DIY...am I getting crafty??

I suppose I am a bit crafty, but not like your average crafty blogger.  I have always wanted shopping bags for when I sell Lollibag's at shows.  But I've checked online and they are expensive and you end up ordering thousands if you want to get the best price.

I have a thing for paper shopping bags.  As a matter of fact I save all shopping bags and collect vintage paper products.  I used to have a huge stack of shopping bags, but sometimes I look at the pile and think....Prudy! What ARE you doing?  So currently I only have a few shopping bags, but don't worry, I plan on shopping in the near future.

Back to the subject at hand.  I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars for shopping bag's for show's....  So I decided to take my shopping bags.................

And my vintage newspapers, a glue stick and a marker, and make new label's for my old bags.

It was actually fun.  I didn't like cutting up the vintage newspaper, but I figured it was just sitting in a bin in my closet, so I might as well use it!

I can tell you exactly what I bought that was in these bags.  Is that bad?  This is the most darling bag from a store in Hawaii called Cinnamon Girl.  Summer shirt.

This bag was from Janie and Jack.  When I was pregnant with Sophie I bought her a really yummy pink knit sweater.  On the clearance rack of course.



Guess where that bag is from......

That was my retail therapy from Bare Escentuals.  Blush and eye shadow.

White House Black Market.  Really cute sandals with a bow across the front and wedge heels.

Nordstrom's.  After going to IKEA with my sister we stopped to look at Clinique stuff and I walked out with this bag.


So you may not need shopping bags for customers, but  you could do this for birthday's or Christmas too!  Write whatever you like on the new label.

Come back and tell me what you make!

15 years

Every year during this time of summer, I am very sad.  I don't think I realize why until July 26 hits and I remember, oh ya, my mom died 15 years ago today at 8:30pm. 

I have already wrote about that day here.  Last night I went down and sat on our dock, alone.  It was so nice and peaceful and beautiful.  I read a book for a while and I talked to Jesus for a while.  The sky was so blue and there were white fluffy clouds.  I could almost feel how wonderful it will be someday when I see Jesus and my mom again! 

Have a glorious day!



Our new house

Well here it is!  I do love the outside of our house, even the color.  I love that we are on a culdesac and there is no traffic going by.

I also love the hydrangea's out front.



My best friend's husband is building a deck for us, I am looking forward to drinking my coffee out there in the morning's.

It is REALLY high off the ground.  So the railing will be nice.  I am afraid of heights.

This is the view from the deck.  We are on a small lake and that is the dock with a couple of chairs on it and an umbrella.  The sun sets over the lake every night, it is so very pretty!  It does help my heart to see that.  Yes, that is a swamp between the house and the lake.  Oh well, maybe it will dry up some day.

The door to the deck.  I wish I had the house all decorated and ready to show you, but I don't.  My best friend (Rach) is coming over tomorrow morning, ~early~, for a coffee....then we will decorate!
Thank you Lord for girlfriends. Amen.

struggle much?

I do.  I really do.  Probably more than I should.  My latest struggle is trying to feel at home here in Minnesota.  I don't feel settled. 

Will I ever see this again?

I WANT to be here.  I know we are supposed to be here.  Things are better here.  So why do I miss Oregon so much?    Well let me explain.  I loved living there, but I knew it was the right thing to move. 

There, did I explain it?

No, I didn't.  Maybe it's the familiarity of {home} I miss. 

Sophie keeps saying she wants to go home.  Oh it about brings a tear to my eye.  I assume she thinks we are on vacation and are going back to the farm.  She wants her familiar room, her regular schedule.  She knew where to find me at all times at the farm.

She is afraid here, can't be without someone.  Won't go to her room alone.

I can't figure out my kitchen yet, so strange to me.  BUT.........I do realize these are good struggles to have.  I thank the Lord for these struggles and not different ones.  I just didn't think I would miss the farm so much.
I really hate feeling this way.  What I need is a girls night out!  Thank you Lord I have one of those coming up this week........and that is why I love being here.  I can call up my bestie and she's right here, not a 3 1/2 hour plane ride away.
 siiiigghh

this and that

Just a few tidbits, I am loving this blog.  It is so bright and colorful.  It is happiness. 

Sooooo I have been thinking on and off for about a year of creating a facebook page for Dear Prudence and I finally did it.  So will you LIKE it for me?  I'm sure you had no idea, Dear Prudence, is actually the name of my business.  See!   I need to reconfigure some things, I am a bit all over the place.....maybe change up my blog?  I don't know.
What to do.
What to do..
Advice welcome.

my sweet mom

Ikea fabric and Lollibag's

I have a couple things to show you.  First this is the giant vintage 'U' I bought at Hunt and Gather.

How great is that?  I went to Ikea recently.  I forgot they had fabric!  Really nice cotton fabric!  They had this striped fabric that reminded me of my grandma.  She had something vintage in that fabric, I don't remember what, but it was so familiar to me.

I've decided my "new" thing would be double straps on Lollibag's.  I really like double straps.

I hope your summer is going by slower than mine.  I am not ready for August and all it brings.  School shopping, registration.....the end of summer.   But my kids are getting bored, are yours?

my heart is happy

My oldest child has asked me to wake him up early Sunday mornings so he can attend church with the family.  Need I say more?

When I am sitting in church and I look to my right and see all my children in a row, and throw in a couple of nieces and nephews..........sigh.  Thank you Jesus.

the lo down

Well I did it, I drove an hour to visit Hunt and Gather.  And it was well worth it, it exceeded my expectations in all but one area. 

I knew pulling up, it was going to be grand.

There was so much to see, I was overwhelmed.  I couldn't focus.  Especially since I had Sophie.  I had to make sure she didn't break anything.  And Lauren and Portia kept saying....

Mom, look at this

Mom, look at this.

Mom, look at this!

Mom, look at this!

I finally had to say, STOP asking me to look at this, I want to look at things too!!!

See those big letters?  I bought a big yellow U.  Why a U?  They didn't have an R or a P.  And I fell in love with the U.  So what if it means nothing!  I love it!  There was an I and I may go back to get the I.  But maybe not, because I did not have a good experience with the vendor who checked me out.

Everywhere there were things I had to have.  But really how much can you spend and drag home?  My car certainly couldn't fit much.

There was a couple rooms with just letters.  I was in heaven.  I love letters, there were paper letters, plastic letters, letter cards, fabric letters, any kind of letter you can think of.

If you are in Minneapolis, you should go! 

My experience with the vendor has nothing to do with how great the store is.  And the owner wasn't there, so I'm sure she is great.  But it was bad enough that it makes me not want to go back.  Isn't that sad?   

That being said, there is some crazy awesome stuff there!

Hi long lost girlfriends!!!

Oh I do miss you, I know I say that every post lately, but I really do miss this world of blogging.

Today I am taking my 3 girls to Hunt and Gather in Minneapolis.  I've heard it's the bomb!!  I am searching for "cheap" (ya right) display pieces for The Creative Connection Event in the fall....
I'm scared to death I will have my bigger booth and then nothing to fill it with!!  I have wonderful ideas for banners and such, but will I have time to make them??? que music....

I have sewn 4 new bags, (pics later)   and have hung almost all my decor in the new house except for the really big things that hubby needs to help me with and he wants to do it NOW, yes right NOW while I'm typing....after he just heard me tell my girls we have to leave for Hunt and Gather by 9:30 and it's already 8:33 and I'm sitting in my jammies talking to you all... sigh.....

I will bring my camera to Hunt and Gather so you can be vicarious!

See ya soon!  Here is a cute vintage picture for you, this is my grandma.  Love this.  She's rockin' those shorts and curlers, isn't she??

BREAKING NEWS:    Sophie just came up to me and said....Can I say poophead?  I said NO you can't say that!!  She bursts into tears, then I look at her and she is carrying her pillow pet.  OOOOHHHHH!!!

Can you bring pillow pet??  Yet...(yes) she says.  Yes Pillow Pet can go to Hunt and Gather with us, I say..  hopefully it can take a nap in the car when we arrive.

A Vintage School House Light

Oh how I've missed blogging.  I really must get back on here.  So much to do still.  But I AM getting it done.  I'm hanging pictures and decor now.  I had my dad (an electrician) come out and hang up some of my vintage lights.

One of them I bought when we were out here on vacation last December.  It is a vintage school house light.  I just love it.  I bought it at an antique store around here and they had 3 of them.  2 of the lights were big and there was 1 small one.  I bought the small one, because at that point we hadn't bought our house and didn't know where I was going to put it. 
Our new house has 12 ft. ceilings though, so I see that I need to go back and see if the bigger lights are still there.

I put the light in my entry way and I really love it!

I love the old chain and the porcelain globe, well everything about it. 

Don't you think that entry needs a bigger light?  ha ha, I do too!  That's ok, I have to go junking to find display pieces for The Creative Connection Event anyway....
Did I tell you??  I may have, sometimes I repeat myself, I got a booth instead of a table for the event this year!! 

Like my husband says:  Go big or go home!  I am taking a huge leap this year and that is why I feel a tad bit of ANXIETY to start sewing!

I am off to take my two littlest girlies to get haircuts today, this Minnesota humidity is to hot for long hair!

What are you doing today?

Defining Chaos

Really, what is the definition?  I imagine it is moving into a new home in a new state.  Wait I do have my dictionary unpacked and right here......
Chaos: a state of utter confusion or disorder.  YES!  that describes it perfectly.  We have seemed to hit every bump along the way, but I am still grateful and in awe of God's awesomeness!  We drove out to Minnesota in a motorhome with our 3 girls and our two big dogs.  Motorhomes are not my fave nor are dogs in a confined space, especially when they shed and happen to get wet.  More on our trip next time, today I wanted to show you a few pictures of when we FINALLY arrived in Minnesota...

OH happy day when I saw the Minnesota sign!

Our boys flew to MN early to start jobs and unload two trailers we sent out early.  Hubby and I decided since we had the wood floor refinished and sawdust was EVERYWHERE, we would have a cleaning company go in and give the house a good scrub.  It was a foreclosure and the previous owners did a lot damage before they left, so a thorough cleaning was in order.

I arrived thinking I was going to be able to go right in and unpack since the cleaners did the hard work for me.  WRONG, I got in the house and literally burst into tears, the kitchen was disgusting, sawdust in every cupboard, caked on food in every cabinet.  The cleaners had been there 3 times already!  We had them come back a 4th time, and they still didn't do a good job!  We won't be paying them. 

So I called my sister to let her know we were in town and had a mini breakdown and told her I was on my way to Target to buy cleaning supplies to clean.

She came right over to help and we spent the next 4 hours scrubbing the kitchen and unpacking kitchen stuff.

And this is the crew that helped us our first day.  All my nieces and nephews, my sister and her husband and my dad and his wife.  We ordered some pizza's for dinner.  Not everyone is in the picture.



Thank you Lord for sisters.  We sat down on the dock for a rest.  It is so good to see my kids play with their cousins.

My niece, Jenna, and Portia.  Catching snails in the lake.

I sure do miss my bloggy friends, I hope to start reading your blogs again soon!  I feel such a sense of urgency to start sewing again.  I only have 2 months till The Creative Connection Event and I MUST GET SEWING!!

But I don't feel like I can sew until my house is in order.

And it's not......

This is our dining room, which is where I'll be sewing.  We have way to much stuff, which seems crazy.  This house is a bit bigger than the farm, but much less storage space.  I have to have a garage sale!

Ok, I must continue unpacking and organizing!  Please tell me what you have been up to??