A couple of weeks ago I posted about a new Daily Deals website that is similar to Groupon, but took the post down because I couldn't decide if I should or shouldn't.  I try to be careful what I post on here because I feel like all of my readers are such good friends to me.  We've shared so much with each other - good times and bad.  The new business is called Moolala and has been "birthed" by my nephew and a couple of friends so you can see my dilemma - this is family!  And there's nothing more important than family....except my best blogging buddies.  :)

I'm going to tell you a little about Moolala and you can decide what you want to do with the information because I don't want you to miss out on an opportunity like this if you are at all interested.  I promise to go back to quilt stuff tomorrow.  :)

Like Groupon, Moolala will be offering one deal every day to interested folks.  Typically the deals I see on Groupon are gift cards to places you might want to buy something, eat something, participate in something, etc. at anywhere from 40%-90% off the regular price.  For instance, I saw a great one before Christmas to Cold Water Creek - a store dear to my heart!  But Moolala will be a little different in that they will be giving you a 2% refund on any deals you buy.  In addition, they have a "matrix" setup where if you invite friends to sign up, and they do, and then they invite friends to sign up and they do, you get 2% back on anything they buy.  It sounds like a pyramid but there's no cost to this at all - it's totally free.  Unless you decide to buy one of the deals, that is.  And the refund you get goes to four levels below you.  There's a video on the site that explains this a lot better than I can.  :)

The deals haven't started yet but will soon.  I'm already signing up people under me though so that when the deals do start I won't miss one and so my friends and family won't miss one.  And the chance to earn a few dollars on this would be great for my fabric budget.  :)  If this sounds at all like something you would be interested in then click the link below or over on my right sidebar, sign up, and then invite your friends to sign up too.  If you're not interested, then ignore this and come back tomorrow to see what quilt stuff I'm working on!     Moolala link!

A Mug Rug Request

I had a request to make a mug rug to go with a Cinderella mug....the mug has Cinderella and Prince Charming on it with the castle in the background.  What could be more perfect than a glass slipper!  I used silver thread to add the stars and to outline the slipper...it just sparkles!  :)  What fun!

A Little Late or Really, Really Early?

Whether I'm late for this year or early for next year....not important!  It's a finish, one of the 32 UFOs I turned in to my quilt guild UFO chairman a couple of months ago.  I think it's #5 of the 32.  And, wonder of wonders, I'm working on #6!  That's another Christmas UFO and when I started going through my Christmas fabrics and kits I was, well shall we say just a tad embarrassed at how many of those I had.  If you could see me through your screen my face would be red.  Thank goodness you can't!  I have no more room on my walls or tables for Christmas things so it's time I passed some on to my children.  Next year.  Or the next.  :)  I know this looks a little crooked on the wall but it's not.  Much.  I did all kinds of machine quilting on it.  Some of it good, some of it not so good. But I did it and that's the important part.  More experience under my belt.  From this point forward I have promised myself I will not start anything new until I have finished something old.  I'll be doing a 1:1 ratio for those of you who understand math and if you don't that just means you didn't have me for a teacher.  And it also means I get to do one new thing for each old thing I finish.  So when I'm done with #6 I'm going to work on ....  I have no idea because I have a dozen ideas rolling around in my head but I can hardly wait.  :)

My Take On New Year's Resolutions

Does this look familiar?

     Every year after Christmas I put away the decorations, sweep up the glitter and ribbon remnants from the nooks and crannies where they magically appeared, and clean out the refrigerator preparing for the inevitable diet to begin in the New Year.  As I put the house “back together” I find myself taking stock of what needs to be done in the coming year and what I want to accomplish in my role as wife and mother and grandmother.  That can be a little disturbing when I see that the master bedroom needs painting, the laundry room shelves need organizing, the bathroom cabinets need old medicines tossed, the floors need waxing, and the linen closet needs a solution for overflowing stacks of pillowcases.  Add to that the too tight jeans and I can easily get overwhelmed at the total makeover my life needs!

     I'm one of those bloggers who is in the Winter of her life and I'm going to Celebrate not only this season but also the New Year and my successful completion of the last one!  I hope you join me in that celebration.

     Instead of focusing on the stuff that needs fixing in our lives, the ways we need to improve, the resolutions we need to make – and keep - this year….. let’s focus on all the ways we’ve been successful in 2010 - the things we’ve quilted, stitched, crafted and/or knitted and ways we’ve made a home for our family!  Let’s celebrate our role as the keeper of the home.

     Let’s look around us….certainly we all have beloved decorations we’ve crafted or sewn – things we carefully store away and then drag back out as a holiday approaches.  There are valentines that remind you of your son’s first Valentine’s Day when you couldn’t wait to make him something with hearts on it even though your husband said “that’s too girly!”  

There’s a red, white and blue throw pillow and even a patriotic tea towel for the kitchen.  

Halloween has all kinds of things you’ve made – goody  bags for the kids, costumes that they fell in love with two weeks before Halloween and hated one week later, and ghosts hanging from the chandelier.  

Oh, and Thanksgiving – well autumn leaves make great coasters, pumpkins tumble down the side of a wall hanging, and placemats grace the table.  And that’s not even touching on Christmas when we all seem to go crazy with Santas and snowmen and Angels.

If you’re reading this post you’re probably a quilter so there are likely quilts on all the beds and even hanging from the walls.  There’s a table runner on the dining room table and a candle mat on the coffee table.  

There are potholders in the kitchen and decorated tea towels hanging from the oven handle.  

There’s an apron hanging on the peg waiting for you to cook dinner.  There might be a purse in that little girls room and a crayon bag in the toy box.  

There are burp pads and bibs in the nursery and a pin cushion nearly finished for your sister’s birthday.  

There may be a hooked rug in front of the fireplace and an embroidered throw pillow on the couch.

Now’s the time to celebrate the things you’ve made from that precious fabric you've been hoarding.  Look around.  Take stock.  Don’t look for what’s left to do; look at what you’ve done.  Grab a cup of tea, sit by the fire, and celebrate you – the glue that holds everyone together and makes your house truly a home.  Life is a gift to you.  The way you live your life - and celebrate it - is your gift to those who come after.

blessings, marlene

One Thousand Blessings - Day 20

651.  hearing my grandchildren laugh so hard and so long I get worried they can't breathe :)
652.  hearing my adult children talk about games played with their Daddy when they were small
653.  simple meals shared with beloved family
654.  seeing my 2 year old grandson wrestle with his 4 year old sister - and hold her down just like I told her was going to happen if she didn't quit picking on him!
655.  watching a sleeping grandchild
656.  Frosty the Snowman
657.  Fruit Loops and the children who eat them
658.  Acres and acres of Christmas lights at the local botanical garden
659.  The smell of hot chocolate on a cold night
660.  Pumpkin pie made with a pumpkin I baked
661.  Crumbs under my dining room table
662.  Chairs with ottomans
663.  Really sharp scissors - all the way to the tip
664.  Matches that light the first time you try
665.  Forgiveness freely given when I've messed up
666.  Going out to eat with friends
667.  Having a loss when weighing in at Weight Watchers
668.  Venison burgers
669.  Crystal Light Fruit Punch
670.  Index cards
671.  Teddy bears
672.  The HeyTell app on my IPhone so my granddaughter can talk to me from her IPod
673.  My public library
674.  Turtleneck sweaters
675.  Boots that keep my feet warm
676.  Potpourri
677.  Crock bowls
678.  Lamplight
679.  Undershirts
680.  Earphones for our televisions
681.  Doing my regular devotions and finding a verse that exactly fits what I need that day - love that!

Too Much?

Is it too ridiculous if you make your kitchen curtains

and your dish drainer mat and they are color coordinated?  (the colors really do match, just not on blogger!)

I mean really, what's next...matching toaster cover?  Oh...I might like that idea.  :)