from our house to yours... :)

a reminder from alwaystruggling... and our 16th president.

- You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
- You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
- You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
- You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.
- You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
- You cannot build character and courage by taking away people’s initiative and independence.
- You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves.
Abraham Lincoln

if only i had known this and taken it to heart sooner in life... i could have saved myself (and others) a lot of pain and heartache. it's hard to know what to do when a friend is in need. it's hard to know how to handle situations and what should be said when. it's hard to know how much help is good, and when that help turns into enabling someone to continue down the road you're trying to help them off of.

you cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves

i've been told i'm "nesting" but no... i'm not pregnant. i'm just recently motivated to work on craft projects (perhaps due to my new fabric that i've purchased recently... and the success with recent projects :))

i think part of it has to due with the olympics. and no... i'm not suggesting that crafting bags, coasters, aprons, etc. should be an olympic sport... but we've been up late every night and watching TV. those of you who know me know that i don't do well simply sitting still & watching a TV show or a movie... i like working on something else in the meantime. whether that's crafting or stitching or journaling or reading... i don't do well with just focusing on one thing at a time. hmmm... ADD much?

anyways... we've been up late, which has lent to many projects.

a recent creation... and my constant new purse... is this bag below.



full of pockets, it carries pretty much everything i could need, including a notebook and pen, all my diabetes supplies, and my often-exploding wallet. it also works well for bike riding--it can sit over my shoulders and around my neck (a cross-body purse if you will). oh, and btw... it's designed... by me



i saw a "yoga bag" in target that i liked but there were a few problems.
1) it had no pockets
2) it wasn't sturdy enough
3) it was royal purple

regardless... i figured out how it was made... went and bought fabric... and then came home and made it myself :) my favorite part is the pocket on the front... with the button that pulls it all together.



my second favorite part is the button that ryan found today at joann's... which again, ties everything together so well and keeps the top from flapping open. nice eye, hun

hmm... other projects...

i've made coasters for Mom for her birthday as well, based on this pattern, which i made for Grandma last Christmas as well. there are placemats to come... that are simply... works in progress right now they (and the coasters... which i have no pictures of) are actually made out of "vintage" fabrics (at least vintage patterns...). one from Mom (which she bought some time ago intending to make Sarah & I clothes... it's been a while ) and the others are from Stu -- an older man i worked with at the post office at school. his wife passed away several years ago and was an avid quilter & crafter... he passed her fabrics along to me as well as their china. a sweet, sweet man.

then, the apron i made for Grandma's birthday (happy birthday, Grandma!) out of a pillow-case which i thrifted yesterday (yes... yesterday ).



it was a pretty amazing thrift-store find! 8 pillow cases, 3 twin-size sheets, a pair of home-made drapes which are very colorful... and a couple of small yellow, terry-cloth blankets... all for $20. whew!





my current project is a market bag which i think will be a purse for me instead. we'll see if i can modify it enough to work for my needs

oh, and i've been working on a few other projects for Christmas, which i can't post on here... since Mom & Dad & Grandma & Sarah & Dan and pretty much everyone I'm working on projects for checks these sites so those will just have to wait or... maybe i'll give close-up hints later. hmmm... i'll have to work on those.

time for bed now... i'm tired after a day spent with family, then with friends. wonderful, hilarious, joyous times... but still tiring

g'night all.

mgr <><

p.s. yay for ryan hall... who is married to a girl i grew up with (sara bei) and just placed 10th in the men's marathon (aka 26.2 miles through the heart of beijing on a morning with temperatures of 83 degrees and high humidity! )