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You May Be Right, I May Be CRAZY....

6/29/2011

3 Comments

 
Before I became the Handbag Lady, I made quilts.  Quilting is how I began this sewing adventure.  The first few were pretty rough, but I finally got the hang of it.  Here are some quilts I have made:
So why did I stop?

Well, I still quilt every now and then, but certainly not as much as I used to.  I was pinning a quilt this morning and started crying.  Now, to an outsider they would think me mad.  I will try to explain....

This is what "pinning" a quilt looks like:

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A T-shirt quilt. Don't even think about asking if I will make another. Nope. Nada. No way.
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Let me bring you up to speed:  You have pieced together your top of the quilt and are ready to make your quilt sandwich.  You spread your back fabric on the floor and tape it down along the edges.  Then you spread the batting over top of the fabric.  This stuff looks like a big, white, fluffy cloud.  Next you place your quilt top and spread everything out.  No wrinkles allowed!  Lastly, you pin all 3 layers together.  That last step involves getting down on your hands and knees and crawling all over the quilt.  There are TONS of pins, folks.  By the time you are finished your back hurts from leaning over.

Why would this make me cry?   (It's not the back pain.... come on.  I'm no weenie!) 


I take you back to March 2007.  I was HUGE.  (200 lbs plus and pregnant with Ben.)  Now, I was not a sit-back-and-relax kind of pregnant lady.  Oh no.  I was two weeks away from my due date and  running around like a mad woman.  I also was working on a quilt and it was pinning day.  I laid everything out, and then I got down on my pregnant hands and knees and crawled around that quilt.  I can still remember trying to work around my enormous belly.  Nothing was stopping me, no way!

I got up from the floor and felt a little funny.  A few minutes later, the same feeling passed over me again.  The 3rd time I realized.....those were contractions.  

Ben was born, and you know how that story played out.


A few weeks after we came home, Ben was sleeping and I was sitting in the living room staring at that pinned quilt.  The rational, sane part of me knew that Ben came when he was supposed to.  We were meant to take that journey.  But the guilt-ridden, insane part of my brain blamed me.  If I hadn't been so set on finishing that stupid quilt, I wouldn't have stressed Ben out that day by crawling around on the floor.  I wouldn't have went into labor.  He could have had 2 more weeks for those lungs to mature, and maybe, just maybe, all of this could have been avoided.  

I picked up that quilt and tore it to pieces.  I ripped out every pin, I ripped out every stitch. 

I realize that some of you reading this are shaking your heads and saying to yourself, "That's crazy.  Think of all the work you had put into it!"  You feel this way for 1 of 2 reasons.  Either you have never had something traumatic happen in your life (and I hope you never do....) or you simply process things differently than me.  It's ok.  But those of you who get it?  We are not crazy.


I couldn't stand to look at that quilt one moment longer.  I wanted it gone.  Out of my sight.  I never wanted to see it again and let it serve as a reminder of that day.

The funny thing is, I wouldn't have tried my hand at making purses if this all hadn't happened.  I still wanted to create, but quilts were not an option for a while.  So I made a piddly little bag.   Then I made a decent little bag.  And well, you know the rest.  

3 Comments

I Need Some Advice.....

6/27/2011

8 Comments

 
Let's talk vehicles, my sweet chickadees.  I drive this beast:
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This sweet ride is a 2002 Chevy Venture.  We've had it for about 4 years now.  I LOVE this van.  Everything in it is just easy, and it has tons of room for all of our gear we tote around with 2 boys.  We bought it used knowing that it wouldn't last forever.  Basically our goal was to make it through our toddler days with the boys.  Sadly, her time is almost up.  This baby has 141,000 miles, and has already had a head gasket replaced last year.  

A few weeks ago it started shaking in line at McDonald's drive-through.  Each day it has progressively gotten worse.  Now it shakes any time that the van is stopped.  I'm betting it is still shaking when it is driving too, but I just can't hear it over the engine.  I took it in to the shop Friday with hopes that they could fix it (cheaply!)  Two mechanics looked at her, shrugged their shoulders, and said, "We can't find anything really wrong with it.  It's just old."  Ouch.

So, it's time to say goodbye to our lovely van.  As she departs she is taking my stick family stickers with her.....


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It is time, really.  Before they go, I must share a story about this little family.  You see there used to be two little kitty stickers next to the boys.  (They symbolized our 2 cats, Lola and Josie.)  One day Bart came home from school and noticed that the kitty stickers were missing.  He came in, found me, and asked what happened.  I angrily said, "They killed a baby rabbit today.  It just made me so mad!  I am not driving my van around with a couple of rabbit-killers on the back."  

For some reason Bart thought this was hilarious.  I told him he better watch out or he might come home and find his little sticker missing.  (I kid, I kid!)

So here is where you come in.  I need some advice!  We are looking at 2007-2008 models.  Front-runners are the Chevy Equinox (only because we have had such good luck with this Chevy), a Honda CR-V, or a Ford Fusion.  We are open to other models too...  these are just the ones we have looked at so far.  HELP! 

8 Comments

My Saturday Night

6/26/2011

4 Comments

 
Typically on a Saturday night the husband and I watch a little TV or a movie.  Sometimes we might make it to Saturday Night Live.  Well, at least until Weekend Update, and then we crash.  ooooooo...the excitement!  This Saturday night was a bit different.  Anyone want to guess where we were?

A Roller Derby!
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The Heros. Check out Leia's buns on the helmet. Sweetness.
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One of Bart's friends mentioned that he was going to watch one of his Roller Derby friends this weekend.  He asked if we would like to tag along.  Would we?!?!   I was immediately taken back in time to the Linton Skate World skating rink, 1992.  Suddenly I'm playing "Space Invaders," looking for the right number to park under during the Dice Game, slow skating with a cute boy, and rocking my 6th-grader hotness.  (Pegged jeans, neon scrunched socks, NKOTB shirt with a T-shirt tie to the side, HUGE bangs.)

Did I mention there were costumes too?  

This was the last match of the season for this team, so the players were divided into "Heros" and "Villains."  Heros included Princess Leia, The Flash, Alice in Wonderland, Michelangelo (from TMNT), Gary and Ace from SNL, Batman, and Wonderwoman.  Villains had Catwoman, Shredder, My Evil Pony, Wario, The Riddler, and Tonya Harding.  

It was AWESOME.  These chicks (and a few guys!) could skate.  There were a few really hard hits that got an "OH!!" from the audience.  By the second half Bart and I had the mechanics of the game figured out, and it really was fun to watch.  


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These are the "Jammers." One for each team, and they wear the stars on their helmets. First one to break through the pack earns points.
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Flash (with blue helmet, red star) is one of the Jammers here to the left. She is trying to break through the pack.

I left pretty pumped.  My brain is thinking, "I can skate.  Not only that, but this is a sport where a big booty is a good thing.  (Think of the blocking I could do!)"  I'm thinking this could be my new hobby.  Think about it people......  Greene County needs a Roller Derby league.  Who's with me?!?  :)
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And Our Winner is.......#4 Stefanie!

6/24/2011

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Congrats Stefanie!  Thanks to everyone who participated.  If you would like to order a P & P Key Fob they are $5.00 (plus tax) each.  Just email me at:

lori@primandposhhandbags.com

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
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Today's P & P Giveaway: A Fabulous Key Fob!

6/23/2011

21 Comments

 
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Today's giveaway is for 1 Prim & Posh Key Fob!  Add a touch of P & P to your set of keys that you can carry everywhere you go.  I personally love to wear mine around my wrist.  Although this has resulted in a bad habit of swinging my keys around.....  hee hee.

All you have to do is post a comment to this blog (facebook comments don't count!) and tell me which fabric you would pick if you won.  You can pop over to "Fabric Choices" at the top of this page to see them all.  Here are your choices:

Tangerine Dream
Blossoms
Sapphire Blooms
Dreamers  (shown above)
Bluebird
Java
Painted Pretty
Spring Green
Perfect Posies
Flamingo

(Aloha and Pop Dots are out of stock.)  Booooooooo....

Giveway ends at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.  I will post the winner on this blog tonight!  Good luck!

21 Comments

The Wades Take Disney

6/22/2011

3 Comments

 
     I must apologize for being MIA these last few days.  I had to go see a mouse.  That's right, the grand Disney Vacation has been taken.  I would have given you warning sooner, but bad guys read blogs like this so they can break in and steal our stuff.  So, I chose to mysteriously disappear into the shadows and hope you would all still be here when I returned.  We left last Thursday and flew home yesterday.  

      Remember my Disney weight-loss goal?  Well, I was not as svelte as I had hoped to be, but I was 10 pounds lighter and more toned than I was when I started.  I still have a long way to go, but I'm not giving up!  More on this later this week...

     So, Disney.  Let's talk.  If you are planning a trip there soon, here are some pointers for you.  I'll break it down by park:  

Magic Kingdom:
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      They don't call it "Magic" for nothing, folks.  It really has a magical feel in the air.  (And yes, I realize how corny that sounds, but it's true!)  I LOVE this park.  Must rides are Pirates of the Caribbean, the Toy Story Ride, Small World, Teacups, Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride (my boys fav), and the Monsters Inc. Comedy Club.  This land is full of tiny pirates and princesses.  For the most part they are lovely, but they all short-circuit and melt down at some point in the day.  (My Sister-in-Law got whacked by a wand of a little princess in the throes of a Diva Fit.)

Epcot:
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      This park is HUGE.  Get your walking shoes on, Peeps.  Must rides are: 
1.  Soaring (Get there early and get a fast pass for later in the day.  It fills up quick!) 

2.  Spaceship Earth (inside the big ball)

3.  Mission Space (Make sure you do the green version for kids.  Orange is for adults.)

4.  The Seas with Nemo and Friends.  (There is a ride, but you also get to go and see the aquariums.  Dolphins, huge sea turtles, sharks.....So cool!)

      The entire back part of the park is divided into countries.  True to the Disney way they have thought of everything.  The buildings are designed just like buildings from each country, the souvenirs are made in that actual country, and employees are from there.  You seriously feel like you are traveling around the world walking down that lane.  My favs were Germany (got Bart a Stein!!) and the Mexico marketplace.  Bart and I loved this part.  The boys?  Not so much.    

Hollywood Studios:
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Poor Ben. I didn't realize that I had parked him in the sun.
      Drew and Ben LOVED Hollywood Studios.  Highlights were:

1.  The Star Wars ride.  This was a must ride for our family because we are Star Wars nuts.  It's been revamped, and man it is awesome.  There also are supposedly 50 different versions of the ride.  I found myself jumping out of my seat at the end.  This was a little intense for Ben, but Drew loved it.

2.  The Stunt Show.   Cars jumping ramps, busting through windows, riding on 2 wheels, people on fire.  It's like a little boy's Hot Wheel dream in live action.  It was HOT, but it was so neat.

3. The Indiana Jones show.  You gotta love the big rolling ball.  So awesome!

4.  Toy Story Mania.  GREAT ride.  It whips you around a bit, but you have so much fun shooting bulls-eyes on the 3-D screens.  

      Something I was disappointed with?  Fantasmic, the nighttime show.  It was downright scary.  It wasn't at all what I thought it would be.  If you have little ones, I would skip it.  However, this was Ben's most favorite thing we did the entire trip.  Boys are so confusing.




Animal Kingdom:

(I don't have a picture for this park because my camera died.  Gr.)   

      This was the first time I had been to Animal Kingdom and didn't know what to expect.  Here's what I found:

1.  The Safari.  Awesomeness.  A giraffe walked right up to our jeep.  We saw all kinds of animals in what looked like their natural environment.  Disney is so clever in how they hide those fences.  You really feel like that Cheetah could jump right in your jeep.  This ride books up early, so do it first.  The animals are more active in the morning too.

2.  The Lion King Show.  First of all, I am a Lion King enthusiast.  I love this movie.  I'm embarrassed to admit this, but this show made me cry.  Twice.  It was just so beautiful musically and visually.  Think acrobatic monkeys, people on stilts dancing, huge animatronics of the animals, and amazing singers.  This one blew me away.  

3.  The Bug's Life ride.  My kiddos LOVED this one.  It's found under the huge tree.  There are lots of little surprises throughout.  

4.  The Nemo Musical.  You have to see this show sometime in your life.  The actors carry around puppets of each character and after a bit your eyes don't see the person anymore.  Think about the challenges of portraying Mr. Ray?  The Turtles?  The Sharks?!??!  When it first started I thought, "What's the big deal?  They are just moving puppets around."  But, then I realized that they were singing too.  They were the actual singers playing each character.  That's mad skills, folks.    
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      I know this is getting long, but I also want to share with you three lessons I learned on this trip.  

1.  It's nice to "unplug" for a while.
      I didn't purposely do this.  I brought all of my tech gadgets with me with plans of still managing Prim & Posh while I was on vacation.  The problem?  Our hotel didn't have Wifi.  My father-in-law went down to the front desk to ask about it and was told he needed to hop on one of the many buses leaving our hotel, ride it to a park, then hop on another bus to a fancier hotel and use their Wifi.  "Sir, you must remember that this is a value hotel."  he said.  My FIL responds, "Yes, but even McDonalds has Wifi."  

    It was refreshing to not have my fingers on my iPhone all of the time; to not be staring at my laptop screen forever.  It was good for me.

2.  This one is a hard one:  My Husband was right.
      When packing for this trip, my husband recommended that I bring tennis shoes.  I scoffed at him.  "I am not wearing tennis shoes.  I'll look like a dork!  What am I, 10 years old?  No way.  My flip flops will be fine."  He smiled a little smile.  He knew.


     The first day my feet hurt.  The second day the bottoms of my feet were covered in blisters so bad I could hardly walk.  It was time to do something.  I still wouldn't admit defeat...   "I just brought the wrong kind of flip flops.  I just need some with some support."  I went into a gift shop and bought a pair of outrageously overpriced Croc Mickey Mouse flip flops.  They be styling, let me tell you.  /sarcasm/  

      At first they felt soooooo good on my feet.  Then after a few minutes the tops of my feet stared to hurt.  Then they ached.  By the time we went back to our hotel my second toes were swollen and I had HUGE bruises on the tops on my feet and in-between my toes.   As we rode the bus back to our hotel, I looked over at Bart.  He was smiling.  I took a deep breath and then said, "You were right."  


3.  Disney is not a restful vacation.     
          When you have saved, and saved, and saved up for a trip there is a sense of needing to squeeze every last drop out of it.  We knew it's not a trip that we can take all of the time, so we wanted to see as much as we could while we there.   You walk A LOT.  It's brutally hot outside.  It's hard to look cute at Disney when you are covered in sweat and your hair has been destroyed by the humidity.  (Ponytails and huge sunglasses girls...They hide it all!)  


At the end of the day you collapse onto your bed and sleep like a baby.  You wake up tired, but you don't care.  You can sleep when you get home.  If you are looking for a restful, peaceful vacation, this is not it.  Find a beach somewhere instead.  If you are looking for something magical, fun, and full of memories you will have forever?  This be the trip.
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It's a Dangerous Job, but It's Worth It!

6/15/2011

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Antonio, my iron, and I got into it the other day.  He ended up winning the battle.  It makes me wish for Roberto, my last iron.  He would have never done this to me:
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Yeeeeeeeouch.
I will admit it;  I'm a bit of a klutz.  Sadly, this isn't my first sewing-related injury.  About a year ago I was working on a bag.  The kiddos were at Meme and Pa's house, Bart was mowing the yard, and I was creating.  Part of the bag-making process involves using a rotary cutter.  The best way I can describe it is it is like a little pizza cutter.  
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Ah, there is the beast.
See that little circular blade?  That baby is sharp.  You lay your fabric out on your mat, zoom this little tool around, and voila!  Easy, peasy cutting.  I lined up my fabric, engaged the blade down, pushed it down the fabric......

and ran over my hand.

I didn't even scream.  I ran and grabbed a kitchen towel and bolted outside to find Bart.  I finally waved him down, and said, "I just cut my hand. We need to go to the ER."  He gets off his mower, looks at my hand, and then says, "It doesn't look that bad, are you sure you need to go to the ER?"

Let me clarify that the end of my thumb is gone, and my pointer finger has a 2 inch deep slice into it.

"I don't think a bandaid will fix this.  I'm going to the ER.  I can drive myself if you are too busy."  Ooooooooo, Lori.

Bart decided he should take me to the ER.

When we got there the folks at the Linton Hospital were awesome.  They took me right back, numbed me up, and got right to the stitches.  That's right.....did you hear that husband of mine?  Stitches!!!  Oh wait.....  I got 3 on my thumb and 3 on my pointer finger.  I looked very Frankenstienish.  I have pictures, but I won't do that to you.  Some of you might be eating.  

The best part?  We left the next day for Florida.   Who on the plane wants to sit by the lady with huge, gross wounds on her hand?  Good times, good times. 

So, because of this fiasco the fabric I was working on got a new name.  (Don't worry.....I had to trash the piece I was working on when I was injured.)  Does anyone own a bag in "Cut Flowers?"  It wasn't just a cutesy name.  I earned that one the hard way!    
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Hobo Bag in "Cut Flowers"
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Road Trip!

6/12/2011

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I have a new middle number!!!!!!  WOO!  

I'm not ready to tell you what it is yet.  Give me a few more middle numbers and then we will talk.  

I had to run up to Bloomington last week to Jo-Ann's.  You can't send a girl a 50% off coupon and expect her to stay home.  I had to stop for gas before I left and I decided to pop in a get a snack for the road.  I spent probably 15 minutes walking around, picking up snacks, and reading the labels.  I'm pretty sure the lady behind the counter thought I was debating on robbing her.  

Has anyone ever tried to find something remotely healthy at a gas station?  It's a challenge.   I settled on a bag of Chex Mix because the calories/fat/and fiber counts looked good.  (I still can ballpark Weight Watcher points by looking at those numbers.)   Then I get in the car and realize those numbers are for 1 serving size, and the little bag contains 3 servings.  Greeeeeeeat.  So I should eat 5 pieces?!?!   The only redeeming thing was my amazing vanilla coke I bought.  (Remember my 1 coke a day rule?  If you are only going to have 1 a day, a vanilla gas station coke is the way to go peeps.)

So, I did my shopping and then needed to stop for lunch. I'm going to let you in on one of life's many treasures.
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Honeybaked Ham.  Oooooooooooo, so good.  My Brandy introduced me to their Turkey Salad sandwich long ago.  (I know what you are thinking....Turkey Salad?  Are you serious?  I've heard of Chicken Salad being good, but Turkey?  Shudder.)  Trust me, when it comes to salads at Honeybaked, turkey is the way to go.  I like to get mine on a croissant.  (Oooo La La!)  It's a bit pricey, so I only go every once in a while.  There is one in Terre Haute by the Toys R' Us too.  (Pst.....I think their Turkey Salad is a smidge better than Bloomingtons.  Just saying.)       
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Click on me to go to Honeybaked Ham!
I tell you this #1 so that you can experience Honeybaked yourself, and #2 so that you know I am still enjoy foods that I really LOVE.  I've been working really hard on eating healthy, and it's ok to take a break once in a while.  I did skip the huge peanut butter cookie I usually get though.  I have to draw the line somewhere!

On a serious note, I couldn't believe the storm damage that is still present in the town of Bloomington.  They had a severe storm come through a few weeks ago, and there are still huge trees down, trailers torn apart, roofs of houses missing, and debris everywhere.  Driving into town was very sobering.  I guess I had assumed that everyone who had damage would be ok by now.  That's not the case.  Does anyone know if there is an organization set up for help yet?  Please remember these people (and those also in Joplin, Missouri)  in your prayers.          
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Link to Bloomington's Herald Times coverage of the storm damage.
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17 is our Winner!

6/10/2011

1 Comment

 
        Congrats to our very first drawing winner, Rachel Hardesty!  She was our 17th entry today.  I just have to tell the story behind this drawing and why I flipped out when Drew picked 17.  We decided to write down all of the numbers on slips of paper so we would be super fair.  My Mom and Dad were visting, and they thought it would be fun to try and predict the winner.  They both wrote down the number that they predicted.  They showed each other and it was.....

17. 

So funny!  Then Drew reached into that box and pulled out...

17!!!

What are the odds!??!?!  Crazy!  Rachel you were destined to win this Luggage Tag.  Congrats my dear!
1 Comment

It's Giveaway Time Baby!

6/10/2011

34 Comments

 
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Today's giveaway is for 1 Prim & Posh Luggage Tag!  All you have to do is post a comment to this blog (facebook comments don't count!) and tell me which fabric you would pick if you won.  You can pop over to "Fabric Choices" at the top of this page to see them all.  Here are your choices:

Tangerine Dream (shown above)
Blossoms
Sapphire Blooms
Dreamers
Bluebird
Pop Dots
Java
Painted Pretty
Spring Green
Perfect Posies
Flamingo

(
Aloha is out of stock.)

Giveway ends at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.  I will post the winner on this blog tonight!  Good luck!

34 Comments
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    Lori.  Momma.  Noonday Ambassador.  Avid coffee drinker.  Lover of good music and books.  Former seamstress and teacher.  Wife of 13 years to Bart and the mother of Drew, Ben and Lincoln.     

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