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Quilt Top by Me, Hand Quilted by my Mother, Doll crocheted by my Mother

Sunday, February 28, 2010

a Bargin Saturday

Yesterday was our usual running around town day. We decided we would get a early start and set the alarm clock. Our goal was to visit some of the yard/garage sales that were listed in the paper. I was awaken before the alarm went off by our little Pom as she had to go potty. I opened the door to let her out, RAIN, Hey its not supposed to rain. That puts a kink in our day as who in their right mind is going to set up a yard sale in the rain. We didn't get quite the early start as planned but than WHY it was raining, no sales to shop at. Well that was not totally true, there was a church in Pensacola that was having a sale and it would be indoors so Yes we could go there. We found the church, parked and went inside, I stopped at the first table and that was it, I never got any further. Why you ask, well the lady had floss, craft items and quilt fabrics so I shopped, we talked and the lady bagged my purchase, in 8 bags.... Total cost $17.00



two bags in the back are filled with whites


two Christmas panels ready to quilt



fat quarter bundles and the Garden Princess complete quilt kit

WOW what a great deal, there were fat quarter bundles, fabrics, floss, quilt blocks in progress, patterns, and a quilt kit.... I would have spent $ 17.00 for just one fat quarter bundle in a quilt shop. The lady told me she was cleaning out her sewing room to make way for a foster child and I was helping her by buying the material. A Win Win situation for us both. I belong to the World of Charity Stitchers and I do the quilting for this area so getting all this material at this price is a blessing for me, as I am sure you all know how much quilting materials cost.
From there we headed to Alabama and some of our discount stores, just to be nosy and see if we could find any bargains. We stopped, but no luck at the stores we visited. We did pass the Tanger Outlet Stores and I happen to spy the Coach sign. Hubby turned the car around and into the shopping center we went. This is a place that we normally do not go to, I know outlets are supposed to be cheaper, but I really don't see that much of a difference, but hey we were just having fun so why not stop. We stopped by the Corelle store, I just love my Corelle Dishes, but I am getting a little bored with the pattern and I have broken a few so time for a new set. Well, we looked and I found a style I loved, but the price was just not that much of a bargain so I talked myself out of them. I will wait till Wal-Mart has them on sale.
We then proceeded to drive around the center to see what other stores might capture our attention. There was only one that caught my eye and that was the Coach Store, the sign that had lead us into the center in the first place. We parked and entered the store, there were tons of shoppers everywhere. There was a lady handing out slips of paper and on the paper it said take an additional 20% off. Seems we hit the jackpot, a big sale day for the Coach Outlet. I love the Coach Style, but they are just way out of my price range, now was my chance to own my on Coach purse. I expected the purses to be around the normal $300 dollar range, but they were lower and on opposing sides of the store were shelves with 50% off. OK, the purse I fell in love with was Dk blue shoulder bag, $269.00 so 50% off would be $135. then another 20% off, so what is that around $108. I really wanted it, the purse was in my hand, the check out was just steps away, and I put it back on the shelf and we left the store. Hubby asked why I didn't get the purse, he would have bought it for me after all my birthday is coming soon. But I just have a hard time spending that much money on a purse. I know people do it all the time, but for me, I would rather spend money on materials for my charity quilts or items for the grand kids. I guess I am just the typical giving Mom type, always thinking of others and trying to make their day just a little brighter. I will one day have my Coach purse, I will find a gently used one at a yard sale and pay a lot less then the $100. for it. In the meantime I will continue to try to brighten the day for others that are facing a far rougher road than I. Maybe others will follow my example and lend a helping hand, give from their heart, brighten a strangers day and ask nothing in return other than a smile.
On our way home we stopped by the Oasis Truck Stop at the Wilcox Road Exit along I-10, Hubby wanted to get something to drink. We noticed three train cars sticking out of the building as if they were derailed, broken cement blocks lay on the ground and the siding of the building was torn back were the cars had entered the building. Seems this is a new themed restaurant and yes we decided that we would give them a try. On entering the train car, we saw a train track over the entrance, I then spotted a counter and I started laughing.  There at the counter were the stools as every counter has, the only difference was the seats.  The first stool was a western saddle, then a round bar stool, followed by two airline seats, a metal tractor seat, and what looked like the seat from a Harley. As we were taken to our booth I noticed the tables were glass topped with hot wheels, tech decks or other transportation vehicles tucked inside along with travel trivia.  On the walls were Bikes, scooters, peddle cars, skates, and anything else that had wheels. The area for the server station was designed to look like a school bus and yes they entered this area through the bus doors. I also noticed the back end of a pickup truck with the tail gate down, which was the table for two dinners. The place was charming in its decor.  I ordered the Crab Cakes and hubby had the Shrimp. Our orders were delivered in a short time and the food was wonderful. I found the broiled Crab Cakes to be more crab then filler, perfectly seasoned and cooked. I also tried one of Hubby's shrimp and they were as good if not better then the crab. There was a light breading on plump shrimp cooked to perfection. French Fries, Hush Puppies and Cole Slaw were served with the platters and Hubby always judges a restaurant by the Cole Slaw, this restaurant passed with 4 stars. I only had one minor complaint and that was with the Hush Puppies, I found them to be undercooked and I told the server who in turn told the kitchen manager. I was told they had a new cook and he was then instructed to cook Hush Puppies a little longer. I was a little disappointed that the manager didn't think a complaint should have been addressed by him as most restaurant managers would do. But all together this is a very good place to eat and the prices are very reasonable. We will stop again and try more items from their menu. I found this article on the web on this restaurant.
http://www.wkrg.com/alabama/article/derailed_diner_on_track/551149/Nov-29-2009_11-03-pm/

Visit My Giveaway Site Nanbon's Corner  http://nanbonscorner.blogspot.com/













Friday, February 26, 2010

Meet the baby




As I promised in a previous post I will let you know about Mariah and the surprise she gave us. January 31 I awoke to a surprise. I got up and went to let the dogs out of their room and into the yard. Mariah never came out of the room, so once the others were out of the house I proceeded to go and check on the little girl. To my surprise she was in her bed and hiding something that was squeaking, no it wasn't a mouse although it was that size. I moved her leg and found a little black puppy, I moved Mariah out of the bed to take her outside and found a brown puppy. Our little girl had delivered two very tiny pups and no we didn't even know she was pregnant, guess that is why the pups were so tiny. They weighed in at around 1 ounce. We decided to stay home that weekend instead of our normal running around town, just to make sure things were ok. Melanie and the kids came out Sunday and new mom and pups seemed fine. Monday I checked the pups and did a weight on them, the black one was gaining and the brown one was losing weight and seemed dehydrated. I was concerned that the black pup was keeping the little brown one from feeding so we headed to the pet store and picked up some puppy formula just to give the little kid a fighting chance. She continued to go downhill and Tuesday she was gone. Poor little Mariah she was still trying to take care of this little kid who didn't move. I let her have the puppy with her a little while and then sent her outside for a potty break and proceeded to get the puppy and wrap it up for burial. Mariah missed her for most of the day and continued to look for her, it broke my heart watching her. By Wednesday she seemed back to normal and was taking care of the black kid. Well the little black has been doing super well, she is growing bigger every day.She is now over one pound, her main activities are eating and sleeping. She tries to play a little and trying to cut in the puppy teeth mainly on my arm or fingers. She will be 4 weeks Saturday and is walking, or at least trying to. She looks like she is a little drunk as she tries to get her feet under her. She is already using the puppy pads and tonight she escaped from the whelping box and ended up in the dining room. I think she was looking for the other dogs as I let her play in the living room with them. The Pom's have taken to her and seem really gentle with her. I have posted some of the baby's pictures, she is so cute. I have had two people who were looking for pups in December email me and are interested in this little girl.
Pups the day they were born
puppy at 2 weeks
puppy at 4 weeks

I have also been working on a Quilt for a lady who is fighting Cancer. This was a request from a member of my World of Charity Stitchers group. Because this quilt needed to be done really quickly, I choose a snowball block for the CCS heart squares and a 9 patch for the other blocks. The photo is not showing the true colors which are shades of purple, pinks and greens and burgundy. The top is done and I made enough of the blocks for a lap quilt for the nursing home. Next week I hope to have it quilted and ready to deliver.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

My New Site and a Giveaway

Pillsbury Giveaway at Nanbon's Corner
I want to let everyone know that my new siteNanbon's Corner is up and running.  I will be doing product reviews and hosting giveaways. Right now I am hosting a giveaway for Pillsbury Orange Sweet rolls and a leather style double sided picture frame, from the folks at Myblogspark and Pillsbury. Follow this link to Nanbon's Corner to enter the contest.. And Good Luck.