A Positive Mind

Yesterday, I was reading an article about the first plus size model to get a huge contract and grace the cover of People magazine.  She said something that really made me think.  She was stating that in order to make a better future self you need to love and embrace the person you are today. This is so true.  I don't know how many times I have stood in front of a mirror and said I wish I was skinner, I wish my hair was curly, I wish I was smarter and I could go on and on.

I have always been really hard on myself and I find it to easy to degrade and say negative things about myself but yesterday I finally realized I need to change.

I went to an award ceremony for my son and we took some pictures after ward and one of them is of Jaden and I being silly.  When I first looked at it I said, "oh, how cute is this" and then immediately after I followed it up with "I just wish I wasn't so fat". As soon as it left my mouth I knew it was wrong and it did nothing to promote a positive self image.  I then remembered what I read about the plus size model and her outlook on life. That picture is a true reflection of who I am as a person, beautiful, funny, sensitive and loving. I also see how awesome my son is and he is a reflection of me.  By degrading myself I am in turn doing the same to him. My size does not reflect who I am as a person it's just physical. 

Here is a quote I read somewhere that I have posted on a white board in my house.   "A negative mind will not give you a positive life!

Today, I start a new chapter full of acceptance, and going for it.  I don't want to sit on the sidelines any more and watch my life pass me by. 

Mother's day

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all the mom's out there.  I know it can be a thankless job but it is the most rewarding job I have ever had. 

I remember when I was in fourth grade my teacher asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up.  My answer was ,"I want to be a Mom and a Lawyer". She said, "those are ambitious goals".  I have been known to set my goals pretty high. I accomplished at least one of those, being a mom. 

Being a mom to me is about dedication, loving unconditionally, sleepless nights, heartache, worries but most of all knowing there are two individuals in this world who will love me know matter what.

I am not perfect and I have made plenty of mistakes as a parent but I know I have raised two amazing young men. I look at them sometimes and think wow I had a hand in creating these amazing kids. 

Sorry, for the gushing moment but I really have been reflecting today on what It has meant for me to be a mom. 

JOY!

Everyone have a great day!

I am BACK!

It's been a while since I have gotten the chance to blog.  I don't need to explain how life can get in the way of getting things done.  My first post after a long absence is about my Aunt Jodi who is so important to me.

My Aunt and I when I was little.

Aunt Jodi, Uncle Trav, My Mom and Me
This is the last time we were all together.

A month ago I found out that my Aunt Jodi was diagnosed with lung cancer that has spread to her spine. There is no cure for this kind of cancer and as the doctor said it's the worst kind of cancer someone can get.  She has finished 14 rounds of radiation and just received her first chemo treatment. She has been in allot of pain and the treatments are to help give her some relief from the pain and quality of life. I can not begin to express how important she is to me.  I spent allot of time with her as a child and I feel it is the reason I am such a strong and resilient women today.  She is the most amazing women, mother and wife.  Her whole life was about making the people around her feel loved and special.  When I needed her a couple of years ago she got on a plane and was here in a week. This is a huge deal because she suffers from sever anxiety and flying is very scary for her.  All I can say is she is a very special lady.  Because I live so far away I haven't been able to be with her so I wanted to give her something to remind her of me and how much I love her. So, I turned to my sewing machine.

Once I decided to give her a quilt I knew this was the quilt she needed to have, Jelly Roll Race Quilt.  I made this quilt over a year ago so all I needed to do was quilt and bind it.  I bought the fabric at Three Crafty Ladies on Sanibel Island, FL.  Whenever I am down there I make it a point to go to this quilt shop.  They have all kinds of fabric that is either beach or ocean related, It's fantastic.  Living in Minnesota makes it very difficult to find fabric like this.  

 I stepped outside of my box by quilting some seashells and leaves on it.  I backed it in grey minky to give it a real soft feel.  I wanted her to have something she could snuggle up with. 

She received it and loves it so much she won't let anyone take it off her.  It gives me some peace to know she has something beautiful to hang on to while she is going though this difficult time,  Losing her will change the landscape of our family but I will cherish the time we have left with her.

LOVE,

LITTLE JODY

  

A Productive Week.

A Productive Week!

I feel I have had a very productive week so far.  I finished piecing the Milky Way Medallion Quilt and then I finished quilting the Mega Bits Quilt.  

This quilt came from the Mega Bits pattern by Swirly Girl.  It's a great pattern because its a good size 80 x 90 and it's very easy to do.  

I used a purple minky on the back since this quilt is bigger than 60 inches wide I had to piece the back and that was not very fun. 

The other thing I didn't think about when piecing the back was the nape of the fabric.  You can not see it in the picture but there is a noticeable difference in color.  It also is very heavy so keep that in mind when using minky on such a large quilt.

I am far from an expert at free motion quilting so this quilt I used as practice for doing flowers.  I knew this one was staying in house so it gave me more freedom to play.  You can see I did two different kinds of flowers.  I like the flowers with the circle in the center and the pedals around it.  I would also limit the meander in between the flowers,  It looks too messy.  Halfway through I had to change thread because the thread kept breaking. Free motion quilting is always a learning experience for me.   

The Milky Way Medallion Quilt was designed by Elise Lea and I had the pleasure of testing the pattern for her. The other part of the quilt that I loved was that I used almost all scraps from my stash.  I am usually not very good at using my stash but Elise's pattern makes it so easy to do.   It was so much fun and It's finally finished.   Check out Elise's blog and etsy page for more of her lovely patterns and quilts.  

loveleadesigns.blogspot.com and www.etsy.com/shop/LoveleaDesigns   

I will end my week spending a whole day sewing with a friend.  I see at least one more competed project by the end of the week. 

Have a great week and Thanks for reading!

Jody 

  

  

Senior Prom

 I haven't been doing much sewing this past week but I managed to finish up a graduation quilt.  It's always good to have a project done and ready for it's new home.  I used the pattern is Senior Prom from Villa Rosa Designs.  I love the Villa Rosa Patterns they are usual really good patterns for getting a quilt done quickly.

I used black, red, and white fabrics and black minky for the backing. I have never used these colors in a quilt before and I was a little weary but it turned out good.  

I had some slight issues when quilting it.  I used red thread and as I was quilting I could see the black minky being pulled through to the front of the quilt.  The result is that you can't really tell the thread is red it looks more black.  I should of stopped and used black thread but at the time I wasn't thinking.   I never really put allot of thought into the thread color and how it affects the final look of your quilt until this quilt.  I can see why people put some thought into the thread and backing.  

 I also wasn't thinking when I picked the fabric out because  I used black and red fabrics with white and now I am worried it will bleed when it is washed.  I will have to give some specific washing instructions for when it is washed the first time.  

I learn something new every time I make a quilt sometimes it takes me making mistakes to figure it out. I am hoping by writing it down I can help someone else not make the same mistakes.   

Happy Quilting!

Jody

Turning 16

                                                                   TURNING 16

This isn't about sewing but since it is a pretty big deal in our house I decided to share.  My oldest son Jory turned 16 last week.  He made an appointment to take his test on his birthday and didn't pass.  He said he was upset for about 20 minutes and then he was over it.  That changed when we went to make him another appointment and we couldn't get in until September. 

We tempted fate and decided to go sit in line at the Eagan testing site where they take walk ins.  We arrived there today at 6 am and we were the 26th car in line.  I had been told that people line up early but I didn't realize how many.  At about 7 am they opened the gates and started getting people lined up and registered.  Since we are a walk in the instructors fit you in between scheduled appointments.  Considering how many of us there were it seemed to go really fast until they took a break around 9:45-10:00.  It seemed to take forever from that point on.  Keep in mind you are sitting and waiting in your car so we had to take a few bathroom and stretching breaks. 

Once the instructors got back from break and started testing again it went really fast.  They took care of the 6 appointments they had waiting and then moved on to the walk in appointments.  Jory
was finally taking his test around 11:00.  I was so nervous for him.  Once I saw the car park I stood outside waiting for a sign that he passed.  He finally got out and gestured he passed.  I almost started to cry but I kept it together instead I gave him a big hug.    It made all the waiting worth it.   


















I just can not believe how the years have flown by. I am blessed to have such a great kid.  Here's to many more monumental moments.  I love being a mom.         


That is all for now.
Jody

Another Quilt Shop

On Thursday I spent the day with my beautiful new niece and sister in law.  We went to  Calico Hutch a quilt Shop in Hayward, MN.  I had been there once before with a friend and really liked it.  I was on a mission to find the perfect fabric to make a quilt for my niece Kenzie.  I did find a few pieces among other things.

Calico Hutch employees are very helpful and the shop is clean and organized.  They have allot of fabric and plenty of samples to look at it.  It's worth the drive if you are in MN.  They are also participating in the Row by Row experience.   If you haven't heard of the Row by Row experience check out the website it's really interesting.  I will give you a quick synapse of it.

It's a shop hop where you do not have to keep track of passports and where you have been.  You visit any participating quilt shop and ask them for their FREE row by row pattern.  The key is to complete a quilt using at least 8 rows and be the first to bring it to a participating shop and you will win a bundle of 25 fat quarters.  Over 34 states and thousands of quilt shops are participating.  The Row by Row experience starts July 1st and goes till October 31st.  Happy Rowing.

Here is Calico Hutch's Row.

On our little venture to the Calico Hutch I found a few fabrics for my niece's new quilt.  My Sister in law, Melisa really likes the bright colors and she really wants it to be as girly as possible.  We have allot of boys in our family so we are in need girly colors.  I think it's a good start and now to find a pattern.  Any suggestions are welcome?

I am also collecting batiks and brights for two quilts I am working on.  One is a Mystery Quilt block of the month. I am doing that one in Batiks.  The other one is a Flying Geese which I am doing in all brights with a white background.  I added to both of those stashes while shopping today.

We had a great day even with being stranded on HWY 35 for an hour and half because of an accident.  Any time I get to spend with my family is always good even if it's on the side of the road.


Jody