Yet again, adding more fabric to my stockpile

I received the final shipment of my fabric and am in love! I received Kate & Birdie Paper Co.'s layer cake, in addition to Under the Ocean Blue by Katie Doucette layer cake. Like most of my fabric resting in my stockpile, I haven't yet decided what I'll create with it. I'm sure I'll find a great idea!

Fall is Nearing~

I couldn't resist a great sale on candles at Bath & Body Works as I'm overdue for Fall scented candles that will fill our home with the gentle reminder of the season. One of the many things that I miss about home in Oregon, is the crisp cool weather, with the beautiful colors of the ever changing leaves. On the other hand, I do not miss having to rake & pick up said leaves, especially when they were home to slugs! This is one of the many reasons that I'm looking forward to living in Colorado, as we'll enjoy the four seasons that Southern Arizona lacks!

Additionally, I couldn't resist changing my blogs theme to something a bit more Fallish. Yes, I'm fully aware that Fallish is not noted in the dictionary, however it can be found in my personal dictionary!

Water Fun Had By All~ With the Exception of the Tadpoles & Frogs~

Our little love is so kind and gentle to all things living, which tells me that as his mommy, that he has listened wisely to the advise that we as his parents, his grandparents, and other friends, family members, school buddies, and teachers! I could go on and on about how much he warms every inch of my heart and soul, however that's nothing new and you all have heard it a million times.

Adam and Michael had such fun while searching for living creatures while we played in the storms aftermath. I hope to return again soon, before the water runs dry!

Storm Aftermath~

The sound of the stream and the birds is absolutely heartwarming to my soul! It's not usual to hear such beautiful water sounds while in AZ! You'll likely have to turn your volume up to hear the harmony.

Yesterday after I left work, Adam, Michael & I decided to trek Tanque Verde wash. What is a wash you may be asking? Well, for us who live in Arizona, it's a dry riverbed throughout most of the year. The exception is during monsoon season, when torrential downpours occur, typically filling the dry beds with anywhere from a few inches to many feet of water.

We were surprised to see the damage that occurred during the past storm, which I've posted photos of the trees down on the apartment building. Michael had a great time, and was busy finding tadpoles and frogs galore. I unfortunately didn't change out of my scrubs, and wish I would have in order to trek through the beautiful little stream.

This is usually a street that travels through Wentworth, however the storm tore the street to pieces.

On a hunt with daddy~

Silly boy was trying to plank in the water!

This is the aftermath after stumbling onto my booty while trying to save my phone from falling in the water.

First Storm~

Last week we had an epic monsoon storm which resulted in a microburst. It hit the East side with tremendous force. The video below was taken the morning after the storm, of an apartment complex. I was in awe of the massive destruction, and Michael had many questions. This my friends, is why it is unbelievably important to have renters insurance!

What is a Microburst?

A microburst is a localized column of sinking air (downdraft) within a thunderstorm and is usually less than or equal to 2.5 miles in diameter. Microbursts can cause extensive damage at the surface, and in some instances, can be life-threatening. There are two primary types of microbursts: 1) wet microbursts and 2) dry microbursts. Wet microbursts are accompanied by significant precipitation and are common in the Southeast during the summer months (taken from the National Weather Service).

What causes a Microburst?
It all starts with the development of a thunderstorm and the water droplets/hailstones being suspended within the updraft.  Sometimes an updraft is so strong it suspends large amounts of these droplets and hailstones in the upper portions of the thunderstorm. There are many factors that can lead to evaporational cooling (sinking air) and therefore weakening of the updraft. Once this occurs, it is no longer capable of holding the large core of rain/hail up in the thunderstorm. As a result, the core plummets to the ground. As it hits the ground it spreads out in all directions. The location in which the microburst first hits the ground experiences the highest winds and greatest damage.

Happy Mail and Other Goodies~

Soooo, I purchased a few pieces to add to my fabric stash. I couldn't help it, it was calling my name! I couldn't ignore it! It was similar to if God began to speak to me, I can't ignore it! Besides, I didn't have any Fall like fabric and really want to make another table runner! Oh, and Christmas too! Below are the fabric lines that I purchased.

I can't decide what my next work of art I want to create. I can begin by sewing a cute little zipper pouch similar to the one that my Auntie made, or I could to begin working on the Farm Fresh quilt for Michael, or the 5 Funky Monkey quilt. The struggle is real! This is a prime example of a first world problem!

I generally purchase most of my fabric from www.fatquartershop.com, or one of our local quilt stores. I purchased the 5 Funky Monkey fabric from the Fat Quarter Shop and realized a few days later that they mailed the brown banana fabric in flannel, which I really don't want to use for Mikey's quilt. I e-mailed them that evening, after ensuring that it wasn't an error on my part. I received a response first thing the following day, and was advised that they are mailing the cotton brown banana fabric. They also advised that I  can keep the flannel brown banana fabric, and they're placing a $10 credit to my account. Wow, this is amazing customer service! I was so very pleased, and will continue to order from them!

Let's talk about this cute little aqua polka dot magnetic pin bowl. It retails for $13.48 at the  www.fatquartershop.com. I received it in my monthly Sew Sampler box and have fallen in love with it! I likely wouldn't have paid the retail price, however I'm thankful that it's my little pin assistant!

I couldn't decide which thread to use on the front of the table runner that I was working on. I finally decided to use the (second from the left) purple on the front, and the yellow on for the back.

What I love about this table runner is that I was able to use the remaining batting and backing that I used to create my first quilt. My quilt is shown below.

I'm almost positive that if you've been following my blog, you know that I am obsessed with all things beach related. I stumbled across the pair of Toms in the below photo and couldn't resist. They are a children's size 3.5 (I love having small feet as kid shoes are much cheaper).

That's it for now! I'll post later today or tomorrow with the video and photo's of the microburst that we had this past Thursday. It was wild and crazy! Needless to say, we need to find a way to dispose of our humongous saguaro cactus as it toppled to the ground quickly in the storm.

What Are Little Boys Made Of?

Handprints on cupboards

and shoes in the hall.

Toilet seat's up and there's

mud on the wall.

Every sports channel to

them will appeal,

And the front room doubles

as a football field.

The shelves in the kitchen

are continually bare.

There's toys on the couch

and jeans on the chair.

Wrestling and mud and

cars and noise;

I'm sure you can guess I'm

the MOTHER of a boy!

Poem written by Patsy Gaut, minimally changed by yours truly.

Who Said I'm a Fabriholic?

I stopped by one of my favorite local quilt store and found it to be extremely difficult not to purchase everything that I laid eyes on!

I couldn't resist this adorable minky fabric. I haven't got a clue as to what I'll create with it, perhaps taggie blankies?

I've had my eye on this print for a while.

I've wanted to purchase the Farm Fun line to make a quilt for Michael, however I haven't gotten it quite yet. However, when I saw the above pea/carrot/radish, I couldn't resist purchasing it for the backing of the envisioned quilt.

I was walking into my craft room (as I pass by Michael's room) and saw that he tucked Mickey & his shark into bed!

Mickey has chocolate syrup on his nose.

Sew Many Decisions, Sew Much Time~

Good morning all, happy Sunday! I've mentioned it before, but Sunday's are my favorite day of the week, especially in the Fall. I can't tell you all how excited I am to finally have finished school! This is such a great achievement, and I am so proud of myself for chugging along throughout the challenges thrown my way. I have learned so much along my fourteen-month journey, and am happy that I can show Michael that you can return to school at any age! Adam and I are so adamant that Michael go to college or at a minimum, a trade school depending on what he decides as a career. I swear he's going to become a medic, which is a happy medium between my career and Adams.

Mikey's going on a picnic with his Great Aunt Karen, which means I get time in my craft room!

Seeing as I'm a fabriholic, I purchased a few ten-inch layer cakes, a few five-inch charm packs, and a few yards of Funky Monkey fabric to create the sock monkey blanket that I've wanted to create since before Mikey was born. Of course, I'll create a blog to show you the fun stuff!

Hope you all have a wonderful day!





I decided to make the below shown table runner. It's something that I've had in the back of my mind for many years. I was fortunate to find a free version on Pintrest showing how to create it! I'm using a five inch charm pack that I purchased many moons ago!