The Sewing Mom

In my previous post I mentioned that I’d been out doing a little bit of shopping this morning. One of the items I was shopping for was Christmas cards and I was not successful in finding any that I liked. Well, I should say, I didn’t find any that I liked that didn’t cost an arm and a leg. So, now I’m rethinking the type of cards I would like to send out this year.

Last year I did custom holiday cards and I think I will go that route again. We’re in a new home, new holiday decor, new puppy. I think there are a lot of photo opportunities I can used to create some very nice or very cute cards. I’ve even noticed some cards allow you to use more than one photo which gives me an idea, I could use a photo of my daughter and a photo of the puppy and create one card. I could even do a photo collage using up to 6 photos, that would be different! The nice thing about creating custom cards is that the sentiment is also custom. I can use a favorite saying or theme and feel like the card is truly coming from us, not just something I picked up at the store.

So I think our afternoon will be spent taking pictures in front of our decorated tree and seeing what we can come up with.   At least I can do it all from home and not have to deal with the traffic, cell phone drivers, and stupid people that I dealt with this morning!

Technorati Tags: Christmas cards, custom holiday cards

I was driving this morning to run errands and it emphasized why I really enjoy staying home. 

To begin with, I was at the intersection of E. Main and N. Allen Heights waiting for the traffic light to turn green.  E. Main is 3 lanes in each directions and N. Allen Heights is 2 each way.  Traffic was fairly light, but coming from my right was a ladder truck with its emergency lights on and siren blaring.  Do you think the traffic stopped to let the emergency vehicle go through?  NO!!  Vehicles continued through the intersection and one small suv even made a left turn, right across the direct path of the fire truck.  WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE? 

So, I get to where I am going and get my shopping done.  I begin my drive home going the opposite direction, using the same route.  Mind you, the speed limit is 45.  So why is everyone doing 30?  Three lanes across and every single vehicle is doing 30.  I thought I was losing my mind, but no, there in front of me was a street sign stating explicitly that the speed limit was 45.  GET OUT OF MY WAY!

I’m finally able to get around all the slow pokes and am content to be doing the proper speed limit, heading home.  But what to my amazed eyes should appear?  A Landrover veering into my lane and just about taking off my front bumper!  I laid on my horn and he was just inches from wiping me out and he came on over anyway.  I had to slam on my brakes and then he turns his right turn signal on.  So I’m thinking he’s going to turn…. NO!  He goes straight and keeps going straight AND, he slows to about 20 mph.  So, I go around him and sure enough, he’s on his cell phone.  Left elbow resting on the window ledge and left hand holding cell phone to ear.  He was totally oblivious to what the fact that he’d almost just caused an accident or what speed he was doing.  GET OFF YOUR CELL PHONE!!

 I’m very glad to be home, think I’ll stay here the rest of the day.

Last year for Thanksgiving we drove from Chicago to Atlanta to spend the holiday with my husband’s sister. The drive itself was probably the most interesting part of our trip as once we arrived, we did nothing. I spent most of the holiday watching T.V. or putting together a puzzle or two with my daughter and mother-in-law. I was pretty disappointed because it was my first time to go to Georgia and I know there is a lot to see and do there.

One are I would like to explore would be Savannah , Georgia, there is a lot of history in that area. There is everything from Old Town Trolley Tours to Riverboat sightseeing cruises. I believe there are also a lot of old historic homes and gardens that can be toured as well. I know for sure that my husband and daughter would love to do the Savannah Ghosts Tour, not to mention the Ghosts and Gravestones Tour!

I’m going to sign up for the Trusted Tours and Attractions newsletter for a chance to win 4 free tickets to tour Savannah. They offer discounted tickets to all of the sights we would want to see. This would make a fabulous trip that is within driving distance. I’m off to make some travel plans.

Technorati Tags: Trusted Tours and Attractions, Savannah

Washington Redskins’ Sean Taylor Dies After Shooting.  That’s the headline I saw this morning when I opened my browser. 

 Apparently, an intruder broke into Taylor’s home in the early hours of the morning and shot Taylor while he was in bed.  The strangest part to me about the shooting is that he was shot in the leg.  This is the first time I’ve ever heard of anyone being fatally shot in the leg.  According to the reports, the bullet pierced a major artery in his leg and he died from excessive loss of blood.

Sean Taylor sounds like he used to be somewhat of a jerk.  He was obnoxious on the football field, was fined several times by the NFL for a variety of infractions, and was even in bar fights.  However, his teammates all claim that he had recently turned his life and his attitude around when his baby daughter was born.  He became very responsible and respectful even which makes his death even more sad.

It will be interesting to follow this story and find out who the shooter was and why he broke into Taylor’s home.  No one deserves this and I send my thoughts and prayers to his family.

Technorati Tags: Washington Redskins, Sean Taylor

When we moved from the Midwest to the south 6 months ago, my biggest requirement when we purchased our home was that it have an in-ground swimming pool. Years ago, when we lived in Houston, we built our house new and then had a pool installed. It was really a lot of work and very expensive. Anyone who has sold a home knows that you never recoup the full cost of building a pool, but here in the south, a pool is almost a necessity. A pool helps us to be able to still enjoy our backyard when it’s so hot and humid. Our biggest pleasure comes when we finish yard work that is almost unbearable because of the heat and then we can just jump in the pool to cool down. It’s so refreshing!

I think the web has made designing a pool so much easier than when we built our pool in Houston. It’s so simple to get on the web and visit pool builders League City Texas and use their design a pool feature. I also found some very interesting information on pool water heating. We have a natural gas heater for our pool that we have yet to use. The biggest reason we haven’t used it is the cost of utilities in this area. Compared to electric though, the natural gas heater is a much more efficient way to go. I’d be interested in learning more about solar heating for the pool. We have the space for a solar heater and solar panel, I’d have to check with the Homeowner’s Association to see if we’d be allowed to put one on.

I think the biggest reason I like our pool in the backyard is the idea of home-based resort living. It’s just so nice to be able to sit outside and relax enjoying the pool with waterfalls and landscaping surrounding it. It really adds another “room” to the house and a is great area for entertaining.

I just got back from meeting with my 6th grade Destination Imagination team.  I wasn’t feeling too confident about the team before the meeting, but I’m feeling much better now. 

The team rehearsed and finessed their skit several times today.  I realize it still has a long way to go, but they have brought it very far in just a few weeks, especially since there were no practices last week due to Thanksgiving.  I think they are really having a lot of fun too and that’s very important.

Now that they have their skit under some control, they will be starting to make their supply list in order to make their props and backdrops.  They are also thinking of what they can wear for costumes.  Everything they do has to be their idea and their creation.  It’s really amazing to watch it all come together. 

My role as team manager is to make sure they understand the rules and that they understand all the parts of the challenge they have chosen to do.  It’s very tricky and my most difficult job is to keep my mouth closed!  I’m not ever allowed to make suggestions or give ideas.  If I did that, the team could be disqualified which would be very sad.  Instead, I ask the team questions and try to get them to work through the ideas on their own. 

I’m looking forward the day when they can put it all together and perform for their school and then at the Regional Tournament.  They are so excited about everything, their enthusiasm is contagious!

Technorati Tags: Destination Imagination

I posted previously about my nephew and his fiance planning their wedding. I’m not exactly sure when the event is scheduled for, but I do know they spend most of their time together planning different parts of the wedding or the reception.

My nephew is in graduate school in Southern Ohio and his fiance is in graduate school in Indiana. I believe they are planning to get married and hold the reception in Indianapolis. It’s not that they are really far from each other, but when trying to plan something as big as a wedding any distance does make it difficult. A few weeks ago when they were together at a mall, they bought their wedding rings. They figured that even though it is pretty far in advance, they had found what they both liked, found them at a good price, and found them while they were together, so they should go ahead and buy them. I know that they spent the Thanksgiving holiday looking at wedding cakes. They narrowed it down to 6 choices, all of which looked delicious to me!  There are so many details that go into planning a wedding and the reception, I feel for them trying to do it on the few weekends that they are together.

Some areas offer services that help with wedding planning. 21 years ago, my husband and I had a very small wedding and we used a wedding planner. It still left a few details up to me, but it made my life so much easier. Just trying to figure out the best baker, or the best florist, or the best dress maker, it can all be such a headache. I know for example that for people in Wyoming planning Cheyenne Weddings is made easier just by being able to go to one place to find wedding vendors in the area. I’m sure Indianapolis has a similar wedding directory that my nephew and his fiance could use.

A good directory will not only list wedding vendors, but also provide tools to help plan your wedding. I hope that my nephew and his fiance are organized, I’m sure they are. I know that whatever they decide they will have a beautiful wedding. Now, if he’d just tell me when it is so I can start making my reservations!

Technorati Tags: Cheyenne Weddings

It’s Cyber Monday, are you shopping online?  Have you found any good deals?

I spent the last hour or so comparing prices online.  I didn’t find any good deals and the shipping costs are too high for me to purchase the few items I did find.  There are some free shipping offers out there, but most seem to require a minimum spending of $99 or more.  That wouldn’t be a problem, but it seems that no one single site has all the items I’m looking for so it’s more like a little bit here and a little bit there.  Very frustrating.  I usually find a lot of good deals online but it’s just not happening this year. 

I made a list and think I’ll head to Target in the morning.  I’ll see what I can find there and what I don’t find I’ll probably buy online.  I still don’t know what to get my husband for Christmas, he’s not giving any hints about what he’d like to have. 

If you know of any good deals online or in store for video games and accessories, feel free to leave a comment and let me know. 

Technorati Tags: Cyber Monday

Since there’s not much of anything to watch on T.V. today and I’m tired of working on the holiday decorations, we’re sitting here playing some board games. We played a few rounds of UNO Attack and are in the middle of playing Cranium. One thing I am certainly enjoying is the fact that I’m spending the day with my family. We’re just simply enjoying each others company.

Having been married for over 21 years, I can definitely say without hesitation that I’d much rather be spending my weekend here with my family than looking for a date! I didn’t really enjoy the dating game much way back when I was dating and today I think it would be even more intimidating. What do you think, would you hit this link to try Smooch.com and experience modern dating? I’m a pretty low tech person, so not sure that would be right for me, but I’m sure a lot of people would enjoy it, especially since it’s free.

Like I said, I’m just happy I’m not in the dating game, but to those who are, good luck!

Where are all the holiday movies?  I realize today is Sunday and there is the NFL, but it seems to be that the movie channels should be showing some holiday flicks.  Instead, we’re sitting her watching Men In Black.  Now I do enjoy this movie, but it’s not a holiday movie and it’s hard to stay focused on holiday decorating when I’m watching aliens.

 I’m just disappointed in the selection of shows today.