simple and true

i love my hubby.

he makes me happy.

he's taking me to chicago.

he makes me coffee.

he picks up the dry cleaning.

i love my hubby.

pillowcase tutorial

Easy pillowcase with French seams

You’ll need:

27” (3/4 yd.) main fabric (king-36”)

9” border fabric (42” long)

Optional: accent fabric-4 1/2” (1/8 yd.). (This will be a little flap between your main fabric and your border.  I think it looks better when it’s half this size, but who am I to design your pillowcase?)

Press border fabric in half lengthwise-wrong sides together.

If using accent, also press in half lengthwise-wrong sides together.

Unfold border piece, right side up, and lay across ironing board or table with salvage edges on the side.

Place main fabric, also right side up and open, over the top, lining up raw edges (again, salvage edges to the side).

Then place accent fabric on top of main fabric-folded- and line up with other raw edges.  Pin.

{Layer: border-main-accent~all facing up}

Pull main piece from bottom and fan fold so you’ll be able to enclose this in the border.  Pull bottom edge of border over all other fabric to create like a calzone (ok, who’s ever seen a long skinny calzone, but I digress…).

Pin all raw edges together.  (be careful not to pin the part that you fanned because you’re going to pull this out)

Sew 1/4” seam along open edge. (it’s going to look like a tube with everything on the inside)  Backstitch at each end so when you’re pulling it through it doesn’t rip out your seam.

Open one end and pull the inside out. 

Press seams. 

Just a little detour…

If you’re like me and you definitely are NOT going to pull the whole thing out and start over, you figure something else out.  And what would you do if you were in a pickle?  You find one of your best friends to help you out…enter Heatbond.  This baby makes me happy! 

(Heatbond is double-sided adhesive that works with heat…it has a backing so you iron one side onto the fabric, peel the backing off, put whatever you want it to stick to over the shiny side, and iron again so it adheres.  FABULOUS!

I folded the accent fabric in half (thus my humble opinion on why I think it looks better smaller~because I’ve seen it, done it, and it works) and ironed 1/4” Heatbond pieces onto the accent fabric.  See…

A decorative edge would be splendid, wouldn’t it?  Yes indeed!  BUT…

Alrighty, aren’t you glad I made all the mistakes for both of us?  Me too.  Sort of.  I mean, I would be except that I have to teach home ec. to boys TOMORROW.  And time is, well, short.  ANYHOO…

Cut off salvage edges.

Lay fabric WRONG sides together and line up edges.  It’s going to look like your seam is going to be on the outside, but it won’t.  Sew 1/4” seam along the 2 open sides.  Trim your edges to about 1/8”.

Now turn pillowcase inside out so the RIGHT side is on the inside. 

Sew the same seam again but this time 1/2”.  (You won’t be able to see your original seam~you’re burying it inside so there will be no raw edges showing).

Turn inside out, paying attention to pulling corners to make them nice and square.  Press. (because pressing is a girl’s best friend, right ‘L’?!!)

You’re done.  Easy-peasy, right? (now that the kinks are ironed out!)

It’s actually a really easy and fun project~you should try it

 (and just for kicks, throw in a bunch of home ec boys…)

boys sewing?

For one month a year I get to teach home ec. to the 7th & 8th grade boys.  I have to break them because the attitudes coming in...WHOA!  But, I'll bet if you ask the ones who's taken it they'll say that it wasn't THAT bad...or as one said today, "I actually kinda like sewing now".  I. kid. you. not.  That's an exact quote.  And no, I will not rat out who it was~he'd probably never speak to me again...and I like him, he's funny, and I couldn't live without him speaking to me...for very long, anyway.  

Anyway, it's always a challenge for what to do with them...I'll usually teach them how to iron a shirt and sew on a button, but then what?  We've done ties and (masculine) shop aprons.  So, this year I was trying to think of something super easy that only required straight sewing lines.  I have a friend whose daughter had a heart transplant when she was 10 and she was telling me about these pillowcases that people make for the kids that are in the hospital.  Great idea!  I decided to have the kids make pillowcases for cancer kids.  Boy ones.  Trucks, John Deere, Air Force, Soccer, Baseball, Cowboy, etc.  I was kind of thinking that the ones that are made are probably usually for little kids and I wanted to do something specific for boys a little older who didn't want teddy bears or whatever.  

Here are a couple of the boys today sewing the pillowcases.  This is also being forwarded to the person who puts together the yearbook. 

 Hahaha.  

Too bad, guys...and it's only 'cuz I like ya! ;)

a bit about me

let's get to know each other. 

seriously. let's do that. 

alright then, i'll go first.

(disclaimer: this idea came from sister. she's cuter and funnier (?!) than i am.  and smarter.  and blonder.  {...just stating the truth here folks.(i'm SO dead!)})

i am the oldest of 4.
i have 1 sister.
i have 2 brothers.
i will always think of my youngest brother as the 'baby'. (don't worry, brady, dad still thinks i drive like i did when i was 17! ;)
i have 1 sweet grandma left.  sometimes she doesn't remember me.  she doesn't remember much. i love her. a LOT!
my dad is a retired history and Bible teacher, but he knows a little about almost everything ;)  i love him.  a LOT!
my mom is amazing...she also knows a little bit about everything (the other things that my dad doesn't~together they're brilliant!)  i love her.  a LOT! + more!
i rarely cry.
but, i cry at the drop of a hat when i talk about eternity and my family.

my husband is the love of my life...and so, so much more!
my siblings and i all have the same middle name: lee.
when we were little, traci wanted 6 kids and i wanted 2...she has 3 and i have 5.
thankfully for me, God knows better than i do!!
i can't express how much i love my kids.  they make me proud.  and crazy.
my in-laws are amazing.
my mom wanted to name me lara but didn't dare...sometimes i think of changing it because it's such a cool name!
i have been a waitress, a pharmacy aide, a bookkeeper and a mom...being a mom is the BEST job, hands down!!!!
i like to smile.
vacuuming beads or small items that make a lot of noise makes me happy.
i dream of new ways to decorate my house.
i feel like i never have enough time.
Ruth is my favorite book of the Bible...i've read it dozens of times.
i'm a huge procrastinator.
my house is often messy, but usually not dirty.
i LOVE my nieces and nephews...i can never get enough of them!
my mom is my friend...never judgmental (and she thinks i'm funny)~what more could a daughter ask for??!!!
i am almost NEVER caught up on laundry.
my closet is ridiculously organized! 
i love to read on my kindle...not so much real books. 
my kids make me laugh.
i don't have any more high-maintenance friends~thankfully...TOO much work!
Peter is my favorite Bible character~i can relate.
i'm organized.
my sister is my dearest friend.  and my sister-in-law...no words describe how much i love you!!!
i have A LOT of shoes.
our woman's Bible study is a blessing to me.
i have 3 girls and 2 boys.  (_____ are so much easier than _____!)
i'm not very disciplined. 
i just looked back to see if all my sentences (statements) had punctuation at the end-SICK!
good quotes always make me think. and laugh.
i'm thankful for jer, he makes my daughter SO happy!
Christmas is my favorite time of the year.
i love goat cheese.
  who woulda thunk it??!!
  it's laura's fault! ;)
i am blessed.
my spices are in alphabetical order.
i am sometimes lazy. 
I LOVE pinterest!!!
amy grant reminds me of home.
i love to laugh (who's breaking into song with Bert from Mary Poppins?! hahaha)
in my head i blog every day.
i am a sinner.
Christ is my Saviour.
i don't deserve it.
i am amazed.
i am grateful.

i love you better

hi again. long time-no hear from, i know. 

 no guilt. 

not much, anyway. 

but, as our builder would say, "it is what it is". 

 pretty good advice, if you ask me. 

and, this is my blog so you don't get to ask.

just wanted to show you what mady & liv left on my desk:

sweet, isn't it?  yep, i think so.  and it's my blog...

hurricane irene 8-27-11

 our back yard...emma asked me why we have a pond there now.

 the water to the top of the pool.

thankfully, we didn't get ANY water in our basement, but drew and fleur lost EVERYTHING on their first floor, including one of their cars...total devestation!

these are pics from their house and around their neighborhood, but even when i got home and put them on the computer after being there, i realized they didn't show the true damage!

absolutely unbelievable~50+ homes in their area were condemned.  i drove through there a couple weeks afterwards and there was a big piece of plywood in front of someone's house that was spray painted with the words "make an offer". 

 their back yard

 all the tiles washed away in their dining room

 yep, that's the fridge...in the laundry room! (2 rooms away)

 laundry room

 out their front door (they had to be rescued by boat, then brought to one of those huge army trucks, and then brought to a place where someone could come and get them)

 down the street...

4 days later...

 down the street, siding ripped right off the house; another one was missing the front stairs; another had a car halfway into the foundation; some foundations completely washed away.

kaitlyn's flip-flop got stuck in the muck...and then i told her that it wasn't just dirt~gross!

the town had a whole set-up where they were handing out water and sand bags

drew and fleur still aren't back in their house~probably not until thanksgiving.   i was down there last week and it still like a ghost town except for the contractors.  we have 2 families in our church who are in the same predicament...one family with 4 kids has been living in a hotel room since it happened and will be there for a while!  please pray for all those affected by this flood.  

thanks, guys!

ed & ben hung my medallion in the dining room so I can finally put up my newly-painted-from-gold light back up.

chcc gala

october 6, 2011

i was privileged to be on the committee for the Christian Health Care Center's 100 year anniversary gala.  it was a beautiful night held at The Venetian

.fancy-schmancy, gowns, tuxs, ice sculptures, unbelievable hors d'ouvres, 7-course meal, good wine, and right up my alley ;)

(i remembered at the end of the night that i had my camera so i don't have a picture of marc and dot who were there with us)

 rob & dork

 rob and his beautiful wife, leanne

 (uh, q-t, you're not supposed to be talking when we're taking a picture!)

 us (duh!)

drew & fleur

girlfriends

a fun day with a couple of girlfriends who live too far away!!

laura came up for a visit after moving to tennessee almost 2 yrs ago. 

 it was SSSSOOOOO great to just hang out and catch up!!  

i brought mady with and she and brooks and brenna caught up where they left off-now exchanging email addresses and promising to keep in touch online.

 and david introduced her to their zip line and played soccer and football with them so it's all good!

 barb, karen, me, laura

 face painting with plants or dirt or something from the earth ;\

  bad to the bone

brenna, brooks, david, mady

family picture day

We finally had updated family pictures taken!  These are taken from that day with our own (unprofessional) cameras.  I just LOVE this family!!!