Swaps & Stuff

YOE is going so great and ending so soon! Thanks, girls for all the fun & goodies! *smooches*
With thanksgiving being just next week means the rush is on....I will be entertaining the kids and my Granny the latter part of the week and Dinner is at out house on Thanksgiving day. The menu includes: Turkey, ham, cranberry sauce, spicy corn (recipe below), I stole the image from Sweet Pea @ her blog. She calls it corn dip and adds a few other ingredients that I don't, but mine looks just like hers......Ok, back to the menu, cornbread & rice dressing, sweet potatoe casserole, brown sugar julienned carrots, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, pumpkin pies ( made by jon) and I'm gonna do cornbread & banana bread loafs! :) Mmmm...I'm hungry now! LOL

Spicy Corn 

1 - 29oz. can of whole kernel corn

1 - 8oz. pck of cream cheese sofened

1 -  sm. 4oz. can of chopped green chiles

Completely drain corn and excess of green chiles. Combine all incredients in bowl and mix until completed mixed together. (it's that easy)

OOhh! Karen @ Sew Many Ways is hosting a Recipe Party beginning Nov. 28th. You should come!!




Sew Many Ways Recipe Party!

And I forgot to attach a pic of Ty Pennington from Market yesterday!
Enjoy your weekend!!

Told ya it was paparazzi (hee hee)

 

Wow....

Wow, I can't believe how long its been! Halloween has come and gone and Thanksgiving is just NEXT WEEK!
I went to Houston Quilt Market last month! It was so much fun! I think I spent more time socializing, than shopping for ideas and new products, but that's ok!! I don't get to see Ellen Medlock, Keri Beyer, Ty Pennington and Pat Sloan on a regular basis! Yeah so, I "had" a pic of me & Ty but somehow dont anymore....I still got some more paparazzi pics of him though..I was too shy to go back and ask for another :) It was a good time, though! Here are some of the pics!

From top to bottom - 2 of  the 3 Dudes Quilting trio in Arizona, Ellen Medlock & I, Pat Sloan & I, Keri Beyer & I, and Gene our Moda Rep & I!  I had so much fun! I'll have to get all my quilt pictures edited to share from the museum part of the show! There are some absolutely breath taking quilts in there and some that will just make you cry. Just beautiful!

Special K Challenge: Day 4

Well, I must admit this is more of a challenge than I thought....I allowed myself to eat something bad and I can't say that I'm all that thrilled about this plan, but it has encouraged me to pay attention to what I'm eating, record what I am eating and then really think about how I can continue to eat healthier...Really, after the 14 days, its unrealistic to think I will continue to eat cereal , cereal bars and protein shakes...I just won't and not many people will...That's unreasonable to think someone will limit themselves to that and then only have one meal with "real" food....At least for me it isnt, ya know to get down a dress size, but those temporary diets arent good for you...
 Dieting isn't to lose weight as much as it is to feel better and make better food choices, for me.  I've decided that I really need to imply the saying "eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar".  I usually skip breakfast, snack until lunch, then snack after lunch and over eat at dinner, just to go to bed afterward.  So, here's my plan...I will eat a good breakfast, not just a cereal bar or 3/4 cup of cereal, snack on fruit or almonds (yummy), drink my lunch or have something kinda light, dinner, limit my portions to about 1/2 of what I would usually eat.  I think this can work...we'll see...
 Fun fact: (interesting, actually) I was getting ready to have cereal for dinner last night when I decided to label compare with my kids' cereal. The special K cereal that I was going to eat had, more calories, fat, carbs and sugar than my kids' Lucky Charms!! Can you beleive that??  I will be doing a lot more label comparisons now...Its actually kinda fun & interesting!
9/21 beginning weight - 183lbs
Goal Weight - 150lbs

So, I may have a new view tomorrow, but thought I would tell someone...:P

I'm Special .....K that is

Yes, I saw the commercial and instantly knew I wanted to take the challenge..Like seriously, who doesn't want to lose a dress size in two weeks!?
So, I actual began my 14 day challenge yesterday. I went to the store picked up some Special K cereal, cereal bars, granola bars....and wheat bread....ordinarily I eat white bread...Now, I can see h ow you can lose the weight and inches, because you're not eating anything...You're eating Special K products and then a meal once a day...I can see myself turning this into a new way of eating...but with substitutions...I did really well only consuming 1300 calories yesterday...I didn't realize how much I usually ate until I began my diary of everything I put into my mouth...Just to see, I made up a list of stuff I might throw into my mouth on a "normal" day and Holy Schmoly I was consuming about 6000 calories or more a day....We constantly have cookies or pies or cakes sitting out around work and then I eat out at lunch and then dinner and snacks and then at least once on the weekends...I had no idea...no wonder I'm gaining weight...
So, day two, I'm already at about 1320, so this means, I'll probably have a protein shake or something for dinner...yikes! When I did the calculations for how many calories you should consume to maintain my desired weight it was 1800, Im trying to stay at about 1300-1500 the first couple weeks and as I lose and am more active physically, increase my calories...this isn't easy, guys!
Wish me at least 2 dress sizes less and a ton of energy! That's all... lol

New House

Holy Schmoly I havent posted in here in a while...well, Im not even gonna promise that I will post more often...I need to just do it LOL

Well, I love the idea of our YOE swap creature being a mouse this month! I can finally put a little more into this month, now that we arent in the middle of moving!

 But, since last time....We've closed on our house...Aug.30th to be exact and a week later I had everything unpacked and the house decorated!! Seriously, you know when you really want something so bad or there is something you are so excited about that you can't help but think about it and want to do it all the time...Well, thats what it was with our new..ahem...First House!! I couldnt wait to make it "mine" and I didnt! LOL
 Here is a pic of when you first walk in the front door..A little fuzzy, my camera is dying on me, I think...But isnt it cute??!! We did a major downsize, but I can't say that I miss anything about the big house or the big mess there always was to clean...The girls are super excited too....They even keep their rooms clean (hope I dont jynx myself for writing that)

 I'll be hosting a Virtual Open House Warming party the first weekend in October, so you guys have to be sure to come back and check it out...So many people ask to see the house...I'm gonna walk through and video & post to You tube for a short while! Will have "refreshments" on the blog that day, including some of my favorite recipes and anything else I can think to share that someone other than me might like!

Well, good talking to ya again!

New Name

So, since I started my blog I have continued to struggle with a name...I've gone from Nikistitch to Niki's Adventure's in Bagging & Stuff....But, I think I've got it..I'm back to NikiStitch....after all, it is the name in my URL...(duh)
I have seriously been neglecting, which seems to be a mention I make in most of my posts...But, I promise its not that I don't care...Ive been making sure I keep real busy and.......We're buying a house!!! Yeppers, its technically our very first house!! We're so excited!! We had inspections yesterday and thats the last of what needed to be done. Hope to have the report back tomorrow and that nothing major is wrong so we can still close by the end of the month! Wish us luck!

I'm also working on a huge project at work to support Breat Cancer awareness, research and support. Note the button on my nav bar. Please check it our and grab the button for your blog too!! I hope to have enough time to make a bra for the cause.

Um, what else? Not much, really...School starts on Aug. 23rd...We are all excited about this day! LOL Working on my octopus for the YOE swap this weekend, so will try to get that pic posted.

Still missing my dad....

YOE June Doorprize!

Wow, it's my turn, already! I've got June's door prize as this cute handbag I made! But, that's not all! I have a mystery goodie bag, too! (I'll post that the day of the drawing) I'll announce the winner June 30th!  Sorry, only open for the Year of Enchantment swappers! Hope you guys like!

Summer is Almost Here

Weds. officially marks summer at my house. The girls will be out of school for the summer!! So many projects to get together for them to work on!! Probably some pillowcases and maybe doll clothes..OUr Gorgeous Voo Doo Lillies Bloomed, but died fast..I think there about 8 of them. Gorgeous, aren't they?

Still missing my Dad....

Since last time...

Wow, so much is going on and has been keeping me busy. From the Cha Cha Challenge I'm hosting at Stitchin' Heaven and much more serious things, my blogcrastination is getting worse.

Last week (May 11th, to be exact), I was on my way short notice to NY to see my father who has been fighting cancer for over a year. I arrived, but was still too late. As I landed, my father passed. Like my step mother said, people pick when they die. She said he knew I had arrived and I really think he knew I didnt want my last memory of him to be that way....It's weird now, I won't be getting those Sunday phone calls or hear silly messages on my machine saying "it's dear old Dad..pick up the phone you shit bird" . LOL My father had a way with words. It was priceless hearing all his friends & family recalling "Joeisms". The tribute at the funeral on Powerpoint we watched, made by his long time neighbor & good friend, Rory, was right. We all laughed...And that's how it usually is...I'm gonna miss him... <3

But, with such a sad thing, was also one that brought us together and was so nice to see family we hadnt seen in years. Thank God for Facebook, too! Here's some pics of the scenery along Mattituck to Greenport on Long Island.. Enjoy.

How Many Hours In My Day?

I am force to wonder. I have picked up another couple of projects.  I picked up another part time project from work and remember the tease from my last post?? Well, I'm not even sure if Ive ever mentioned I write the blog for Stitchin' Heaven? Well, I do and am officially the Monday Blogger for Quilter's Daily Blog Along! Woo Hoo! Ya me! I'm going to be doing product reviews. My first post when up today so be sure you go and check it out and comment & feel free to blog about the topics yourself. Just click on the Quiter's Daily Blog Along button.

Oh, right, there's more....I am also have taken on the task of wedding planner for a friend at work. Its going to be a  quaint little wedding, so I plan to blog about the great deals and inexpensive ways to have a great wedding. Whaddya think?

For those of you who don't know, Hobby Lobby now has an online store and they have so really great FREE project sheets.

I'm Such a Tease

Ooh, ooh! I get do something exciting beginning Monday! Yay! What is it you ask? Well......I'm not telling.....yet!
In the meantime join in on the Quiter's Daily Blog Along!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!
PS...Oooooohhhh...I'm almost finished reading Dear John....ooohhhh, I'm such a baby, Ive been crying and heartbroken lol

Catchin' Up...

It's been busy trying to get life back together since Granny and my sister were here.  I've re decorated every  room in the house. Of course, though, I redecorated with things I already had. I moved things from one room to another.  My dining room looks pretty great, with the re arrange. I even made some gorgeous tafetta curtains to finish the room off.  I founf the fabric for $1.95 a yard, so $18 later, wa la! I have these elegant curtains.
I also, cut my hair a little shorter tonight. Hubby didn't freak, so I know I can go a little shorter. Will try and get a good pic. 
Hmm...I cleaned my sewing room and found a ton of goodies for my future YOE swap buddies. I think I may also do a giveaway. What do you think?

Deb is hosting Bootcamp for Shop owers this week. I speak between 1-2 tomorrow about Social Media Marketing. Wish me luck. I always get nervous speaking in front of strangers.
Hope everyone is having a great week. OOOHH! I almost forgot, anyone else reading , Dear John? I'm on part two, I love it!

Too Long

Holy Moly I haven't said hi in almost a month. I've missed telling you about the snow, about my Anniversary on Valentine's, about my swap stuff, or work or my Granny's Birthday & Sister visiting....I'll share with a ton of pics, though! I'm thinking that pictures can speak a million words, so I'll end this post with all the images since, I've last posted. :P

The End <3

So Out of Touch

Seriously, our "puter" got sick and we've been without. The world takes on new meaning with realizing that life can and must go on without internet service. It was hard, but we did it! (wink) lol
Anyway, I can finally blog about my awesome ornie package I got from Missy last month! How great, huh?!
I got new specs last week, too! I really, really like them. I wasnt sure how I'd do with the chunky look, but I dig 'em! :o) I also dared to cut my hair, not too short...Its gonna be gradual, but you can def. see a difference.
I have a million and twenty projects Im working on, including a couple of handbags, an ornament, table runner, round robin & oh yeah..a balloon valance...But Im here writing in this thing..I better go!
XOXO

New this week...

Woo hoo! I got my new ornie partner (yay, Anna! & my last partner, Melissa) It's fairies this month! Woo hoo!
Hmm, I have the day off tomorrow...Woo! Jon & I are gonna have a day date while the girls are in school and I'm gonna get some much needed housework done.
Haven't been sewing too much lately, but here is the ornie I sent out for last month on the YOE Swap.
Its wasnt hard at all I found a really great tutorial by googling quilted ornaments...Way cool!

I still haven't gotten the guts to cut my hair shorter than my shoulders...I struggle between these 10 crappy lbs. but for the most part, I feel so DARN GOOD!

Hope you're well! XOXO

New Do?

I've been debating cutting my hair....I think I'm ready, I've been wearing long hair since I've had kids and its getting old wearing the same hair style. I feel different, so I wanna look different. I cut about 6 inches or so off, and Im shoulder length now...I didn't have the nerve to cut it all the way, but I think Im decided on a hairstyle if I can get past the hubby..He's freaking out that I wanna cut it. Anyway, I like this style Rhianna is wearing. What do you think?

Hmmm...I must admit it's been a great weekend. The girls and I cleaned house yesterday. I took full advantage of their labor, too.  They kinda just weasled their way around me early in the morning, until I told them they would have to pay me if I had to clean their room...That got 'em moving, 'cause I was gonna charge each kid $20. LOL SO, my house got cleaned real good yesterday, including windows and dusting!

I'm getting some creative urges....Will have my ornie package out this week. :o) Since I will be going to Spring Market in May, I am having ideas of what I will wear. Yes, I have noticed, that some attendees wear some great handmade apparel, and of course a bag is on the agenda, too! I am getting excited to run into Keri Beyer & Pat Sloan!

I promise not to post without a new handbag made! XOXO

Gonna go browse Swapdex!

Inspired

Well, I should be posting more, I know....I will...I've found some really great inspiration for my Enchanted Swap buddy...And guess where's she's from??!! Arizona, oh yeah! LOL Ugh I miss it there, the smell of the dirt after it rains, the mesquite trees and of course those gorgeous sunsets! See what I mean? (pic to right) One day, I will make it back....hopefully sooner than later.
I've been on a quote kick on FB (hee hee) but hey, I can't help it. I do our motivational quotes at staff meeting each week...Gotta quote you just adore? Please leave a comment. My all time favorite is this one:
(ok so its a little longer than a quote but most of you probably have read a portion of this)
I love you,


Not only for what you are,

But for what I am

When I am with you.



I love you,

Not only for what

You have made of yourself,

But for what

You are making of me.

I love you

For the part of me

That you bring out;

I love you

For putting your hand

Into my heaped-up heart

And passing over

All the foolish, weak things

That you can’t help

Dimly seeing there,

And for drawing out

Into the light

All the beautiful belongings

That no one else had looked

Quite far enough to find.



I love you because you

Are helping me to make

Of the lumber of my life

Not a tavern

But a temple;

Out of the works

Of my every day

Not a reproach

But a song.



I love you

Because you have done

More than any creed

Could have done

To make me good

And more than any fate

Could have done

To make me happy.

You have done it

Without a touch,

Without a word,

Without a sign.

You have done it

By being yourself.

Perhaps that is what
Being a friend means,

After all.”
Great, huh?  Ok, so since we're on the subject of mushy gushy stuff.... Sparks has a new movie coming out Dear John, its also a book..I will be buying it!
Um, well, although not much but so much seems to be going on, I have nothing really to report. Oh, but I will be posting when I get my Swap Ornie done!

It's A New Year

Wow, didn't realize how busy I've been until I noticed I haven't posted since Dec. 20th! Gheez!  Ok, so to get this in writing, I think will be the best way to start with my goals for the year. Hmm...Well, I will start off with the musts, like, new glasses & renewing my DL. :o)  Deb has us listening to Retail Mastery Audio Cd's, so I have to get those noted and imply.  I want to read at least 3 books this year. Which means, maybe I will do another book swap! Woo hoo! Wait, must finish Guernsey Literary & Potatoe Peel Pie Society...
I must do big things on the Stitchin' Heaven Howdy, including some much neglected book reviews for the Vintage Worksop. That's another project though...I hope to have trim put up throughout the house. We are freezing our tails off right now in this weather....Someone please remind me that I want to think twice next time I am wanting to buy a house that is a "fixer upper". So much blood, sweat and tears continue to go into this house. But hey, it's ours, right?!
Need to track down some ornanment tuts, maybe on etsy or craftster.org. I've joined in on the Enchanted Year ornament swap! Wooowey!
Anyone have a natural rememdy for cold and congestion. I can't seem to shake this (going on a week) and I hate taking medicine!
Oh yes, and I must continue my quest for a healthier lifestyle. The holidays are over and must not make any excuses why I couldn't eat right or excersize.
Ok, guess I'll talk lata!

Happy New Year!