Playing Catch Up On My Blog

I used to love blogging and since Facebook became so popular I pretty much quit blogging and became addicted to Facebook.  I do enjoy Facebook, but I really miss blogging.

Lexie and Jake were blessed with another healthy baby boy, Wesley, a month ago.

Mallory is 5 months pregnant and doing wonderful.

 

Ezie and Jace are doing well.
 The boys have been spending some time with a family friend and learning to ride ATV's.
Jace played baseball again this year.  It was his first year in the Major's division so he didn't get to play as much as last year but he did really well playing with the older boys.
Jace had a music recital so I bought him a new suit at the thrift store for a couple of dollars and he was pretty impressed with himself.
He has as you can tell opted from getting a haircut for the last year.
He has to get his swag on you know.

 

I haven't lost any weight yet.  My knee's hurt so bad from the arthritis and I'm looking forward to a knee replacement soon.  I'm trying to exercise some but it's really hard to even walk.  I'm determined to loose some weight though and build up some my muscles in my legs before surgery.

 

I'll do more catch up over the next few days.

Seriously.....

I will be a better blogger.

 

 

Anthony, Owen, Lexie and Jake in their pregnancy announcement photo.

 

 Lexie at around 8 1/2 months pregnant with Wesley.

She's so beautiful and glowing. 

 

 Jake, Lexie. the 2 Big Brothers and Wesley

 

 

Such a handsome grandson I have!

I love you Wesley!

 

 

Mallory and Anthony's pregnancy announcement.

 

 Jace in his suit going to his 4th grade music concert.

 

 Jace getting ready to steal a base.

 

Ezie and Jace on our friends ATV's

 

 



Planning my Menu's, Wedding Shopping and Whatever Else the Kids Have Planned For Me

I'm trying to plan a few things to make so I'll have healthy foods

 ready to eat when I'm busy this week

 or just to lazy to chop, dice and cook.

 

I'm thinking about making

 Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken

from Pip & Ebby's blog tonight for dinner.

  I think everyone will like that.

 

Pip & Ebby's photo

 

I'm also thinking about making

Grilled Chicken with Crunchy Asian Slaw

from Clinton Kelly's recipes on The Chew.

I'm pretty sure at least Earl and I will like it.

 

I'm also thinking about

The Garden Grazers

Spinach + Tomato Quesadilla with Pesto.

These look so yummy and

I can substitute ingredients to make my own little yummy creations!

 

The Garden Grazers Phot

 

I've also got to go shopping and get me a few things

to help me look decent for my son Jesse's wedding tomorrow.

Ezie needs some pants and shoes also so thrifting we will go and then

 to Wal-mart for what I can't find at the thrift stores.

 

High School Football tonight?? 

Maybe....we have to see what kind of a mood Mal is in.

 

 



Day 1 and Day 2 of Eating Right

I did really well if I may say so myself!

Day 1 I stayed under 1500 calories

and even had a beer.

Day 2 I was under 1200 calories.

 

I ate lots of veggies, some fruits, lean meat and good grains.

I wrote everything down and added up the Carbs, Proteins, Fats and Calories that I ate to keep a good proportion of everything.

 

Actually I feel like I'm eating more than I usually do.

The only thing I hate about doing this is all the planning and journaling everything,

but,

I know it will be worth it in the end.

 

Tonight I'm making Spinach Lasagna Roll-ups for dinner.

I found the recipe on Pinterest and the actual recipe is from

Gal on a Mission....to make the BEST recipes loved by all

(I borrowed her photo also)

 

 

http://www.galonamission.com/spinach-lasagna-roll-ups/

 

I doubled the recipe and made 35 out of the lasagna noodles for the family

and then I had 2 portabella mushrooms.

 that I put a serving of the cheese mixture in for me.

I added some garlic powder, pepper and oregano to the cheese mixture too

 because we like things spiced up around here.

 

They were so yummy easy to make!

 

Okay, Here We Go! The Beginning of Losing the Other Half of Me!

Today is my 54th Birthday!

 

I would never have imagined that at 54 or any other age

I would be fat...and definitely not 100lbs overweight.

 

I can remember at 95lbs. feeling so fat. 

 I'm only 4'9" so that was really my target weight.

Even at my due dates with my pregnancies I was only 119lbs.

After I had my 4th son I did get up to 110lbs

 and then when I was 29 I blew up and weighed 136lbs.

 

For my 30th Birthday I worked hard and lost 40lbs in 6 months.

Yay for me!

I felt so good and was really fit.

A few years and pregnancies later up when the weight again.

As time went on more weight came and I became double my size.

A couple of months ago I was at 210lbs. and now I am at 205lbs.

so my goal is to loose 100lbs by my 55th birthday.

 

I am so embarrassed and humiliated by my weight gain and try not to leave the apartment. 

My son is getting married on Saturday and I am going to look like a hippo.

I don't even want to go to the wedding and for people to see me,

but it is an important day for my son and honestly the day isn't about me.

I wish I had gotten motivated sooner,

but better late than never I guess.

 

So I decided that I will blog about my weight loss journey

and completely put myself out in the world for everyone to see....

mainly so I can't back out and secondly because if I don't have someone to answer to I won't follow through.

 

Me at 30 at 95lbs.

 

Me at 40 around 120lbs

I remember feeling so fat this day and so embarrassed to go to church for Lexie's First Communion.

 

 Me right before I turned 50.

 

 

 



Me at 51 at Lexie's wedding.

I was right around 200lbs.

 

 

NOW SOME OF THESE PICTURES MIGHT BE DISTURBING!!

They are very disturbing to me

but I said I was going to be completely forthcoming.

 

So here are my before shots taken this morning and my measurements.

 

 

 

Bust:  49"

Waist:  45"

Hips:  50"

Thighs:  27"

Calves:  17"

 

I can't believe I am posting these photos.

I hope and pray that next year at this time

I can take a photo's of half of me!

 

Why is Communicating With Your Family So Hard?

 

 

I always thought growing up that my family was really close.

I loved that feeling.

After I got married and started growing up

 I realized how much my family was only close on the surface.

I don't think that we ever really learned to communicate how we honestly felt about personal matters or anything controversial.

I always did and still do feel very intimidated by my mom and most of my siblings.

I feel like my opinion doesn't matter and that I am less than,

BUT

I have never told any of them how I feel,

I am 53 years old and have been letting this anger build up in me for years.

I have so much anger and I hate it.

So Why is it so hard to talk to them?

I was the same way with my ex-husband until I finally just blew up and had such a hatred for him that I couldn't stand the sight of him. 

 (We're better now since we've been divorced and are just friends)

That's not what my intention is with my family.

 

 

Now the lack of communication and the build of anger has been passed down to another generation.

Myself,  Earl, my kids and their spouses,

in my opinion have a problem communicating.

In my opinion we get irritated with someone and we gossip about it and keep building up the anger until one of us explodes.

I hate this so much!!

 

I want to learn how to start fixing my communication problem

with my immediate and extended family. 

 

I admit I am scared to death to do this and don't know how to even go about it.

 

I found the following insert today from the book

Live Inspired Now-A Field Guide to Happiness by Heather Paris

and I am going to follow up on reading the book so I can try to communicate my feelings better with my family so I can not be so angry and stressed out.

 

Wish me luck! 

 

"Have you ever felt really angry, frustrated, or irritated and then you ended up lashing out at people because of it? There is a way to have those feelings without causing so much damage and it is really simple. Learn to explain your non-positive feelings instead of expressing them!

Explaining how you feel (in a calm tone) rather than expressing yourself (using elevated tones and body language) makes it more likely that other people will listen and actually hear what you say. How many times have you said something in anger and the other person heard it in a way that was much worse than you intended? Your voice tone and body language are far more influential than the actual words you are saying.

You might yell "I am so irritated by you, why don't you ever put the lid back on the toothpaste when you're done?" But what the other person hears is "I hate you, you never do anything right!" It sounds crazy now as you read it, but this is so common! I hear from couples all the time about this. They hear the intention in the voice tone rather than the actual words and it causes bigger problems.

If you choose to explain your non-positive feelings, in a more calm manner, you can get your point across with a better chance of avoiding miscommunications. Try talking about your feelings instead of yelling, screaming, or judging and see how your communication changes! Feel free to express joy, elation, curiosity, and other happy emotions but explain the rest!"

HAVE A SNOWBALL FIGHT AND HELP SUPPORT A FRIEND!!

Definition of Support:

 

 comfort and emotional help offered to someone in distress.

 

 "she's been through a bad time and needs our support"

 

 synonyms:  encouragement, friendship, strength, consolation, solace, succor, relief

 

 

 



HAVE A SNOWBALL FIGHT AND HELP SUPPORT A FRIEND!! 
 
Need a fun gift for the holidays, birthday, dorm or office gift?  Indoor snowballs are fun for all ages.  People can't resist throwing them at each other.

As many of you know our family is in a really tight spot financially.  I'm NOT asking for your sympathy or a hand out and don't mean to offend anyone with this post, but if you would please take a minute and read this I'd appreciate it.
Earl is working 60-70 hours a week and since we don't have a car he's been walking 6 miles each way to and from work, he is fortunate enough to catch rides some day and we are grateful for that.  We've been really struggling for about 5 years now, BUT we are beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel.   Of course every time we seem to take a step or two forward we seem to get knocked back five or six steps....such is life, but we do try to make the best of it.

Anyway, I stay at home so I can be here with my kids and I try to make extra money by sewing.  We REALLY need to earn more than we are making so we can get a car before winter and still pay our bills.  I would like to help out more and ......SO.......with some encouragement from a friend this is what I am proposing.

I am taking orders on these handmade, fun, and quality "Indoor Snowballs" and hoping that some of my Facebook friends will help us out and support us with your shopping needs.   If your not interested in purchasing any snowballs could you please share this post on your page so others will see it.

Here's what you'll be getting:  A Baker's Dozen of the Indoor Snowballs and a nice cloth drawstring bag to put them in all handmade by me all for $25.00 and that includes shipping.   The fabric on the bags will vary depending on what kind of "snowy" fabric I can find, but I can send you a photo of the completed bag before mailing to make sure it's okay with you.  If you would like a smaller set I can do 6 snowballs and a bag for $12.50 including shipping.   It takes me a few days to make them since it's all done by hand.

 

 

Each snowball comes with a handstitched face (they all vary....I just go with the flow when I'm stitching them) and a felt nose that is hand sewn on.  The cheeks are acyrlic paint.

Snowballs are made out of Cotton Flannel fabric, Stuffed with polyster fiberfill, Machine washable and dryer safe.  The snowball are sturdy (they won't melt no matter what the weather temp. is!)

I want to thank you in advance and so do Earl's feet!

Sincerely,

Sherry

sherryreneew@hotmail.com



Patchwork....Well it Just Makes Me Smile!

I have always LOVED patchwork!

 

I've probably posted this before, but my love of patchwork started as a little girl and there are 4 specific reasons I know of that made me fall in love with patchwork.

 

My granny always gave us kids a $5.00 bill for Christmas. 

 

1.  One year when I was pretty little I asked her why that's what she gave us.

  So...... the next year I didn't get $5.00.

 

I got a beautiful white and pink patchwork quilt instead!

 

2.  The next reason I love patchwork is that in elementary school we had to wear skirts or dresses and on of the girls had this skirt that was made out of tiny patches of fabric that her grandmother had made for her.  I loved the fact that the fabrics in the skirt were all scraps from fabrics that her grandma had used to make her things over the years.

 

3.  The third reason I love patchwork is from a story we read in probably 2nd grade and I think the title was "Patches".  It was about a little girl who's family didn't have a lot of money and the although the girls clothes were always clean she usually had little patches holding them together.  She was embarrassed in front of the other kids and so one day her mom put little appliques of animals on her dress instead of just plain patches.  Everyone loved her dress and the little girl felt so special.

 

4.  The fourth reason that I love patchwork is that when I was in high school our family t.v. broke and my parents decided not to replace it.  My mom had taught me to embroidery and sew before the t.v. broke, but once we didn't have t.v. we started quilting.  I can remember spending hours looking through quilting books at all the different patterns. 

 

 Patchwork was always my favorite though and it still is!

 

 

 

So here are some prim bookmarks I made last night.

 

and some patchwork drawstring bags

 



and these aren't patchwork, but I wanted to show them off.

I quilted these cute bookmarks for back to school things for kids.

So that is my story on my love for patchwork. 

 

I also learned a few other things from my love of patchwork.

Never question a person about the gift they are giving you.  As a Nana of 14 I totally understand why Granny only gave us $5.00 each and now I really appreciate her thoughtfulness!

 

I learned that something as simple of scraps of fabric can hold some wonderful memories and that it's a wonderful thing that something as small as a patch and some understanding can make us feel more loved and beautiful than any knew dress.

 

I learned that t.v.'s can really take away from family time and the joy of doing things together.  I learned that I enjoyed those years without a t.v. and the time that my mom took with me and my sewing.  We had fun with quilts, Stretch-n-Sew and picking out fabrics for clothes.  Thanks Mom!! 

Recyle and Reuse

I had been throwing out the top hems of the sheets that I use for my rag rugs....

 

SILLY ME!

 

I finally got an idea after feeling guilty about wasting the hem

 

and here's what I came up with.

 

 

I made this large tote bag out of the hems of various sheets to make the bag

 

and the pocket.

 

I used a piece of sheet for the handles and an old pillowcase for the lining.

 

It would make a cute "sleepover" bag....since it's made out of sheets.  LOL!

 

Anyway, it will make a great tote for dirty clothes, groceries, clothes shopping or whatever else.

 

 

 

Next thing...

 

I have an idea brewing in my little head.

 

We have this old door sitting in our backyard and the glass is broken.

 

I was thinking if I took all the glass out and brought the door inside

 

that I could use it as a........

 

get your imagination going.....

 

a

 

quilt rack.

 

I think the weathered look of the door and the old handle would be cool

 

to put my grannies quilt over. 

 

Do you see it??

 

Stand the door up and put the quilt through the window space.

 

Earl thinks I'm crazy, but  I think it will look really cool!

 

Recycle and Reuse and make some cool stuff.....

 

that's what I'm talking about!

The Start of Another Scrappy Quilt

I've started another scrap quilt.

 

I still need to quilt the other one, but I started on this one anyway.

 

 

 

 

I have so many ideas for when we move.

 

I want lots of scrap quilts and rag rugs in the house.

 

I want to surround us with happy colors and memories.

 

Now,

 

we just need to find a place to move too!

Here Comes the Bride

My beautiful daughter Alexis

 

got married last Saturday.

.

 

 Lexie

 

 

 Alexis and Jake

.

the ring

 

 

 

The wedding was so nice and I had such a good time.......

 

too good of a time if you ask Ezie and Mallory.

 

I visited, drank, and actually danced.....and danced.....and danced.

 

I DON'T dance,

 

but I just let go and danced and had so much fun!

 

Anyway,

 

Lexie was beautiful and I hope it was the day of her dreams!

 

Top of Scrappy Selvedge Quilt Done

I finished the top of one of my scrappy selvedge quilt last night.

 

The kids liked it and I do too!

 

 

 

 

I'm probably not going to have time to put the backing on for awhile

 

and I'm really nervous about doing that part

 

but

 

I'm so excited to get it done too!

 

I have a couple more quilts in the works and hopefully

 

I'll have some done before winter

 

so we'll have some nice new cuddlers!



I Found Another Way to Use My Scraps!!

I saw a tutorial on Pinterest for some pretty fabric flowers

 

so I thought I'd give it a try.

 

The flowers are so easy and another great way to use up my scraps of fabric.

 

So here's what I have made so far.

 

 

I think I am going to make lots of them and use them as a

 

swag type thing for my window.

 

Maybe with some ribbon strips hanging down in between the flowers.

 

Anyway,

 

I think they are really fun to make, pretty, they make me smile

 

and another way to use up some of my scraps!



More on my Scrappy Selvage Quilt

I've been working on my scrappy selvage quilt all week

 

and

 

here are 6 squares of memories.

 

 

 

Earl couldn't see my vision when I first started

 

and thought something along the line of

 

"what the hell is she doing now?!?"

 

BUT

 

when I laid it out for him today

 

he actually liked it!

 

He'd say, "what's this piece from?"

 

and I'd tell him from Mallory's bag or Lexie's blanket

 

and he was pretty amazed that I could remember what I'd made

 

from all the different fabrics.

 

Now I have to finish up a few other projects

 

and then I'm going to sew this baby up.

 

I can't wait!!!

Selvages and Patchwork

I'm making a quilt, hopefully, for myself using selvages and scraps of fabric.

It's been fun putting these squares together.

I can be kind of creative and remember the things I made for people out of the scraps.

 

 

 

These squares are approx. 28 inches square

 

 so......

 

 I have lots more scrapping and sewing to do. 

 

This project is a work in progress,

a fun, stress free project

that I hope will turn into a beautiful quilt!

Super Easy, Super Quick and Oh So Super Yummy--Breakfast, Brunch or Even for a Dessert!

I finally have internet access again!

Yay!

I can't find my camera though to post pictures of what all I've been making....

I know.....

it's sad....

and frustrating.

 

So I'm going photoless on this post.

Actually, I hate posts without photos,

I'm more of a vision and touch person,

so if the word "photoless" sounds a little dirty....

I would have to agree.

 

 

 

Anyway,

 

I saw a recipe on Pinterest, but I forgot to Pin it.

Fortunately it only had 4 ingredients so it was easy to remember.

Of course I had to embellish the recipe some and make it Super Yummy!

 

The Original Recipe called for

1. 6 eggs
2. 1 cup of flour
3. 1 cup of milk
4. dabs of butter

Next, you were suppose to mix up the first 3 ingredients, dump in a baking dish sprayed with nonstick spray, put dabs of butter over the top and bake for 25 minutes at 400 degrees.

 

Okay, I was starving, and felt the need to be more creative, so here's what I concocted

1. 4 teaspoons of lemon juice to the
2. 1 cup of  milk.....then
3. 1 teaspoon of vanilla
4. 6 eggs
5. 1 thinnly sliced banana
6. about 1/3 of a cup of brown sugar
7. 1 cup sifted flour

 

I mixed all that up, dumped it in sprayed baking dish, added the dabs of butter on top and then sprinkled some more brown sugar on top.  I baked it for 25 mins at 400 degrees and Oh my goodness....Yum!

 

It turned out so good!!

It kind of reminds me of a thin bread pudding.

Moist, flavorful and easy.

That's what I'm talking about!

PLEASE Shop Etsy!!

Christmas will be tight or nonexistant this year if I don't make some sells,

so please remember me

 when your doing your holiday shopping.

 

I have lots of fun stuff and will take orders.

 

So please don't forget to shop with me.

Free shipping from Thanksgiving thru the following Tuesday at my Etsy shops

 

Sherry's Sewing and Crochet Shop

 

and

 

A Pinch of This - A Dash of That

 

Thanks!!!!



Isabella

We had a chance to see our newest grandaughter,  Isabella, at the boys party last week.

 

Isn't she cute!!

 

Nana and Isabella

 

 

Papa finally held Isabella for the first time!

 

 



Jace says he thinks Isabella really likes her Uncle!

A Haircut and My Birthday!!!

My birthday was Sunday and it was such a nice relaxing day at home with Earl and the kids.

On Saturday we all went shopping and did our errands together.

 

It was so nice to have a car that is legal to drive and not have to worry about getting a ticket and we actually got to go places besides those places that we can get to on back roads.

 

 

 

Mallory and Jace made me a scrapbook for my birthday and they did a really good job!!

 

Mallory made me a cake and even piped words on it. 

 Great Job Mal!!

 

Before

I have been dying to get my haircut, but we couldn't drive the car into Troy so I could go to my favorite hairdresser and friend, Nancy. 

Since we got the car though Earl took me to get my haircut for my birthday.

 

 

 

After

What do you think?

Much better?

 

I think so!!!!

 



Thank you Earl, Ezie, Mallory and Jace for a wonderful birthday!!!

Swimming with Aqua Man

Jace loves swimming in our pool and he is getting really good.

He won't take off the life jacket yet even with me holding him,

but

he is jumping in the water and putting his whole head in, kicking and keeping his legs straight, floating on his back and then kicking, and starting to swim freestyle.

So he is my Aqua Man!

I haven't swam in so many years that I forgot how much I love the water.

I try to get in every day with Jace and even the pool is small I swim laps......they are small laps, but hey at least I'm getting in some exercise!

So now I'm off to do a little more gardening and then take my Aqua Man swimming!