home decor and garden are very famous in the world

Many thanks to Beckie at Knock-off Décor for featuring my Knock-off Clock table!

If you haven’t visited this site yet, don’t miss out!  It’s a great collection of budget-friendly projects based on expensive designer items.  

I am trying to tackle my ever growing "to do" list lately. There are so many things on that list in different categories. Home & family, sewing & craft projects, personal growth, etc... one of the things I have been trying to be better at is machine quilting. Don't ask me for how many years I have been saying that.

I feel like this year's it! I am going to get better at it, well I have to. There are so many quilt tops waiting to be completed on my shelf.

I have machine quilted some of my quilts in the past, but I can see all the mistakes and unevenness of the stitches. I am not really happy with the results.

My friend told me to use felt, the kind you can buy by the yard. I didn't have felt, but I had scraps of fleece and such and I have been practicing with those. Also, the people at the quilt shop that I go to, and where I bought my sewing machine, gave me some helpful tips for machine quilting (Thank you!). It has been really fun practicing and I think I am doing OK.

The true test will come when I am working with a real quilt. It is much harder to move around a big heavy quilt and to be consistent with the size of the pattern. If you are a quilter and have some tips to share I would really appreciate them!


Just a reminder that the giveaway for the $100 gift certificate to Olive Garden is still on! Go here to see what you need to do enter for the chance to win. :)

They fill a container in Europe and ship it back to California where it is unpacked with care and prepared
for their famous sales.  In fact the next container sale is quite soon; April 7th and 8th.

If you didn't know, new Red Sox manager, Bobby Valentine, has already gotten into the habit of bashing the Yankees every two weeks for apparently no reason whatsoever. His most recent barrage came yesterday when he questioned whether the Yankees actually practiced the flip-play and also said Jeter was "out of position" on the play. He also said that Jason Varitek was a "man's man" who was "able to beat up Alex", obviously referring to the 2004 brawl when Varitek tackled A-Rod while wearing full catcher's gear.

Here are the responses via Mark Feinsand:

Derek Jeter had a question for Bobby Valentine Wednesday after hearing what the Red Sox manager had to say about his legendary flip play.

“Why are we talking about this?” Jeter asked.

...

“I don’t know Bobby well enough to tell you what he’s trying to do,” Jeter said. “I could care less, I guess that’s the best way to put it. I just don’t know why it’s being brought up. I don’t know what to tell you.”

Jeter said the Yankees have practiced the play since he first came up. His job is to be on the first base line to cut off a throw and get the runner at third – “I don’t flip it home when we practice it,” he said – so whether Valentine believes that or not didn’t matter.

“Am I supposed to convince him?” Jeter said. Asked if he was annoyed or amused by the comments, the Captain replied, ““I’m indifferent, really. Think about it. We don’t practice it? We do; you guys see it. What else can I say? I was out of position? I was where I was supposed to be.”

...

“But who cares?” Jeter added. “Why are we talking about this? He must be bored over there, huh?”

...

“I’m not going to win many battles here when it comes to words – especially against Bobby,” A-Rod said. “I have my new press secretary that should be landing in the next couple days – Reggie Jackson – so I’ll let him handle that.”

Jeter wondered why the 2004 scrap was brought up in the first place.

“Talking about Varitek, you point out the good things,” Jeter said. “Varitek had an unbelievable career, I’m happy for him, I enjoyed competing against him all these year; that’s what we should be talking about as opposed to what Bobby said.”

Sure, this fool might be adding a little fire to the rivalry, but it's freaking February and obviously this guy is far too preoccupied with the Yanks. I guess that's just what happens when you put on those Red Socks.

In Paris if you walk around with your nose in the air as much as I do, you'll spot œil de boeuf carved into the stone facades.

From Joel Sherman:

We can pretend there is a competition going on for the Yankees’ No. 5 starter spot, but that is what it is. Pretend. The WWE stages more realistic battles.

The Yankees are saying it is Freddy Garcia vs. Phil Hughes. But their general manager is also saying this: He believes Hughes is, right now, a top-of-the-rotation starter. That has not been said about Garcia since, oh, about 2001.

So this is a competition only because the Yankees want to sell you that this is a competition. They do not want a prideful veteran in Garcia to be offended. They do not want Hughes, who showed up out of shape last year, to feel he is being handed anything. And with six weeks to Opening Day, the potential for injury or stumble means the Yankees see no reason to publicly declare even a front-runner, much less a winner.

But understand this: The competition is rigged. If it is close, Hughes wins. If it is advantage Garcia, but only slightly, Hughes wins. Hughes can only lose this by doing what he did last spring, having his fastball go on a mysterious hiatus. The early signs are Hughes’ better dedication to offseason conditioning has led to less gut and more heat.

Normally anything in February or March should be ignored, but it was obvious in his first live batting practice session yesterday that Hughes’ arm was quick and his fastball had life.

“It is a heavier ball,” Russell Martin said. “He changed his body. He looks more explosive. He has more arm speed, which leads to a better breaking ball and more deception on the changeup.”

Sherman may be right, but to me, I think this article is more of a product of a slow Tuesday in New York sports than anything based in reality--or at least a reality that can actually be based on one BP session on February 27th. Like Sherman himself said, "normally anything in February or March should be ignored".

If Hughes had ever met, or at least come close to expectations I might feel otherwise, but sadly that has not been the case. He's had many opportunities to prove himself to this team as a starter, and he's failed virtually every time. Between that, and the fact that Garcia was solid for the Yanks last year, Garcia at least deserves a fighting chance at that fifth spot.

Again, Sherman could be right because we all know a lot more goes into these types of decisions than just X's and O's. The Yankees might not want to continue to look bad over all the hype surrounding this guy and do everything in their power to get him back in the rotation for yet another chance. Though, if they do that despite a strong spring from Freddy they'll deserve all those April losses thanks to their forced decision.

This quote from Brian Cashman makes that seem like a strong possibility:

“Aside from last year [Hughes] was viewed, and not just by us, as one of the better young arms in the game; with success to prove it. He was a dominant reliever for us in 2009 and an All-Star as a starter in 2010. Why would I judge him by last year when he was injured? It feels like everyone wants to take him down a peg. I think he is a top-of-the-rotation starter.”

If it were up to me I'd base this decision on performance and not saving face. What about you?

From Wallace Matthews:

Cue the James Brown-style funk guitars. Joba Chamberlain threw his first session off a mound this morning and proclaimed himself not only cured, but reborn.

"They fixed what was there, and then Dr. (James) Andrews went ahead and added some extra strength to it," Joba said after throwing 16 pitches off the mound following a couple of weeks of throwing off that oddity known as the half-mound. "It's a new arm, for me, that's how I feel. It's a new year, and it's a whole new chapter of what I would like to accomplish here and help this team."

Is this the song you were referring to, Wally?


Anyway, as for his return to the Yankees pen, Joba expects to be back well before the projected date:

"I can tell you it's not going to be three to four months," he said. "Three or four months puts us out a long time. "It's weird because (the ball) comes out of my hand different. Sometimes I blow up Roman (Rodriguez, the bullpen catcher), and he gets kind of mad at me. But I just can't help it. It just happens. I think that's a good sign. It's just coming out a lot more free and easier. I trust myself enough, I trust my arm and my elbow. It's been great for me."

However, according to Matthews, the Yankees are already concerned about Joba's eagerness to return and don't want him to rush his comeback. Usually these things take a year to recover, and Joba had his surgery just last June. Either way, this is very good news for the Yanks, who will have a very deep bullpen, even without Joba.

Thanks to all those who entered the burlap pillow giveaway from Kijsa Studio!  I love reading about the “good things” that have been happening to you and for you.   I think we ALL need a reminder to stop and count our blessings sometimes.

Alaina from Arbor House Lane has an extra reason to be grateful, because she is the winner of the pillow!

 Alaina said...

My favorite pillow is the address pillow and I love the rectangular shape. These are really cute pillows and I would love to win one.

February 23, 2012 8:26 AM

Congratulations, Alaina!  I will be e-mailing you.