My Store is stocked Again and a free wallet (see bottom of post)

I am participating in a Doll Quilt swap over on Flicker. I looked at my secret partner's site and I don't think she would be real crazy for my original little quilt I had planned, so I am going to do something inspired by my wild outback landscape. I am going to follow my daughter's lead and go ahead and call it a "dreamtime". When Emma draws pictures....they aren't just drawings, they are dreamtimes. Most of the fabric is going to be hand dyed by me....so I am very excited about it. I hope my partner likes it, but I know I will. I am going to call the hand dying more fabric staining. I am using Tea, coffee and mud. Lots of fun.

I have stocked my little store with these 3 bags. The clutch was for sale over on Etsy, but I moved it to my other shop and reduced the price a bit. 3 great bags....I hope one of them goes home with you! So Sunday at 12:00 noon (East Coast time) go over and check them out.

Hyena Cart Shop

Here are some of our noisy locals. I just can't get over how cool the birds are in Australia. I just love them.


So.....let's talk politics. I am not getting much of the race down here. We get a bit now and then but it is hard to tell where the candidates are standing on one of the most important issues in my life, "the War on Terror" and what one in particular is saying is downright terrifying. You are going to have to share with me the allure of Obama. I just don't see it. We have a fine nation, one worth defending. We have a wonderful way of life....I am very confused why he has such a big following. Help me out Obama supporters, there may be one or two of you reading this.;o)

Here is an assessment by a friend of mine. I asked her to fill me on the candidates and their stand on Iraq and Afghanistan.....


Here's my response to your question in an unbiased a way as I can present it (which isn't really all that unbiased). Let me add the caveat that I'm pretty conservative and look at things through these military glasses, so tend to roll my eyes at things like "immediate pull-out" because... yeah right. In any case, first I'll give you their talking points and then my take on it.

McCain:
Favors the surge
Won't play the timeline game
McCain wasn't a huge Rumsfeld fan (which isn't a major surprise) but he's a big Patreaus fan. He generally likes the direction things are going right now and if anything he'd up the ante and push harder to squash the insurgency. It's a pretty fair analysis to say that part of the mess we're in now is because Rumsfeld pussy-footed around and figured that less troops would mean fewer casualties... well, not so much. He also didn't develop much of an after-plan to the invasion. McCain would benefit from all the hindsight of those mistakes and doesn't have any of Bush's loyalty issues - which is one of Bush's main pitfalls - the man needs to fire his friends faster. Since McCain has never been much of a "friend" kind of guy - this isn't an issue. He's a bulldozer and doesn't really make friends.

Obama:
Has NEVER been for the war, increase in troops, increase in spending, etc. Has voted against every bill that has ever come before the Senate that has involved Iraq - to include all requests for money to fund the troops.
Will do everything in his power to turn tail and run as fast as possible. His plan is to IMMEDIATELY start pulling out two brigades a month. He's basically Vietnam redux and doesn't apologize for it.
He's all about "let's all talk and play fair" but he's got almost zero foreign policy experience. Plans on personally sitting down and talking with ALL nations - even the rouge ones.
He's fairly scary on this issue - except that he can't do a whole lot without Congressional approval and would need (you'd hope) to have some real discussions outside of the campaign with the guys who are actually over there and may get a huge reality check once he takes the reigns. I honestly don't think he understands what he's in for because of his lack of experience. The former members of the Armed Forces who are supporters of his are lightweights and didn't have the greatest reputations in their time. I'm a little nervous about who he'd appoint as Sec Def. I also think that he'd likely only last 4 years ala Jimmy Carter because I just don't think he's got the experience on an international level to pull this off right now. If this were just a domestic game, maybe.

Clinton:
She says she isn't for the war anymore - but she's voted in favor of everything.
She says she'd do a "phased withdrawal" of the troops within the first 60 days of taking office and would want most of them out by 2013.
Basically... she's a realist and is already trying to preserve her legacy.
Clinton knows that to get the Dem vote she needs to talk withdrawal, but she's smart and experienced enough to know that isn't as easy as it sounds - nor is it smart. So she's hedging. Its totally obvious from what she says that she's hedging but the voters don't seem to care too much about it - except maybe that's why they are tending toward Obama right now. She's totally playing both sides. She's got a decent set of has-been Generals on her side, but they aren't the all-stars (Wesley Clark, etc). Look to Clark to be Sec Def if she's elected. But she's a pragmatist and definitely wouldn't want to be known as the female President who failed in Iraq throughout history so she'd do her darnedest to avoid that title. I'm not sure she could do it and succeed by not going bulldozer though. Her downfall will be trying to make everyone happy.


So, what do I think will work? I dunno. From my standpoint, I think we need to see this through and continue to get aggressive. It's working despite the uptick in violence right now, what is happening right now is nothing compared to what was going on two years ago. Clearly we are making some headway, so to walk away from that seems ridiculous. However, from a person POV - I'd sure like my husband to come home. I'd hate for him to come home though and then in four years be dealing with an even bigger problem created because we walked away.

Just my little opinions...



OK....that is a ton for one blog post, but that is what is on my mind. Feel free to comment, folks. I want to know what the heck is going on back in the mother land! Just to encourage you to comment I am going to randomly draw a winner from the comments for a "Maria Zippy Wallet". At the time of your victory you may request it to be "civilian" or "Campy"

Bag Layouts...DCU

Hi ladies (and gentlemen, if you are here)

I have decided to work smarter here for a moment and post some fabric and bag layouts on my blog. Quite a few of you are sending me DCUs and asking about fabric combos....so ere they are. Look around a let me know if any jump out at you. If you see anything you like, email me and I will put it aside for you. I figured this would be easier (and quicker) than emailing everyone individually. Sorry....I am trying to be more efficient.


Selection #1 The first combo (above) is all Kaffe Fassett. Red Roman glass, lavender Shot cotton and flower vases in red. Very vibrant.

Selection #2 is an awning stripe and blue chrysanthemum from Amy Butler's Belle line
Selection #3 is similar to #2, but I added Burgundy Gothic rose. (in my opinion Burgundy Gothic rose is downright orgasmic)
Selection #4 is a bit more subtle. This is an oldie, but goodie from Amy Butler's Charm collection. I love this.
Selection #5....more out of print goodness from Amy Butler's charm collection. I also have the top print in a blue and green colorway that would really pop.

Let me know what you think!

xo,

Tia

What a happy day....

What a wonderful mail day it was yesterday. I got this great order from www.superbuzzy.com Heater Ross's new line from Japanese Fabric Manufacturer Kokka. It is a linen/cotton blend so it is a bit heavier than normal quilting cotton. I have no idea what I am going to do with it, and I am still eagerly awaiting her mermaid fabric....but in the meantime this lovely fabric will tide me over a bit. Oh the sewing books are great too. They both have patterns and lots of pictures with instructions. Maybe next week I will give a dress a stab. I want to give a BIG HUGE THANK YOU to S. Anderson. She sent me 5 yards of Timtex. She asked if I needed anything from the states and normally I say no, because I like to hunt for supplies online, but there is NO Timtex of Fast2fuse to be found online at the moment. Both products are vital in some of my bag designs. She went out hunting for me and was gloriously successful. THANK YOU!!!!!! She will be richly rewarded by me and my sewing machine. I think I am going to name this little tote bag after her. It has no Timtex in it...just organic cotton, but it is pretty darn happy just like I was yesterday when I got her box.
Sharlene Patchwork Tote. I saw the bag on the front of this Vera Bradly catalog, and knew I HAD to have one. But I don't care for Vera's fabric, or her quilting, so I did my own thing. The catalog was abandoned at the APO, so I took it home. And this is the bag I made. I LOVE all these fabrics. The big pink in the middle is a Marimekko print, the blue flowers is one of my favorites (I really do have favorites in my fabric collection) form Yuwa, a lavender Linen and a couple strips of a canvas in the print of a London Tourist map. I put a happy little flower up on the top with a hand made button and little silver bee. I really like this little bag, but I think I am going to list it in my Hyena Cart store along with a couple others. I hope they go to a good home. Tomorrow there will be some civilian bags in my Hyena Store around 8PM your time.

This is a little detail shot of "ring around the rosey". For those of you waiting for fabric/bag layout pictures please remind me who you are. There are so many of you and I am confused about who wants to see what. Please forgive me....

OK, I am off to rummage through my emails! You all have a great weekend!

xo

Tia

A Day in My Life ;o)

Hi Y'all. This is where I work. It is the dining room on the big dining room table. Yep, it is a big mess, but it is all separated into piles, so I know where everything is. If you look close you may be able to find your bag skeleton. I have been busy on bags this week....not the big pretty finished product, but the behind the scenes of cutting and taking pictures of fabric combos for ladies so they can get a better idea of what their special bag will look like. Oh and straps....they are the least favorite part of my bag making day. Very important part of the bag...but for some reason I don't like doing them. I am pretty happy with the way I am doing them now with the swirly on either side of the quote (if you want a quote). OK...I am babbling. Onward! I wake up about 0530, do a round of Yoga, then hit the emails. I really do try to answer each one, but you know how my email has been lately, really shaky. I am not ignoring you, please feel free to bombard me with emails. I love hearing from you and I love it that you are excited about your bags. My early risers are up about 0630. I have to lure Emma out of bed so we can get to school on time.
After I drop the kiddos off at school Sam and I do our shopping. Well we do our shopping of Tuesdays and Thursdays. Monday, Wednesday and Fridays I go straight home and sew (and email). This is the Bakery where we get our bread and the occasional doughnut. Te bakery is pretty good. I think I have gotten used to it, because I remember when I first got here I would turn my nose up at their excuse for a doughnut.
This is the chicken butcher. It is conveniently located right beside the bakery and out front of the grocery store. There are 2 grocery stores in town. I like this one better because it is close to the bakery. ;o) The only thing bad about the chicken butcher is that you have to eat the chicken the day you buy it. The Aussies don't use preservatives like we do in the States, so things go bad more quickly. But my body feels so much better without all the preservatives.
Ignore Emma's 1000 yard stare. She probably sees the rare jalapeno. This is the grocery store. I wish I would have taken a picture of the grapes, they are for sale for the bargain price of $14 a kg (the Aussie dollar and the US dollar are about the same) . Cost of living is pretty expensive here. They have to truck everything in, and that is reflected in the prices. Also there is no competition in the businesses, so they charge whatever they darn well please.
This is the Meat butcher. They have really nice meat here. Once again very little preservatives. I just bought some scotch fillets for chili. My husband and I are on a soup kick. I guess it is the cold weather. It plunged to about 68 F today and that is pretty chilly when your body is used to 114F for about 5 months straight.


We have lived here for a little over a year and still love it. If you ever get the chance I can't recommend Australia highly enough, so do come visit. It really is a great country. We do have the odd interaction with the locals and there are really strange solutions for problems. For instance, there is a big problem with drug addiction and alcohol dependency, especially among the indigenous people. So to take care of this problem they got rid of regular unleaded gasoline and replaced it with a product called Opal. Some of the Aborigines were putting their children to bed at night with a can of gas open at the bedside. Well, you can't get high off opal. I guess. I have never tired. Also you can't buy Alcohol until after 1400 and don't even think of buying port until after 1600 (mind you the bottle stores only stay open to 2000). I think it is so funny. It is a solution....but a funny one.


I didn't include a picture of the APO. That is my favorite stop of the day. Kinda like having all your shopping delivered to one central place. All your uniform tops and bottoms come to me there. But the mail does not come every day, so it is a hit or miss thing. I still love it. OK, I am tired, so off to bed with me. I hope I haven't bored you too much. Thanks for reading my ranting!

Cheers!

Tia

Happy Easter!

My dad sent a box filled with Easter goodies including egg dye. Well, He sent Peeps, and they tend to get confiscated at customs. So while his box is delayed in Sydney, we just went ahead and painted the eggs ourselves. My parents would always paint one silly egg and put it in our baskets (or the Easter Bunny would do it) I remember how funny that was as a kid so I painted a silly portrait of each of our children on their own silly egg.
Emma's Egg
Ethan's egg
Sam's Egg. (that is 3 sets of big blue eyes, huh?)
Then we had about 6 egg hunts...in our PJs/under ware. Oh you may be wondering about the lack of baskets....well the Easter bunny forgot about them until it was too late to pack them in our household goods, so the kid's baskets are in storage in Texas and I forgot to order more since there are none to be found in Alice Springs....hence the Easter Bowls. The kids didn't seem to mind. Last year I made them each a little bag out of the cuff of the uniform top, but I couldn't find them either this year. So Bamm....Easter Bowls.

After our last egg hunt I went in and took a cold shower (I forgot to turn on the hot water button. There is a big solar heater on the roof and if it is not real sunny for a day or two the water stays cold.) and we packed up the truck with water, hats and a picnic and went to Stanley Chasm. It was a very nice Easter Sunday. I hope yours was as nice if not better. Happy Easter, Friends!

xo
Tia

Easter Hike

DO you ever get stir crazy? I am as much a home body as anyone else, but at a point I just go a little stir crazy. That was yesterday morning. Yes it was Easter Sunday, but I HAD to get out of the house! Now there are not many options when that happens here in the middle of Australia, you can go to Wollies (the grocery store) Kmart (just what is sounds like, but dirtier than the typical US shop, oh and about 3 times more expensive) or you can go out bush. We opted to go out bush. My husband is the only one who wore sensible footwear, the rest of us are wearing sandals or flip-flops (thongs if you are Aussie). We have been here over a year and still not traveled over and up to Stanley Chasm, so that is where we went. I packed a little picnic lunch, the kids jammed as many chocolate eggs into their mouths as possible and we were off.
Normally we would have been in church celebrating Christ rising from the dead, but sometimes God and His splendor can be better worshiped outside in His glory. I get that from my Dad. The white trees are Ghost Gums (big eucalyptus trees) and they smell so good. SO not only was this a great little walk in the "woods" but it was like a spa treatment too.
Emma and I dressed up a bit, well I have a skirt on and a hat (both I made by the way, hubba hubba). And everyone has on a hat...gotta have your hat here. Oh and that is my beat up "Stu Tote" over my shoulder. Sam decided he was not walking another step, so up on mamma's hip he went. On the way down he got to ride in style up on his daddy's shoulders
The landscape here in Australia is just so dramatic. And the colors are so intense RED dirt, dusty SAGE foliage, WHITE tree trunks of the ghost gums and the BLUEST Sky I have ever seen. As we were driving out I have the most amazing inspiration for quilting. I have to finish some more bags of course first...but that is always the case with me. The picture above is of the chasm.


We were stationed in Ft Hood, Texas before coming here. I love the wide open views of Texas. Australia is very similar to that, except even more wide. There are cattle stations and Aboriginal camps sprinkled around, but for the most part nothing else. Just views. Some of the oldest mountains on Earth thrusting up out of red dirt softened a bit by spinifex grass. I love it here. Come visit!
Finally, some of God's amazing outback animals. We saw 2 Perenties yesterday (monitor lizards) the first guy was really enormous. I thought someone had tossed a log out into the road, but it was this really massive lizard. Then on the way out of the park we saw this fellow being molested by some German tourists, so we had to get a picture too. He was about 3.5 feet of reptile. My husband says there is a bigger one out where he works, that likes to peek in the windows of the chow hall.

I think my email is messed up again.

I finished this quilt top yesterday. It was a block of the month program last year. It is lovely and massive. My taste has changed so much in the year that I have been working on this quilt. This is such a classic with the paper piecing and ultra feminine prints. I like it, I love it, but at the moment I have a stack of fabric that I dyed (Saturday) that I have big contemporary plans for involving some hand screen printed fabric and some other little fabric squares from Stitchindye

I am having trouble with my email again. If you have sent me an email in the past several days and I haven't responded, please check your SPAM folder. I really am fairly fanatical about my email. You can also write me again at e2momma@yahoo.com I have no earthly idea why I am having trouble with it, but I have never been accused of being a cyber genius. I have been trying to get hold of B. Tuttle and C. Kniffen specifically. Nothing bad I promise, just a question or two about your bags. Other than that everything is fine here. The Easter Bilby (strange rabbit like marsupial that hops around the outback) may be coming to visit our house on Sunday, then it is off to church. I am finishing up the bumper to match a quilt I made a while back, and I have been working on lots of bags. I need to update the list over there. Oh I have also been fiddling with Myspace. I am pretty sure I am one of the last Americans to figure it out, and I am not doing very good, it is like a time vacuum, but it is pretty great to "see" some friends from Ft Hood. Gosh, I miss you gals. I guess that is it, feel free to email me again at my other address and hopefully I can get an answer about why I am having trouble with my email. My husband is waiting for me to watch "Meet the Spartans" with him. We tried it a couple hours ago, but quickly decided it was not going to be good for the whole family. Last night we saw "I am Legend" I don't really like the end-of-the-world movies, but Wil Smith did a pretty good job. OK, I am babbling now.

XO

Tia

Army Widow Project

I want to welcome the ladies from Army Widow Project (AWP) to my little blog. I have emailed with 8 of you today. Good to hear from you and thank you for your interest in my bags and quilts. For those of you not familiar with the AWP, it is a great community for widows of men killed in Iraq and Afghanistan to meet and support one another. I have explored around a bit, but I will be honest with you, I typically am crying so hard I have to leave it. Your position could have been mine on so many occasions. You and your families are in my prayers.

See that sky above? It is so pretty and blue. The weather here is HOT and HUMID (110 with about 20% humidity). Gross. For the most part we do not sweat here. Yes it is so hot, but it is so dry it just evaporates off our skin. With the humidity the sweat is so very much more noticeable. It is good for the pores, so I am trying to look on the bright side. Well, I need to take my kids and the friends to school. Tia's taxi service is at the ready. I will be cutting a bunch of uniforms today, good times.

New stuff

I have been working on my "Dear Jane" quilt for over 2 years now. Yes, I start and stop and fizzle and get excited again, and just get to busy to fool with it. Well this is a project I am determined to finish. I am a year and a half into a block of the month program with Stitchin Heaven
and while I love it, the colors are from the Civil War era. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Jane Stickle's amazing quilt, it is a medium sized quilt made during the civil war by a really incredible woman.(there is a tiny version of the quilt over there on the sidebar with a link to another Dear Jane group I am involved in) 225 of the most incredible blocks I have ever seen. Tiny blocks with the most phenomenal detail. My quilting mentor (Nancy Farmer) introduced me to it. I started mine during my husband's second Iraq deployment. I would get up early and make a block or two. It would help me focus...kinda pinpoint my thoughts for the day ahead. As I would finish a block I would wonder if Jane did something similar...her husband was gone for years and she had an entire farm to be in charge of. Unlike me, who heard from my husband at least once a week and got to see him on our little web cam, and got to watch his units progress on Fox News and for the most part knew he wold be home after 12 months (unless something horrendous happened), she got to do it alone on a farm. So as I was working away on my quilt block of the month with civil war fabric in muted colors, I would look over at my fabric and see Amy Butler, Heather Bailey, Joel Dewberry and Anna Maria Horner. Those are the colors of my era's war. Those are the colors I should be using. So....I am . I am doing 2 Dear Jane Quilts. One with the classic tone of Jane Stickle's original quilt and another loud and vibrant busy quilt with fabric from today. No I am not completely off my rocker. There is no time limit for this quilt....it is a slow one I am enjoying putting together. I get to hand sew and applique, and slow down a bit. I take my teeny tiny block out onto the front porch with a glass of wine and watch the kids play while dinner is simmering away on the stove. I take time to be grateful for the gifts the Lord has given me. It is nice to slow down a bit.

Now onto business. What do you think of the new little bag? I dig it. It is a version of one I carry (a green civie one with trains) for quick trips. As I slip that little bag on my shoulder and grab a chubby little hand to cross the street I keep thinking....how can I make this out of a uniform? Well, this is my first go at it. This is a flight suit and it is some really strange fabric to sew with. something about the flame retardant in it makes it like trying to sew liquid. With that said, I LOVE how it turned out. I have another flight suit that is on the table right now ready to become a great set of bags. I guess I better get off the computer and go sew, huh?

XO
Tia

wow! that went fast!

Thank you so much ladies! All my custom slots are taken now, but I will have more for you next month. I do have one slot left for a quilt if that was your target....but the bags are taken up. This was just me testing the waters. I will be taking more orders next month, so if you want the heads up just let me know and I will add you to my list!

Thanks again, ladies! I can't wait to sew for you!

xo
Tia

Custom Orders!

WooHoo! I am going to open tomorrow (11 March 2008 @ 8PM) for 5 custom bag orders and 1 custom quilt. I have already sent all you wonderful ladies who wanted to be on my mailing list a message. It is probably in your spam folder, so be sure to look there. You can get to the slots through my "SHOP" button on my website. or just go ahead and click here "Camp Follower Bag Shop"


I am going to start small, but next month there will be more....don't you worry. We will see how this method works. If it is more trouble than it is worth, we can go back to the other way. No real rules in my world. Feel free to email me with questions.

Cheers!
Tia

And the winner is......

I had a strange day today, so to celebrate the oddness I had Emma draw the Bag winner. I was going to use the fancy web based random selector, but I just don't think I have the mental strength to figure it out this evening. Emma picked #8 so that makes the winner, commenter C. Kniffin. I am pretty sure I already have your address, so I will shoot you an email letting you know you are a winner! I will mail your bag out in the morning and it will be in your hot little hands in about a week

Thank you everyone for all your wonderful comments and you guys have some great favorite places.

As you know life with and around me is never a dull thing. Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while may be familiar with "the Crazy Bird Man" who has been filming my Channel Billed Cucko. Well I had to have a warrant for trespassing issued to him today. Seems he has turned out to be downright unstable. My husband asked him to move his observation post elsewhere and he went nuts, calling us ugly Americans. Well...the ugly Americans have involved the very helpful Northern Territory police force. I have never been a target before (as far as I know) so this is new for me. But I picked up on his strange nature from the get go. I think this is the first time I have had to call the police.

I remember one of my worst day during my husbands last deployment involved the Ft Hood MPs. It was August in Texas. We were having a PJ day since it was Sunday and I just didn't feel motivated to rouse and dress my tribe up that morning. I had been quilting all day long and my kids had been drawing on me with their crayola washable markers. I hope I am not the only one who has experienced this, but after my husband was away for so long my body would get touch deprived. The drawing on my arms, back and lower legs took care of two things A) It kept the kids busy in a safe and productive manner and B) it felt good, kinda like when you get your hair cut, the tugging and snipping of the scissors. Ok, so I am trying to paint a picture for you. It is a Hot Sunday, we all have our PJs on and I am covered with washable crayola tattoos drawn by my 3 year old and my 4.5 year old (at that time Sam was about 16 months old, so the house is a pretty noisy and rowdy place with 3 little kids and me). Well it is getting on towards dinner, so I have the beans on (I decided to try a new Williams and Sonoma recipe) and the kids and I are out in the back yard playing in the big plastic pool. Ethan has decided to fling off his bathing trunks to "go natural" but hey it is my backyard, and he is 3 so what the heck. I went in to stir the beans, and I heard the front screen door slam. In the time it took me to put the spoon down and walk around to the front door my naked 3 year old dashed outside, jumped on his bike and was zipping down the sidewalk. Oh and got stopped my a roving MP patrol, who was walking him up to my front door. Me in my PJs covered with drawings. We lived in Wainwright Village (very quiet company grade housing with big shady oak trees) and nothing ever "went down" there. Well, the civilian rent a cop called in back up for my little streaker and all the sudden I had 4 cop cars and 8 grown men in my front yard. And I got a lesson in parenting from a 20 year old man with no children. Thanks buddy. I hope you have triplets. Oh as well as all my neighbors. Well, that was one of my worst days. We don't really do PJ day anymore. My neighbors were all there to support me. It kinda freaks the army spouses out when a bunch of police cars are outside her friends house. Makes me break into a cold sweat. Oh well, there you have a little window into my life.

I finished some really cute bags today. They are up on Flicker. G. Preston if you are reading this for some reason, please check your spam folder, you have some emails from me there. Thanks!

I will be getting the website ready for a couple custom slots tomorrow. I will send you an email too, just to give you early warning. I have no idea if the slots will be snatched up, but I want to be able to give you a chance if you want one.

Cheers!

Tia

Emma and the Tampa Bay Buccaneer Cheerleaders

When I was a little girl in Germany, my parents took me to see Circus Krone. Before the show started we got to walk around the tents and see all the animals. My favorite tent was the one with the black horses. They had big red feathers on their heads and I fell in LOVE with the shortest horse named Barka. The man in charge of the horses said if I really wanted to have him I just had to come back to the tent after the show and he would give me the horse. I was 6. I totally believed him, and I wanted that horse. Needless to say, after the show I did not get to take the horse home with me. I am sure I sobbed my eyes out. Probably for days. My poor parents.


Well an MWR show came to town this weekend. It featured a comedian, the Tampa Bay Buccaneer Cheerleaders and a band named 5 Star Iris. Emma fell in love with the cheerleaders. She was amazed by their dancing and outfits (looked like 10 Barbie Dolls come to life and dancing just for her) and they were all so nice and sweet. Just a great group of American girls. After their show they all stood by the stage while the band played and my Emma was right in the middle of them all. They all went up on stage to dance for the last couple songs. Well, guess who marched right up there with them. Yep, my little girl.


The girl above (Jenni) had her birthday here, and Emma was up at 0600 making her a birthday present. She wanted her to have a fairy wand. So, I helped her out and we gathered limbs from the orange tree in the back yard and some of the native trees in the park. We braided them around one of the big rough garnets from the front yard, and made a great fairy wand.

The cheerleaders had a little cheer camp for the little kids and taught them a little dance and a couple chants. They got to preform their little dance at the concert again last night.
Once again at the end of the concert, Emma was right up on center stage dancing her little heart out with her new friends the cheerleaders. She picked out Jenni for her favorite, and really wanted to take her home with us, just like I did that horse when I was her age. I am sure Jenni would eat alot less than the horse....but we still had to say no.

xo

Tia

A side not about my "Blessing" post. Thank you so much for your kindness and words of encouragement. We are awaiting test results and praying it will be nothing. I hate the waiting game. I miss being a nurse and just looking up my own test results when I wanted them.

Blessings....

This medium man just turned 5. His Grandpa led a search and and rescue mission all over Western North Carolina to find Ethan a Bumblebee. That ugly yellow doll has been his constant companion for the past 3 days. Ethan is my easy going child. He is sweet natured and such a happy little boy. I am blessed to have him.
This is my youngest. Sam. Sam is a force of nature. He is named after the best men I know (My husband and my father). He is a classic deployment baby, conceived on our 2 week conjugal visit (R&R to some of you). I was taking birth control, still nursing Ethan and we used condoms. Well, we have Sam to show for our efforts. There he is grinning at us everyday. He has a purpose in life. A determined, driven soul. He is a blessing.
The Kangaroo....a being that is totally strange to look at, oddly graceful when hopping but surely a sign that God has a sense of humor. It is easy to sneak up on these big red guys in the bush because their red fur is the same color of the desert sand. You (or I) will be walking along minding your own business just enjoying the splendor that is the Outback, and all the sudden see movement and find yourself in the middle of a small clan of big red kangaroos. This guy was at the desert park.
These birdies are called Princess Parrots. Such beautiful parrots in the middle of the desert. An unexpected little surprise in the trees.
On the way home from the Desert Park I passed these guys grazing right across from my daughters' school. There were two of them and they had been pulling a modified Toyota van packed full of camping gear. At first I passed them and thought to myself....camels, odd, but OK. Then I passed them again. And the man who had been using them to pull his Toyota wagon/van, and once again was blessed. I am so happy with where I am in my life right now. We are not zillionaires, hell we don't even own our own home. But I don't live in a camel wagon. And that is a damn fine thing.


We had some very bad news Wednesday, devastating actually. But as tragic as it might be, life will continue. It might be different, but it will continue. I needed to get away from my ugly beige carpet and soak in God's glory. Nature can always help heal my spirit and let me refocus. Help me see things that have been there all along. Being out here in the desert that at first seems a barren and dead place has taught me to look for the promise God gives us everywhere. Life is beautiful and precious and a priceless gift.

Book and Movie and NO batting.

I finished reading this book this morning. I think I cried for the last hour and half of my reading. Not just timid little tears. Great gulping sobs. All through the book I kept wondering what his buddies families thought of him writing the book. Not the gore, War is a terrible thing. But the very public display of death. Maybe it needs to be brought out into the open. We don't have cable out here in the middle of nowhere (not that it is not available, I just don't want it.). I quite hate listening to makeup caked bimbos telling me their take on the news. I refuse to watch CNN because of Robin Meade. She just turns my stomach. OK I am ranting now, let me get back on to my initial train of thought. In my other life as an Army Nurse, I have been with people as they inhale their first breath and exhale their last, or in my last job as a L&D nurse, never got the chance to breath at all. I worked in the ER in Charlotte, NC and can't tell you about all the death I saw there, old, young, drug induced, violent, accident, wrong place/ wrong time, family get together gone terribly wrong....Death and decay and brain mater at 0300. If you want to see the truly odd go work in a large city ER on 3rd shift. In my world I want there to be dignity in death. God made us all for a purpose, maybe these men's lives were meant to touch me in their death. Maybe they were meant to touch you too.

Our APO (American Post Office or more accurately All Points Overseas) lets us check out movies. Most of them are brand spanking new releases. Some even come out before they are released to DVD (last week we checked out Enchanted). Today I checked out an enormous surprise. I had never heard of it before, but decided what the heck? I am out of batting and I just finished my book, so why not? We watched "August Rush". Wow. What a wonderful movie. I LOVED it. Now, I may have a bit of PMS, or I may just be emotional because I am out of Cotton batting so I am just cutting bags and straps and sewing on patches because I can't do diddly squat without batting (I am waiting for a big order from Repo Depot and Hobbs Batting where I get my Organic Cotton batting) but it is late getting here and is probably off in Antarctica where my last order of Japanese fabric spent 2 months (woops, I am ranting again. Sorry) Anyhow, "August Rush" was really a wonderful surprise. Who in the heck is the main man and his brother? The are so very familiar, but I am stuck out here in the bush making ugly dresses for myself (I know you are laughing at me, don't worry I think it is hilarious too!) and I have no idea where I have seen them before. OK. I have been working on this post off and on for the past 4 hours, so I am going to spellcheck and go to bed. Hopefully no one will vomit on me or near me tonight.

xo

Tia

Watch Out Project Runway!

My mom and I were IM'ing this morning and she was showing me some fabric for a new dress she is going to make. My mom is a great seamstress. Always has been. Well now that I am here in the middle of nowhere I have decided to branch out a bit and teach myself to make a dress or two. Well, last month I worked on the one above. Not too bad from this angle and the fabric is great. It is a Linen I got from www.superbuzzy.com with pear branches along the top and bottom boarder.
This is the book I got the pattern from....yes, I am aware it is in Japanese. No, I do not speak or read a lick of Japanese. Maybe I missed a few key words. I do need to add that the pear dress is the second I made. The first one was just blue. I figured those little Japanese ladies modeling in the book are probably smaller than me, so I took it upon myself to make the measurements bigger. The dress was massive. My husband started laughing when he saw me in it. He is normally very supportive of me and my sewing endeavors, but I guess it caught him off guard. Now I wear it when I am mad at him.
See she is laughing at me. I guess I am too.
Maybe in Japanese print it mentions the really, really, really high slit one must incorporate into the design to be able to walk. But then again, maybe I measured incorrectly. I guess it is back to the drawing board with this one. I told my mom, my hips were too big for the dress, and she wanted me to model it so she could see too (the wonders of IMing with webcams). She laughed at me too. Leave it to moms and husbands to be honest with you.


I am up to my forehead in nasty laundry. My daughter preformed a Vomit Miracle last night. Somehow a 6.5 year old female child can regurgitate enough emesis to coat her sheets, mattress, 4 quilts, all her stuffed animals, pillow, wall, floor under the bed, and bedside table. Her entire head and hair was saturated. It looked (when she came creeping into our bedroom right after I turned off the light, after tucking Marcus Lutrell ((of "Lone Survivor", or as my husband refers to him "my fat Seal" )) in on a mountainside in the Hindu Kush) like some madman had dumped a very large bucket of vomit all over her head. My husband, one of the lightest sleepers I know, conveniently was unable to be woken to assist in clean up efforts.

I will be wearing the ugly blue dress when he gets home from work today.


OK, that is enough for today. Don't forget to comment in the Free Bag post to win a bag.

Free Bag Giveaway!

Last night we went to a dining out with the Northern Territory Officer Association. It was pretty fun. I had the times messed up and for once in my life I was early. My little mate there looks (Well he looked really nice, but I had to remove the picture from my website. Oh well...maybe I should put me and some other fine looking man up there.I will play around with photoshop and see if I can remove his head other identifying features) pretty spiffy, I think (well, thought, until my husband finally read my blog, and decided I should not have his pictures on it). All his bling didn't arrive on time, but we figured no one would notice. When the rest of the medals and pins and decorations do finally get here he will look like he is about ready to take over a Central American country. I made a new bag for the party, since my dress is one I have worn before. I think each time you go out with the man of your dreams you should have something new.
This is a new design I am testing out. Who wants to test one?? I think I am going to make another one after this post while I try to recover from my dance with Baccus last night. The Aussies can really put back some ETOH. They had a great Cabernet Shiraz that was just so smooth, and every time a turned around my glass was full again. Needless to say I am hydrating this morning.
Here is the other new bag style I made yesterday morning. It turned out larger than I initially desired, but I will tote it around and see if I will put it in circulation or not. I LOVE the train one, but this one is up in the air. Let me know if you want it! You can test it out for me. I want to do a give away....but I don't really know how to get that ball rolling. SO let's kick off with this blue bag. What are the rules?? Humm....tell me about your favorite place. I will start. I love Paradise Falls in Western North Carolina. We would go up there from time to time while I was in College. It was always a challenge to get to, but so worth it. I took my mother there 2 years after she had brain surgery. I remember standing with her right on the edge of the falls and it began to rain. Have you ever seen rain fall from above? The sun was out and each raindrop was like a diamond, a precious gift from God, like that special moment with my mother. I will randomly choose the winner this time next week. SO on the 9th my time (8th of March for North America) .

xo
Tia



I have a pretty big shipment to make this week. I am just finishing up some small extra bags and wallets for ladies. I should have the majority of my list knocked out this week and next and I plan to open for more custom orders next week. If you want first pick at the limited slots I will have available shoot me an email and I will add you to my email list. You guys will get first pick of the slots.