Sewing, Sewing

Working on some last minute projects that have to be mailed out ASAP!

 No time to blog. So I'll leave you with some pictures I took of some sewing I did recently .

A Trip to an Antique Store

This trip actually took place months ago, but I realized I never posted the pictures!

 Bad me.


A friend invited me to spend the day with her in Jackson, TN (about an hour from my place) and we visited her mom's (Who has sheep and spinning equipment, etc) and went to an antique store, and shopping and out to dinner.  And the friend treated me to everything.  It was a very delightful surprise that I'm quite thankful for.

Here are some of the cool things I saw at the store.

This little box was about as big as my hand, though the picture doesn't convey that.

 

I really liked how they used the buttons as a border on this shelf.

I took a picture of this old metal dollhouse because my mom used to have one almost identical to it.

Even the people and plastic furniture that this doll house had (in that plastic bag) are similar to my mom's, so it was pretty neat to see.  But I'd never pay $50 for it. 

Loads and loads of old glass soda bottles, some for $5 a piece.  This store did not have cheap items. We didn't buy anything, but it was fun to look.

This itty bitty tea set fit in the palm of my hand. It has a 'Blue Willow' pattern on it, which is what motivated me to take this picture.  Our regular dishes at home have the same pattern, and while between my sisters and I we've had 7 itty bitty tea sets like this from various countries, I've never seen this pattern on a small set.

A secretary cabinet very similar to one we have at home.

I'm a big star wars fan. B)  I liked seeing this, but I wasn't going to pay $20 for a rusted lunch box. :P

An cobbler's old stand.

The nifty ceiling fans at Cheddar's. Cheddar's is where we went out to eat. I had never been there before, but it was really tasty!

Apron for Red

My sister was a waitress for a while, and she needed an apron for her work. The restaurant has the waitresses buy their own, but I volunteered to make her one.

So I made her this one.

I backed the embroidery with some spare fabric so nothing would get caught on the threads.

Put some binding on the edges so they won't fray.

Done, except the chalk marks are still there.

Pillowcases

I don't remember if I've shown these pictures before. These are the in progress photos of those pillowcases I showed you. =)

We're super busy around here getting ready for Thanksgiving. And I am going to Georgia on Saturday

Thankful

Today I am thankful God has given me the ability to sew.   


That is all. Have a nice day =)

Exploring Exuberance

Over the years I've found it difficult to be excited. To be . . . exuberant.   Or at least. To show it.

I've never been good at expressing myself through tone of voice or facial expression or attitude. I've talked about it before, how I'm not even very good at feeling emotions in the first place.

The past few days I've been pondering the idea of exuberance, of excitement, and how it affects other people. I'm the kind of person who notices lots of little details, the ones most people don't seem to. I'm often told I'm extremely observant, and I try to put that skill to use.


As time goes by, and (hopefully) I grow wiser and more in tune with my surroundings, I notice more things. How a smile can change someone's attitude, how being excited can just make everything seem better to those around you. Your mood will reflect on others.

Since this topic has been going across my mind lately, I've been trying to show my emotions more, on my face, in my tone, through my body language. My family might find the change in me a little weird, since they know I'm such an even-keeled person, but I hope they appreciate it as well, because I can see a change for the better.

I'm not very good at writing my thoughts down. I can write down a story, but writing my thoughts and expressing myself are as difficult to me as expressing myself in person, so once again, I hope this make sense.

If you feel excited, happy, or even just content. Show it. It might help someone else turn their day around for the better.

I'm trying this this week. I'm exploring exuberance, and I'll see where it leads me.

Shopping and Whatnot

So . . .

I didn't get much done today.

You know why?  I was in Memphis all day, and going there and back amounts to about 3 hours of riding in the car. At least my mom was kind enough to drive half of it. :)

We had plenty of errands to run, Joann for more pillowcase fabric, wal-mart for all sorts of groceries. Thanksgiving's coming up, you know. Scored some pumpkins for 2 cents a piece. Yep. 2 cents.    Scored mini pumpkins 5 for 2 cents.   Seriously.   B)   Good thanksgiving decorations, those. 


And then we had to go to Best Buy to get a computer cable, costco for various things . . . kroger for gas ($2.95 per gal), Petsmart for some dog items, and Lowes for lumber for making chicken nesting boxes.


Lots to do and not enough time to do it, but we got most everything done.

I also went through and edited 13 chapters of VE. Round 2 of edits. :)

Lilly and the Chickies

We ended up purchasing Lilly.

By we I mean Red. She bought her. Lilly is Red's dog.


We also learned that it's spelled Lilly not Lily, but I'm sure she doesn't care much. ;)

The chickies were not amused.

Actually, neither one cared about the other. They were indifferent.

She's a sweet, even tempered dog so far. And she doesn't lick or jump up on people, which is a bonus. My least favorite thing about dogs would definitely be the licking. Ick

Callista, our 15 year old Aussie, was not amused.

Lilly is living in a 12 x 12 box stall in the barn (we will be walking her, don't worry) until she's used to the place and people. :)


Callista gets free roam of the paddock. After living with us for 15 years, she's used to us plenty. 

Chickies!

Now that my book is done, I will theoretically have more time on my hands.

Theoretically.

And I will post the pictures of our chickens that I took 3 months ago.

The no longer look like this.

But they are cute, aren't they?

We started with 25

and almost 3 months later we have 22.  Considering how fragile chickies are when they're newly hatched, that's really not that bad.

They were supposed to all be hens (that's what we ordered) but two are most definitely roosters.  They'll probably be the only ones who get named because the hens are all identical and it would be difficult to name them.

I decided to post the chickie pictures today because 1. they've been languishing on my computer for quite some time and 2. we're going to look at a dog today. A Great Pyrenees.

What does a dog have to do with chickies?

Quite a lot, actually.

We're not dog people. We don't really like dogs all that much, but we recognize their usefulness as farm animals and working dogs, and are able to care for them in that capacity.

A Great Pyrenees is just about the definition of a working farm dog. They were bred for that purpose. They guard cows, chickens, and goats, etc, and can even kill hawks and coyotes.  Since our chickens are now big enough to be let out of their pen, we need someone to protect them.

We found a Pyrenees for sale named Lily we're going to go look at this afternoon. Her owner has 4 other dogs and is looking to downsize. Pyrenees eat a lot. They're very large, weighing up to 150 pounds. (Or more, for the males).

So I'll let you know if we get her or not. She's 1 1/2 years old and has been raised with chickens from a young age, so that's a plus. Pyres (as people call them) must be raised with the animal they will guard to be effective at their job. 

So once we get a Pyre we can let our chickies run free. And I will take pictures.  We're not sure yet if we'll get Lily, of course, since we haven't seen her yet. We'll see. :)

Contest Time!

Here's what you've been waiting for! The contest. One of the prizes?  Naming a character in Viral Execution (among other things).


Now, recently,  my contests have been random drawings and the like, but this time you have a little bit more control over what you win. Personally, I like that a lot better, who wants to trust their winning to odds?

There will be things you can do to earn points.  Whoever has the most points by the contest end will earn the grand prize! There will be a second and third prize as well.

Now. How do you earn points?


5 points = Like this or any of the books' pages
5 = Have a friend like this page (and post on my wall to tell me about it)
10 = ask your librarian to order Precisely Terminated or Noble Imposter if your library doesn't have a copy
10 = write a book review and post it on your blog, amazon, CBD, B&N, or GoodReads  and tell me about the posting (You can post your review on each of these sites for another 10 points!)
10 = Take an imaginatively posed picture with PT or NI and post it on my wall
50 = purchase PT or NI during this contest (Sometime during November 1st through 30th) (And tell me about it by emailing me a copy of your receipt to amanda@daviscrossing.com )
120 = purchase PT and NI during this contest (Sometime during November 1st through 30th) (And tell me about it by emailing me a copy of your receipt to amanda@daviscrossing.com )

There could be more options to earn points if I think about them later. So check back!

The prizes!

1st place gets to name one of three characters* in VE. He or she gets to pick which of the three characters (A Noble female or one of two Seen males) and gets a copy of VE when it comes out
2nd place gets to name a character* in VE (Whichever of the two 1st winner doesn't pick) and Monica's necklace
3rd place gets to name a character* in VE (Whichever 1st prize and 2nd winner doesn't pick)


Dead line to get your submissions in for points is November 30th.

Sound exciting? Good! Get to work earning those points!




Names subject to my approval, but don't worry, I'm not to strict.  But please. No Bobs. ;)

Canadian fans may enter but are eligible for only the naming of the character prizes, not for the book or necklace - Sorry Canadian friends, but shipping is too expensive!




FOR THOSE WHO DON'T HAVE FACEBOOK!

I originally posted this on my Facebook fan page, but I realize some of my blog readers don't have Facebook.

For those of you who do not have facebook you can earn 5 points for following this blog (And if you're already a follower, that counts, too) and telling me you have in a comment here.
5 points for getting a friend to follow the blog (and tell me about it here)

For those of you who want to take a picture of yourself with PT or NI, you can email it to me at amanda(at)daviscrossing(dot)com (replace the (at) with the @ symbole and (dot) with a period)   and I will post it on my blog (if you'd like, if you'd prefer it not be posted, that's fine, too)

If you already own PT or NI, consider purchasing a copy for a friend or family member ! :)  Christmas is coming up!