LIVING THE LOLA LIFE

Christmas 2015 came early for me last year.  I rescued a puppy and she came to live with me on Christmas Eve! Lola Rose has put life back into this lonesome house!  Both of my kids are older and don't spend much time at home and the silence was killing me.  I had to let my last of 3 dogs go last summer.  Lily was a 13 year old golden retriever/lab mix and had two torn ACL's.  I had to make the sad decision to let her go.  I had to do that same thing with my sweet dachshunds Sadie, 13 and Audrey, 12 within the last five years.  They all have crossed over the Rainbow Bridge.  The thought of getting another pet was something I didn't want to consider.  They all have taken a piece of my heart with them and I wasn't sure I could do it all again.

Lola Rose changed my mind for sure.  I saw her on a local dog rescue site and decided it was time to have another furry child.  She was rescued at 7 weeks and she came to live with me a week later.  The details of how she became homeless are unsure but thankfully the rescue took her from the pound and posted it on their Facebook page.  When I saw her sweet face I knew she had to be mine.  Lola Rose came to live with us on Christmas Eve.   This sweet yorkie something mix at 1.9 lbs. was such a special gift!

The first week here she started coughing and it was the thing most dogs get from the pound, kennel cough.  The vet gave her medicine and she recuperated nicely in her new home.  She was 8 weeks when she came to me and she is now 18 weeks old and weighs 5 lbs.  She has sure added lots of life into this quite house.  She's not a barker thankfully but she's learning to find her voice.  Hopefully the voice isn't too loud...!  Her puppy teeth can be brutal but she's getting better and her chewing on furniture is being helped with Bitter Spray!  Her favorite thing to do is lay in the sun in the mornings and chew on your socks...on or off your feet!

Lola is kennel trained and is getting better with our walks on a leash.  She gets more personality each day and I love having her here.  I guess I have learned, NEVER SAY NEVER.....especially when it comes to animals!

LIVING LIFE WITH LOLA ROSE!

 Lola Rose...Christmas Eve 2015 with her new family!

LOVING SWEET LOLA AND THOSE BIG EARS!
#lolamakesmyheartsmile

Louisiana Snow Day 2-25-2014

Louisiana isn't know for it's abundance of snow days but when they come, they are a highlight for the whole area.  When my children were small it meant a fun day slipping and sliding around outside. They are older and off in their on little worlds these days and I am sure snow only means a headache for them because they have to walk to college classes and drive to work now!  For me, snow days mean hanging out at the windows watching it fall and taking pictures of snow, birds, and more snow.

Lily, our 13 year old dog isn't fond of the white stuff and neither am I when it freezes and she can't make it out alone.  That leaves me having to bundle up and hurry her along on a leash to do her outside business quickly....not easy to convey to her since she needs to smell every flake and lick every ice patch she sees!  Needless to say, snow and old dogs and old ladies don't mix.

It's fun while it lasts, that is if it only last a few days.  In Louisiana, you can count on it don't sticking around for long, weather forecast for the weekend is in the 70's.  What a contrast, 29 degrees one day and two days later it's 70!  What can I say, it's Louisiana!  I don't think I could stand it for more than a couple of days if I knew it was hanging around.

One good thing about snow is the opportunity to take pics, mostly from inside looking out.  I braved the cold with Lily to snap a few outside.  Today the snow is almost all melted except for the roof top gutters and the shady spots around town.  It was beautiful while it lasted!

Spring is on it's way....HOPEFULLY!

Christmas Stocking Makeover

Christmas is just around the corner and  a friend needed my help in updating her Christmas stocking.  She recently had a new baby girl so she needed to add a stocking for her. She already had stockings but was not happy with the monogram, the names were different sizes and placement was not centered and one was blank.

I took all four stocking and made a red velveteen cuff to spruce them up and get all the names the same size and centered.  Before getting started I cut the hanger off the stocking to reduce the bulk in the seam allowance for the new hanger.  

I measured the width of the stocking and cut my velveteen fabric and a piece of red cotton for the lining 16" wide and 6" tall.  I sewed the two long ends together wrong sides facing, press seam flat and opened it up again.  I found the center on the velveteen fabric side and measured 4" from the bottom fold in order to find the placement for the monogram.   After monogramming the names with gold, I folded the right sides together and sewed the two ends together to form a tube.  I turned the tube wrong sides together to form a cuff with monogram centered on the front and the seam in the back.

I placed the cuff inside the purchased stocking with the right side of stocking cuff facing the wrong side of the inside stocking.  I made a hanger by cutting a piece of velveteen 6" x 2" and folded it in half then folded the raw edges inside and one last fold and stitched it down.  I stitched around the stocking and inserted the folded hanger inside the left side with the raw edges hanging out.  I trimmed the edges and did an overlock stitch to tidy up the edges.  

I turned the cuff over onto the stocking top and the redesign was complete.

Monogrammed just the velveteen part of the stocking cuff.

 The old stocking top is covered by the new cuff redesign!

Monogrammed in the center and bigger, much better!

 This was the old top with the original monogram....a bit small and out of place!

All four stocking redesigned and ready to be hung by the chimney with care!

Ruby 9 Projects!

WOW...It has been a busy few weeks.  Ruby 9 (that's ME)  has been busy creating all sorts of things.

I was lucky and some of my daughter's friends from the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders requested gifts for their game day group gifts.  I made all my daughter's group gifts the three years she cheered for the Cowboys.  I made a variety of gifts but the flatiron/curler travel case was a favorite along with a custom carrier for their Dancing Girl Pictures they sign for fans.

Making gifts for her group led to them asking for the same gift for their group!  This makes me happy because I now know they enjoyed their gifts Amelia gave them.  A previous group member, Jasmine, ordered eight of the flatiron/curler travel cases for her group, she is still using her case I made two years ago.   They were presented to them by Jasmine on Breast Cancer Awareness game day.  The fact that they were PINK made it even more special for that particular game.  I love the picture they took after receiving their gift, lots of smiles, but the cupcakes could be another reason for that big smile!  ;)

I made 11 group gifts for DCC Jessica Allison.  Her DCC group gift request was a picture holder similar to the one I made my daughter's group several years ago.  The picture is larger now so I had to alter my original design.  I was pleased with the results and the girls loved them.  The word spread fast and before long I had another order for the picture travel case, I made 14 more!  Hopefully they will all enjoy the case to carry their autograph pictures in style!

I have also made several of the flatiron/curler cases in school fabric.  LSU, Ohio State and Arkansas are the schools being represented at the moment.  Hopefully more orders for their favorite team will be coming in soon!

 Matching back sac with monogram to match the travel case.

A special gift for a friend who recently had her baby.   The gift was a banner I monogrammed the babies name on and hung it on a long strand of pearls.  She loved it and it is hanging in Alayna's room!

It's all in the details...

Little pink ruffle pants and a matching bow was another special request.  Another satisfied customer for Ruby 9!

Ruby 9 has so many ideas, not enough time in the day!

"You don't have to be GREAT to start,

But you have to start to be GREAT!"

Ruby 9 ....busy Lady!

Well, Ruby 9, my alter ego has been a busy Lady recently.  I started this little business to occupy some of my time that was spent sitting around feeling sorry for myself!  YES....I am admitting to having a pity party every now and then.  I have missed having kids to tend to and I guess I thought I would get use to feeling unneeded at some point but it didn't happen.  I decided to take matters into my own hands and reinvent myself.  Ruby 9 is my new personality and she's ready to make STUFF!

I have had a variety of requests recently.  I have made little girl ruffle pants, baby name banners, covered pillows, tutu's as well as making several of my custom made travel iron/curler bags I created!

It has been so much fun as well as tiring at times but so rewarding.  My old hands need a good hot soak after some of the days I have put in cutting and sewing but it's been worth every ache and pain!

I am so blessed with a talent God gave me and I plan to use it and enjoy every minute.

"Just call on Me.  I guarantee I will answer you.  I will make you strong and brave." Psalms 138:3

I asked and He delivered, I am feeling strong and brave again.

Go make your day AWESOME and thanks for dropping by!

Flowers, Butterflies and Birds

The summer is slowing coming to an end.  I always hated this time of year because it meant the kids would be returning to school.  Now that they are both in college and live away from home the seasons are based on my flowers not on the school calendar.  I planted my sunflowers and zinnias April 5, 2014 and the first sunflower appeared June 5!  Most of the sunflowers are dead but the tall stems are still hanging on and the birds are enjoying the dried sunflower pods with all the seeds.  The zinnias are still thriving and attracting butterflies and bees.

I spotted a beautiful butterfly enjoying my flowers a few days ago.  My mom, who died in 2009 loved butterflies.  I can't help but think "Angels Among Us" when I spot one and think of my mom.

The birds are enjoying the seeds on the dried sunflowers.  The cardinal is my favorite and I have several that visit daily.  My hummingbirds are still in full force.  I have two feeders and they visit them both all day.  I refresh their sugar water about every three days.   They visit the zinnias and my other flowers as well.

I will hate to see the flowers go because that means summer is ending, hummingbirds will fly to wherever they go and I will have to wait until next year to plant again.  The stems of the sunflowers will be cut down and the birds won't have a hiding place.  The seasons change and time moves on.

Thankful for God's little creatures!