3 years and still going strong...........................

You know, Justin really is the love of my life. No matter what we fight about, we always makeup. He always has my back no matter how much of an idiot I am sometimes.

He always surprises me, when I'm sure I've really messed up, he stays by me.
My mom was a single parent so I never saw that kind of love and forgiveness between a husband and wife when I was growing up, so for him to just give me that kind of love ....well it makes me cry......a happy cry , but the tears roll down just the same.
He is so amazing to me and it makes me love him more.
He makes me want to be stronger and smarter and better just so I can show him his love is not wasted on me. My heart beats faster when he's around, still!, even after 5 years together.
so this post is for you babe! I love you and happy anniversary!

This is the layout I did for the junk challenge at poppy ink. Since yesterday was our anniversary,I decided it was the perfect time to pull out some of my wedding picture and have a go at the challenge with them . Also decided that it should center around my sweet husband !
my challenge was to:
*have at least 5 words in my title
*use at least 3 photos
*use 5 different ribbons

This is the aftermath of my little scrap session. See my soda ! Justin can't drink the stuff so we don't keep it in the house , but there is a corner store a block away so I often get one when I'm "working". I know it's bad for me but , Dr pepper is so good and tasty.In other anniversary news............ Justin got a box from Zappo's this morning , but he was out working with daddy . So I called him to let him know it was here ,and you know what he said ....."Oh that's for you .It's your anniversary present. Something leather" so I said "Oh really do you want me to open it now with you on the phone, or wait till you get home tonight?" Justin: "you can open it now." me: "OK, let me get a knife"........."i see a Birki's box, Justin what is this? what did you get? " Justin: "something leather, just open it and see?" .................................... me:"OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!! (I know this is bad to say but I always do when I'm really really excited) These are my new favorite shoes. Oh and look they make a heart when you put your feet together, these are so perfect. Olivia (my sister in law that's 17) will be so jealous (I say this when ever I get cool new shoes). Oh babe thank you so much I love them!"
He told me he only ordered them yesterday, and they came with free shipping so hey Zappo's really lived up to there promise

here's something funny , this was the Woot! shirt of the day

about a week or so ago and we just thought it was way to perfect!
Justin ,who is very Irish/Scottish, is also a self proclaimed pirate! but so is everyone else from Fernandina beach(the island has a history of being a pirate hideaway) . we were hoping it would get here for st. patty's but it got here the day after. oh well there's always next year! but it's super cute!right? love this little pirate running away!look at that bottle of rum! he he! i love pirates ! especially my pirate husband! Oh! here is a before and after of my duvet . I got it dyed the other day and I'm super happy with the results! I just love that shade of aqua. And here is something pretty to look at my vintage button collection . Most of these came from Maw maw's when we were visiting last week but, a few I had found at the antique shop for a reasonable price. Anyway I had better get a move on it. The day is getting away from me very quickly and there is always something to do around the Southwell house.

later alligators,
heather

Spring is here in Georgia.................

and I'm so excited to see my trees blooming again. This red bud tree had been bush hogged before we bought the house. In just 3 years it has come back and I have to say it's one of my favorites ,especially in the spring.Time to plant my vegetables and herbs. really excited about the radishes! Justin told me I could do them in pots so I'm really excited to see them turn out. Justin has beans and squash to plant in the patch also.
along with the eggplant and tomatoes we seeded today. I've also got some zinnias seeded in there. I just love these jiffy seed starter trays. We have used them for the past few years and we always have good luck with them.

here's my pretty yellow pot that i painted yesterday. I just love the pop of color I get with my little orange tree and lovely lamp as soon as i walk in the door.

my poppy kit came today. hurrah! also finally got a pic of my junk challenge kit. i think I'm gonna do a layout about Justin for the challenge since our anniversary is Wednesday.

these little prettys are for my cj group. got to get them shipped off to des soon!

well i guess I'd better go for today. Winnie looks like she's not so happy i woke her up for a picture. i better go snuggle up to her so she'll forgive me. ha!
later alligators,
heather

Day 5 burn update, plus some random loveliness....

Millie says "it's a beautiful day to take a nap on momma and daddy's bed!"

Anyway back to what I'm really supposed to be talking about. I'm at day 5 from burning myself . The large blister that was on my index finger has busted just today. I'm not surprised , it had been getting bigger by the day and the skin had been looking thinner in the spot it opened at. I had so much fluid in that one blister that it soaked my bandages through.

That blister on the top of my thumb is getting pretty big now . My hand is sore, but not painful and my motion is less restricted since the swelling subsided. My thumb is still a bit throby due to a 1st degree burn on the tip.

And here is what my leg looks like. A few of the burns have been opened my dogs jumping on my leg. all of these are 1st degree, but they are very sore and makes standing and walking in shoes some what painful but nothing I can't handle.

I got a good pair of kitchen gloves today, in pink! Really happy about getting the dishes done with out worrying about my bandages getting wet.

and really excited that I'll be able to dye my duvet cover I got from Mawmaw tomorrow. I also plan to add some pretty doilies and applique and make it very Dottie angel-esk

Got this little project started today. The pot is for my little fake orange tree and the frames will hang under my crafts sign. I have not decided what will go in them pictures or pattern paper , maybe both. I found them in the barn at Mawmaws and asked if she cared if i painted them . see said no and now they are sporting a nice shade of sun yellow from Krylon. i think this will look much better against my parrot green walls than the antique gold they used to sport. I was totally inspired by some frames I'd seen at urban outfitters a few months ago as soon as i say them in the barn.
oh no! a wild mongrel is going to get me and eat me!
oh wait that's only the "partially trained mongrel" Rocco. He's only charging to investigate mommas camera! then he checks his back to make sure that cats not next door to ruin the pet fest he's about to get.
Well I guess thats all for today. I need to go put those new gloves to work and then get some dinner going. Justin may not get home till late, but he's always hungry.
later alligators,
heather

why you should never ever leave hot oil unattended.....

***6 hours after burn accident.(pictures in previous post, 20 minutes after burn accident.) I tried to take some of the area today (day 3) but my camera was not cooperating so I'll have to try again tomorrow before re bandaging . It looks quite a bit different today than it looked then and it will be therapeutic to keep a record of it's progression.



The Story:
So, I had gotten home from grocery shopping and was going through my routine; take the dogs out, put up the groceries,pick up around the house, get dinner started,check my email, read some blogs........................that's what got me. In the end that's what got me................ I had started to heat some oil, because I wanted to make sweet potato fries with dinner and while it was heating up I went to look on the Internet and had got my self wrapped up in reading the lovely tiff's blog and her story of Gladys coming to stay. Once I was done, I went back to my oil and saw that it had just started to smoke. Justin told me when that happens I need to take it off the burner for a minute to let it cool down, which I immediately went to do, but I forgot to do one other thing he told me to do first, have a plan on where to put it! So I'm standing there with a pan of hot oil and starting to panic on where to put it down because all the burners are full (one had the dogs dinner cooking, one had the tea kettle set on it, and one was to hard to reach and then there was the one I had just pulled the pan off of) and I didn't want to mess up the counters. In my fine little frenzy for a place to put my very hot pan , I must have tipped it back and got hot oil all over my index finger , thump, and the palm of my right hand which then made me drop the hot pan of oil, which then splashed me on my right leg (Winnie and I now have matching spots, needless to say) and caught my kitchen rugs on fire . So instead of worrying about my hand like I needed to, I had to worry about my house first and make sure all flames where out before I could get to the sink and run it under cold water which in turn made the burns worse than they had to be.
I saw a doctor yesterday and luckily all burns are second and first degree. My mother-in-law was worried that I may have some full thickness burns since fingers are so close to the bone and Justin was worried I may need skin graphs.
The doctor gave me a prescription for Silvadene and told me to keep it wrapped for the next two weeks, watching for infection this week especially.(if a burn gets infected you run the risk of getting septic blood, septic blood can kill you.) On the plus side all my skin ,while cooked well done, is still in tack with no open areas and my blister's are growing daily (as gross as that sounds it's a good thing to have blisters on burns, the fluid inside is your white blood cells at work). The motion in my right hand is quite a bit restricted right now and makes a lot of everyday things much harder for me(e.i.:going to the bathroom,changing my clothes,putting my hair up)and some things are simply out of the question until my hand is healed(e.i.:washing the dishes,sewing,writing), but I'm managing with a little help here and there from Justin. And the last two mornings I've woke up feeling a little ill to my stomach,which Justin said is normal. He gives me a glass of ice water in the morning and that seems to clear it right up.
Justin told me yesterday, he feels bad because he thinks it's his fault for not teaching me better in the kitchen. I told him he should not at all. It's mine for letting my self panic even for that one second. I'm smarter than this most of the time, but sometimes it seems my brain floats away from me and I have very bad things happen to me like this. While I hope to grow out of this "accident prone" behavior some day , it has stuck with me for the last 23year ,and I fear it may be here to stay. My saving grace is my family and the care and support they give me when ever I do have these things happen and my inner peace with the fact that I'm the one that did it to myself and I've never let a bad thing happen twice (lesson learned).

To My Mom: I did not mean to scare you this afternoon with my email. I really, really am OK. I've even figured out how to wash the dishes(rubber gloves,duh!, over my bandages) since talking to you this afternoon, and I've already thought of a few other ways the rubber gloves can improve my Independence during my temporary handicap. Remember mother, I am your 25 year old daughter that still needs your hand when I cross the road, due to my "head in the clouds" syndrome, but I am also resilient and resourceful just like you. These things, they happen to me, all I can do is not freak out when the worst happens so I don't die. It hurt more than iodine and I didn't even cry. You are the one person I worried the most about telling because, well your my mom and you worry even when I tell you not to.

xoxo
heather

CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!

well i was going to give you guys this big long post about my trip to maw maws yesterday and my grocery shopping today but.....................................................

i went and burned my self so it will have to wait for another day . sorry.
she's off to learn how to uses her left hand.

heather

hello friends

As promised this post will be full of all the loveliness I've been up to these days . For starters here is Justin's quilt that I mentioned in my last few posts.Yes,yes it is a rather man-ly color scheme I know, but remember it was FOR my man. ......although in the last two days since I finished him, he has been enjoying a little "brake'n it in" my moi! He is quit a cozy little fellow, perfect for laying about on the couch with a good movie and some good wine. But, while I am very glad to have him join our little family, his birth has all but done in my little sewing machine, she is still breathing, but the labor took a toll on her petite frame and we'll just have to wait and see for know. Hopefully she'll last me for my next few projects. I have living room curtains, pillow covers , and slipcovers for the head and foot boards on my bed planned out for myself, but more importantly i have an order due before Saturday!
This pretty little patch work is more my mom-in-law,Marla. They will be the curtains in the bathrooms at her new venture "shop" a.k.a "spiritual house of prayer" She tells me it's not ,church or a part of church, it's just a place for praise and worship . Here is the lamp I told you about . Pretty huh! that fabric is what my living room curtains are gonna be . I got it over at urban outfitters on the clearance wall :) happy me


lastly here is some layouts I've done lately . i just realized i have not been posting them over here like i used to, so I'm gonna try to remember to put them over here . anyway i guess I've procrastinated long enough those curtains are not gonna make them selves you know .
peace out ! hommie,
Heather Marie<3p.s. sorry about the links to those pictures, I can't figure out how to take them off.

i was over at kelli crows blog and she had a cool quiz linked up. here is my results :

Take the Quiz here!

i love jane austin books, so this was fun to do.

post #100

well, i never thought I'd get here to the big 1-0-0, but it's done so.....whew!

anywho.............. I've had my self plenty busy. how about you?
so far, just today, i have remodeled an old dusty lamp with a good shape, finished quilting Justin's quilt and have started putting the binding together, dyed some linens a lovely shade of yellow, finished up the wash, did the dishes, and almost burned down the kitchen trying to make something to eat.

the rest of the week looks plenty fun filled also. Marla has asked me to make her some curtains for the bathrooms at "shop" on top of the giant bulletin board she asked me to work on, which all needs to be done by Saturday i believe, plus she wants to go to mawmaws one day this week, so I'm hoping we go because there are some great thrift shops up there with lots of old lady stuff that is just waiting to be found and turned in to young and trendy lady stuff.

i'll be back some time this week for a good long update post. and hopfully i'll have some pictures to go along with it if i can get my digi cam to work for me. lord knows i have plenty to share!

bread, rice, and thrift

Justin was off on Tuesday so after voting and dropping of my good friend Christina (she hit a beaver a week or so ago,so her car is in the shop and she needed a ride to the polls) , we went shopping! First to Goodwill to pick out the fabrics for his quilt that I'm making for him.
Let me just say that while the stuff he picked out is totally muted and fully on the masculine side of the world for me and my taste (lots of tweed,wool,and dark colors all from the men's section), I'm really happy with what we got and I'm happy that once it's finished it will be a part of our family for many, many years to come. It took me all day yesterday to pull it all apart, and now I'm washing the fabric to get rid of the bits left from ripping seams then, I'll iron and start cutting. I'm thinking about doing it in triangles instead of squares this time, and I want to add just a hint of femininity to it so I need to look for something in my piles that will match nicely, oh and Justin wants me to try my hand at hand quilting it together. I can't wait to show everyone but I'm thinking it will be a week or so before you'll get any sort of a peek. Oh well on to the rest of my post!
After goodwill we hit the salvation army. Normally I hate the SA we have here in Saint Marys, i can never find anything, but boy do I have new eyes for them now after looking through the kids section!I don't think .75cent has ever made me happier. The cash register is '74 fisher price and the little metal bell still rings and all the buttons and the drawer still work, The pull along lace up shoe I'm not sure on the year, but it's wood so thats super cool and it says "an original fisher price toy" on the front. both are missing all of their little bits and bobs but that ok because the art work is so beautiful, and I'm not above a good search for parts. "Up and Away" is third edition copyright 1963. The art work inside is amazing and the book is in great condition for being as old as my mom!
after the fun shopping was done we headed out to our local oriental store to pick up a bag of rice before heading back home for a night of cook'n and love'n.
At the oriental store we had picked up some black glutinous rice along with our normal jasmine, after the owner told us this recipe!add 1/2 cup black glutinous (after soaking for around 30min.) to 1 1/2 cup jasmine
and 2 3/4 cup water for purple rice! It does not really taste any different from plain rice, but the black rice adds a little crunch(in a good way, like wild rice, not the under cooked rice way) and makes the rice clump really well, great for eating with chop sticks! We will totally be doing this one way more often, and I think it would be a really fun food to make for kids!

Anyway, while I was making purple rice, Justin was making this really great no knead, crusty bread recipe from motherearthnews.com

OH MY GOSH!!!!! It was so good ! In fact I'm making a loaf right now. It's in the oven and my house smells so amazing, I can't wait! super crusty out side and the inside is chewy, and it's so good with cheese and red wine. ummmm I can't wait till it's done! It does take a while to make, but so worth it, and the actual work is not much, but it involves lots of waiting.
Along with the bread he also made us some sauteed broccolli and cauliflower from our garden . yummy! yummy! yummy! Good food and a good man make for a very good night :)
cheers dear reads! until we meet again,
~heather

don't forget to vote tomorrow.........

that is if your state is one of the "Super Tuesday" state like mine. I'm sure Justin well have us up and voting bright and early tomorrow. my favorite photo from the blimp rally.

10 things you may not know about me

1. I am very, very, shy. yes, people this is the truth, and a lot of times it's taken for snobbiness because I don't say much and I have a tendency to hide behind Justin. I'm not a snob and I'm not a bitch! or anything else of that nature. I am just nervous that I'll say something stupid and I'll look like a dork or an idiot.
2. I don't think I make the best first impressions on people. Because of #1 up there, I think most people don't like me at first, but those that do end up sticking around and letting me come out of my shell end up loving me.
3.My husband and I have only been apart 2 or 3 weekend in the past 51/2 years since we meet.
4.My mom is a graphic designer, and when I was growing up she was super crafty. so it's no wonder to, well, anyone were I get it from.
5. When I was like 4, I was playing with my Babysitter and brother in our living room. My brother was the cowboy, the BS was the momma horse and I was the little baby horse and we were going around the coffee table. I took the corner to fast and bashed my front teeth in! My mom had to pull them back forward and then take me to the ER to have them properly set back in place. One sits slitly turned inward now.
6. I meet my husband when I was 19.
7. I love all 4 of my dogs equally, but Millie is special because she was an engagement present from Justin and I got to picked her out, and Winnipeg is special because she is the first dog that I ever trained by myself and I picked her out, too. Rocco and Tater, I love them to death they are good boys, but they are Justins' boys: rough playing, stinky, and dirty, oh and to big to be laying on my lap and on my couch. Millie and Winnipeg are little and pretty bulldog girls.
8.At this time in my life, I have decided to be a soul scrapper.What this means is not even thinking about design teams and getting published, just scrapbooking because I love it and only when I feel like it. After working in my lss for a year doing their store displays , being dt coordinator, and teaching classes all on top of working there, too. I just decided that was not what I wanted scrapbooking to be for me. I want it to be about me and what I want, and want to remember for the rest of my life, and to make it special for my family. NOT deadlines, themes that don't apply to my life, materials that I don't really like but have to use, and pleasing the masses with something that is supposed to be just for me, so someone else can sell more product. No, that way of scrapbooking is not for me. I'd much rather do it my way and if you like it then I thank you, it really does mean the world to me that you like my work, and if you don't thats fine to, it's your right not to like it, just as much as it is my right to tell you to screw off and leave me alone.
9.My favorite magazine is Country Living.
10.I'm ready to start having babies, but my husband is not. So, sometimes I feel really sad about it even though I feel like I should listen to my husband. He really does have our best interests in mind and his arguments are sound, but sometimes the heart wants what the heart wants.

that sneaky red ninja.................................

she showed up today and decided to kick my ass! yes i said ass..... there is no nicer way to put it this bitch is kicking my ass! and i feel compleately helpless. i can hardly move. i feel it all in my hips and down my legs, and my ovaries! i feel them cramping up like some little bitches, making me feel like i have to pee every 5 minutes and then there is only like one drop of pee. this SUCKS!
i think this is a good representation of the female menstratal cycle . a beautiful thing , but one bad bitch at the same time.