Category / Texas Lovely

by Bethe

How we rocked the block on Halloween

Confession – I have never handed out candy at my house on Halloween. Ever. Well, at least since I was a grown-up. I’m always either (1) at a Halloween party at someone else’s house, or (2) hiding in my back sewing studio with all the house lights off, trying to enjoy a few hours of sewing bliss while simultaneously praying that no angry trick-or-treaters egg my house.

So I guess that makes me a Halloween Scrooge. But not this year! This year, Mr. Right single-handedly threw a ginormous Halloween party at our house, and it was a blast. It may be a new annual tradition.

I say he single-handedly threw the party because I had to work right up until the time the party started, and he was able to take the day off. So, he really did all the set up, all the cooking, all the decorating by himself (and most of the clean-up the morning after).

And he rocked it. I am so thankful I married a man with a servant’s heart.

I mean cowboy. I married a cowboy with a servant’s heart.

I’m no good at costumes (nor do I really care), but thankfully my sister is the QUEEN of costumes, so I was able to swing by her house on my way to the party and borrow this gorgeous 80s rodeo queen get-up. It’s my new favorite dress. (and so comfortable!)

You know who your closest friends are, because they’re the ones who show up before a party starts just to see if you need any last-minute help. They’re also the same people who call you your husband late at night when they’re having plumbing issues, and who never EVER judge you when they come over to your house and it’s a wreck and you don’t have any makeup on.  Anyway, not only did Andrea come by early to help (and stay late to clean up), but her taco soup also won the grand prize for our driveway chili cook-off.

So back to the party. We did a little calf-roping…

Baby holding… (look closely, this baby lumberjack has a “beard.”)

May the odds be ever in your favor-ing…

Cooking…

Bat gazing…

And candy handing out-ing… (No lie, I think we handed out candy to 300-400 little ones.)

And further evidence that Mr. Right is one of the most generous and hospitable people that I know, toward the end of the night he started inviting the trick-or-treaters to come in and get a drink and some dessert. Pretty soon word spread, and we probably fed an extra 1,000 people. Not really, but it sured seemed that way. Probably closer to 50.

I’m now sleeping off a post-Halloween-party-non-alcohol-induced hangover. I will admit that a mid-week party in our home just about killed me, but lesson learned – next year I will just plan to take off work the morning after a party, and all will be fine! In the meantime, if you need me, you will find me at home in my PJs from tonight through Sunday morning, probably sipping a Diet Coke and watching another 50 episodes of How I Met Your Mother.

by Bethe

The Story of My Strip & Flip Baby Quilt

Some of my friends may remember that for several years I was a Big Sister for Big Brothers Big Sisters. Since at the time I was terrified of young children (silly me), I signed up for a teenager, and I ended up getting the coolest teenager in town – Stephanie. We spent four years together, going through some pretty major life experiences and changes, and I got to watch her grow up to be a beautiful woman.

That was several years ago. When I found out that Stephanie was expecting a baby boy, I just had to make little Grayson a baby quilt. I used this tutorial, and was able to whip it up in just a few sittings.

 Again, I used a Moda jelly roll for the front, and then snagged this back fabric on sale from JoAnn’s. Mr. Right thinks it makes him dizzy, but I thought the colors and crazy pattern tie in well with the LOUD front. Sometimes I love stepping out of my muted color comfort zone and just “going for it.”

I quilted in the “ditch” on all the colored fabric, then did several vertical lines up the white sashing to add a little extra texture. I try not to over-quilt baby quilts because I want them to stay soft and squishy for the little ones using them.

Last night I got to give the quilt to sweet Stephanie, mama-to-be, and my forever friend. I can’t wait to hold that sweet baby boy of hers!

by Bethe

What’s the point?

Sometimes you don’t know you have a problem until all of the emotions you didn’t know you had come spilling out. That’s what happened to me yesterday. An attempt to take the PERFECT PICTURE of my latest quilt for the blog turned into a big heart-to-heart with Mr. Right.

After trying to explain to him that I had to have the PERFECT PICTURE in the PERFECT outdoor setting because that’s what quilt bloggers do. And if I was ever going to get pinned on pinterest, if I was ever going to gain new followers, if I was ever going to be like THOSE BLOGGERS I read daily who have thousands of followers, if my little shop was ever going to REALLY take off, then I had to have the PERFECT PICTURE.

And that’s when Mr. Right looked at me with those giant brown puppy dog eyes of his, and said, “I think your priorities are a little out of whack.”

This isn’t a popularity contest.

My worth doesn’t come from the number of people who read my blog, or the number of people who buy something in my shop. My worth comes from one place and one place only – Christ.

I have been chosen by God: You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.  Then the father will give you whatever you ask in my name. (John 15:16)

My goal is to become more like Jesus: And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

My job is to show people Jesus’ love on his behalf: As God’s fellow workers, we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. (2 Corinthians 6:1)

I am fearfully and wonderfully made: For you created my inmost being;  you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:13-14)

My delight should not come from popularity: Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)

I should not waste my time worrying about the approval of the blogosphere: Commit to the LORD whatever you do,  and he will establish your plans. (Proverbs 16:3)

Here is what I know is true:

My worth comes from Christ, and not from the number of sales I make in my shop.

My value comes from Christ, and not the number of people who read my blog.

It is not healthy to seek popularity.

I opened my shop because I love it. This is not my career, this is not my primary source of income. I chose to do this because it was a welcome challenge to this girl who never takes risks.

I blog because I love it. Because I am a writer by nature, with an inherent need to put words on paper and come up with new and creative ways of expressing myself. I write because it stretches my muscles, it challenges me, it’s something I have to do. I blog because I want to encourage other women, to show them that I don’t have it all together, to show them that behind the pretty wreath on my door is a messy house with two imperfect people inside. I blog because it’s so comforting to find out that you’re not the only one who doesn’t have it all together.

The main goal is for you to see how much I love Jesus.

So to my dear friends who read this, thank you. Thanks for supporting me as I continue to blaze a trail that is sometimes filled with potholes and rocks and other times is smooth and wide. I hope to never encourage comparison, or feelings of not being good enough, but instead provide reassurance that every girl has that messy drawer that she doesn’t want anybody to know about. Or for me, a laundry room piled to the ceiling with clothes that need to be folded, and a closet that is most certainly a fire hazard, and a bed that is only made 15 percent of the time (oh mom, please don’t ground me) and a closet full of clothes that fit a little too snugly.

My worth comes from Jesus, from the One who saved me even though I was still a sinner. Who loves me when I feel unpopular, or unsure of the future, or filled with insecurities.

by Bethe

There is a worm farm in my bathtub

I know. I win for best blog title of the week. Thank you very much.

By the way, it’s true.

Don’t be jealous.

Mr. Right found some YouTube video about how worm farms are the next hot thing in sustainable gardening, and the next thing you know, there’s a worm farm in our backyard. On our back porch to be exact. Right under our kitchen window, for us to enjoy ALL THE TIME. You know, because the worm farm is so pretty.

Not.

But our particular breed of worms are sensitive. They don’t do well on these cold October nights.  So when I got home from my recent trip to Portland, the worm farm was sitting in the hallway INSIDE our house next to the back door. I very sweetly asked Mr. Right if we could maybe find a new home for his high maintenance worms that wasn’t in the middle of the hallway.

The next day they were gone. I casually asked him where the farm was relocated to, and he looked at me ever so slyly and said…

“I DARE you to find them.”

He is so lucky he’s cute.

And a week later I did. In our guest bathroom. Our house really isn’t so big that it took me a week to find them, but I’m a little A.D.D. and quickly forgot about the worms once they were no longer sitting in the middle of our hallway. Until one night I got curious and started checking all of the places they could possibly be hiding in our house. Meaning, I checked the closet in Mr. Right’s office, the garage, and then I saw the curtain pulled closed in our guest bathroom.

I whipped back the curtain, only to find this.

The worms are living in our guest bathroom. And they are multiplying.

I am told that these worms are turning our leftover food scraps into the most glorious compost and fertilizer you have ever laid your eyes on. Which means, the worms are eating all of our garbage and pooping out liquid gold fertilizer. IN MY BATH TUB.

Pray for me, friends.

And know that soon these worms may be for sale in my little Etsy shop. Because they’re breeding in there.

PS–Mr. Right wants me to let you know that technically it’s not a worm farm. It’s a worm RANCH.

A worm rancher’s wife sounds so much more glamorous. And either way, they’re in my bathtub.

by Bethe

My fall table

Fall is my favorite time of year – not just because it’s a celebration of surviving yet another sweltering Texas summer. Not just because it’s my birthday (Another year older? Didn’t I just have one of those?). Not just because it’s the World Series and the trees turn colors and my house is filled with orange pumpkins and brown burlap and I get to wear big baggy sweaters and tall boots. And it’s at least seven months before I have to wear a swimsuit.

Fall is my very favorite time of year, if you don’t count Christmas, the first time I can wear a sundress on a warm spring night, and anytime I get to eat chocolate. Or flat bread. Yes, fall is definitely in my top 5.

I’m not a big seasonal decoration girl, but I do enjoy decorating my table, since that’s where we spend a lot of our quality time. The fresh pumpkins and gourds are compliments of Trader Joe’s (it’s like Six Flags for girls like me who are scared of roller coasters), and the decorative (not real) pumpkins are from Market Street circa 2007.

Got any fall decorating tips for a girl on a budget who doesn’t like clutter? I’d love to hear them! Leave a comment, or link to your favorite blog post featuring some gorgeous (and practical) fall decor.

by Bethe

Decorating with Chalkboards

My mama kept a chalkboard in our kitchen when I was a child – we used it for shopping lists and spelling words and reminders. My dad taught my sister and I how to play softball by drawing diagrams on that chalkboard when I was in the third grade.

Who knew that my mom was absolutely ahead of her time when it came to decorating her house with chalkboards. For awhile I thought white boards were the wave of the future, but as usual, mama knew best.

Mr. Right and I are trying to carry the tradition to our own house by decorating with chalkboards. So far I have one in my laundry room:

And we’re pinching our pennies until we can turn this frame into a giant chalkboard/menu in our dining room. We tried to do it ourselves with plywood but it’s just too big, so we’ll be taking her to be professionally done at our local framing store. Soon. Until then it’s backed with burlap and I occasionally hang seasonal bunting on it to add a little color.

Until then, I continue to be inspired by some gorgeous DIY chalkboards I found online. (click on each picture to be taken to the original source)

Our marriage mentors have one of these in their kitchen that they post bible verses and prayer requests on. What a sweet way to keep the family on the same prayer page.

Or how about some chalkboard place mats?

A weekly menu (ps- don’t you love those green shelves?).

Chalkboards + bunting = bliss.

And then there’s this great endcap to a kitchen cabinet – perfect height for littles ones to enjoy. The second one is even cuter since it’s framed out.

 What about you? Have you found a unique way to use a chalkboard in your home or office? I’d love to hear about it.

by Bethe

Strip & flip ombre baby quilt

By now you’re probably thinking, “All that crazy girl sews is yellow and gray triangle quilts.” And you would be right… almost. I have been in a weird phase lately, but I’ve also got dozens of quilt ideas swimming around in my head, just waiting to make it out onto my sewing studio floor. The only thing that’s stopping me is time and money. Those silly quilts require a lot of both!

One of the quilts I’ve been aching to make is the strip and flip quilt I found on Cluck Cluck Sew’s blog. She posted a great tutorial, and I had been jonesing to do some sort of strip quilt, so it was a match made in heaven.

This is just the unfinished quilt top, which I made with a Moda jelly roll I picked up at my local quilting store. I’d never sewn from a jelly roll before – they’re expensive (this one cost $41), and I typically only buy fabric on sale, but it saved me from having to cut much of anything, and the entire quilt took me less than two hours to piece. Plus, I love ombre rainbow effect – such a nice change from the muted colors I’ve been addicted to lately.

I picked up a brightly colored backing and am in the process of quilting it right now – I hope to have pictures of the finished quilt up on the blog next week!

This quilt will be going to a special someone at a later date – I’ll tell you more later, but for now, it’s a secret.

by Bethe

Yellow & gray diamond baby quilt

My wedding colors were yellow and gray. My shop branding is yellow and gray. My never-ending yo yo quilt I’m making myself is yellow and gray. My last baby quilt was yellow and gray. My “You are my Sunshine” print is designed in yellow and gray. (Come to think of it, so is this one and that one).

So I’m sure you’re totally surprised that I finished yet ANOTHER yellow and gray baby quilt. What can I say? Those colors make me happy! And quilting is supposed to make you happy, which is why I keep going back to it. There will probably be more gray and yellow quilts in my future.

Say hello to my yellow and gray diamond baby quilt.

I continued with my streak of triangle quilts. As you can see there are so many different ways to arrange them to make them look completely different.

I didn’t have enough of that gorgeous gray fabric to finish the back, so I added two rows of patchwork squares with the same fabric as the front. I bound it with a retro yellow and gray border featuring tiny tulips. I’ve got a little bit leftover and can’t wait to use it again, it’s one of my new favorites.

I love how well you can see the quilted design on the back – such pretty diamonds!

I hand-bound the whole thing, which took me more hours than I’d like to admit (okay, at least 10), but it was worth it because of the delicate, clean lines it created.

This quilt is going to one of my Baylor Theta sisters, Amy, who just had another baby girl. I love getting to see babies use my quilts, as that’s what they’re created for – to be loved on, cuddled with, drug all over the house, and otherwise USED. I hope Baby Lily Reese gets much enjoyment over the next few years out of her little yellow and gray piece of my heart.

Stay tuned for ANOTHER quilt post TOMORROW. Yea!

by Bethe

I heart my customers

Thanks to my sweet customers who are so good at sending me pictures of my prints displayed in their homes! You all know how to make a girl feel good!

My friend Chelsea displaying her ruffle pillow, and her Adventure and Sunshine prints.

Alli… one of my most faithful customers, showing off her Thankful print along with my fall free printable…

Alli ordered a custom print of the verses she read at her wedding (1 Corinthians 13).

Kelly ordered a few prints, including my favorite verse that’s up in her office…

And my free printable that’s up in her friend’s office.

Thanks to everybody who has been such a huge support these past three months. If I could give you each a hug in person, I totally would. But instead, I’ll just send a hearty thank you.

A little shop talk – don’t forget that I’ve got hand-sewn Christmas cards listed. I’m only taking a few orders, and I won’t take orders on hand-sewn cards after November 15, so if it’s something you’ve got your eye on, be sure to place your order while there’s still time! Because the cards are very labor-intensive to make, please allow three weeks for me to professionally print the cards and then sew each one. Obviously the smaller the order, the faster you will receive them.

I am hoping to also add some Christmas photo cards to the shop – where you can purchase a design, I’ll drop your photo into the card, and then send you the high-res file for you to print at your local photo store. Or, for an extra cost I will happily print them professionally for you and include envelopes. As soon as I have them listed I will be sure to let you know.

PS–My goal for Saturday is to finish TWO new baby quilts! I can’t wait to post pictures of the new lovelies!

by Bethe

Books, babies, parties, and quilting

This weekend, the theme was REST. Since I was at a conference last weekend, I basically worked 12 days straight without a day off. Add to it that much of those first 5-6 days I was feeling pretty sick, which meant my energy level was lower than normal, and a 13-hour day Thursday, and by Friday evening I was pooped.

Luckily so was Mr. Right, so we did a LOT of sleeping. Like, 10 hours a night of sleeping. Like, we went to bed at 8:30 every night. We are so wild and crazy. It was glorious.

In between all that sleeping we managed to have some fun.

This is the book I’ve been reading. I adore biographies, and politics, and history, so this is like my book-loving trifecta.

Friday night we went to a party at the home of the owner of Mr. Right’s new real estate company. The theme was “denim chic” and I must say I felt a little bit of pressure to look effortlessly, casually chic. Coupled with the fact that it was 90 degrees in late October and my hair was a greasy mess, my skin looked tired, and, well… I may or may not have tried on every outfit in my closet. So silly of me, because we sat down the entire time we were there, nobody was dressed up, and I don’t think a single guest gave my outfit a second glance.

We left the party for dinner with my mom, sister, her husband, and the real star of every family get-together, my nephew Luke. These pictures are actually from the night before when we babysat him, but if you’re anything like me, you’ll take baby pictures whenever/wherever they’re available.

I am pretty sure if this photo had a caption, it would be, “What you talking about, Willis?”

My two guys… (if you look closely, you can see the quilt I made Luke)

Mr. Right got me a special treat after my long week – special heart cookies from Trader Joe’s. The fact that his office is within walking distance of my favorite grocery store may turn out to be the best thing – or the worst thing – that ever happened to me. I see a lot of gourmet organic treats in my future.

Saturday I spent the entire day in my pajamas sewing. It was wonderful. I realize not everybody would love to spend a pretty day stuck indoors on their hands and knees on the floor, trying to keep from getting stuck in the foot by a rogue strait pin, but for me, it’s the ultimate escape. I use the time to catch up on all my favorite shows, and my mind gets to be creative and messy for hours without interruption.

I worked on two quilts, and while I’m so very tempted to show you them in their entirety, I’m saving that for my Wednesday “Works in Progress” post. Is the alliteration cheesy? I’m trying to brainstorm new blog topics, and all the cool bloggers use alliteration. I still wish there was a day of the week that started with Q so I could do a Quilting theme. Maybe I’ll try rhyming instead… Quilt Day Tuesday? (oh my, I’m a dork)

So, long story short, come back Wednesday for some pretty quilt pictures AND an update on a special pillow I’m making myself.

Saturday night Mr. Right and I had a hot date thanks to a gift card we won in an internet contest (score!). No pictures because we were too busy making googley eyes at each other.

Sunday we went back to our home church for the first time since Mr. Right left their staff in early September. It was so nice to sit together during worship – something we haven’t done at this church in over a year because he had to work every service. I also got to finally introduce him to our Sunday School class – I think a few people were wondering if that phantom husband of mine really did exist, but I got to show them that not only does he exist, but he’s a total hottie.

Next week’s wrap-up will be epic… I get to meet my newest nephew in person! I am so excited I can barely stand it. Never fear, there will be PLENTY of pictures of that precious moment.

I am linking up  Sami, Dana, and Leeann for their weekend updates. Want to join me?