A girls gotta have a purse or two or three....

I had one of those purse parties last night.....I didn't know what to expect, as I'd missed both parties I had previously been invited to. All I can say is WOW! She had purses, purses, purses....jewelry, sunglasses, wallets, shoes & let's see....umm....PURSES! There was SO MUCH ....my living room was full...the kitchen...moved into the computer/sewing room.....Besides a pair of earrings & a little ring, this was my take on the evening! Love that big red one....nice overnight bag that beats the paisley duffle bag type I've been carryin' for the past umpteen years! I'm thinking of all the purses I liked but didn't get! Ya know, sometimes a girls just gotta set limits.... Thank goodness one of my sisters booked a party!! Maybe even a sister-in-law, too!! So that will keep me in my purse fixes for awhile!

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I hope you are havin' a great weekend! It's cold again here in our parts....bhurr! I hope this fireplace takes off soon! I'm gonna curl up with a punch needle project that I should have done already.... popcorn & movies tonight! Changling & Fireproof....both are supposed to be good!!

Have a good night!!

Thursday Ramblin'....

Hi All!! Hope you're having a great week! We've had a couple of really nice days here in our part of Missouri. Even with the rain today, the 60+ temp was great! I think the temp is supposed to drop though thru the night...but it is almost March & it will be spring soon! I am SO ready for warm days & sunshine! I'm ready for a walk thru the woods & I'm even ready to start playin' in the dirt out in the flower beds!

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I just listed this little mini-quilt to my etsy shop this morning! It's hard to see in this photo, but there are outlines of chickens all through the red fabric.

And speaking of chickens...mine have sure been likin' this weather....they've been out struttin' their stuff...& venturing out further from the barn! Take a look at "John Wayne"...that's what I call him...he's my biggest rooster....LOOK at the spurs on him! Gosh I sure hope he stays a nice rooster!

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Not alot going on in my little world right now...I'm just tryin' to finish up a few little projects I've started to get them either listed on etsy or out to the mercantile. Speaking of which, I was going to take pics when I stopped in yesterday but Sherrie was adding some finishing touches so I decided to wait! So maybe first of the week I'll get some taken and posted! It's SO awesome...hope to see you at the open house NEXT weekend!!

Have a GREAT Friday!

Tuesday...

Oh my gosh! It has been right at a week since my last post! Where has the time gone? What have I been doing? Please.....someone refresh my memory!! Seems like this whole month has just flown by....just a few short days left!

I spent this day working at home...I had a pot of coffee and a John Grisham book on cd.....sorting thru files and folders and drawers....getting our tax papers in order! UGH! What a chore! Each year I tell myself the same thing...Next year I'm going to be more organized so it doesn't take me the whole day to get things in order! Well guess what? It hasn't happened yet! I also tell myself I'm going to get to it sooner but that's not been happening either. I put it off because of my dreaded filing system!! Each year I start off having a place for everything and putting everything in it's place but by fall, papers start to mount on the desk, counter and in the drawers....having to search and sort in order to find everything come tax time! There has got to be an easier way!! What kind of filing system do you use and how is it working for you?

In going thru things today, I came across alot of junk and other mail...set aside to look at later...important it was I tell ya....layin' in a pile for 4-6 months...important! ugh! I also found a slip of paper from a high school friend with her contact info on it...it had somehow gotten picked up and stuck in a folder with some papers...I'd searched and searched for that little slip of paper! She's probably thinking I don't want to talk to her! I'll be sending a note off to her this week!

So how's your week going so far?

Wednesday Ramblin's...

Look at this! This was Monday...Ruger has been here for just over a week now & Lucy was still not very happy about it even though Ruger lives outside in the kennel & just comes in for a short while at a time. I wish the picture was just a little bit lighter so you could see the expression on her face...it's like "I don't like him & you can't make me!"

She just got this new toy & she's not about to share it either!

Well....by Monday evening Lucy couldn't take it any longer & decided that if Ruger is okay w/Mom & Dad then he's okay with her too!

He is just too cute!

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So what's goin' on in your world this week? I worked for a little while this morning, before having to pick up the younger cats from the vet. Yes, I had their front paws declawed yesterday. When I got back last week, I really noticed marks on the sofa & chair....NOT good! They are glad to be home & are resting now!

I worked at home yesterday, trying to get some things done for the mercantile spring open house....I'll add that info in a bit! It's hard to believe that it's that time already....February is more than halfway gone! Even though we've had bouts of freezing cold temps, we've had a really mild winter....I can take that cold alot better than I can that snow & especially ice!
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Now, about that open house!

Spring is just around the corner, so stop in at
Randolph Mercantile
to help relieve that cabin fever!

Friday, March 06.....10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Saturday, March 07.....9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday, March 08.....10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

New spring and Easter items arriving daily along with
your favorite everyday treasures & primitive handmades!

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I was just in there this morning and you should see the place! The old sign shop part of the building has been completely redone! It is just awesome! You've just GOT to stop in!! And for those of you who can't, I'll try to get some pics taken and posted here before then!
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While I knew about this before I left on my trip in the truck, when I got home I had a nice letter w/photo from the Vo-Tech school, that Briar was selected as Student of the Month for the month of January for the Collision Repair Tech program! Selected by the instructor w/the expectations of attendance, safety, work habits, team work, & personal traits!

Way to go Briar!!!

Home Sweet Home...

I'm home! I've spent the last week out on the road with John in the truck. He had a load to Loredo, TX for Monday morning so after that we took a couple days off to go on down to Donna to see his folks. 80+ degree weather down there! WOW! I was so wishin' it would follow us home but it didn't! Durn it! I came home to much cooler temps, wind & some kind of winter mix last night but it didn't amount to anything!

Last Saturday, the day we left, Briar went & picked up the newest addition to the family...meet Ruger, a yellow lab.... Isn't he adorable?!

Whenever I go out on the truck I am always fascinated with the highway system. Just look at that! This was going thru Dallas. As much as it fascinated me, it also freaks me out a little bit...being in a car, not so much...but the truck? yeah...lil bit! People have asked me if I drive too...HA! I have NO desire whatsoever to drive. I'm perfectly content at just goin' along for the ride! I don't think you could pay me enough! Every once in awhile I'll "make" John go along with me on a grocery shopping trip & I joke & call that his "reality check"...well, I guess you could say that my goin' out with him in the truck every so often is MY reality check!
We spent a couple days with Mom & Pop...then John had 4 pick ups to make Wednesday aft/eve. so we had to head on out. I finally got started on that newest punch needle project I had finally gotten supplies together for...the only thing about punch needle is you have to be sitting still in order to work on it, unlike stitchery or penny rug making. I still got quite a bit of it done & hope to finish it over this next week.



I got home yesterday afternoon...not soon enough for Lucy Loo! Now it's time to play catch up...clean house, laundry, finish the room I started before I left. This is where I left off. Remember the little cubby box I'd mentioned in an earlier post? This is it & what I had planned for it! Perfect for fat quarters & leftover remnants! I wish I had taken a picture of the box before I cleaned it! WOW! Is all I can say! Before I cleaned it, it looked like dirty faded out wood....I started sprayin' it with Liquid Gold & wow!
I'm not sure what else I'm going to do in here other than go on a search for things to go on the walls...I think I now have all my needed supplies in this room. I've got all sorts of things to take pics of to list on Craigs List...stuff too good to just throw out so maybe someone else will have a use for it.
I think my next project will be our main bathroom. I actually started stripping border/wallpaper a long time ago so maybe it's time to get back to that.

I ended up running errands yesterday afternoon so that I could spend today here at home. What's been going on in your world?

Oh...wishing you all a Happy Valentine's Day!!

Before & after....

My sil told me I needed help! I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM!!! That's what I told her! Ha! What does she know?! Just because I buy fabric, sometimes using it in a project...sometimes not...sometimes letting it sit for 10 years in a cupboard because I'm going to have a chair reupholstered someday...buying faux fur to make bears...someday...THAT DOES NOT MEAN I HAVE A PROBLEM! Does it look & sound like I have a problem to you?!! Well.....does it?

LOL....seriously! I am so bad! I just started taking armfuls from the cupboard and tossin' them on the floor of my new room...that would FORCE me to finish the task! And the thing is, I've been going thru and weeding out fabric & supplies on a pretty regular basis over the past couple years & I STILL have all this! And that's not even all of it cause I'd already started sorting when I decided to take the pic!



Well...here it is AFTER! I've still got a small stack of fat quarters tucked over in a basket...just a small handful. I'd say I done pretty good. I've got to pick up a small cubby box I've had my eye on at the mercantile tomorrow for the small rolls you see on top of the table. It's one of those things that I knew it would have a purpose but until I knew for sure what it would be I wasn't going to buy it! Now I know the purpose & it's still available!

I got my room painted yesterday....my shoulder is thanking me for it today...not to mention my leg where I fell off the step stool & my head where the cedar chest lid fell on me while trying to dig out a new curtain rod I had stashed in there....this redecorating is dangerous work around here...I'm not sure I'll survive the remaining bedroom & two baths that have yet to be done!


I also wanted to share this with you. I used to work counted cross stitch all the time! I came across this yet again today while clearing out my fabric cupboard. This was a featured free pattern in the Country Cross-Stitch magazine years ago...back in let's see...1987-88...somewhere in there....I believe it was called Amid Amish Life. I'm sure I finished it sometime in 1989-99? All these years....it has just been tucked away. I have written down the design measurements to see about frames & mats but I've not gotten anything yet. I might just bite the bullet & take it somewhere & let a professional do it! I know...it will be more expensive but it will at least get done! I could buy the stuff to do it...it might fit, it might not...it might get done...it might not!

I have yet to clear out this closet & get some sort of storage system up in there for the rest of my junk... John will be home tomorrow & we'll be running errands so I probably won't get much done so I best get back to sorting out the rest of my supplies tonight!

Hope y'all are havin' a great week & keepin' warm!

Ramblin's....

I had to run some errands today so I took inventory of my painting supplies. I wanted to go ahead & get what was needed because I THINK I will have a couple days to work here at home this week, so I'm gettin' this room ready to paint! I think I will actually get started on it this evening....fill nail holes...pull things away from walls...wipe them down...so then maybe tomorrow I can jump right into painting. We had several days of somewhat nice weather so my chores have lightened up just a tad bit...we let the fireplace go out since it's not so cold out & it's lookin' like it will stay that way this whole week so this seems the perfect time to do it!

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I also want to let you know about a new little store I found! I actually found it while seaching online for a store that carries a particular type of embroidery floss. It's called 'Homestead Stitchery & Gifts'. Denni came up to go to church with me yesterday so we just made a little jaunt up to Macon in the afternoon! They carry a variety of home decor but also counted cross stitch patterns, embroidery blocks, dmc floss & a number of hand-dyed flosses. I actually bought the recommended floss for that punch needle pattern I bought a couple weeks ago! Nothin' to keep me from gettin' started now is there?!

We also went to an antique store & the Ben Franklin...and would you believe I didn't buy anything at either place for me! I did find a chocolate cookbook for just a couple bucks for our sisters kitchen.

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Well, I guess that's about it for me today! If I don't get off this thing now I'll lose my motivation for workin' in this room! Hope y'all are havin' a GREAT Monday!!

A little Sunday ramblin'....

Just wanted to share my latest little project with you....this little Ohio square mini-quilt. I have not listed on Etsy.com for quite some time and I've been wanting to get back to it so this will be going up later tonight or early in the morning!

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I hope you all are having a great weekend! It was beautiful here yesterday. I went out for chores & the horses were just soakin' in the sun! yeah...John was home for a couple days...but he's back out now. It looks like it's going to be another nice day, although I don't know if it's to be as warm.

Have a GREAT day & enjoy the game! If you're not a sports fan...have fun with whatever you decide to do with that time! Since John's not home, it probably won't be on here....I'll find a movie & do some stitchin'!!