Winter Wonderland

Well the weather people were finally right. We got the snow and ice they were predicting. It started snowing here around 11am and didn't slow or stop til 2pm when it switched to sleet. Its been continuous sleet since! I left work at noon and it took me 45 mintues to get home. Thankfully I made it home safe and was able to take some really great photos. Enjoy!

Isn't it beautiful?! Snow always makes me happy. I was out walking around in it like a little kid. We're praying that things don't get too bad. According to the news things are gonna get worse before they get better.

On that note I'm going to cuddle up with my dogs and watch a good movie. I've got plenty of time so maybe it'll be Gone With the Wind...one of my all time favorites.

Ya'll have a good night!

Ice Ice Baby!!!

Once again middle Tennessee is expecting winter weather. We're supposed to start getting it around midnight tonight and all through tomorrow. Honestly its not looking really good for us. I made sure The Man went to the store on his way home. He got the necessities....milk, peanut butter, and dog treats. Can't have my girls go without!!! I've pulled out all the blankets and candles. I need to get a couple jugs of water. Thank God I recylce!!! I've got plenty of those!! I wish our fireplace was able to burn wood!!! Hopefully it won't get that extreme....but we do live in the country. I'll make sure I keep the laptop battery charged and I'll let you know how it goes.

Had another bad day at work. Turns out our new boss is making me do things that I shouldn't be doing. No wonder I was running around crazy today!! I just didn't have enough time to do anything. Now I know why. Don't know if that will get fixed our not, hopefully so. I made a phone call to some higher ups that I know....I pray they pull through for me. In that light, I'm almost wishing we have bad weather so I don't have to go to work. Just ready for the weekend!!!

Just got off the phone with my father-in-law. He's too funny!!! He gets so worried about us when the weather starts looking bad. I love the fact that he always calls and checks up on us. We miss them alot and wish that we could get out to NC to see them more often, but we make it work and call as much as possible.

I was reading Lois's blog and had to laugh. Last night when her power was out, ours was out too. It went out about 7 and didnt' come back on til 10pm!!! Needless to say my wish to cuddle up with a book came true. I read by candle light and went to bed really early.

Well that's about it for tonight. I'm gonna get a couple more things together in case a blizzard comes. Ya'll be good and stay warm!!!!

BBBBUUUUUUUURRRRRRRR!!!!!!!

Didn't want to get out of bed this morning, it was so cold. We've been having issues with our heating unit and I don't think its working at top speed. Hopefully next winter we'll have a wood burning fireplace and won't have to worry about it. Until then its socks and alot of blankets!

Had a rough day today. Work just wasn't all that great. I'm praying tomorrow will be better but I have my doubts. I keep telling myself only two more days and I won't have to worry about things any more. So after my hard day I came home and de-stressed. I had a glass of wine and made biscuts to go with dinner. Now I make great biscuts. I don't make them everyday, like my mother-in-law, but tonight I just had to. I immediately felt better. I'm sure the wine had something to do with that as well.

That is a trait that I share with both my mommies and my sister; we all bake/cook when we need to unwind. Don't know why but it always helps. I think it's funny that all 4 of us do the same thing. Makes me believe that Lois was meant to be in our family.

Other than that not much going on. We have no plans for the weekend....thank goodess!!! I don't feel like doing or going anywhere. I actually think I'll curl up with a good book tonight instead of heading to the studio.

Ya'll keep warm.

PS. I'm having a bit of trouble with the spacing of my posts....as you can tell. If anyone out there can help, I'd be greatful!

Not a Bad Monday

Today hasn't been bad. Monday's are deadline day at work so they're usually busy busy busy but today was pretty mild. I was actually able to get out of the office for my lunch break. So I drove down to my favorite store....Goodwill. Now I have to explain that I LOVE thrift, junk, and antique stores. I love anything old. There's just something about the history and the spirit of old things. Yes, I know I'm weird. I guess if reincarnation is real, I'm on my 12th life right now.

Anywho, so I was at Goodwill and I stumbled across the bargin of the year....this hand pieced quilt top. Isn't it great?!

While I'm not really into Americana or the patriotic themes, I do love this top. It was pieced beautifully and by someone who knew what they were doing. The very best part of this beauty was the price. You'll never guess how much I paid for this.....ok guess....got a number in your head....I bet its nowhere near what the price tag said....ok, I'll tell....I paid.....99 CENTS!!!!! Yep, that's right. I'm not lying!!! So this is offically the bargin of the year. If something else comes up, which I doubt, I will let you know.


So I brought home my new find and put it in the closet along with this one. This was made by a very good friend of ours. Mrs Lavern was the caffateria lady when I was in school. Her husband made this top. He then gave it to Mother, who gave it to me to finish. Someday I will get it and the bargin top quilted. In another couple of weeks I'll have at least 2 more tops to finish. Needless to say I'll be busy.

Well I think I'll head to the studio! As you know I have plenty to do. Ya'll have a good one!

Sunshine

I woke up this morning and saw something very strange pouring through the windows. It was bright and warm and made me feel all happy inside. Could it truly be sunshine? IT IS SUNSHINE!!!!! Immediately I new it was going to be a good day!!

Now I've got my coffee and my girls and I'm getting ready for this beautiful day! The Man is already outside doing his thing, imagine that. He just can't stand being inside, so naturally he is not a fan of winter. I, on the other hand, don't mind it. I've always been one who flows with the seasons. Its natural for things to get cold then warm; live then die. We have to have winter to get spring. Such is life. So when winter comes and everyone in my life gets all depressed, I just keep to myself knowing that it won't last forever.

There's my bit of philosophy for the day!

*******************************************************

Trying to get in touch with Mother. We're all gathering at my Grandparent's tonight and I need to know if I'm cooking dinner or not. Knowing Mother she is out enjoying the sunshine. Her and The Man are two peas in a pod; they both detest winter and LOVE beer. I guess the saying that you marry someone like your father is not always true. If you're just like your father, which I am, you marry someone like your mother.

Speaking of fathers, I miss mine. While I was working at my old job, I would stay in the city with him and Step-mommie. I kind of got used to waking up every morning and seeing him. I hadn't done that in many years. Now that he's away working and I've gotten a job close to home, I haven't seen much of him. Hopefully he and step-mommie will be heading home soon.

I got a phone call the other night from the previous owners of The Farm. The land that they still have for sale next to ours, 25 acres, is still for sale and they need to get rid of it badly. Oh how I wish Poppa and Step-mommie could buy it. I dream of having this big family farm with Mabel and my parent, both sets, living out here; kind of like my own utopia. I can dream!!!

Speaking of The Farm, we've got BIG plans for 2010! The Man has been calling around pricing bull calves. We want to raise our own meat very badly. We've been talking about what to plant in the garden. Its going to be bigger and better than last years. The Man wants to get some fruit trees as well. Eventually we would like to be as self sustainable as possible, at least that's the long term goal. I think it would be kinda cool to go to the store and only have to buy things that we couldn't make or grow ourselves. In other words, we aim for a more simplistic life.

WOW! Have I been rambling or what?! I think I'll stop here. The Farm is calling. It's time for work!!

Ya'll have a beautiful day!!!

Hump Day!!!!

Once again its hump day and I'm looking forward to the weekend. It's been raining cats and dogs today...still is. All I've wanted to do is come home and cuddle up with a good book. Only two days left!!!

Been working on my string quilt blocks. I've got about 30 so far. I think I've figured out who to give the quilt to, my other mother Sherri. She's known me all my life and she doesn't have a quilt of mine yet. I've been spending alot of time with her lately and I've realized that she's really lonely. I don't think she ever got over her partner leaving her. So I've decided to give her the string quilt to keep her a little warmer at night. Her birthday is coming up in March so I think I'll give it to her then. Hopefully it will be done =)

I think I'm going to use the same technique for a friend's baby quilt. Only this time I'll stick to a color scheme. It will still be homemade and have the "wow" effect but it won't be as complicated as the other quilt I was going to make. I need to get on that too. She's due in March!!! Looks like I've got a couple March deadlines.

Well it's really starting to storm out and there is alot of lightning, so I think it best to finish here. Don't want my laptop blowing up!! Ya'll have a good one!!

It's Raining and I'm Quilting

It's a rainy day here at The Farm so I'm spending the whole day playing in the studio. I was surfing yesterday and found this tutorial . I have piles of scarps so I got right to work. Here is a little peek.

I love this block!!! I will definately be using it more often!!! I've gotten 6 squares done so far and there are alot more to go. I would really like to do a full quilt with them. I love all the colors and the movement in the blocks. You could even use a jelly roll! The strips will just be the same width. Hopefully I'll get it done soon so I can show you guys. I'll keep you posted on how they come along.

Had a great night out with Mother last night. We went down to a local joint and had a couple beers. It was nice to get out of the house and see folks. Mother and The Man love sitting around drinking beer together....needless to day they had a great time. There was a live band too. It was just like the old days. I think we might be doing that more often than not!

Not much else to report. Guess I'll head back into the studio...Ya'll have a good one!!

Prayers and a Sunset

The day is finally over and I'm sitting here keeping warm. Got both my girls at my feet, literally! They sure do love their momma =) So glad the weekend is almost here. I'm ready to sleep in. Yes, it was hard to leave the bed again!!! But enough about my sleeping issues.

I'm sure by now that everyone has heard about the earthquake in Hati. I can't imagine what they are going through. I hope everyone contributes what they can, be it a donation or a prayer. I pray for the Americans that are down there as well. We got a call at work today from a woman whose mother is in Hati. She has not been able to contact her mother and wanted to know if we had any kind of information. Unfortunately we weren't able to give her much information. I felt so bad; I wish there was more that I could have done. I will continue to watch the news and pray for all those effected.

On a lighter note I was actually home before the sun went down tonight. The days must be getting longer....FINALLY!!!! I was so excited that I took some photos of the sunset!!

The one thing I miss about working second shift is being able to enjoy the sunshine!! Now I leave for work when the sun is just coming up and by the time I get home its almost gone. If summers down here weren't so hot I'd love them. All those long sunny days!! I can't wait! It will be good for the dogs too. They've been locked up in this house for too long. Since everything is still thawing and our yard is like a sponge, we haven't been able to let the girls out to run. I think they're starting to get cabin fever.

So now I'm sitting here, talking to you, when I should be cooking something for dinner. I have no idea what to cook either. Luckily The Man is working in the barn so I have some time to spare before I have to start. Any ideas?? I've run out of things to cook, not used to cooking every night. I need to go through some cook books and get some ideas. Hopefully that way I won't waste any more time trying to figure meals out. So I'm gonna move into the kitchen now and throw something together. I'll let you know how it goes!!

Ya'll have a good one!!

Ready for the Weekend!

It's hump day....and I'm ready for this week to be over. Work is going well, but it's waking up that is getting difficult. Every day it gets worse and worse!! I think last week was a fluke because it was much easier to get out of bed. Guess it's all catching up to me. Hopefully I'll get over soon.

Not much going on at The Farm. Everything is starting to thaw out, thank God!!!! I'm really getting sick of it being so cold. I'm ready for spring. The Man and I have been talking about building a patio and planting all kinds of new plants. I have to admit that we've come up with a lot of ideas that I would just kill to have come true. Hopefully my Poppa, Hank, will be around to help. No matter what The Man and I come up with, Poppa always has a better idea. I love it when he gets here and starts talking about all the things that we can do to spruce up the place. I also love the fact that The Farm is not only our house but my whole family's house!!! Everyone has their own ideas and things that they would like to see. Its like a hippy-commune but we all shower and don't live on top of each other.

If you haven't seen Julie and Julia....please watch it. While it made me really, really hungry, it is an absolutely adorable movie. Gonna have to buy this one and I think Mabel and I need to add it to our Chic-Flic list. Makes me want to buy 2 lbs of butter and start cooking. Might have to do that this weekend if I'm able to get out of bed =)

That's about it for tonight. Ya'll be good!!!

Soulmates

I've been thinking of my sister lately. I know that most of you don't know her so I figured I would introduce her. My little sister is Mabel. She is my best friend and soulmate. These are a couple snap shots of us over the years! Enjoy!

We could pass for twins!

Mable and I are very close, as you could have guessed. Unfortunately for us we don't get to spend much time together. The last time we spent more than a week or so together was my senior year of high school. Seem extreme...it is. We both went to a Catholic boarding school for high school. My senior year was her freshman year and let me tell you...it was the BEST!!! Not only were we together, but we got to experience a truly unique school together. After that I went away to college and so did she. Now that I'm back home I have been counting down the days 'til we can see each other on a regualr basis. Thank God she graduates in May!!!

I honestly don't know what I would do without her. She's become the voice in my head telling me everything is ok and not to worry so much. Not a day goes by without a phone call to or from her. My day wouldn't be complete without hearing from her. Occationally we'll go a couple days without talking but those days are few. I look forward to the days when we can spend alot of time together, but until then I'll settle for the couple times a year that I do see her.

Right now we're working on a "Sisters" quilt. We decided over Christmas that we wanted to make a quilt together so we came up with the measurements and we each get to do 8 blocks that are 12 x 12 squares. Other than that there are no rules...anything goes!! Once we get the blocks made I'll make sure to show them off. I'm really excited!! I have already started on my blocks and I can't wait to see what she comes up with. That's what I did Saturday in the studio...but I can't show them off yet cause she reads my blog! Hopefully we'll have an unveiling soon!

Well I think I've gone on long enough about Mabel. You'll be hearing more of her as time goes on.

Ya'll have a good one!

Let It Snow....Some More Please!

This is what I woke up to!

The neighbors horse

If the barn door is open; The Man is working!

The hype this week in Tennessee has been the massive amount of winter weather that we were supposed to get. For the past two days all the schools have been closed, even though there hasn't been much on the ground. Today was the first morning that the grass was almost 100% covered. Now that's what I call a blizzard!!! Being from Northern Illinois I tend to laugh at the locals when winter weather hits. It's hysterical!!!

So glad that it is Saturday. I've made it through my first week at a new job and more importantly I did it without falling asleep!!! This was my first week working a normal shift in 3 years. Before that I was working second shift with alot of overtime. I was used to hitting the sack around 4am. Now I have to admit that I'm not completely cured of my old sleeping habits, but I'm getting there. For those that know me personally, this is a HUGE thing.

So now that The Man is in the barn, I have the whole house to myself. Now let me inform you that the barn is like 4 times bigger than the house, but still, its all mine!! So, I'm sitting here debating on what to do: put up all the christmas decor or head to my sewing studio and play with all the fabric Lois got me for Christmas?? Tough choice...ummmmm...studio it is!!! So I'm going to get another cup of coffee, get the creative juices flowing, and I'll let you know what I come up with!

Ya'll have a Great Day!!!

A New Day

I have been debating on whether or not to start my own blog for a while now. I kept telling myself to wait until something eventful happens: a pregnancy, a new year, a new job. Well 2 out of the 3 happened so I guess now is as good a time as any. So here goes!!

Hello World!! I'm Gladys and I'm a neo-blogger. I live in a sleepy little town in Tennessee with The Man and our two beautiful dogs. We are newly weds, October 2008, and we are new home buyers. We have a little house and a bit of property, lovingly called The Farm, where we spend our days.

The Farm

The Man is a science teacher at a local high school and I work at the local newspaper for the time being, my new job. We live a very simple and truly uneventful life but its ours.

The majority of my family lives very close: all 4 parents, maternal grandparents, and my aunt. I have one younger sister, Mabel, who truly is my soul mate. We are a very close family and spend a lot of time together. The remaining family members live in Northern Illinois, where I matriculated from.

The Man

So that's me, in a nut shell. I will, undoubtedly, reveal more of myself in due time. I'm sure after a while you will come to know me dearly. I say "you" like there are people actually reading this. I am positive though, after I inform my absolutely amazing step-mommie, Lois, that I have started my own blog, there will be at lease one or two people taking a glance over here.

Until then....