{GLUTEN FREE and still sewing at the machine}}

Over the holidays I found out I needed to be gluten free.  I don't have celiac, but I do have a gluten intolerance.  I am so much happier now that I know what's going on.

I do some research on what all has gluten in it so I could avoid it.  You wouldn't believe all the stuff that has gluten in it...like almost everything I like to eat. 

I have had to come up with new ways to make my favorite dishes and even look into making new dishes to eat.  One of my favorite indulgences is bread.  Any kind of baguette, ciabata, french bread.  You name it, I love to eat it.  Sadly, the few gluten free bread mixes I have found to use just aren't doing it for me.  They just don't have the texture that bread with gluten has...nor the taste.  But I eat it anyway because I have to.

Suprisingly Wal Mart and Whole Foods as well as Target have a great gluten free section.  Everything from past, to cake mixes, cookie mixes, pancake mixes.  You name it, I have found it.  They are a little more pricey, but when I have a taste for cookies, pancakes or pasta, they do the trick.

Another down side...well, not totally a down side, but a wee bit of a bummer is that we can't eat out anymore.  Pizza has gluten in it.  Chineses food, if breaded has gluten in it and even hamburgers have gluten in the buns.  Ugggh!  It's been hard adjusting, but I have been making the changes.  One of the things I read on http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/ is that you can't cheat and maybe have some gluten here and there.  For me, I know I can't it really bothers my intestines, so I stay away from it.  She also suggests ridding your pantry of anything with gluten in it.  Last weekend I did just that. The only thing with gluten in there is cereal for my hubs and the kids.  I can't deprive them of that.  : )

I am still enjoying sewing on my machine and hope to have a finshed...or almost finished quilt to show you next week.
Happy Thursday!
Cheryl

((Thank You and some quilt inspiration))

Thank you to all you ladies that left sweet comments about our sweet Penny.  Meant so much to me.

The next couple of weeks I will be busy quilting and sewing. I may be scarce on the blog while I am having fun quilting.

I did want to leave you with a little inspiration though.  I have seen a few "plus quilts" lately.  Quilts that look like they have plus signs in them.  Check out the quilt below.

photo and quilt by Amy Rosenthal of Prairie Grass Patterns.

April Rosenthal from Prairie Grass Patterns has this over at

http://www.modabakeshop.com/2012/01/positively-perfect-nap-quilt.html#more

She has broken down in easy step-by-step directions with lovely photos how to put this lovely quilt together.  I am so excited to shop for fabrics for this and get started as when it is finished it will be a quilt for my sweet daughter for her birthday. 

Hop on over to http://www.modabakeshop.com/p/recipes.html and check out their other recipes they offer.

Have a great weekend!

((LOSS...How do you cope??))

Our sweet Penny enjoying her favorite spot in the house....The corner of the couch.

I have been away from the blog for a bit and have delayed posting what my word for 2012 would be because we lost someone very dear to us.

We had to put down our family dog, Penny, the first weekend in the new year.  It was really hard for me.  Growing up I never had a dog.  Our sweet Penny was a well loved friend to both our children as well as my husband and myself.  Our children had the privilege having her since she was a puppy.   We have taken her on many travels with us across these great United States.  We have moved to many different states and she always moved with us.

We will miss her......
 -   getting excited every time she saw suitcases  getting zipped up because it meant she was going to go in her travel crate and go on an adventure with us.

 - we will miss her soft, velveety ears and those caramel paws.

-  we will miss her guard dog qualities.  She was always so protective of us.

-  I will miss the way you loved to snug up to us and get showered with love and fall asleep on a lazy afternoon on the couch.

We will miss you being a part of our family sweet Penny.

{{HAPPY 2012!!}}

Happy New Year!  I hope your Christmas was merry and filled with good food and family.

December was a busy month for us.  We had family visit the first week of the month and then I took a vacation the last week of the month.

We've lived here in Louisiana for a year and a half now.  We are always learning new things about this state.  Over the holidays we were watching PBS and they had a special on the little town of Natchitoches.  Yeah, it's a mouthful to pronounce and not the way you would think.  It's pronounced (Nack i tish)  with the "i" being short.

 It's a quaint town.  One of the oldest that was established in 1714.  It also was the backdrop to the movie Steel Magnolias.  They have a lovely historic downtown district full of shops, dining and antique stores.  But that is not why we packed up the kids and the dog and drove two hours to see this place.  You see, they have something called the Festival of Lights each year.  Last year we missed it, so this year my sweet husband took as all up there to see it.  It starts the first weekend in December and goes all the way until the December 30th.  Except this year they extended it into New Year.

The town is full of old charm.  I love architecture and had to get a picture of this old bank building to share with you.  Look at all the details with the dental molding and the shutters and the beautiful iron railing on the balconies.

They had horse drawn carriage rides

We walked into a few boutique shops and a toystore and a general merchandise store.  That store was cool.  It had a little bit of everything in it.  Here is my family taking it all in and "chiefing it" as we like to call it.  Other wise known as walking ahead and leaving other family members in the dust.  (insert loving snicker here)

It was just starting to get dark when we were heading to a restroom.  We had been walking all afternoon and had eaten lunch and that wonderful glass or two of sweet tea was starting to kick in.  I love the old fashioned style street sign and  the way the lights twinkled in the background.  I took the picture in hopes of maybe getting some of the that magic "bokeh" in the background, but I wasn't successful.  Still need to practice.

Here is the same area at night.

Down on the riverbank is where the rest of the lights are.  Nothing extravagant, but simple and sweet.  I loved it.  This year marks their 85th year celebrating the Festival of Lights.  Here are just a few pictures of the lights at night.

Even amidst all the twinkling of the lights they still managed to share the "true reason for the season."



I enjoyed our trip there.  The hubs took the scenic route.  He knows I love that stuff.  I enjoyed time with family and I enjoyed the lights!

The younger generation  in our family even indulged me in a phot op.  I LOVE those sweet faces.

Tomorrow I will be sharing my word for the new year.

Have a blessed day!

::JOIN ME::

I finally joined pinterest.  Lotsa fun and a great way to have all my fave inspirational pics in one place.

I have only made three boards so far, but check it out.

 

::HANDMADE HOLIDAYS:::

Have you checked out all the great links for handmade holiday ideas?  I am sure pinterest has a ton of them.  I don't pin, so I wouldn't know.  I am still old school.

This year I am trying go handmade on the wrapping.  I also wanted to make some new ornaments for our tree as well as make some for family that will be visiting soon.

This year I am choosing to use brown kraft paper as the wrapping and embelish with some simple ribbon or yarn.  I have been finding some really cool tags to add to these gifts.  Here are a few links to some lovely tags that these bloggers have made as a freebie.

http://www.kindovermatter.com/2010/12/free-printable-holiday-wine-gift-tags.html

http://www.belvederedesignsblog.com/2010/12/free-printable-holiday-gift-tags.html

Also, check out Emily over at http://jonesdesigncompany.com/
Here is the link for her lovely gift tags:
http://jonesdesigncompany.com/holiday/christmas-goodies-week-gift-tags/

I have fallen in love with all the lovely clay tags I have seen on etsy.  So many pretty and unique tags.  My all time faves are from Jami over at http://www.freckledlaundry.com/
Check out this post and you will know what I mean.
http://www.freckledlaundry.com/2011/11/e.html  Are they not fabulous.  Simple, yet elegant.  That's me all over.

If you would like to make some of your own this year as well pop on over to Craft Snob blog.  Allison of http://www.littleloveliesbyallison.com/ shares a step-by-step tutorial with pictures. 

Here is a sample of her tags.


photo by Allison of http://www.littleloveliesbyallison.com/

I will be back over the weekend to share some handmade holiday gifts and hopefully my version of the clay tags I will be putting on my tree this year.

Until then, have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

LIINKY LOVE

Hi there!
sorry I have been scarce lately.  I have been working a littlle extra at work.  By the time I come home from running errands and doing housework, I am too tired to do a project, document it and post about it.  I do however, find time to surf.

I have some more linky love for you.  There are truly some talented folks out there that DIY their home beautiful.  Like Pottery Barn beautiful.  Go check out Shannon and Dean at  AKA Design.  They are participating in Crafting with Stars challenge. There most recent post caught my eye.  This round they were supposed to create something with pallets.  I fell in love with this......it's an ottoman they created.  Guess what??? They even show you how they made it. 

Shannon and Dean at http://akadesign.ca/

They have a great tutorial for the Pottery Barn inspired number canvas.  Don't fear if you don't have a silhouette or cricut.  They show you how to achieve it and on a dollar store budget!  You can't beat that.

http://akadesign.ca/?p=4633

Lotsa bloggers are doing the 31 day thing....you know, 31 days to a handmade Christmas, 31 days to better photography....well, you get the idea.  Kelly over at Imperfect Homemaking is doing 31 days to an organized home. Yep, I was all over that.  I have been perusing her posts and she has some great ideas.  If you are looking to get your home organized before the holidays, you will need to pop on over there and check it out.  Here is the link:
http://www.imperfecthomemaking.com/2011/10/day-two-organized-coat-closet.html

Enjoy your weekend!

:::SOME INSPIRATION FOR YOU:::

I am always  amazed by the creativity I see on etsy.  So many talented people out there and so many unique things to use for your home that are decorative or practical.

Check out this chalkboards.  I think they are totally cool and have never seen anything like it before.  They are chalkboard tablets.  

source:  Peg and Awl on etsy

No more searching for scrap paper or buying writing tablets or post-its.   I think these are really unique and functional.

You can purchase them from Peg and Awl on etsy at the link below.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/73939756/trio-of-chalkboard-tablets

Go check out Lil Boo Blue's chalkboard tags tutorial.  She is doing a great series on getting organized.
http://www.lilblueboo.com/2011/08/chalkboard-tags-a-tutorial.html

Christmas will be here before we know it and I am getting ready to make my own cards this year.  I love to stamp and have a wonderful Christmas set I intend to use.  I also will be making some clay tags as well.  I just love the simplicity of these and all the wonderful creative ways to use them.   Pop on over to
B & B's nest and check out her tutorial on how to make clay tags.  Here is a sample of some of her clay tags

http://www.bandbsnestinteriors.com/2011/08/transformation-tuesday-clay-tags.html

I will be back on Friday with a giveaway so be sure to come back.

::CABBAGES AND ROSES::

I am beyond excited that Cabbages and Roses have collaborated with MODA and will be selling a  quilting line of fabric here in the good ole US of A !   What's even more exciting is that the Fat Quarter Shop already has it in stock. You can check it out at the link below.  The new line is called Northcote Range.

http://www.fatquartershop.com/Northcote-Range-Cabbages-and-Roses-Moda-Fabrics.asp?Store_Id=499&T=1

I have adored their fabrics for a couple of years now, but never have been able to purchase any yardage.  I love the beautiful, airy flower prints and the lovely striped fabrics.  Their fabrics caught my eye because they have a wonderful cottage feel to them. 

This blue and white collection is just lovely.  I love  how they mix it with the stripes on this bedding.  So pretty.

Cabbages and Roses

Their photographic styling is just as yummy as their fabrics.

Cabbages and Roses

check the MODA website,  or call 800-527-9447 or send an email to service@unitednotions.com for stockists.

:::READ ANY GOOD LITERATURE LATELY???::::

When I was younger I was an avid reader.  I read everything and always had a book in my hand.  I was even known to be so engrossed in a book  that I would try and read at the dinner table...or worse yet ..the bathroom!  Ha, I know, it sounds silly.

As I grew older and married and had children, magazines became my reading source.  I only had short spans of time to read and novels weren't it.  Now that my children are older, I make it a habit to read at least one novel a year.  The novel I pick usually gets read when we are on vacation.

This year were traveling to PA to help a friend celebrate her 50th birthday and I asked the hubs to pick me up a magazine before we got on the plane.  Yeah, I know, some reading habits are hard to break.  Anyhow, he came back with a book.  A book that had 527 pages.  I was like, "What's this?  I asked you to get me a magazine."  He said, " I saw this and remembered you said you wanted to see it, but I thought you might like to read the book first."  Know what book I am talking about?

If you guessed......

You were right if you guessed  THE HELP.  The hubs picked a winner of a book. It was just like being a teenager all over again.  I took this book every where.  I read it all the way to PA.  Two planes and a layover.  I read it on my free time while we were in PA and then I read it all week and two planes and a layover on the way back.  Great book!  Did you know that the the woman who wrote the book is a first time author? 

An added bonus for me was actually being able to meet someone from the movie.  On my second leg back to New Orleans, I sat by a woman and her husband.  She saw that I was reading the book and asked if I was enjoying it.  I said, "Yes, I am.  I am half way through the book.  I want to read it all before I see the movie."  She shared with me that she actually worked on the movie in the costuming department and said that they used vintage clothing and that some of the stuff was so old, that it was falling apart.   She said the movie was pretty true to the book...and she was right for the most part.

So, if you are looking for a good read or a good movie to see check out THE HELP!  I am giving the book and the movie two thumbs up.