Would you dine out alone?

(what I wore to dinner-tank: Charlotte Russe, skirt: Kohls,
necklace: made by me, spray tan by her)

I did.

The night I arrived in Seal Beach, CA, where I stayed for BlogSugar, I was famished. A yummy blueberry muffin for breakfast and nothing the rest of the day. Travel wearies me and flights upset my stomach so I usually don't eat...

What to do when hungry but no one to dine with? No room service to call?

Dine solo, of course! Have you ever done this? I was a little nervous to be alone, in a new place; there's always that safety issue. But the Italian food/Jazz place right across from the hotel looked promising.

I sat at the bar knowing at least the bartenders would make me feel less: "I look like a deer in headlights because I'm by myself". The food was worth the slight discomfort of being alone--it's worth a post all its own--savory lightly breaded chicken breast, potatoes brushed with lemon butter, and peppered mixed vegetables. A pleasant couple to my right made light conversation with me. The live jazz music was a welcomed distraction.

Would you be embarrassed to dine alone? I wasn't, but it was a little awkward. I've gone to Panera for cookies and a good date with a novel, but this was different.

So tell me, would you dine solo or nosh on a granola bar til continental breakfast?

In my element-BlogSugar 11

God gave me confidence in Him to be bold, to carry His love and encouraging side with me to BlogSugar.
He gave me the ability to set aside my insecurities. I'd be fibbing if I said a group of women, all fashioney and smelling like Chanel, weren't intimidating, but we all shared a common bond in that what we are doing--through our writing and inspiring and connecting--brings hope to hearts.

I was blessed in a million ways by those women. I felt fully embraced, at home around women who's lives I read about on a regular basis. Faces to words. Hearts to messages. I learned about an organization I'm praying about becoming involved in. I learned that California can be foggy, drizzly, and cool (remember my spray tan? I thought it'd be hot). I was reminded that blogging must especially be about the Lord and furthering His kingdom. Seeds were planted in women's hearts and I sense the buds will rise from the soil earlier than we all suspect.

Jesus does stuff like that. Smiles while we spend an hour applying makeup knowing that later in the day He will touch us in a way that cries it all off.

In traveling alone, I faced some challenges that I'll avoid next year. But for now, let's get to pictures!L to R, Ashley and I, Casey and I, Danielle and I

L to R, Katy and I at California Pizza Kitchen, Mel/Heather/Katy, Danielle and I, Cherish and I at California Pizza Kitchen

L to R, Aly, Me, Sarah, Jamie, then Heather and I

For gorgeous pics by the talented Ruthanne click here.
For other BlogSugar stories, click here.

And if you were wondering what I (with the help of precious friends) made for the swag bags:Cute fabric brooches! Big fat thank you to all my friends who helped cut circles, etc til 2am!Consider going next year; it's a precious, and sweet, opportunity.

Crazy good

You are exactly what we thought you'd be in real life, said my now heart friends KatyGirl and Cherish.

It was so affirming to hear those sweet girls, and a few others, say that.

To some, and hopefully to many, I am the same "person in person" that I am here on the blog. No pretenses or cover-ups on my site.Balboa Island.

photo by April

BlogSugar was a crazy good experience and I pray that what I gleaned, that the relationships I developed, will have a positive, heaven-centered impact on this blog and on people's hearts. That God will continue to receive the glory through my writing.

I'll have the full scoop soon. There is so much to tell.

One thing's for sure: I was so lonesome for my babies. I woke both of them up last night to kiss them. Selfish mommy...oops.
For some reason Wilder is calling me "mom" instead of "mommy". Oh no, sir! That does not jive.
We looked for all different shapes of leaves on a pleasant walk this morning. My babies are my home.

More for You Monday postponed

The More for You Mondays giveaway series is on hold until October 3rd to allow for quality family time after my absence. Can't wait to tell you all about the trip!

Mouth kisses

It hasn't been that long since I took a trip without my family...Dallas was only one night and BlogSugar is three. I will miss my family. One of my favorite things is lip kisses from all of them. Sweet little baby kisses. I cherish my children's affection.

Sometimes I kiss my friend's kids' lips. Oops.

Shawn, thank you and your parents for holding down the fort!

Babies, I love you 4ever! You fill my heart with so many good things.Summer 2011, Chanute

Mama Nut

It's been a little nutty around here. I am a big Mama Nut trying keep this nut house in tip top shape.

I threw out my back. Been to the chiropractor thrice in two days. Sissy is sick...thankfully her ears aren't infected; it's a virus/teething. Shawn's been working crazy hours. Who's my husband? Oh yeah, that guy!

I am a brown turd.

See?
I look positively ridiculous just hours after my spray tan but the bronze base will wash off a little bit in the shower. I went with a couple of friends and we had laughed so much...I am self conscious about my body but I've also had two kids so you kinda get what you get.

I don't have a laptop to blog while I'm in LA, but you'll hear from me soon enough! Pray I don't barf on the plane.

Love and blessings!

Don't Cross THIS Mama Bear

Excuse the jargon, but, I've gotten a lot more, uh, ballzy since becoming a mum.

I'm all for letting kids be independent, experience new things, learn, and grow, which sometimes means getting their feelings hurt. I'm not one of those parents who's going to tolerate all kinds of bad behavior from my kids just because I don't want to hurt their feelings--or keep them from people and social experiences. I'm not going to be the mom who calls and says, "your kid did my kid wrong and you need to fix it." At least I don't think so.

I get a free one-time pass though, right? Today, I was that mom. Maybe I'm a goner. Maybe there's no hope for me. I'd just never felt such a huge well of anger in me like that (except at an estate sale where I gave the guy a piece of my mind after he barked at my kids, then stormed out; my bad).

Today's fury ran deep and I acted on it about an hour after "the incident."

That was enough time to let it brew, I think. I so wasn't acting out of my emotions.

Ok, who am I kidding, I so was!

We went to this little class, the kids and I, and I could tell right away the lady in charge runs a tight ship. I felt like I'd get reprimanded if I didn't do duck tail hands behind my back or if I dropped a pencil. Imagine how the kids felt. Some kids respond well to that kind of authority, the disciplinarian kind (we do discipline; I'm talking about teachers, babysitters, other people in charge), but my son is very "feely" and sensitive, like me. Heart on our sleeves, I tell you. So we are a little more fragile with grouchy people. And that lady didn't know that; I wouldn't have expected her to.To preserve anonymity I won't go into details of today. I am proud of myself for biting my tongue at the actual class, and waiting to voice my thoughts on the matter (to the supervisor) until I got home.

I surprised myself with mama bear defensiveness today. Really need to pray about it...should I just let these kinds of things roll off my shoulders & let God judge?

Estate Saling Addiction

I took a hiatus from estate saleing because it was burning a hole in our already holey pockets. I get such a rush from finding that unique item...shopping and eating are stress relievers for me and I can get really selfish about that whole instant gratification thing. It is hard to deny self and it's my prayer the Lord will help me rise above my own wants.

That said, I regressed a little by hitting up an estate sale THREE TIMES. Three days in a row. Because first day you pay full price, then the second day it's 25% off, then 50% the third day.

I found so many treasures, some of which I will pop on Etsy, the others I will keep, and others I will use in my craft booth display.

Some pretties include one of those fabric baskets, vintage Christmas glass ornaments, vintage fabrics, oval embroidery hanging, and rug for kitchen.
Oh yes, the winner of the Spincushions giveaway is Jessica. Congratulations; I'll email you. More for You Monday is on a wee break while I prep for BlogSugar/craft fairs/etc.

I'll end with some randoms:
Globe collection is underway. They are an expensive thing to collect. Maybe I'm just not buying at the right places?
As showcased in above photo, our house is always messy.
I had Lasik eye surgery a few years ago.
I like to wear pants above my belly button.
I'm stumped on what to wear to BlogSugar (I'll be there Fri-Mon so that's alot of outfits!).
I'm wondering if I can craft in the airplane on way to L.A. or if they'll say a needle is a weapon.

Desperate times..

...call for desperate measures.

I made a video for three extra entries on the Creative Estates Craft Retreat giveaway at Little Miss Momma's blog.

You can watch it here and make fun!

Happy Friday! We are doing something with family--pretty sure it involves cattle.

Gussy Sew's Inspiration Workshop: favorite shop

This week's prompt for the Gussy Sew's Inspiration Workshop was "favorite shop."

Well, that's not too hard to come up with! My favorite shop in town is Legacy Antiques.

I just got to go last week. Dixie has the upper hand on all the mid-century stuff. She has three booths there and I've spotted her once at an estate sale.Amazing, huh? This is about the third time I've done a blog post on her mid-century finds.My favorite online shop is my own Etsy...putting in a shameless plug for my own business there! Did you know that all purchases go toward helping my family run on less financial stress? And that I strive for originality in all my creations (which includes using quality felt and vintage fabrics!).What are your favorite shops?
*********
Posting an awesome giveaway link here. If you're thinking of going to the Creative Estates Retreat Giveaway, then click on Little Miss Momma's giveaway post for a chance to win a ticket! (it would be the only way I could go)

Hair

minimal makeup today; how refreshing

I love my long hair manely (ha) for its versatility.

I don't know if I have the right face shape for the style my hair is. I've heard people with full/round faces should "build the hair on top" and keep the buoyancy away from the cheek area. I used to follow those rules when I had shorter hair, but my momma/crafter/blogger/entrepreneur schedule doesn't lend itself to hours in front of the mirror.

Want to hear my hair regimen? I use few products.

~wash (Biolage shampoo and Dove conditioner) hair every other night (or 2 nights) before bed
~go to bed with it damp
~wake up, finger comb, style into a hippie headband or up-pony or side braid/pony (okay, 10% of the time I use pomade for flyaways)
~if it's a dressier occasion, I throw it in rollers, turn my head over and toss the curls out, and go
~I self-color it maybe once ever 3-4 months which is so not enough but I don't care.
~I only get it trimmed a handful of times a year now.

I'm so excited winter is coming so I can experiment with fun crocheted hair accessories, like the one pictured above. Stole it for a mere $8 on Sister's Weekend.

Don't forget to see my shop featured on the Soleil Selene blog! It's for a $20 store credit. I think Leilani did a great job of profiling me/blog/shop. I am honored.

These matter

These little things matter in my wee corner of the interwebs.

I went the extra mile to get my kids a wagon ride at the park this morning. You can make fun of this hillbilly mini van. I fiddled with the bungee cords all by myself! Lord, will you provide us with a larger vehicle?
I watched Parenthood while doing nothing (no crafting or folding laundry).

The whole family went on a picnic/park date this evening.

Signed up for a booth at 2 craft fairs.

Signed up for a fundraiser here that will give me the chance to stylize a holiday table (which I'm titling "Vintage Cheer").

Kissed my husband more than twice and actually talked with him about the day.

Cried while watching Shawn and Story read together.

Patted Wilder's post-bath tushy (I just can't help myself).

I am tired for all the right reasons!

Farewell for now. I leave you with recent photos from two different friend's kid's parties:
And L's baby shower (she is wearing a headband I made!):
I love these girls. L is having a girl in a week or so. That means we will all three have a first born son and second-born daughter. Isn't that neat! I think we need to live in a commune and just raise everyone together. These girls are so precious to me.

Life SO needs captured on film.

(now I know there's some weird tape stuff that got laundered into my orange dress...see it on the sleeve? no one told me...maybe they didn't notice?)

Do you take your camera everywhere? I may not have a cute JoTotes bag but I still take my clunky Nikon camera/bag with me 90% of the time! You never know when you may be the only person with a camera...or when you'll see something interesting...

More for You Monday! Felt Pincushion Kit Giveaway!

It's Monday already so time for another giveaway!
This week's featured shop is Spincushions: bright, colorful felt pincushions that are hand made and are perfect, unique gifts for sewers or collectors. They are a sight! Shelly's creativity inspires me.Not only does Shelly, who hails from Australia, offer the most creative (and beautiful!) felt pincushions, but she provides the opportunity for you to "get yer craft on" with the purchase of a DIY pincushion kit.

Up for grabs this week is one of her felt pincushion DIY kits (winner's choice), valued at $19.32.
Here's how to enter:

Like Spincushions on Facebook

Favorite Spincushion's Etsy shop

Follow Spincushion's blog

Follow Shelly on Twitter

Extra entries:

Follow my blog through GFC

Follow me on Twitter

Like marigoldroad on Facebook

Favorite my Etsy shop

Tweet or update Facebook status

Giveaway will close in about a week: Sept. 19th.

Rain that cometh

We are seeing glimpses of fall, finally, and had a bit of a sprinkling this weekend (Friday?).

The babies were more than eager to get their feet wet:
Story is an absolute hoot these days. She doesn't bend her knees when she walks. She's our peg-leg pirate.
Wilder is growing more independent & jabbers a lot a lot. Wonder who he gets it from?

Shawn got sandwiched between two cars in a fender bender. When he's late coming home from work I usually just think he got tied up. I used to be really afraid that it was because he got in an accident. This time, he actually was in one...we are praising Jesus for His divine protection!
The three day garage sale is over! Special thanks to Laura, Julie, Alisha, Shawn, Harold, Kathy, & Megan for allowing me to leave a couple times for obligations!
Praying for the families who lost loved ones in 9/11. They are not forgotten. Lord, we trust that Your justice will reign.

photo credit, fleurbloom blog

Crocheted Scarf Giveaway Winner!

Hey there! Just dropping in from the madness that is our three-day garage sale to say that the name of the ThatGirl Crochet Turquoise scarf giveaway is Jacqueline! Congratulations! Please contact Tiffany to claim your prize.Don't forget that Tiffany is offering 20% off until Sept. 30th, using code Fall20!

I am all garage saled out after the first day. Good news is that we got rid of some things that have been driving me crazy! The other good news is that Wednesday I got some mommy-only time which you bet included a trip to my fave antique store.

Teaser pictures:
Good night one and all! What are you doing this weekend?
We have: garage sale, baby shower, girl's night out, church, a birthday party.
And maybe some R & R?
Then Monday a visit to my chiropractor, perhaps?

Pioneer Woman's Milky Way Cake

Yes, you read that right. Milky Way and cake in the same sentence.

I'm a bit ashamed to admit I'd never made any of the Pioneer Woman's recipes until today.

A quick trip to Wal-Mart for buttermilk and ELEVEN Milky Way bars and I was on my way to something really, really, really good. And bad.

Without further gooey adieu:

Pioneer Woman's Milky Way Cake (click here for recipe)

Ingredients

• 11 whole Milky Way Bars (regular Size), Divided Use
• 3 sticks Margarine, Divided Use
• 2-½ cups All-purpose Flour
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• ½ teaspoons Baking Soda
• ½ cups Buttermilk
• 3 teaspoons Vanilla Extract, Divided
• 2 cups Sugar
• 4 whole Eggs
• 2 cups Powdered Sugar
• 1 dash Salt
• ½ cups Milk (more If Needed)
• 1 cup Finely Chopped Pecans

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

In a double boiler or in a saucepan over very low heat, melt 8 Milky Way bars together with 1 stick margarine, stirring to combine.

Once melted, remove from heat and set aside.

Sift flour and salt together and set aside.

Mix baking soda with buttermilk, then add 2 teaspoons vanilla and set aside.

Cream 1 stick of margarine with the 2 cups of granulated sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to the creamed mixture, mixing after each addition.

Add melted candy bar mixture and mix to combine.

Pour into a greased jelly roll pan or 9 x 13 baking pan and bake for 1 hour or until cake is done in the center. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

To make the icing, melt the remaining 3 Milky Way bars with remaining 1 stick margarine (in a double boiler or in a saucepan over very low heat). Add powdered sugar, dash of salt, milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and chopped pecans and stir over low heat. Add more milk if needed.

Pour over the cooled cake and allow to set. Cake will be very sticky! Don’t expect neat, perfect slices.

Serve with ice cream or whipped cream, then go run five miles!

yay my nice camera is back...

Thank you, Ree. I'm a believer. I am waiting for you to tweet back on the matter. Hello, Ree? Mrs. Drummond? Her internet connection must be down.
Bet you want his eyelashes.