The Sewing Mom

It’s definitely spring in Texas. We’ve been having severe thunderstorms, hail, tornadoes, and temperature extremes that tell us that spring has indeed arrived.Besides bringing ever changing weather conditions, spring is also the time for gardening. Weather it’s vegetables or flowers, I think of quilts when I think of gardens, they really are quite similar. First, you must make a plan or layout of your design. Where will your different colors go, what works well next to each other. Then you begin putting your pieces together, making sure your seams or rows are straight and your stitching and soil is good and strong. After finishing all the piecing, add the backing to give it softness and warmth and in the garden you may add fertilizer for the same purpose. Then, barring any weeds growing or pieces not lining up, sit back and enjoy what you’ve created.

Of course, just like in quilting, some gardeners have more of a green thumb than others. I for one am better behind the sewing machine than behind the shovel and trowel. While I do plant a few things on my own, I’d prefer to visit the Shangri La Gardens and Nature Center in Orange, Texas where their professional gardeners have laid out formal eco-friendly gardens in a beautiful pattern for our enjoyment. Their expert design and construction has earned them the U.S. Green Building Council’s Platinum certification for LEED®-NC.

These gardens provide a sanctuary to over 300 species of plants and wildlife. In addition, there is an adjacent bird blind allowing visitors to view nesting birds. If you get hungry while visiting, there is a cafe with delicious food.These botanical gardens are located in Southeast Texas between Beaumont and Lake Charles, LA. If you’re in the area, it’s definitely worth a visit. After all, Shangri La means a place of beauty and peace.

Tags: botanical center, nature center, Orange Texas, Shangri La Gardens

I was just reading some of my favorite blogs and I ran across a post that really made me laugh. If you are a dog or cat lover (or even love both), this post is a must read.

Tammie received the post in an email and shared it on her blog, so I hope you will go over and give it a read. If you enjoy humor (and who doesn’t), you will certainly enjoy this one! As I read it on another blog, I am posting the link here and I hope you will go give it a read.

Tags: dogs & cats, humor

I took my daughter to the library the other day and I noticed that every single computer with internet access was occupied. It makes me wonder who these people are that are in the library using the internet, I guess they don’t have service at home, or maybe their computers are in for service.

I wandered around and looked at the screens. I was curious about what people were researching. There were several students working on projects online or doing research. But there were also several people either in chat rooms or checking out online videos. Okay, these people need to get a job. It’s the middle of the day and they need to be at work!

Okay, maybe they don’t want to go flip burgers or work for a lawn service. Maybe they’re wanting something more exciting, I don’t know, how about the life of an international DJ? That would be exciting! I saw a guy watching a video from housemusictv.com about the life of famed DJ Lee Kalt and thought how much fun it would be to create new house music mixes for clubs worldwide, especially if I were younger!

What kind of job would you have if you could choose anything and anywhere in the world?

Tags: housemusictv.com, international DJ, Lee Kalt

I was talking about our dog in my previous post and I wanted to share this photo.

I went into my daughter’s room the other morning to make sure she was up and getting ready for school. She was in her closet getting dressed and this dog was very content to still be in bed. She was so comfortable that she stayed where she was while I went to get the camera. I don’t think she’s too spoiled, do you?

Tags: puggle puppy

The other day I came home after dropping my daughter off at school and as I pulled in our driveway, there was our puppy, standing there, looking at me as if she were lost. I was stunned to see her. She was so scared that when I opened the car door, she jumped in and I drove on into the garage. I’m so glad I hadn’t decided to run any errands before coming home, who knows where she would’ve gotten off to.

Our entire back yard is fenced, but I discovered that a gate on the fence had been left open. The gate is located off the sideyard and isn’t visible without walking over there which we rarely do. I promptly closed it, but it leaves me concerned that it could happen again. We would be devastated if our dog got lost.

I’ve heard of using vehicle tracking to find lost or stolen vehicles and I discovered that this same technology can be used to track pets. In fact, the PT-200 is designed with a special pouch and pet collar to do exactly that.

To cause me even more concern was the news story last week about how designer dogs and pure breads are being stolen and resold because of their high prices. I think investing in a tracking device is not only the smart thing to do, but it would give me peace of mind.

Tags: gps tracking, pet tracking, Rocky Mountain Tracking

At the request of one of my readers, I am looking for patterns for patchwork Teddy bears. If you know of a pattern or website that has one, kindly let me know.

During my search this morning though, I did find a great free pattern for a Fleece Quillow. A quillow is a fleece (or other fabric) blanket that folds up into itself to make a pillow. It’s really a cute idea and the pattern came with serger instructions as well. This is terrific because I have a huge stack of fleece in my sewing room right now and I just bought a serger, so guess what I’m going to be doing?!

If you’re interested, click here for the pattern.

Tags: fleece quillow pattern