Happy second day of fall ...... and a call for quilt blocks for a fallen hero

Well happy second day of fall Blogland Neighborhood ! (I meant to do a post yesterday with the title "Happy First Day of Fall" but as noted in my previous post, we here at MBIAJ Headquarters seem to have a "time management problem". (sigh) One of the contributing factors to the time management problem around here is getting lost in Blogland. Having a cup of tea and setting a time limit to reading blogs, facebook, and emails ONLY until that cup of tea is finished just isn't working. There are SO many fun blogs and talented people out there that it's easy to get sucked into that gaping black hole of cyberspace and information overload - so much that hyperventilating and the need to breathe into a paper bag is imminent ... and, unfortunately, sometimes we come across some not so fun things .... some very sad things .... where a Blogland Neighbor John'aLee is asking for help.....


...to gather up some red, white and blue fabrics and make a star block or two for a quilt for her daughter Tory who was supposed to get married this past weekend, but went to her fiance Chris' funeral instead because he was killed in Afghanistan 2 weeks before their wedding. How terribly, awfully heartbreaking and sad. John' aLee is trying to get enough quilt blocks together to make a quilt for her daughter, Chris' mother, Chris' two brothers, and Chris' best friend who was with Chris in Afghanistan when he was killed. You can click on this link for more information on the star blocks.

Another Blogland Neighbor we came across who could also use our support is the very funny Megan of The Bitchy Stitcher. She has come up with this HYSTERICAL calendar: the "2012 Quilter's Shirtless Man and Spicy Burrito Calendar". Oooh La La !!!



...the calendars are for sale and the proceeds will benefit Megan's older brother and his family. He has been fighting brain cancer since January 2010. Here is the link to buy a calendar. Megan says she plans to do another calendar for 2013, so all you gals out there can volunteer your studs to bare all and wrap up in a quilt for a good cause !

Well, given our history of time management difficulties, guess we'd better step away from this computer, and maybe start planning and making a star block or two since the end of October will come around sooner rather than later.

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

Time Management ......sheesh .....

Well hey there Blogland Neighborhood .... where the heck did the past week or two go? Beats me .... time management doesn't seem to be one of my strong points ....(I've had this cartoon hanging in my home office/ sewing room FOREVER ... LOVE IT ! and I wish I could tell you who the artist is, but I don't know .... sorry! ) Anyhow, to further illustrate this affliction, earlier this evening as I was rushing around the grocery store, I was side tracked (happens ALL the time !) and found myself taking pictures of .....




...really cute Halloween paper plates and ...


.....napkins .... instead of concentrating on all the food I need to stock up on for this weekend when .....



....College Boy Matt comes home with ....









....EIGHT of his Penn State Cycle Teamates for the weekend (they are competing in mountain bike races hosted by Lehigh University on Saturday and Sunday, so our house will be home base for food, sleeping , and showers).

.....(sigh) see ..... I'm doing it again! Here I sit writing a blog post instead of putting all those groceries away and figuring out where everybody is going to sleep (well, they'll probably all just end up on the living room floor ....) Anybody want to come over to MBIAJ Headquarters early Saturday and Sunday morning to help me make breakfast for the team ? :)

GO PENN STATE !!!!!

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

My hydrangeas are drooping .....

Happy September and Happy Labor Day weekend Blogland Neighborhood! Well, even though it is still pretty darn HUMID and feeling like summer here in Pa (hopefully to change soon according to those Weather Channel people), the MBIAJ yard and garden are showing signs of fall/autumn (YAY!!! we LOVE fall/autumn here at MBIAJ !!! Just as a little side note here - do you refer to the season as "fall" or "autumn"? I usually say "fall" but I like the sound of "autumn" better . "Autumn" sounds romantic and New Englandy while "Fall" sounds like something you want to prevent so you don't break a hip ! - I think I've been in the physical therapy homecare/ safety at home and falls prevention game too long !)

ANYWAY ..... as I was saying before that last ramble, the yard and garden are showing signs of changing seasons ...



....a few fallen leaves (I gathered them all up and put them in one place just for this picture .... not enough to rake yet!)









....a droopy sunflower ...





....an empty nest ....







.......some fall colored mums, black eyed susan's and sedum (all drooping I might add)




...... and the star of today's show .... my drooping hydgranea tree. Now I'm pretty sure all of these things are not drooping due to lack of precipitation after all, Hurricane Irene was just here. No, I think by this time of year, the blooms are big and heavy and just DROOP !!! So, not knowing what else to do with the droopy blooms, the MBIAJ Gardening Dept decided to get some pruning implements and......



....lop off a few of those droopy hydgrangeas and sedums and ....




.......put them in a big mason jar (one of these days the MBIAJ Photography Dept will actually read the directions on proper lighting and exposure .....)





......uh oh.....look who found the flowers already. OK, so even though the flowers look pretty sitting on that table, Sam is probably waiting for just the right time to A)try and eat them . B)try and play with them. or C) knock them over. So, the MBIAJ Decorating Dept has moved them ....




...up there on top of the fireplace mantel .









So, anyhow , hope you all are enjoying this last official weekend of summer (even though fall/autumn doesn't officially start for another couple of weeks according to my calendar)

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

Irene is a HAS BEEN !

Good morning Blogland Neighborhood. It's a BEAUTIFUL morning here in Jim Thorpe, Pa - blue blue skies, low humidity and about 70 degrees ! Hurricane Irene came and went mostly Saturday night with alot of rain, and on and off rain and some wind gusts on Sunday. So, MBIAJ Headquarters really wasn't affected much other than ...




.....some leaves and small branches thrown around the yard, porch and driveway and ...




....loss of power for a day and a half caused by this tree that fell on wires down the street from us. So only minor inconveniences - the worst being the fact that when we don't have power here at headquarters, we also don't have running water or FLUSHING TOILETS (because we are on well and septic here). The MBIAJ Emergency Management Dept always fills the bathtub with water for flushing the toilets when there's a chance the power might go out, but it seems it only works for about 4 or 5 good flushes, then it kind of backs up ..... therefore, during a power outage, the MBIAJ Emergency Management Dept puts a ban on Mr. Moonbeams High Fiber Diet (he's a vegetarian who eats more vegetables, fiber and roughage in one sitting than most people eat in a year .... need we say more?)

Anyhow, we came through Irene unscathed .... so for us Ireney was a Weany ! (but we know for many people she was not and they are dealing with alot of flooding , still no power, and damages. Hopefully all will be fixed and in good shape very soon!)

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

Goodnight Irene !!!!

Well, Goodnight Irene Blogland Neighborhood! Unless you've been living under a rock, you know there's a storm - a BIG STORM happening RIGHT NOW along the east coast of the USA ..... and the outer fringes of it are due ....




...to make an appearance here at MBIAJ Headquarters sometime tonight and tomorrow (we are near Allentown, Pa).




So, the MBIAJ Emergency Management Dept has been busily collecting all the supplies we may need over the next few days .... batteries, flashlights, a radio, matches, candles, sterno, water and ... lets take a closer look at one of the most important supplies ....





..... some chocolate in the form of Pillsbury brownie bites :) WAIT ! Will one package be enough?!?!!!! I better get to the store before Irene comes to get more !!!!




Be back soon! (Please stay safe everybody !!!!)
Toodles,
Mary Anne (aka Mare)

My empty nest

Good Monday morning Blogland Neighborhood ! Well, today is a big day here at MBIAJ Headquarters. My baby boy just left for his first day of college classes. Yes, Moonbeams Boy Evan is now a Penn State University freshman ....(sigh). And even though he will still be living here at home this year and commuting to the local PSU branch campus, the fact remains that .....





......my two baby boys










.....are now in college ! (and Matt is a PSU SENIOR - ALREADY !?!?!?!!!)

Makes their Moonbeams Mom both proud and sad !





So, in the words of their grandfather ... "Go forth and conquer the world !!!" (I'm pretty sure he quoted that from somebody else) . Best of luck to both of my college boys for a great year !!!!




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

Emergency No Sew Last Minute Pillow Covers !!!

Happy weekend Blogland Neighborhood! Well, as you know from my last post, last Sunday was Kid #2's (Evan's ) high school graduation party (held at MBIAJ Headquarters at pretty much the last possible time before he starts college classes TOMORROW !) Anyhow, not wanting to have to do a major clean up at Headquarters in order to have the party here, I tried to rent a pavilion at our local lake, but all pavilions were booked for last weekend. SO, the only possible location for the party was MBIAJ Headquarters (i.e. our house - YIKES !) Actually, this turned out to be a good thing since now the pressure was on to actually clean up the clutter and do some serious dusting and vacuuming ! (and I must say everybody here at Headquarters rolled up their sleeves and pitched in to get the place looking spic and span for Evan's big day!) So, everything looked sparkly and perfect except for .......



.....those throw pillows on the love seat and sofa - UGH !!!! Those pillows have been on my "list" for quite some time now - talk about NASTY !!!! There must be at least 6 years worth of Moonbeams Boys' and their friends' slobber , drool and stinky feet all over those pillows! AND, horror of horrors, they don't really go with anything else in the room - these are the pillows that came with the sofa.

So, with party guests due to arrive and food still needing to be picked up (yes, we cheated and went with party trays and a cake made by the local grocery store - but we did put forth a little effort and made pierogies in the crock pot and hamburger bbq in another crock pot) - I looked at those pillows and desperately googled "No Sew Pillow Covers". There were actually pretty many versions, but I went with "The Easiest Pillow Cover Ever" found on this site, orangize and decorate everything

I followed her directions for the covers except I didn't have quite enough fabric to tie a knot , so I had to ...



....... cut strips of contrasting fabric to tie around the ends of the fabric.



.....and Ta Daaaa !!!
























.....NO MORE UGLY PILLOWS !!!!!

FYI: these pillows look good and would continue to look good if we lived in a museum; however they did not stand up to the punishment that high school and college boys dish out - my pretty bows fell off and the fabric unraveled (which one would expect if said pretty pillow were to be winged across the living room at one's friend or brother's head). I think they would have held up better if I had enough fabric to follow the instructions to tie the fabric in a knot instead of having to use extra fabric to tie a bow.

So, it looks like I'm gonna have to actually sew some industrial strength slip covers for these pillows at some point. (OK, I'll go put that on my "to do list" - again !)

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