Monthly Archives: September 2010

Devil won’t get me down…

Posted on by Trish

You know how some people seem to have all the worst “luck”?  I’m not one of those people BUT I do seem to have weird random things happen to me.  Frequently.  Right?  (my friends can attest to this)

This past week, I awoke Monday morning to a zit just inside my nostril.  Fab. U. Lous.  For sure.  By Tuesday night, my entire face was starting to swell.  By Wednesday night, my husband was referring to me as “something from Planet of the Apes”.  It was not a pretty site.

By Thursday, my doctor who I paged Tuesday night and saw first thing Wednesday morning, had referred me to a specialist and they wanted to admit me to the hospital and surgically open and put in a drain tube in order to help this “little infection” along.  At this point, I was on this little cocktail.

Two different antibiotics plus a third that was a topical cream and a boat load of Motrin for pain.  My teeth were killing me!  By Friday, I went in for “surgery” and for a stay that they said would be about 3 days for IV antibiotics except about 2 hours before we went in…I started to get better.  At least I thought so.  I took a picture before I got in the shower that day and then showed my doctor that photo up next to my face and said, “SEE!  SEE!  Looks a little better doesn’t it?!”.  He didn’t look very convinced but he finally agreed that I did seem to be a teeny tiny bit better…and so he said we could hold off for the moment and see how things go.  RE – FREAKING -LIEF!

Last summer, I had MRSA.  A result of an insect bites I had around my ankles…and then a visit to my Dad who was sick and in the hospital.  Scratch, scratch and about 2 days later, I little pimple on my leg appeared.  A month later, I was walking around again and starting to feel like myself.  I have had all kinds of just random weird stuff with myself, my husband, my kids…medically, or otherwise and I swear…sometimes I just wonder…is the devil trying to get me down?

Here’s the thing, no matter what your “higher power” is you believe in, there’s always something that seems to counteract it.  For me, I’m a Christian.  I’m Lutheran in fact.  Born, raised, wavered, and committed.  For me, Jesus IS the way.  And so, I wonder sometimes, if the louder my voice gets in terms of increasing blog readers or success with trunk shows or releasing my pattern line…if “somebody” wants to quiet my voice?  Sounds like a conspiracy theory, right?  Well, it is!  I know that sounds crazy but…it could be anyone.  It could be YOU.  If YOU are ever in a position in which others are looking to you for any reason, I think you are a target.

There are many things within a day, a week, a month that can get you feeling frustrated and overwhelmed and uncertain.  I think that when we are feeling vulnerable, uncertain, overwhelmed, frustrated, tired…that’s when “he”…in my case, I believe, “the devil”, sets in to tear you down.  I guess he thinks that’s when he can best reach you.  Get you to make bad choices, give up, doubt yourself.  And many times, I fall for it.  I doubt myself.  I think I can’t do it.  But, I woke up today, with this swollen face, and thought, Screw you Devil.  I am so behind on work and everything in my life.  But Not today!  Not me!  I put on my game face, my imaginary football pads and growled!  Bring!  It!  On!  I will not be defeated.  I will not give up.  I will not be discouraged.  I just won’t!

I have faith in a higher power.  I believe that I am following a path that God created me to follow.  I believe that when given an opportunity, I will share that my GOD is a mighty GOD and with Him by my side, I have no fear, no doubts, no worries.

Take that swollen planet of the apes face!  Hrumpf!

xoxo,

Trish

“Sew”ing Seeds with the Two Peas {a patchwork lanyard tutorial}

Posted on by Trish

(*NOTE November 24th 2010 – Be sure you check out the home page for the latest giveaways from Two Peas!)

Yeah, I don’t really know about this little post header…BUT hey, guess what?  TUTORIAL!  Awhile back I started what I called “Make it Monday”.  Then found out somebody was already using that.  So I changed it to “Sew it Up Sunday” except I rarely post on Sundays.  They seemed to fall on Mondays by the time I got them up.  And I was gonna post one a month but yeah, like THAT happened!  Not so much.  So maybe a little “Sew”ing Seeds with the Two Peas…get it?  Sowing seeds…SEWing seeds…a little garden reference there.  Ok, whatever.  I kinda liked it – we’ll see where it goes and maybe I’ll actual design a real header for it if it sticks.

Let’s make something!  You’ll need scraps of fabric and some hardware.  Like a key ring and a lobster claw (see below).
Recently the wonderful ladies of the Creative Connection Event asked if I could make up a few lanyards for their social media correspondents.  They needed to match their logo which was in a blue and pink color so I came up with these patchwork versions.  Let me share with you how you can make one too…for yourself, your favorite nurse, teacher…anybody who wears a lanyard.

Using 1/4" seams, scrap together enough 2" wide fabric pieces until you reach about 37" in length.

Press your seams open. Why? As opposed to pressing to one side...pressing them open reduces bulk as you are sewing them together.

Press each side in towards the center and then press in half.

Edge stitch down both long edges. Stitch down the edge that is open first, carefully making sure you keep your edges even. Then sew down the closed side (the folded side).

Next, avert your eyes from the chipping nail polish on the "models" hands. Then, once you've averted your eyes, look above and run your fabric through your hardware, folding the ends over 1".

Bring your two ends together with your raw edges to the inside. Stitch together just above the raw edges, in a little square to secure your hardware and close the loop of the lanyard..

Super easy and super fast!

I mentioned that your length before you sew it together is 37". Here's where that falls...make adjustments by adding on more pieces if you'd like your lanyard longer.

You can even add some embellishments to your lanyard

For the ladies at the Creative Connection Event, I added rolled roses on a clip to their lanyards.  That way, they can remove the clip and wear it in their hair or clip it elsewhere.  Dual duty!  I love these little flapper girl buttons!Well, what do you think?  Are you gonna make a few?  Who are you gonna make them for?  Have fun and make lots!  (think fun little Christmas gifts…you could even attach a gift card to the end!)

xoxo,

Trish

The Gardener goes BIG!

Posted on by Trish

You know how boys never seem to outgrow their toys?  Their toys just get bigger?

Each year, the gardener (aka my husband), goes out with tiller and tills up the garden at the end of the season, getting it ready for next year.  This year, he and his Uncle decided they needed to expand the size of the garden.  See…the gardeners Uncle planted a HUGE garden this year and sold at the local farmers market.  My gardener was envious, I think.  The gardener and his Uncle have been chatting away for hours about tractors, dirt, bugs, seeds, squash, potatoes and more.  I think in retirement, they secretly want to be farmers.  Which, secretly, I love.

I could hear over the roar of the tractor something about sweet potatoes.  After they worked on the top garden near the house, they went down the sled hill and into the pasture and tilled up a big patch there.  Turnips, oats and all kinds of things were planted there.  Here’s the one catch to the winter plantings though…

…I thought it was strange the gardeners “hunting buddies” all kept dropping by to see the “food plots”.  Huh?  Turns out…all that work and food being planted down in the pasture is for the deer.  Because the gardener is all about organic and the true “hunting and gathering” thing in providing for his family.

Now mind you, these guys love nature.  They love sitting still in the woods and listening to the trees sway and the squirrels jump from limb to limb.  They talk and plan all year for deer season and honestly, it is truly more about the “hunt” than it is about the “kill”.  Because they do a WHOLE lot of hunting and very little killing.  We usually get one deer a year.  But, the gardener and his buddies, each evening, meet up on our driveway, gear up, walk down the hill to their tree stands together, then a few hours later, come back up, stand in the driveway and chat more before calling it a night.  I think it’s like girls getting together to go shopping and sit down for coffee to talk…this is their version.

So it turns out these “food plots” and winter cover crops weren’t planted for us humans but rather for the wildlife.  Boys and their toys.  It makes me smile to see my husband and his buddies having such a good time “playing”.  I swear, everytime I mention to them, “are you boys having fun on your playdate”…they just laugh.  Because, in fact, there is something very wonderful about having friends to play with.  It makes my gardener a better person to get to hang out with his buddies and dig in the dirt.

He did say that in the Spring, that big garden down below would be converted to goodies for us…mainly squashes and watermelons and canteloupes and more.  Sounds perfect to me!  Go play!

xoxo,

Trish