Stress drawing ..... the alternative to stress eating !!

Good morning Blogland Neighborhood ! Well, the stressed out Paperwork Dept here at MBIAJ Headquarters has lapsed into





drawing (drawing the pictures of the junk food they'd rather be stress EATING that is !!) So, drawing then ......



.......coloring (VERY therapeut-ic !) .....


.......and more coloring .... until .....



......it's all done .....and now it's time to ....




...piddle around some more and pick out fabrics to make a quilt block out of this drawing ..... or.... maybe it should be an embroidered block !!! What do you think? (appliqued or embroidered? ) Procrastinating minds want to know! ......and MAYBE the Sewing Dept will have time to work on this next week because the Moonbeams family is heading to the Jersey Shore for a VACATION !!! (and the Moonbeams Mama doesn't even care if it rains because she plans on taking plenty of sewing projects along ..... sort of like her own little "sewing/quilting retreat for one" .....she's thinking she MIGHT even invite ...



...Betty !!!











Be back soon ! (with a full report from the shore! )

Toodles,
Mary Anne (aka Mare)

Fun and thoughtful gifts !!!

Happy late Saturday night Blogland neighborhood! Well, the MBIAJ Paperwork Dept has been putting in ALOT of LONG LONG hours over the past month or so with the day job that always spills over into nights and weekends (BORING !!!) Anyhow, this past week they received some fun and thoughtful gifts that help tremendously to alleviate some of the tedium and monotony. Evan (Moonbeams Boy #2) went to Hershey Park a few days ago and bought his Moonbeams Mama ......




.....a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup mug !

Now, this mug isn't your everyday run of the mill mug ...nope.....to get a real feel for the size of this mug, you have to see it next to......




...the "Lucy" mug (which used to seem big) and a regular size mug .....that's one BIG MUG !!!!! ...... should keep the Paperwork Dept well caffeinated !!!! (WIRED and JUMPY !!!)


In addition to the HUGE MUG, the Paperwork Dept also received some fun thank you gifts from a Miss No Blog Pam who lives up the road from MBIAJ Headquarters. The Pet Sitting Dept took care of Pam's 2 kitties, 3 chickens, and a pond of big orange fish while Pam and family went to the shore for a couple of days.......and look at what she got them as a thank you ......




.....post it notes that say "more paperwork please" ........VERY funny Pam!

......and she also gave them ......


......this cocktail glass that says "another day in paradise" .....


......I'm loving this bathing suit ! (thinking this is the style for me with a big billowy skirt since I have a similar thigh problem) .... and the hair do .... maybe my hair will do that .... with LOTS of hair spray! .....anyhow, Pam also included something to put in that cocktail glass .....


......this lovely beverage !!!! PERFECT !!! (should counteract all the caffeine that fits into that Reese's mug !) THANKS Pam and Evan !!!! these things really do make the ENDLESS paperwork part of my job a little less mind numbning (kind of like Mary Poppins' spoon full of sugar making the medicine go down in the most delightful way)......however, the paperwork still does have a tendency to make you want to just lay down on top of all those papers and .....






.......take a nap (that's Sam, my assistant for today's paperwork marathon)







Unfortunately, with all of this paperwork busy ness and the long hours of driving during the day, the Sewing / Quilting Dept hasn't had much time for either (sewing or quilting) ..... BUT, they did notice that the homecare agency that the Day Job Dept has been working for has .......




......a quilt block as their logo !!!! Imagine that !!!









Be back soon! (hopefully with some fun sewing or drawing or quilting or baking ..... well, you get the picture ..... ANYTHING other than paperwork !!)

Toodles,
Mary Anne (aka Mare)

For the "Time Management Challenged"

Good morning Blogland neighborhood! Today our topic is "Time Management" .....OR....more precisely, the lack thereof. Oh sure .... on the outside we here at MBIAJ Headquarters appear to be on top of it all....completely in control and organized, but .........huh?......





....oh.....not really? you don't think so?.......oh......(sigh) FINE !!!


....ANYWAY, as I was saying, despite outward appearances, we here at MBIAJ are "TIME MANAGEMENT CHALLENGED" !!! ..... and we take comfort in knowing we're not alone! Author/illustrator Monica Sheehan had a fun cartoon in Real Simple Magazine a few years ago that we cut out and posted on the wall of the home office because we can TOTALLY relate !!! ENJOY !!

































Wasn't that hysterical?!?!?!! PLEEEEASE tell me that you all can relate too!!!!(and if you can't, don't tell me cause I'll develop an inferiority complex !)

Anyhow, on that note (of being "Time Management Challenged") I'd like to take a minute and say a group thank you to all of you nice gals who take the time to read these blatherings and ramblings and leave such nice comments ! (sorry the "Comment Answering Dept" doesn't always have time to answer each comment .... but they LOVE each and every one of them!!! )

....OH! ... by the way....Monica with the daughter at ESU ..... if you send me your email I can email you back about other quilt shops in this area that you asked about.

OK, time to zoom and attempt to keep this day on schedule !!!

Be back soon!
Toodles,
Mary Anne (aka Mare)

Carolyn's Quilt Shop ...... the new kid in town!

Well, good morning Blogland Neighborhood! It's a BEAUTIFUL day here in Pa ....sunny and not too hot .....and NO humidity (which we're very happy about since humidity makes us pretty darn cranky!) Not only are we happy about the weather here at MBIAJ Headquarters, we're also just tickled pink to tell you about the new kid in town.....a NEW QUILT SHOP that is !!!! Carolyn's Quilt Shop, located in my alma mater town of Tamaqua , Pa opened for business about 3 months ago. I'm thrilled to see a fabric/sewing business in this location again ..... when I was growing up, this store was "Nancy's Sewing Center". I took sewing lessons here on Saturday mornings when I was in sixth grade .......and look at the groovy outfit I made......




.....the one in the bottom left corner .... the skirt and vest ala Carol Brady or Shirley Partridge !!!













Anyhow, lets go in and take a little tour ....(feel free to "oooooh" and "aaaahhhh")


....oooooh!! pretty fabric and I LOVE those windows!


.......aaaahhhhhhh!!!!




......ooooh!!! MORE PRETTY FABRIC !!!!










.....and look!! the gang's all here! (and they're cutting my fabric) .....




......there's Janet (on the left), then Carolyn (the captain of the ship wearing the red shirt), Diane (we were in the same class at good ol' Tamaqua High), and Eileen. Let's listen in on their conversation shall we? Diane is saying "if she doesn't stop taking my picture, I'm gonna bop her over the head with this bolt of fabric!"......and Eileen replies "shhhhhhh! she's buying lots of stuff!" ...and Janet offers " don't you need more?" ..... and Carolyn is whispering under her breath "Cha Ching !!!" (just kidding .... these gals are as sweet as they can be!)

.....oh! and you HAVE to see the pretty bags they pack all of your goodies up in ...



...there's this one and ....


.....this one ....



.....and look at what was inside of those pretty bags ....



....all kinds of delicious fabric picked out by the MBIAJ Fabric Picking Out Dept!


....and the MBIAJ Sewing Dept has all kinds lofty ideas planned for all of these lovely fabrics but first they'll have to pencil in some time to get reaquainted with ....




.....Betty ...Oh Betty, it's been far too long ....(oops, got a little off track there for a minute.....)




So, listen friends and neighbors, if you can't personally visit Carolyn and the gang at her quilt shop in Tamaqua, Pa , you can still shop online !! How fun is that !!!!!!

.....and now we must zoom and get on with the rest of the day. Be back soon!!

Toodles,
Mary Anne (aka Mare)

Miss Firecracker 2009 !*!*!

Happy 4th of July Blogland neighborhood !!!! As you can see, Kitty has had quite the day .....she has been crowned "Miss Firecracker 2009" (according to her, it was her tap dancing while baton twirling routine that did the trick)......(now there will be no living with her!) She just wanted to pop in for her official photo opp for all of her adoring fans before rushing off to preside over the fireworks and other festivities at the park .

Hope you're all having a fun and safe day!

Be back soon!
Toodles,
Mary Anne (aka Mare) ....and her highness "Miss Firecracker"

Pap's Lallapalooza of a Party!!!!

Hello out there Blogland Neighborhood! Yikes!!! Has it been a week (or more) since the last blog post ?!?! Well, we apologize, but we've been trying to catch our breath after a very busy couple of work weeks AND a whirlwind of activity this past Sunday ! MBIAJ Headquarters was the setting for big doings around here !! We had a doozer of a shindig !!! A surprise party for the patriarch's 80th birthday !!! (patriarch = my Dad, George aka "Pap").




.......and here he is with Mom (Nancy) and their 8 grand-children






...and here are some of the characters who came to wish Pap a happy day .....












Now, friends and family ..... if you do NOT see your picture here it's because you promised to pay me NOT to put it on the blog ...... we take personal checks , money orders and cash ......

Anyhow, speaking of characters, guess whose birthday we're celebrating on Saturday (as in the 4th of July) ......




....none other than the Moonbeams Matriarch ... Mom/Nancy/Gimma (who informed me that if this picture showed up on the blog , she would disown me ..... good thing she doesn't have a clue how to work a computer !!!!!)

Be back soon!

Toodles,
Mary Anne (aka Mare)