOT here? Yep it is.

About ENJO...I have to see if I can somehow get a catalog for you all...it is fabulous and many of you have been emailing me about it. I washed my walls in the hallway yesterday. No way on Earth was I getting out my sewing, so I had to be able to drop what I was doing and break up fights and make chocolate milk. I really don't look at the bottom half of my walls because I am focused on where ever I am heading...but I guess somewhere in the back of my mind I knew they were dirty (I have little 3 kids and their mates dashing around with tasty treats and sticky hands). Well I just decided to give it a shot before returning to the toilet to clean that (gag) well, my walls look they just got painted. Lovely. No more smudges or hand prints, even the crayon came off. Now, I am sure it will not remain this way long. To my kids it is like a blank canvas. But I am enjoying it for now!

My Big juicy Turkey arrives at the Butcher at 3 this afternoon. I had to order that guy about a month ago, he would have been in the picture too, but that would just have been gross. But for as much as he costs he should have his portrait too. I really have no clue how a 24 lb bird is going to fit in my tiny Australian oven...my back up is to have my husband just grill it. We love just about anything grilled, so I am sure the Turkey will be wonderful that way too.

Cheers Chicas!

Oh, how I love ENJO!

I have a new favorite tool. Well, besides my wonderful Bernina Sewing machine and rotary cutter. I have discovered ENJO. To me it is all new, you may be old hand at it. But I am pretty excited about it. That little hyper link is to the Australian site, I like it better than the US one. Basically, ENJO is fiber-based cleaning products. Using these little microfiber clothes and mitts you can eliminate up to 90% of household cleaning chemicals. Yeah Earth! Save the world....you know all that jazz, but it works so fine. I have been cleaning all the windows and mirrors in my house with this squidgy thing and I love the Bathroom mitt. My little men can really make a nasty mess around the "potty" (I have stood there wondering how in the hell can someone so short get pee up that high?) The bathroom receives daily cleanings....gross. But at least now it is a little quicker. Oh and happily enough I am having a little home ENJO party, so if you need to clean....give me a buzz and I will put an order in for you. My windows are so clean....I have cleaned off the red dessert dust and Galah body smudges..and about a zillion grubby little hand and paw prints. I can see out beautifully!

Back to Business!

HI Everyone, we are back. The surgery went great and Adelaide is my new favorite city. I don't know if I am just isolated her in the Red Center....but the shopping in Adelaide was so wonderful that I ended up not buying very much of anything. I got a box (pretty big one) of handmade chocolates that remind me of Brugge, Belgium. I also purchased some some goodies for the kiddos, but other that that it was just sensory overload.I felt like the country cousin come to town...looking around with big eyes. You gotta realize that when I go shopping I go to Woolies (the grocery store...similar to a HEB or Ingles) pretty low end as far as my previous standards go, oh and when I really need to find something exotic or feel like treating myself to something special I go to Kmart. Yep you read that right. I cringe when I read that. But it is the truth. There is no shopping in this little town. The fruit is a massive fig from my back yard and the wine is a Cabernet Sauvignon from the Coonawarra region. Very nice, but I didn't have any until I finished with the bags for the day. Makes Dinner preparation a little more relaxing.

OK....onto exciting business...

I did alot of work today. I cut 18 uniforms. That will be about 24 bags....don't try to count up on the list over there <- Some are Hero Bags and I don't list them. There are uniforms from the Army, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard, I even have an Aussie Army uniform to work on.

I am working on something for a very special lady...your Soldier loves you very much. He wrote me from Baghdad to special order something for you. Yep...no way I could turn him down. Too sweet.

OK, one more thing. Would any of you ladies be interested in a tutorial on how to make these wild little bags of mine? Are you a crafty gal? Do you think you can do this? I was thinking of posting a little tutorial on maybe the Cathy bag...let me know what you think and I will do one up. Good practice for my book deal! ha.

I am off to Adelaide

Thank you so much for the warm wishes and concern. My son and I will be away for about a week. Obviously there will be no sewing during that time...I am pretty sure you don't want my DH to try to work on your bags (although he sometimes helps me with the cutting and does a GREAT job), last time he tried his hand at the sewing machine he sewed the crotch of his shorts closed. We threw them out after that.

The Procedure the little guy is having is pretty simple, just due to the remote nature of where we are now living we have to find a larger hospital to provide the service (in a timely manner). I will post again when I am back in the swing of things. Please feel free to email me, I will answer as I am able. Best wishes to you all! Oh and I will be stocking my little Hyena Cart Shop when I return from Adelaide. For those of you who want a bag, but not the crazy wait, I have a couple I will be listing that I made as samples or I just got a dash of inspiration.

Dr Mom.

With everything else going on last week, Ethan decided to go for a bike ride without his helmet. He busted his scalp open and was bleeding like mad. Well, most of us know how head wounds bleed, and his was doing just that. Dinner was almost ready, so I really didn't want to drag 3 hungry kids to the nasty ER, so I scooted over dinner. Had my little nurse go get a pillow and the clippers. Ethan laid down on the counter, and I shaved the wounded area, cleaned the laceration and taped it up with Steri strips. I dressed the wound, and cleaned up the mess. Bamm! it all happened in about 10 minutes. Then we all had dinner. I did take him into the clinic for a wound check the next day but it looked great. Have I mentioned how unimpressed I am with this hospital? Well I am. Hey....I am a licensed RN. I know I am hard to please, and I decided I would do a better job with FAR less wait that the local ER could. I have worked ER in the past so I did know what I was doing. In a normal situation I would ALWAYS recommend YOU take you child to the ER. I would have too if he would have shown any Neuro complications. But he didn't and he will have a nifty scar to show his friends. The picture is a couple days later with 2 of the steri strips missing. It is healing very nicely.

Is it really November??

Wow..where did the time go? It is already the 3rd of November. The Mail is backed up, so if you have sent me a uniform and have NOT heard from me PLEASE PLEASE let me know. Normally I am pretty good about emailing folks as soon as I get their stuff. Sooo, if you haven't heard from me give me a ping. I have all kinds of news for this posting....

I got a bunch of sewing finished this week, that is good news, but the bad news is that next week I will be doing very little sewing. The good news is that My little Ribblett is going to get to have his tonsils and adenoids removed...but the bad news is that is is going to be in another city 3 hours away by air. The Little Guy and I will be there for most of the week, him recovering, me tending him. I will probably still have Internet capabilities, but no sewing machine...ie no sewing. Buttt if you need anything from Adelaid, let me know. I have no idea what that little city is all about, but that is where we will be.

At the end of this month Emma will have surgery to remove the "foreign body" that has grown into her ear drum. I saw it sitting there scowling against her inflamed eardrum. My poor little girl. How has she not been in agony all this time!? I can't tell you how pissed I am with DR Tuttle for blowing me off 2 years ago. Yep that is how long it has been there. 2 years. Moms...you know your kids best. It has taken me 2 years to have a Physician take me seriously and irrigate her ear to find the bead. I think the rest thought I had Munchhausen's by Proxy.