Hopping in to wish you an early Happy Easter!

Stopping by to wish you all Happy Easter early! Tomorrow all heck is going to break loose and I won't have a chance before Sunday. We have a house full of family arriving tomorrow and I am sooooo eggcited! Jerrys Dad is flying in from Florida and will be spending the next 10 days with us. Our daughter Erin and her little family are driving up from Oklahoma tomorrow. Two little Grandsons on the way YAY!!!!! Jon will be home from KU for the weekend as well!
My Texas pumpkins can't make it, too far for a weekend trip :( So their bunny box is on the way to them. These Hallmark Donald Duck bunnies are a riot, they walk and talk, the boys are sure to love them and they are sure to drive their Momma crazy by the end of the day.
My week has been full, cleaning, preparing dinner menus and making lists, lists and more lists! My mind is in such a dither. Monday I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Hubby and I were heading out to do some errands and I could not find my phone ANYWHERE. So I made him come back in and call my phone, no answer. I ran upstairs, I ran down. I was really worried I mailed it in an order box to England or Canada and mentally was picturing my phone ringing in the post office bin. OMG, now what! Then I hear Hubby muttering, well this is a really good one. Barb he calls, um, your washing machine is ringing LOL!
On that note, I am off to do groceries! Happy Easter to all, I'll have lots of pics for show and tell next week :)

A yummy fabric kind of day!

I am so excited! Look what was in my mailbox today, some yummy, yummy fabric! I looked hard and wide for this fabric. I wanted Asian prints but I also wanted bright colors. After exhausting my local haunts I resorted to spending an evening drifting through many on line shops. But you know sometimes shopping in your jammies and eating chips and dip is fun too, can't complain cause I found it! The colors are everything I expected them to be and I can't wait to start my next quilt! I even went out side in the sun, yes I said sun, to take a nice bright picture for you.

And who was there but my daffodils, just starting to bloom. Poor little guys, I fear they are in for a rude awakening. As I type the clouds are starting to move in, bunches of snow is in the forecast for tomorrow!

Time for me to get a move on. Make a quick little snack as Hubby and I are out the door as soon as he gets home from work. We are on a curtain hunt. Trying to finish up that newly painted bedroom this weekend. Getting ready for company. I am going to have a house full for Easter weekend, so excited! Yay, this is just the best day!
X0 Barbie Jo and Cleo (who is doing super on her catkins diet, eating tons of prescription food, I mean tons lol) I guess she likes it! Oh, boy, we'll see what Doc says next checkup!

Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate :)

Did you know that besides sewing I have a passion for chocolate? I sure do! Each year I special order my Easter goodies from Sarris chocolate shop in my native state of Pennsylvania. So many darling novelties to choose from; yummy, yummy melt in your mouth chocolate, oh my. And today the bunny.... I mean UPS man left this box of goodness on my porch. Sorry to carry on so, but I thought I died and went to heaven! Now I have to find a good hiding spot, I didn't order any for me, what in the world was I thinking! Well, obviously I was not :(


Ok, I admit to being a bad blogger lately. I just don't know where the time has gone since we returned from our little trip. One day runs in to another and before you know it another week has passed by, you know how that goes. Jerry and I have been busy with a little bedroom redo- painting. And I started going through all my drawers and shelves etc during the process... holy cow, that was a big nightmare! We are making good progress though and I need to get all the work out of Hubby while I can before golf season gets into full swing :)
In my spare time I was working on writing up the instructions for my new pattern. "Bunny Tails" has three cute little pillows to stitch and and ornament for your Easter tree. They are quick to stitch and lots of fun, I love bunnies don't you?


And here's a sneakie peakie at my next design, all done and ready for me to write the pattern this week.
And speaking of kitties, well not that we were, but many of you have asked about my little fur baby Cleo. She is doing very well, adjusting to running to the vets every week for tests. For some reason kitties just don't like to go for a ride in the car. She cries and cries all the way there. Allowing me to give her 2 shots every day and being such a good girl about it. She is even on a prescription cat food, her Dr calls it the Catkins Diet, ha, ha, get it! Our vet thinks it's pretty funny, however Cleo does not feel quite the same about it LOL!
Oh gosh, hubby is pulling in the drive way and I guess that means I'll be hearing "whats for dinner" next! What is for dinner anyways LOL!
Have a lovely weekend all!
XXXOOOO

Vegas Baby!

Good morning! Still catching up from a busy whirlwind week. Last week I had the pleasure of making a quick trip to Vegas with hubby. He was there for a convention and I was able to tag along. I was ready to leave the cold behind for a few days, when we left KC it was only 8 degrees! Vegas was only in the 40s and 50s but it's amazing what a little sunshine can do for you.
We stayed at the hotel Paris.


Such a pretty hotel with the replica of the Eiffel Tower. You can actually ride to the top of the tower and have dinner however we did not.


I was able to attend one of the convention functions, a special opening night where George Bush was the guest speaker. He talked for 1-1/2 hours, I was really excited to be able to hear him speak!


And what hotel lobby is complete without lots and lots of slot machines. This one caught my eye right away lol!

Lots of walking in Vegas, so many places to go and see in such a short time. So much eye candy!
Would you like some ice cream, can you believe this is ice cream?


We walked and walked, visited several of the hotels near by, they were all decked out for Chinese New Years and the displays were all so stunning. The next few pictures are from the Bellagio lobby and atrium, pictures just don't do justice to the beauty of it all.


Health and Prosperity.

Year of the Tiger.

Topiary Pandas at play.

Home again, home again, more snow and cold, as I said the brief reprieve was lovely. Full swing into preparing for my Valentines! I spent all day Saturday in the kitchen. Making cupcakes, cookies and goodies for my boys.


Did you have a nice Valentines Day? Mine was wonderful. Jerry and I drove down to Lawrence, to have lunch with our son Jon at KU. Lunch with my boys, it doesn't get better than that!

Wishing you a wonderful week!
X0 Barbie Jo and Cleo

A little sick kitty :(

Oh my, Cleo and I have been very busy this past week, running back and forth to the vet. Cleo is 10 years old now, not that old for a kitty, but she has been showing signs of somethings not quite right. She has been drinking lots of water, I mean LOTS! Jerry would say to me, gee, I just filled her bowl! So I gave her a bigger bowl, and then a bigger bowl, pretty soon I could have just sat the kitchen sink on the floor. Now you know what goes in must come out, so next I was buying box after box of kitty litter. I googled "cat drinks and pees a lot" (aren't computers an amazing source for info) and every article I read seemed to point to feline diabetes. We made a vet appt and ran blood work which came back as expected.
Insulin was prescribed for her and back we went to learn how to give shots. YIKES.... I was really not looking forward to this part, I mean Cleo is not that laid back and I was afraid of not doing it right... UG! So Cleo and I have been working this out this past week, we are both getting a little more used to the routine, she needs a shot twice a day, 8am and 8pm. We will continue monitoring Cleo with her vet to stabilize her condition and hopefully enjoy many more kitty years.

Hubby brought me these flowers the other day, they sure were a bright spot in a stressful week.


Valentines Day is just around the corner. Yesterday I wrote out all my cards and boxed up goodies for all my little Grandsons. I love Valentines Day, the colors, glitter and sparkles, the chocolate :)


Browsing lots of reading material while at the vets. I love this one- Phyllis Hoffmans- Celebrate Winter. Such eye candy, the photography on every page is amazing, lots of wonderful recipes as well. If you love to entertain this ones for you!


And then there is the latest Hancock's catalog. I have been circling all the fabric I want like a kid at Christmas with a Sears catalog. I don't know how fabric can get any better, each new line is more amazing than the last!


Hope you all are keeping warm and cozy with all the snow storms that have been blowing across the country. I dare not whine about the measly 7 inches we got on Friday after talking to my east coast relatives.
Next on my agenda is a little packing. Getting ready to head out for a few days. Maybe I'll have a few pics when I get back.... a little hint.... Elvis can marry you here!
XO Barbie Jo and Cleo

A Felting Fool

I don't know about your end of the country, but here in Kansas we had bone chilling cold weather, below zero weather most of last week. The snow from Christmas which I loved at that moment, because who doesn't love a white Christmas, is still piled up on the ground....only now it's a yucky color and a nuisance. Other than running out for necessities such as chocolate, Cleo and I have been content to stay home and felt lots of wool felt for new projects. We were felting fools, we felted over 27 colors!

The crock pot was put to good use making lots of comfort food. Chili in sourdough bread bowls topped with cheese and a big dollop of sour cream, YUM! I love winter food don't you?

I finished my pattern for "Down The Bunny Trail", isn't it adorable? Jerry will be adding it to the web site tomorrow.

Today was a much needed get out of the house day. Too much hanging out here talking to Cleo can not be a good thing. Hubby and I skedaddled on over to Independence Missouri with friends to see an exhibit at the Harry S Truman Presidential Library & Museum. Now I know driving to another state sounds desperate for a get-a-way, but you have to remember we are just about on the state line, so going to MO can be minutes away. OK, back to the museum, it really is a lovely building which my picture does not do justice to as it shows only a small portion of the building.
I did not however want to walk backwards a mile in the freezing cold and slush to capture a better picture for you. The special exhibits change from time to time, the exhibit we were interested in seeing today were the Pulitzer Prize Photos from the year 1942 to present.

One of the permanent rooms is a replicate of Truman's Oval Office in the White House.

All that looking at photographs works up an appetite, we were starving and ready for some Italian cooking at V's. Now don't let that sign scare you away lol! The food is wonderful and the atmosphere is fun.

When I got home I had a box waiting for me, actually I have been impatiently waiting to get my hands on these luscious shades of #8 Perle Cottons.


I am itching to get stitching this week!
Have a wonderful Sunday.... XO Barbie Jo and Cleo

Happy 2010!

Happy New Year to all! I know, it has been awhile since my last post, seems I had a blogging meltdown before Christmas, so we have a little catching up to do. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Years. Ours was quiet but lovely and we had a white Christmas, lots of white, a foot of snow! And I have to show you a darling gift my mailman brought, a completely unexpected gift from my bloggy friend Sharon.

Some of you may know Sharon by reading her fun posts on Red Geranium Cottage and she was a very busy girl this year stitching up lots of cute gifts. She sent me one of her famous zippered pouches, the cutest little embroidered stocking and even a little ornament for Cleo! So sweet!

Along with a fresh snowfall come a batch of snowmen. No I did not make this little girl, she sits in a yard few houses away from me. I love watching all the little ones enjoy the snow. And I also am thankful I don't have to deal with the mounds of soggy mittens, clothes and boots anymore LOL.
Along with that snow the temps have been in the single digits, a nice time to stay inside as much as possible and stitch. Cleo and I felted this nice stack of wool felt last week.


Then we cut it up and began working on a new design. And just look at my helper, laying on top of my penny rug, pins and all, doesn't matter, just gotta lay claim to my work in progress. Um, could you move over Cleo so I can sew this tail bunny on?


Well I did manage to get it done, here's a little peek at "Hoppin' Down The Bunny Trail".
Writing instructions this week and hope to have it on my web site soon.

Have a great week everybunny, and stay warm!
X0 Cleo