I'm So Honored

 
Gay over at It's a Hodgepodge Life has done a very sweet thing for me.  She has named me as one of her tribe and has named me on her blog as someone she thinks her readers should check out.  I'm so stinkin' honored, I'm sort of speechless.  For those of you who actually spend face-to-face time with me, you know what a miracle that is!  Anyway, I want to say thanks to Gay and to make a little confession.  The rest of this post (except for the five I'm about to name) is a cut-and-paste from her blog.  Why mess with perfection?  She says it way better than I could.  So welcome to Tribe Talk.

How it works....


*It begins on It's a Hodgepodge Life every Saturday...(the McLinky will be up for 5 days, so you can link up anytime during the week but it begins Saturdays.)

*Go to Gay's blog and grab the Tribe Talk Button to your right and Share on your Blog ~ Share with everyone that this is a FREE way to increase traffic to their blogs and find some interesting blogs to follow.

*List 5 bloggers that you want to spotlight. Try and choose those that comment on your blog on a regular basis, but it's not a requirement.
*Make a list of them on your blog or write a post featuring them. It can be an old or new post.

*Then link-up your post and let everyone share your picks and "meet" your tribe as well as others.

Think of it as a "meet and greet" for bloggers, increase your Tribe and let others do the same.

My 5 picks for the week are:

~Starla at ReFashioned Threads

~Kim at Save That Pickle Jar

~Hurricane Rojo at I've Got POOP in my Pocket

~Lily at The House of Mirth

~Helene at I'm Livng Proof that God Has a Sense of Humor

Visit, follow, comment, enjoy.

xxoo

Painted Shoes...Just For Me

I told you all I would be posting about some shoes my friend Gail painted for me.   Well...here they are! 

Aren't they absolutely divine? 

  I don't have a picture of what they looked like before, but imagine plain white pumps with a couple of cat scratches and a few cat bites.  You see, they came into Ruth's Room.  One day as we were cleaning up, Gail was telling Starla and I about these really cute shoes she had seen in a local store that looked as if they had been painted with acrylic paints.  We told her she should try it and see how they turn out.  She decided to take this beaten up pair of pumps that were still good (aside from the kitty damage).  She figured if it didn't turn out there wouldn't be any big loss.  I knew they would be fabulous because Gail is super-talented and has a God-given gift for artistic touches. 

When she brought in just one shoe to show us her progress I about exploded with excitement!  I knew they would look good...but this was great.  She quickly finished the other one and brought both to show off to all the Ruth's Room volunteers.  They were sitting on a table one afternoon and my daughter, Callie walked in.
  "Are these my shoes?' she asked.
"No, they're mine," I replied, "you've stolen enough shoes from me, girly."  (She just turned 19...how did that happen so fast?)
"No. I mean are these the shoes I brought in?  The ones that Jordy chewed on?"
When Gail had chosen the shoes we had no idea they had been donated by Callie.  Well, I assured her there was no way she was getting them back now!  She could find another pair for Gail to paint for her.

So I'm sharing my shoes with you.  Gail is very modest.  While she is pleased with the way they turned out - the little dots all around the edges are her favorite element- she doesn't think that she did anything anyone else couldn't do.  Well, maybe there are those out there that can, but I can't.  And I know that if Gail wasn't my friend, there would be no way I could afford to buy shoes like this.   It's not real clear in these pics, but each shoe is painted with the same elements, but is not identical.  The background is a gorgeous turquoise.  Tiny white dots border the edges at top and bottom and grass seems to be growing from the sole up onto the upper of the shoe.  At the back of the shoe and all along the opening of the shoe are tiny pink and Merlot-colored flowers on a twisting vine.  Each toe is accented with white dots in a dancing pattern.

I will be wearing these for the Get Your Glam On Fashion Show being put on by Ruth's Room.  More on that next week! It's only a week away!!!

 I'm trying to encourage Gail to paint more and let me sell them for her.  What do you think?  Is there a market out there for these kind of adorable and fantastic shoes?

Winners...Winners

So you all know I had a couple of giveaways going on here courtesy of MyBlogSpark.  I have just chosen the THIRD winner of the Safeway gift card  The first two chosen have still not contacted me so I have chosen a third...this one has until tomorrow morning to contact me.  If she doesn't, I'm choosing who I want to win and that will be the end of that.  Sheesh!

The winner of the Football Prize Pack is none other than my bloggy friend Kim from Save That Pickle Jar!  I've sent Kim an email and I'm sure she will get back to me.   Since I have mentioned her, please go check out her blog and become a follower.  She just added the follow thingy to her blog *finally* and she comes up with the greatest things.

I also have some exciting news I will be sharing soon about my Brags and some gorgeous shoes my dear friend, Gail painted for me.  You read that right...Painted!  All those exciting posts coming in a couple days.

Thanks again to all my wonderful followers and those I've gotten to know in the blogosphere.  You all rock!

Gift Card Winner

I'm only a couple hours late in choosing the Safeway gift card winner.  *Drum roll please*  The winner is lucky commenter #1!  Random.org chose #1...and that is Samantha.  Congrats Samantha...I've already emailed you and you have 48 hours to respond.  Samantha has a blog of her own...The Cleys Clan.  Stop by and take a look at her cute blog and her adorable triplets.

In other "gift card winner" news, I recently won a giveaway hosted by Becca of Blue Cricket Design.  I won 5 free greeting cards and a $25 gift card from Trolley Cards.  The greeting cards they have are absolutely adorable... here is one of my faves. 

The best thing about winning 5 of their greeting cards is I can choose all 5 at once or one at a time and have them sent directly to the recipient.  And when you order greeting cards you can also choose to have a gift card included.  They have over a dozen gift cards to choose from; including, iTunes, Pottery Barn, and The Cheesecake Factory.  I chose Banana Republic/Gap/Old Navy and have already placed my order for two cute shirts.  Go check out Trolley Cards for  unique greeting cards and stop by and visit Becca and her wonderful blog.

The Big One-Zero-Zero

Image found here

That's right folks...I hit the Big 100...One hundred followers!!!  I can't believe it...I thought this day would never come back when I started this blog.  I can't believe this is my first post.  It's actually kind of embarrassing.   It's amazing how things have changed.  The Bean was born,  I vented and laughed about our reality of dealing with illegal immigration on a day-to-day basis, and I have made some great bloggy friends. 

I want say a big huge  THANK YOU  to all of you.  You have all taught me so much.  If you are one of my followers and I'm NOT following you, please let me know.  I really do want to follow you back and I try to do so when I get new followers.  Sometimes though, life gets in the way.  Thanks for all the wonderful, kind, funny comments you have left.  I enjoy each one of them. 

Now...if you haven't entered the two giveaways I'm hosting, go do it right now.  This one for a $50 gift card from Safeway ends tomorrow afternoon.

And this one for a football-themed prize pack ends on Wednesday afternoon.

Spring Flowers

Remember when I posted the tutorial for my fabric flowers and then I posted pics of the Bean and the flower headbands I made?  Well I have made another flower and turned it into a bracelet for Starla this time. 

I made this one really full; I used 8 circles of each size!  That's a total of 24 layers of fabric.  In the center is a 3-dimensional silver heart pendent (sorry I didn't get a better pic) that was from a bag of broken jewelry from my aunt.

Here is a pic of the back (another less-than-perfect pic).  I sewed the completed flower onto a length of black organza ribbon I had left over from some past project.  Evelyn, Starla's daughter, now wants one.  They are so easy to make!  I'm having tons of fun making them.  Have you tried one yet?

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Even though Spring is still a ways off, the weather around here hasn't been too horrible.  With these fabric flowers though, I can make sure Spring is with me everywhere I go.  I was browsing around Artfire recently and come across some other lovely fabric flower creations I'd like to share with you.

First I would like to tell you about Tiffani at Cutienessers.  I did a search for fabric flowers and her shop was the first one I stopped by. 

I fell in love with her Cranberry Burgundy red fabric flower hair clip.  It's only $5!

And I'm dying over these stinkin' cute Ava mary jane baby shoe!  How cute would these be on Bean's feet when she takes her first steps?

What mom wouldn't be thrilled to get this adorable little Purple and green flower on stretchy lace headband for their new baby princess?

If you're dying for Spring to arrive, and can't wait another minute, head over to Cutienessers and order up yourself some Spring flowers.

Next I'd like to let you know about Khalliah Design.  While doing my fabric flower search at Artfire, I also found Caroline and her lovely creations.  As soon as I saw this gorgeous Set of 2 beige blossoms bobby pins, I knew I had to find out more about this artisan.

I'm also loving the rich colors of this Handmade orange and black blossom barrette and brooch.  Wouldn't this be perfect in your hair for a sunset barbecue or as a brooch for that special evening out?

You can also find some fabulous handcrafted jewelry made by Caroline.  My favorite are these unique

Emerald quartz earrings.  Aren't they fantastic?  And, my favorite color is green...perfect!

Go visit Khalliah Design and check out all the other wonderful pieces of jewelry and Spring flower finery and find that perfect item to make Spring arrive just a little bit early.

I'm Getting a Designer Tote

I was recently contacted by CSN about doing a review of one of their products.  CSN is an online site that has over 200 stores from which to shop.  I was told I could choose anything from any of the 200+ stores connected with them, within a certain price range

 One of the first stores I "stopped by" was the barstools store.  BunBun and I don't have a dining/kitchen table, but we do have a wide counter that doubles as our eating area.  Currently we have two thrift store stools sitting there.  Nothing wrong with that, but it would be nice to upgrade to new bar stools.  Since we could have only chosen one bar stool (and that wouldn't really do) I decided to shop around and see what else I could find.  I looked at pet items, strolled down the "aisles" of the lamp boutique, and even looked at place settings. 

I eventually ended up at Luggage.com and chose this Thomas Paul  Matryoska Tote in Red.  I'm so excited to be receiving this.  As soon as it arrives you can be sure I will be taking photos and writing a review.  In the mean time, go check out the CSN stores and see what goodies you find.

I Have A Thing For Johnny...

Here is my newest crush...(sort of)

John Galliano, the lead designer for Christian Dior

Go and watch the fashion shows that I recently watched and see if you don't fall in love with these collections.

To get to the actual show links, follow these directions.
1. On this page you want to click on the link that says United States
2.You will be taken to a new page where you will click on Fashion Shows.
3. Watch both of them on FULL SCREEN
4. Enjoy!

Starla and I watched these to get an idea of how a "real" fashion show looks.  We have been preparing to do a fashion show for Ruth's Room at our church.  Now, we know we are not hip, eccentric fashion designers and that all the world will not notice our little fashion show.  But we want to do it with a level of class and polish that will get our cause noticed.  Ultimately, we want to glorify God in all we do.  It's just fun sometimes to look at what all the hoity-toity types are doing.  Whether you like this particular designer or the clothes, I have to say some of the details of these outfits is amazing.  It gives me all kinds of ideas for new kinds of little lovelies!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I finally got to watch my dear sweet Johnny Depp in Public Enemies.

(Gratuitous pic of Johnny)

 Ok, no movie with Johnny Depp in it is a bad movie, but I was a little disappointed.  I didn't know anything more about John Dillinger after watching that movie than I did before.  Is it possible I know everything there is to know about John Dillinger?  No way!  Not even I can know that much!  Could the people who made this movie have told us more about Dillinger?  Probably.  Will I watch this movie again?  Probably...Johnny is in it...duh!  Will I buy it...nah.  I'll wait for something really good like Alice in Wonderland.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I haven't mentioned this before (I don't think) but I love Johnny Cash.

 And...this love affair started long before the talented Joaquin Phoenix and cute-as-a-button Reese Witherspoon were in Walk the Line.  I grew up listening to Johnny sing as we traveled down I-5 to see my dad's sister and family in the Mojave desert.   I knew (and still do) every word to "Ring of Fire" and "don't Take Your Guns to Town" and "Tennessee Flat Top Box."  You know what I like best about Johnny Cash though?  He would tell it to you straight.  Once he got his life on the right track, he wasn't afraid to tell you where he had messed up and how God was what set him right.  I like that kind of honesty. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

Not sure where all the "Johnny" love came from.  But, I'm going downstairs now to spend time with BunBun because no matter what I like about all these other men, he is the one man who owns my heart.

I'm Sick of....

WINTER! 

I want this!

Now!

Oooops...Another Giveaway

As some of you already know, I'm a participant in MyBlogSpark; a program that sends me items to review and then I have the opportunity to offer an identical item to my readers.  Somehow, in the confusion of what is generally called my life, I forgot to review one of the items sent to me and offer it to you- my faithful readers.  What product am I talking about?  None other than Old El Paso Green Chiles.  I received the following items from Old El Paso and  MyBlogSpark:

*two free cans of Green Chiles
*a football-shaped ceramic serving platter
*two sets of football-themed plates
*cocktail napkins
*a themed table runner

BunBun and I each cooked a meal that we incorporated a can of green chiles into.  His meal was his fried rice (which is to die for) and one night I made Sloppy Joes.  The green chiles added an extra somethin' somethin' to each of the meals. These are not scalding hot jalapeno-type chiles, but they add a zing to recipes and meals that could be a little boring other-wise.  What I really like about these chiles is that they are available in two different sizes, 4.5 ounces or 7 ounces.  I have used them in the past in bean dips and nachos and have always been pleased with the results.  If you would like to try Old El Paso Green Chiles for yourself, you can get a $0.55 off coupon by going here.

We have not used the football-themed items yet.  In August my son will be playing his last year of high school football for one of the best teams in the area (I'm not a proud mom or anything).  It will be a bittersweet season and so the football items will definitely get used then. 

Do you have a family member involved in football?  Or is your family considered football fanatics?  Here is your opportunity to win the football items I was sent.  The winner will receive the following:

*a football-shaped ceramic serving platter

*two sets of football-themed plates

*cocktail napkins

*a themed table runner

To enter do one or all of the following, the first option is mandatory. Please leave a separate comment for each entry.

*Mandatory: What's your favorite way to use green chiles?

*Does a family member play football?

*Become a follower of Tally's Place or tell me you already are.

*Blog about this giveaway and provide the link.

The winner will be chosen randomly on February 24 @ 2 pm pst and will have 24 hours to respond to my email.  The prize will be sent directly to the winner from MyBlogSpark.

I also have a giveaway going on for a $50 gift card to any of the Safeway Corporation of stores.  Click here to enter that giveaway.

I received two free cans of Green Chiles, a football-shaped ceramic serving platter, two sets of football-themed plates, cocktail napkins,and a themed table runner from MyBlogSpark.  I was not compensated in any other way.  The opinions given ere are 100% my own.

Love So Amazing

Today is Valentine's Day, the day we celebrate love, romance, and that special somethin' somethin' with our spouses.  And while I think it's great that there is a day set aside to remind us all how much love we are surrounded with, I hate the commercialization of special holidays.  But that isn't what this post is about.  It's about the most awesome love of all time.  The love Jesus has for us that He would allow Himself to be crucified for our salvation.  We sang this song in worship service this morning.  It's one of my favorites.  I've defined the bold words in the song.  All definitions are from dictionary.com.  Also if you want to know the how and why of Valentine's Day, look no further.  Just click here.

Jesus Messiah
by Chris Tomlin
From the album Hello Love

He became sin
Who knew no sin
That we might become His Righteousness
He humbled himself and carried the cross

Love so amazing
Love so amazing

Jesus Messiah
Name above all names
Blessed Redeemer
Emmanuel
The rescue for sinners
The ransom from Heaven
Jesus Messiah
Lord of all

His body the bread
His blood the wine
Broken and poured out all for love
The whole earth trembled
And the veil was torn

Love so amazing
Love so amazing

Jesus Messiah
Name above all names
Blessed Redeemer
Emmanuel
The rescue for sinners
The ransom from Heaven
Jesus Messiah
Lord of all

All I hope is in You
All I hope is in You
All the glory to You, God
The light of the world





sin:  transgression of divine law.

any act regarded as such a transgression, esp. a willful or deliberate violation of some religious or moral principle.
any reprehensible or regrettable action, behavior, lapse, etc.; great fault or offense

righteousness: the quality or state of being just or rightful

messiah: the promised and expected deliverer of the Jewish people first and then the entire world
Jesus Christ, regarded by Christians as fulfilling this promise and expectation.

redeemer: one charged with the duty of restoring the rights of another and avenging his wrongs

Emmanuel: male personal name, from Gk. form of Heb. Immanu'el, lit. "God is with us."

rescue:  to free or deliver from confinement, violence, danger, or evil.

ransom:  the redemption of a prisoner, slave, or kidnapped person, of captured goods, etc., for a price.

Lord:  a person who has authority, control, or power over others; a master, chief, or ruler

Yoplait and $50

I recently had the opportunity to try Yoplait's Fiber One yogurt.  I chose the peach flavor and it was really good.  The cups are just the right size-4 ounces-and that 4 ounces is packed with 5 grams of fiber, 3 grams of protein, and 10% of the daily recommended amount of calcium.  I don't know about you, but as I get older, good nutrition becomes more important to me.  The great-tasting yogurts also contain only 50 calories per serving and there is absolutely no fat!  Aside from all the healthful benefits of Fiber One yogurt, the one I tried was very creamy and smooth.  I tried peach, but there are three other delicious flavors available; Key Lime, Strawberry, and Vanilla.  If you would like to try these yogurts for yourself, you can go here and get a coupon to save 75 cents the next time you do your grocery shopping.  

I was given the opportunity to try this product through My Blog Spark.  I received a coupon for a 4-pack of Fiber One yogurt and a $50 gift card from Safeway.  The opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine unless stated otherwise.  I received no other compensation.

Would you like the opportunity to win a $50 gift card to one of the Safeway family of stores?

Here's your chance.  The rules are very simple.  There is one mandatory entry.  If the mandatory entry is not completed, all other entries are void.  Leave a separate comment for each entry.  A winner will be chosen on Sunday, February 21 @ 2 pm pst.  The winner will be emailed and will have 48 hours to respond.  The gift card will be sent directly to the winner by MyBlogSpark.

Mandatory entry:

Do you eat yogurt? If yes, what's your favorite flavor.  If no, what don't you like about yogurt?

Optional entries:

*Become a follower of Tally's Place or let me know you already are.

*Blog this giveaway and leave me the link.

*Become a follower of Millie and Mabel's Fantastic Finds or let me know you already are.

The Prettiest Flower in the Garden

Remember yesterday when I posted about my Fab-ric Flowers?  Well, two of them were used to make headbands for my grand baby.  I think they make her look like the prettiest flower in any garden.

Take a good look at the elasticized band.  Does it look familiar?

It's an adjustable bra strap removed when I make my Brags.  It's on the biggest size here for Natalia (sorry I didn't measure) so it will go smaller for a younger baby.  I'm thinking of trying some other materials for straps as well, so I'll let you know how that all turns out.

Baby is here for a couple days.  Please keep her in your prayers as she has double ear infections and also has to take albuterol for her cough/chest tightness.  This is the first time she has had to take this and it takes me back to when Callie and  Levi were both prescribed this as infants.  Callie only needed one prescription of it.  Levi on the other hand has dealt with asthma all his life.  He hasn't let it stop him; he is very involved in sports and outdoor activities and from the looks of it, it's not going to keep Tally down either, no matter the outcome.  Just for fun, here are some more photos of her.

She is such a happy baby.

Maisey waiting for the sure-to-be-dropped Cheerios.

She adores the camera.

Maisey is so gentle with Tally.  Tally is giving Maisey a kiss here.  I tried to get one of Maisey licking her fingers but it didn't turn out.

We have one of those baby seats that hooks to the counter.  She thought she was such big stuff sitting there while Opa made dinner.

She's a keeper.

Fab-ric Flowers Tutorial

I recently was browsing around some favorite sites and followed a link to some fabric flowers. (Sorry, I can't find it now!)  I thought maybe I could try that.  I sort of changed a few things and came up with these.

Here is how I did it.

You will need the following items:

*Fabric scraps (I used cottons and cotton blends)

*Thread

*Buttons

*Needle

*Scissors

*Something to use as a circle pattern

*Something to make the pattern (I used some cardboard from a cereal box.)

First I made the circles (1 1/4 inches, 2 1/2, inches and 3 inches)  on the cardboard.  After cutting those out, I used them to trace onto the fabric.

I traced two of each size on three different fabrics.

I then cut these on a double thickness of the fabric.

Some of my circles were quite wrinkled, so I ironed them.  I found this step wasn't necessary for all the circles.

After I had all the circles cut and ironed, I stacked them in the order I wanted to put them together; two of the largest circles, two of the medium-sized circles, and two of the smallest circles.  Next I sewed through the center of all six circles, attaching them to one another.

I then added a button to the center and tied off the thread.  The next step was to cut towards the center on each sized layer.  I alternated were the cuts were so all of the cuts wouldn't be in the same place.

Then, while watching Bonnie and Clyde (again), I picked at all the cut edges to get an unraveled look. 

I really like how these turned out and plan on doing lots of things with them: headbands for The Bean, hair clips for the little girls of friends, lapel brooches.  I even have an idea to turn at least one of them into a bracelet.  I'll show you pics when I get to that.

If you try this, let me know or send pics.  I'd love to see what you come up with.