Please Hurry Vacation

Around here:

• My Mom was hospitalized last Sunday and is still there...very nasty pneumonia and some new found heart issues. I went down (SC) to be with her Monday-Wed. She is better, but far from well...hope she gets home around Tues. Times like this make me really wish I was 'independently wealthy'...awful to leave her to go to work. Fortunately my brother is there and totally 'in' when it comes to taking care of her. I'm anxious to spend time with her during my school break.
• We had icy weather on Thurs. and got the day out of school...a true Godsend! since I still had orders to process...hubby was in Atlanta on business, so I got up and started working at 5am and finished everything around 10:45pm
• My shopping is finished, all gifts are wrapped and under the UN decorated tree...we might just go au naturel this year
• My oldest bonus-daughter graduated from nursing school Friday evening, we are very proud. We had planned to host a party in her honor, but canceled due to the uncertainty of Mama's condition.
• We are dog sitting both 'granddogs' this weekend while my girls are having Christmas with their Dad. Dogs have been great...amazing how much Ru has calmed down after 'playing' with that car a few months ago
• I'm really miffed that we have to go to school next week...Mon/Tues AND Wed. ... who planned THAT calender?...just crazy! I'm sure there will be lots of education going on in our building...did you catch that sarcasm?

Want say a quick "Thanks" to all of you for your blogger friendship. For those of you who are customers, thanks for helping Basement Bags have a great year...I really appreciate your support. For those of you who aren't, I'd love to make something special for you, promise you won't be disappointed!

Hope you all have a safe and happy holiday with your families & friends.

Merry, Merry Y'all!

Gotta brag....

Please forgive me for bragging, but I just gotta!
Once again I have the most wonderful students in the whole world and they came up with such a fabulous idea that I was taken aback. We make these adorable fleece hats every year for a quick, fun project and one day while we were sewing someone said 'Hey, Mrs. S, we should make some of these hats for homeless people'. And our community project was born. We decided to make hats to sale at school, then use the proceeds to buy more material to make hats to donate. My amazingly generous students cut & stitched & fringed for 4 days, made 150 hats, then within 3 days every hat was sold! We earned a little over $500 profit and will donate about 50 hats to a local charity. Now Y'all, that's what I call real Christmas Spirit. I am so proud of these kids!

Reunion & other stuff

We went to A.L. Brown High School Class of '70 Reunion (hubby) last night and had a blast! He enjoyed connecting with friends he hadn't seen since the last reunion or longer. I enjoyed meeting people, the food & adult beverages and dancing! He was on the planning committee and they put together a great party. They hired a caricature artist and that was such fun!...he was really good and made each sketch unique and personal. Although I don't think it looks much like me, he nailed Danny!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family (hope you did as well) and we are off & running in preparation for more holiday celebrations. We have a birthday coming up this week (my baby turns 23 y/o!!!) and Nursing School Graduation & party on the 17th for daughter #1. Let the fun continue!

HoHoHo

Too tired for many words but this last bag for tonight made me smile and I wanted to share. The Santa Initials are just adorable and look great on everything...totes, towels, pillow cases, t-shirts...you name it.
My apologizes for not reading/leaving comments on your blogs....I'll be back to normal in January and promise to catch up with all of you then.

Sweet dreams!

Can we say 'productive'!?!?

Started the day with 42 items on the Basement list...ending the day with 24 items left. All & all a pretty good day... I'm one tired Susie Mama! Here's some of the cuteness that will ship out Monday morning. I'm off to watch sleep through 48 Hour Mystery. Plans for tomorrow?...same song, second verse. Happy weekend Y'all!

whew!

Busy season started early this year. I was almost glad to go back to work this morning just to get out of the Basement for a few hours. No way to show you everything, but here are a few favorites...lunch bags, church bags, notebook sleeves, kitchen towels, checkbooks, CuTees and waffle weave hair dryer bags (pink & brown). I'm having so much fun making up all this cute stuff! Please don't wait too long to get your order on the list.

Hope you have a good week and stay warm!

Monday Meandering

We enjoyed another gorgeous Fall weekend. Once again, I did very little work in the basement. That trend ends here & now since Holiday orders are rolling in (thanks!). My excuse this time was visitors....Pa & Nina were here and the girls came to eat see them. We went to the NC Transportation Museum (worth it if you are in the area), did a little shopping & eating out, saw a movie, Hereafter (good) and did lots of talking and catching up...a very nice time. We also had some mighty cute Halloween characters stop by to Trick or Treat.

Today I'm trying to get back on track, but struggling a little...got a nasty cut on my right hand (a glass broke when I was washing dishes...yikes!) Probably should have gone for a stitch or two, but opted for home treatment. We 'doctored it up' with steri strips, gauze and a wrap. It will be fine, but it's awkward working with a bandage. I managed to finish two more CuTees for Isaac (lucky guy!) and stitched up a couple of lunch bags. These insulated lunch bags are super cute and can be used as a 'baby bottle tote' too! They are available in several colors and they are on sale! Check here.

Hope everyone is planning to vote tomorrow, if you haven't already. I'm so tired of the political commercials and all the hype but really hope we get change this time. Yes, that was a jab at the current administration, actually politicians in general. Our Country is a mess....please, do your homework and vote for the leadership we need and deserve.

Holiday Ready

Kept my promise and didn't work in the Basement too much this weekend...a girl just needs a break now & then. However, I couldn't resist making these adorable CuTees for one of my favorite customers. Isaac is her first grandchild and he'll be exta handsome in his special shirt for each of the Fall holidays. Cute, huh?

Got computers?

This isn't new, but I noticed it while cleaning up this morning.

This is: (left to right, top to bottom)

1. his computer in the Basement
2. my laptop upstairs
3. his laptop, net book AND I-pad upstairs (on the breakfast room table, which doesn't make me happy!)
4. my computer in the Basement....

a bit much, don't you think? How did we function pre-computer days?

Hope you have a wonderful weekend planned....it's another beautiful Fall day and I'm spending the weekend out of the Basement (well, most of it anyway!).

More....

Sorry to bore you with more of our family photos,

but I just love them.

Promise these are the last two....for now.

Coming up for sunshine...

It's another gorgeous fall day here and I'm fixin' to (Southern for preparing/getting ready) leave the Basement to enjoy some sunshine. Think I'll grab a book and check out the hammock...pure joy! Just finished these items...which do you like best? I love, love, love the baby gift set with the fireman theme! So glad to finally have large and medium black totes back in stock and think the shoulder tote shown here will be very popular too.

Also wanted to share another pic from our photo shoot...here are 'the girls' (please ignore that kissy couple in the background there) ;)

This & that

If someone had told me I would ever stay home from school to dog sit, I wouldn't have believed it. But yesterday I did. Picked up Ruca at 7 am and babied her until Hanna came to collect her. She is so drugged up in this picture, poor baby...I know, she looks like a horse and most babies don't weight 78 lbs! but she really is a sweetie and I'm relieved that she is recovering quickly. Anyway, I did get some basement work done, so the day wasn't a total wash. Stitched up shirts for the boys using the Gobble Alphabet from Planet Applique . They have the cutest designs and I'm totally blowing my 'design purchasing budget'. Also finished seven travel mugs and church bag for bridesmaid/flower girl gifts.

Don't really have anything else to say....I'm totally using this post to procrastinate...just don't feel like stitching tonight.

Good & Bad

We got a sneak peek at a couple of pictures from our family photo shoot with Hope Bray...they are good.

My 'grand dog', Ruca, bolted out of the house and right into the path of a PT Cruiser this morning...it was bad. The vet & staff at the emergency clinic were fabulous. Just called for an update and fortunately, her diagnosis is the 'lesser of the evils'. After a VERY expensive night in the doggie hospital, she gets to come home and with TLC and some meds, is going to be alright. She is getting obedience training for Christmas.

Just sewing...

Nothing much happening 'round here...just lots of sewing. Church bags and shoe bags were on today's list...tons of fun colors and designs.

Listened to/watched some interesting ACC and SEC football while I worked. SC beat Alabama...wooo!...at least Hanna looked good. She called to say she'd had lots of compliments and inquires about her adorable Bama top. Sounded like they were having fun...that was before the game started.

Speaking of the Bamba wear...had to do a major make-over on the top when she picked it up. While cute on the hanger, the pillowcase design was not at all flattering on the body. It seriously looked like a maternity top complete with built-in-baby. And even though I HATE doing alterations, it had to be adjusted. So I transformed the 'barrel' into an A-line empire baby doll kinda thingy and we both loved the finished product.

Back to football.. Hard day for the Orange teams...NC beat Clemson? huh. And the Bulldogs were so unkind to Tennessee. Wouldn't have matter which team, win or lose, sure wish I had been tailgating somewhere in the South on this perfect college football day.

Feels like Fall Y'all!

This was a wonderfully fun, but very busy weekend. Friday afternoon our whole clan (4 daughters, two son-in-laws, three grandsons, hubby & I) gathered for a photo session with Hope Bray. She is fabulous and we had such a good time. I can not wait to see our pictures. On Saturday, we celebrated two birthdays with one party (good call Mom Lauren!). Jack turned three and Paul is one...they are growing too fast!
In addition to processing several orders, I made shirts for the birthday boys and the 'Bama' pillowcase top for Hanna. Without a doubt, she will look precious and be ready to 'roll with the tide' on Saturday. This is absolutely my favorite season and today was a perfect Fall day. I managed to spend a nice lazy hour in the hammock between working in the basement, catching up on laundry and other chores. It's been a great weekend.
Happy Fall Y'all!

Is this a problem?

You've heard me say it....I'm not a shopper. At least not a 'go to the store' kind of shopper. So I will admit to you that I love online shopping. It's just so wonderful to buy almost anything via my trusty computer, right here from the hermitage of the Basement. Not to mention the convenience...just click and within days, it's delivered to my door. Of course, most of my purchases are business related...ribbon, fabric, pre-made bags and other supplies. I can't resist all things black & white and hounds tooth is a favorite right now. Look what came today...fabulous fabric! The elephant print and blk/white hounds tooth plus a little red rick rack will become a pillow case top for Hanna to wear to the Alabama vs. South Carolina game (all of a sudden she is 'Bama' fan. wonder if that has anything to do with a new love interest?). The green/white dandelion prints are for window treatments in Rach's new apartment. She has a green/white hounds tooth sofa (what can I say? "apples don't fall far from the tree') and this fabric will make fun, whimsical valances & throw pillows. The orange/white hounds tooth would make an adorable clutch bag for some dedicated Clemson or Tennessee fan...Belle? Preppy? I'm thinking 'bout you girls!

I stayed home today with a nasty tummy thing and the arrival of this beautiful fabric has me feeling better already! (drinking the bottle of pink stuff probably helped too)

Still here

Towels & Totes

Life is very busy. School is good, business is good, family is good. Nothing overly exciting happening here. I'm so ready for fall and cooler temperatures. We finally got a tiny bit of much needed rain last night, loved the thunder & lightening and am praying for more today. We are home this weekend and I'm almost caught up on orders. Been a little negligent about taking pictures, but did snap this one of these adorable towels and matching totes.

There's still time to place orders for Fall/Halloween Cutees.

If you are already thinking about Christmas, remember I have some really great personalized gift ideas that won't break the bank. Y'all come on down to The Basement and order (lots of) presents. ;)

Time crunch

Not much time to talk 'cause my weekend was mega busy and I'm just too tired. Went to SC to visit Mama & brother (had a really nice time!). Also managed to finished 9 items on the Basement list. The duffle is for my friend Heather. She plans to use it for her 'going to the hospital bag', first baby coming soon! She and Hubby are stationed in Germany...both wonderful American soliders...hugs and thanks to them.

Orange was evidently the color of the week. Daughter Rach is a PC Grad, so we weren't too happy that Clemson beat up on the poor Blue Hose so badly...the things colleges will do for publicity! Pa says that Clemson will find out how it feels next week when they go up against the other orange Tigers...I just make the bags, y'all!

'Nite.

Cloning?

We are at the lake for the long Labor Day weekend. It is beautiful! Weather is picture perfect...sunny, but not too hot, nice breeze, cool evenings. After the long husband was out of town too hot to go outside summer and then the hectic back to school reality, this weekend is a welcome break. We are sleeping late, eating too much, lazing in the hammock, floating on the water...I love weekends like this. However, I really wish there was another me at home sewing and a third me in Durham helping Rach move into her new apartment. On second thought...the world really doesn't needs three of me. So, I'll stay up late next week sewing and go to Durham next weekend to 'touch' everything in the new apartment.
Hope you have a safe & fun holiday.

Special requests

Couldn't wait share these two very special request orders that I just finished.

The first is a custom monogram designed by Jessica (friend of daughter from hometown) for her cousin's wedding invitations. She contacted me about stitching the monogram on some gifts. I explained about digitizing (changing to a format that the embroidery machine recognizes), she found someone to do it and sent me the file last week. As you can see, it stitched out beautifully! I made the linen pillow with navy cording and monogram. The ivory linen hemstitched hand towels are also stitched in navy. Very elegant, don't you think? She is very talented and I'm so happy she contacted me to help with these very special gifts.

Another customer needed aprons with pockets for herself and other preschool teachers. She has purchased tons of burp cloths from me and we tease about everyone in her town being pregnant. Said she wanted a black apron and 'liked teal better than pink ' then gave me creative freedom . I picked up the pocketed aprons at Hobby Lobby, added ribbon and stitched her name. How cute is this? We were both pleased with the results.

And now I am very tired.

Hope you have a marvelous Monday!

Strugglin'

I'm having a hard time getting back into the swing of it.

It should be against the law to have to be at work before 7am!

I will see no daylight this weekend as the 'to do list' in the basement is almost to the 'overwhelming' level (I love you wonderful customers!) and the 'back to school' paperwork seems endless this year.

Hope you have something fun & fabulous planned for the weekend.

Hugs for underground!

5:00 Update - here's what I've finished today: two totes, train case, lunch bag, key fob, 2 burps, bib, bloomers, church bag & a pencil cup .... hmmm, maybe an award is in order or something?!?!? Also did four loads of laundry, walked 30 mins., and now I'm going 'up' to make dinner for my sweet husband.

#9

Today is our ninth wedding anniversary. It's difficult to think of words to adequately describe how much I adore hubby. Our relationships enriches my existence and is a huge part of who I am. I cherish ever minute with him and look forward to many, many more years together.

Be a Donor

With only two days of summer vacation left, it's time to think about school. I get so tired of 'back to school' commercials and all the hype, but I suppose parents and retailers get really excited about this time of year. We are already getting emails about spending cuts and tight school budgets so I decided to try something new to get materials we'll need for class. Have you heard of DonorsChoose.org? It's a great website where teachers can submit proposals for projects and then donors can contribute to the purchase of the requested supplies. Donors can search for proposals from their local schools or subjects they are interested in. My proposal is Supplies for Spectacular Seamstresses in case you want to send some blog love ($$) my way.

Hubby is home since BP says all of the oil is gone. (?) Anyway, I'm not complaining. He will be able to manage the rest of the job from here with an occasional quick trip down. We have been working like mad on our my 'summer to do list'. Cleaning out the garage & basement storage room where biggies and they are checked off. The pictures below are of my sewing/work space, I did a little more tweaking...it's almost perfect! And we finally posted the updated website! I've been working on it all summer. No doubt it will need some tweaking too, so if you see any problems, please let me know. Web designing is a mind boggling job, especially for one as computer challenged as I am.

Although I haven't posted many project pictures lately, I've been doing lots of sewing.

That's about it for now...hope y'all have a Marvolous Monday!

Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to Cheryl from Water Oak Hill!

drawing was processed at Random.org

Hanna & I had a really nice time yesterday. Massage was wonderful! Some how my birthday celebration turned into a shopping spree for HER! What's up with that, you ask? Well, she will be starting an internship in a few weeks and needs 'grown up' clothes. She is so cute & fun to buy for (I swear she is wearing my figure from years ago! and I didn't say a word about how those things she picked out look an awful lot like what is hanging in my closet...she has not had that "I've turned into my Mother' epiphany....yet!). Anyway, is there really any better celebration than doing things for the ones we love?
Thanks again for participating in the giveaway. 'Nite y'all!

My Day!

Today is my 52nd birthday!

Hannie is taking me out for lunch/massage/shopping/movie/dinner (if I make it that long)...she is my favorite daughter today ;)

Giveaway ends at midnight so be sure to get your name in the hat.

Happy Monday!

Giveaway, anyone?

Wallet Giveaway

Anyone up for a Giveaway? To celebrate August (my birthday month) I'm giving away one of these fabulous quilted wallet/wristlets. What a fun way to debut this new product that will soon be available at Basement Bags. Here are the guidelines:

Giveaway begins today, 8/4/10 and ends 8/9/10, my birthday!

Enter simply by leaving a comment here on the blog.

Extra entries can be earned by:

• Posting about this giveaway on your blog (leave a comment to let me know)
• Writing about this giveaway on Facebook
• Announcing this giveaway on Twitter (use hashtag #BasementBag Wallet Giveaway)
• Sign up to be a follower on my blog (leave a comment to let me know if you are already a following..that counts!)
• Sign up to be a Facebook Fan
• Become a follower on Twitter.

Whew!...that's SEVEN possible entries! Ready, set, go! Good luck!

Back to our new 'normal'

New Merchandise

Our vacation week was nice, but passed too quickly. We spent lots of time catching up on things that have been neglected during hubby's absence. Seems like everything we own was broken in some way or another. I am so fortunate to have a guy that can do everything...seriously, there are very few occasions that he doesn't know how to do whatever needs doing. While home,he replaced the motor for my car window (which would go down, but not back up), put a new water pump on the boat engine, cut & cleared away huge limbs that had come down during a recent thunder storm, set up my software to re-do Basement Bags website (what a massive undertaking!) and the list goes on, all while still working several hours each day on the phone/computer. He is truly an amazing man! I am truly a lucky girl! We finally got to the lake for the weekend and enjoyed time with friends & family. Now the house is empty again and I'm back to what is our 'normal' for now. Just two weeks of summer vacation left...really? where does time go? I'm not ready to go back yet. There is a stack of orders waiting to be processed, books that haven't been read yet, Spring cleaning that hasn't been done, summer lunch dates that haven't even been set up, pounds that haven't been lost, and that website makeover that is still looming. Shoot!...I don't have time to go back to work! And that treadmill is yelling at me right now...heavens! let me get this day started.

Hope you'll stop by The Basement and check out all of the new merchandise. As I say often, "It's not too early to think Christmas, Y'all"!

Giddy!

I am absolutely giddy with excitement! Silly, maybe, but I just can't help it. Hubby has been working in the Gulf for the past four weeks, so it's been beyond lonely around here. He is working 10-12 hr. days and his responsibilities didn't allow him to travel home last weekend. I didn't know two weeks could be sooooo long! When we met, we lived 2 hrs. apart and did the long-distant-dating thing for more than three yrs. Heck, we even got married in Aug. and I didn't move up here until the next June. His little airplane came in real handy during that time, let me tell you. Even with the distance and all that came with it ( jobs, the girls & their endless activities, time issues, illness, family obligations...blah,blah,blah) last weekend was the first one in twelve years that we didn't spend together. It was a killer! I can not wait to see him tomorrow. And he has a week of vacation. I will be doing some serious man pampering! I've been working like a crazy woman to get all of my orders finished and ready to be shipped... just taped the last box a few minutes ago. Today I made four shoe bags, two church totes, and all of the other precious baby stuff shown in the photo above. It was a good day.

One of my favorite sayings is, "'we find time and money for what's most important to us"....well, Ladies, I won't have time for blogging next week. ;)

Next time...

I am sick. Started on Sunday, went to doctor on Tues...he said 'we caught it early', use this nose spray. I'm not going to rant about how many phone calls it took between doctors office and pharmacy to finally get the useless stuff! What is wrong with prescribing antibiotics? and why on earth can't they write it on an old fashion prescription pad that I can take myself and hand to the pharmacist? I have a sinus infection. I have had enough of them in my life to know. I have been to the doctor twice this year, both times, sinus infection. I am not a drug addict, I do not doctor hop to get meds...I am sick and NEED an antibiotic for heavens sake! So after at least 7 phone calls back & forth today, I'm on my way to pick up my Z-PAC...hopefully. Next time, I will insist on one to start with. I will be dishonest and say 'yes, 101.5 temperature'. I will also be sure to see the nurse practitioner.

His & Hers

His & Hers Wet Bathing Suit Bags

Custom work is so much fun. I love to get an email or phone call asking "can you do this or that?"... most of the time the answer is "Yes!". This time, the answer was not only "yes", but "why didn't I think of that?" So the first question was: is the bag big enough for two bathing suits? No, but I had been considering increasing the size...original bag was great for a 'bikini', but MY bathing suit would be a tight squeeze. Next question: do you make a bag for men's swimming trunks? No, unfortunately my merchandise is not very gender diverse. End result: His & Her Wet Bathing Suit Bags! Wouldn't this be a great bride/groom gift for the honeymoon, a fun gift for the couple who travel often or a good accessory for the 'gym bag' ? What do you think?

Hubby flew out this morning, back to work in the Gulf. He shared germs. I am sick. Doctor, here I come.

New best friend

I am human, therefore, I make mistakes. Judging from the number of mistakes, sometimes, I'm VERY human. Mistakes in the embroidery business can be expensive...time & dollar wise. Can't tell you how many things have been tossed out because the name/initials were programmed incorrectly, the design placement was bad, the item slipped out of the hoop and so on. Like anything, having the right tools makes the job easier and reduces mistakes. As my business grows, so does my box of 'gadgets'. My most recent acquisition, Peggy's Stitch Eraser, has already earned my kudos, despite it's steep sticker price. Honestly, I was sceptical, but it works like a dream! It's a lot like a mini hair clipper, but the blades are tiny and the points very sharp. It cuts threads on the back of the embroidery then I just pull the threads out on the front. So simple. And it doesn't damage the fabric or leave any trace of the mistake. Beats using a seam rippers and the mega-nerdy-magnifying glass-headband thingy! Yes, I have actually used it (whilst muttering very ugly words!)

Hubby is home from the Gulf...sick as a dog...major sinus infection. We are being extremely lazy and I'm pampering him as much as possible. He goes out again on Monday & will probably be gone 2-3 weeks this time. Not the summer we had planned, but it is what it is. He says the clean up efforts are going well and BP really is working hard to make things right. One official stated that once the well is capped, they could have everything cleaned up in 45 days. That seems a little ambitious, but wouldn't it be wonderful if the whole mess could be over that soon.
Below are some recent cuties from the Basement:

Mirrors

Remember the fun house mirrors? We have tri-fold mirrors in both of the upstairs bathrooms and I have discovered if I stand in exactly the right place (between two) it makes me appear uber skinny! Love it! Of course, the operative word is 'appear'.

Independence Day

Our 4th of July weekend was the best in recent memory. Hubby was home, girls, dogs, babies & friends joined us at the lake. The weather was uncommonly comfortable for July in NC...temps in upper 80's, low humidity, no rain...the best!
July 4th is a good holiday. The annual boat parade on our lake was delightful. Boats decorated with flags and streamer were loaded with families decked out in patriotic bathing suits and other festive attire, such fun. A celebration of our independence...red, white & blue..land that I love...let freedom ring....makes me so proud...and then today our federal government filed a law suit against Arizona?!?!...really?...because that state wants (NEEDS) to enforce immigration laws that already exist? Have we all taken our democracy for granted for too long? Have we been too complacent about the politics around us? Are you paying attention to the agenda of the current administration? Does it scare you to death? I don't want to live in a socialist country. I pray the celebration of Independence Day doesn't become a remembrance for the history books.
Whew!...that's a lot to think about. What are your thoughts?

To end on a lighter note...I received a huge shipment of new merchandise today....think Christmas y'all!

No Love

Dear Mr. Bowflex,
I do not love you. However, if you help me tone up my flabby arms the status of our relationship could change.
Sincerely,
Basement Bags Girl

Sun, Fun & Family

Warning: this is a long post.
The past two weeks have been busy and hot and tons of fun. Definitely worth coming out of the Basement! Wanted to include more photos in the slide show, but camera batteries are dead and hubby isn't here to rescue help me (details below). Our twelve day 'go-a-thon' started with a long weekend trip to Emerald Isle. We flew into Beaufort, NC (lovely historic coastal town) and drove to Emerald Isle. We had a super fun night at the Emerald Club. Some of the best people watching I've done recently...couple of the 'locals' were very interesting. Live performance by Johnny Dollar Band was the highlight of the evening. Unfortunately the band has changed since we last saw them...still good, but only two original members are with them. The old group were much better 'showman' (and musicians). The weather was perfect and the whole trip was fun & relaxing. The Crystal Coast is so appropriately named. I had a couple of days to get some sewing done. Seems like black & white was the color scheme of the week. Is there anything more classic than houndstooth? On Wednesday, my Dad and Nina came to visit. They brought me the most delicious real tomatoes and SC peaches. I made TWO fab-u-lous peach cobblers! We ate every bite. Don't hate. We spent Friday with Hanna...toured the NASCAR Hall of Fame, rambled through her campus(UNC-C) and had dinner at the restaurant where she works. Although we aren't really race fans, the Hall of Fame is an impressive facility. Saturday we headed north to visit Rach. She was a great hostess. We cruised NC State campus and had lunch at 'The Pitt' (wow!....a must if you are ever in Raleigh). Then we drove through the Duke campus and she showed us her office building and some houses/apartments she is interested in. We hung out at Tyler's in the American Tobacco Center and waited out a few rain showers before the Bull's baseball game. Good wine & people watching! The ballgame was excellent although it was hot as hades! We had good seats (more great people watching) and the Bull's won. We left during the 7th inning and went to Tobacco Road (more good food & wine) to catch the end of the college world series game, Clemson vs. SC. We were very sad that our Tigers lost, especially to the Gamecocks! We finished the weekend with a tour of UNC and delicious Sunday brunch. We have some outstanding colleges in NC and now I've seen three of the best.
This morning my scales screamed at me! And my digestive has played 'pay back' all day for my 10 days of wining & dining!
Now I am home alone and the house is deafeningly quiet. Pa & Nina are safely back in Alabama. The girls are at their respective apartments and back at work. I am getting caught up in the basement. And my sweet husband is in the Gulf, working on a project associated with the oil spill clean up. It all sounds like a huge goat rodeo and he doesn't completely understand his assignment, yet. I hope they can help. Unfortunately, he doesn't have a magic wand to make it all better. I promise not to whine about him being away...maybe.

'Night y'all.

Ahhh, vacation!

First day of summer break has been great! I'm not sitting around eating bon-bons mind you, but laboring in the basement is as much fun as it is work!

Sort of looks like a fabric/ribbon/thread bomb blew up down here right now....creating cuteness does get messy sometimes! I finished these burps, bloomers & matching CuTee.

I walked, caught up on blog reading and emailing neglected friends, did some laundry & ironing, monogrammed a bag for myself and starting reading a book (just for fun), spent hours on-line shopping (and maybe ordering) some new embroidery designs and fabric. Oooo...does it get any better than this?!?!?

I'll end today by sharing a picture of me and one of my sweet Senior girls, Christina, who brought me flowers the last day of school. What a pleasant surprise! My Mom was an elementary teacher and she always let me open her Christmas/end of school gifts from her students. Those little acts of appreciation don't happen as often for us high school teachers, so it sure is extra special when it does.

Finally!

School is out for summer! Starting tomorrow I will finally be back on SUSAN TIME! Oh, I mega heart summer vacation. We are off to the beach for a few days...can't wait!...we have family coming to visit next week (that's you, Pa & Nina) and we are looking forward to that too. We are planning to check out the new NASCAR Hall of Fame, do a day or two at the lake and take in a Bull's game in Durham...please pray for fair skys and cooler temperatures! I have a stack of orders to keep me busy so the summer is off to a perfect start.
I came up one pound shy of my weight loss goal, but it's all good. I'm very happy being 33 pounds lighter. Of course, a female cousin at the family reunion Sunday had lost 48 lbs. Wow, good for her! Really? Talk about stealing my thunder! My next goal is to lose the final 10-15 lbs. by Thanksgiving. That sounds like a long time, but you know it gets harder and I want to be realistic. Again, wish me luck and I'll keep you posted.

Just added this fun polka dot lunch bag

and shoulder tote to the website, hope

you'll check them out. I have plenty of

time to sew and would love to make

something special for you!

So close...

Just two more days of school (for retesting), Graduation on Saturday, then a couple of work days....we are so close to summer vacation I can taste it ! My students have, once again, made me extremely proud...100% level 1!!!...lowest exam grade was 83! I could do a whole post about the problems in public education, but I'd rather concentrate on the good stuff. My students, all they learned, how they matured, the skills they acquired & projects they completed and these test results overshadow any question that what I'm doing everyday is valuable . It is so rewarding to finish another school year feeling like I did something very good.
This was year #29 for me...Bless my heart! no wonder I'm tired!

These matching shoe/cosmetic bags left the basement today bound for a Sept. wedding party...love the Brides that plan ahead! Also love the classic toile fabric.

And to finish up:
lost one more pound
got new walking shoes today (yes y'all, they are white!)
Land's End bathing suits arrived, they fit beautifully
it's bedtime here... 'Nite!

Since last time...

School's Out (almost) for Summer Special

3 piece quilted travel set only $75 (includes monogram)

Set includes a small duffle, large tote, garment bag

Also available in pink/white-limited quantities-two set of each color
This is a 'blog only' sale-email Susan@basementbags.com to order

Since my last post:

• we celebrated the holiday weekend at the lake-Sunday was beautiful, Monday was a washout but we enjoyed a great game of Monopoly-Hannie totally bankrupted all of us!
• if anyone in authority asked me, I'd suggest three-day weekends be the norm, not the exception
• lost another pound-only 10 days & 3 more lbs. to lose to reach my goal-wish me luck
• exams started today, my first class had 100% level 1 (that's the highest possible)
• orders continue to pile up-that's not a complaint-I'm processing as quickly as possible, can't wait 'til the basement is my only job
• our sweet dog, Jules, died. We will miss her, but she was old & it was just time for her to go.

Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday! I will be sewing all weekend. Hope you have something equally fun planned!