stuph•from•steph: . . . #julysewphoto . . .

. . . this was fun . . .

. . . maybe you've already seen

these instagram photos . . .

. . . one each day . . .

. . . it was really interesting

to see how different posters

interpreted each day's topic . . .

. . . i, for one, am guilty of lots of

s t r e t c h i n g

to make the photo fit the challenge . . .

. . . it's fine . . .

. . . month at a glance . . .

. . . for those of you in my age bracket,

larger individual photos

{complete with witty captions}

follow . . .

{truth be told --- many of these photos should only be allowed

to be viewed on an iphone size screen --- eek!}

. . . i love the comments, too,

but you'll have to check my instagram feed

for those . . .

. . . i'm too lazy to retype all of them! . . .

. . . also missing here

is my fantastic use of emoji . . .

. . . sorry 'bout that . . .

1july2013 - entering approximately 487 receipts into my checkbook register, balancing against my bank statement, and paying bills for the month - by check | and yes, as a matter of fact, i AM old school | and i keep costco and hobby lobby in business #thankheavenforcalculators #idontknowhowtouseanabacus #imnotTHAToldschool

2july2013 - i hope they call me on a mission | mostly because that would mean my husband was feeling well enough to go | i made a promise that when he is healed, we will serve | #hestheonewhoREALLYwantstogo

3july2013 - probably not exactly what @kritta22 had in mind for today's #julysewphoto, but this family of mine was definitely made just for me | each child, each spouse, each grandchild is so unique and awesome | bill and i feel extremely blessed to be parents and grandparents to such a fine bunch of young people | #eighteenofus #sofar #readyformoreanytime

4july2013 - the view out my front door | much love for the stars&stripes and all they represent | thanks harmony park ward scouts for posting the colors all over our neighborhood | #yayfortheusa

5july2013 - lots of sharp stuff | pictured: scissors {cheetah handles optional - for you, not for me}, rotary cutters, blades, stylus/awl, machine needles, hand sewing needles, straight pins | not pictured - seam ripper

6july2013 - yep . . . same photo as yesterday | but, hey!! sharpen those scissors | change your rotary cutter blade {i always wonder what took me so long?} | use a new needle | throw away bent pins {love doing this} | and for pete's sake treat yourself to a new seam ripper - you'll love the way it slices through the threads of your sewing booboos

9july2013 - vintage bernina 830 | she isn't new | she isn't fancy | purchased for $1500 (that was a lot of money!) in april 1979 in downtown provo, utah, with money we received as wedding gifts | how nice is my husband? | bernie's the only machine i've ever had | well . . . besides two sergers | every time i take her in for repairs or routine service, they say, "when you're ready for a new machine, don't even think about getting rid of this one - they just don't make 'em like this any more!" | over the years, she and i have sewn many little girls' dresses and costumes. lots of super ruffly curtains, baby bedding, quilts lately, and literally thousands of oops! | #costperuseiswaaaydown #ithinkillkeepher

10july2013 - best sewing gift | see that quilty runner down there? | i loved the birthday when @pegmoff gave me a cute prezzie of mary engelbreit charm squares and a couple of fat quarters | it took me a while, but eventually i figured out what to do with them | and now, seriously, i think of her every time i walk past | #ithinkofpegnotmary

11july2013 - welcome to what i lovingly refer to as the "let's keep stephanie sane" room | i know sewing stresses lots of people out, but for me . . . ahhhhhh! {i hear angels singing} | all i need is a little fabric, bernie, a frosty dirty diet coke and daniel grayson on the tube | and it's relatively cheap therapy | #winwin #itsworkingsofar #ithink #itisntalwaysthisclean #waititisntEVERthisclean

12july2013 - this was an easy one | @etcaz for the win | owner @marti_lynn_jones is great at what she does | what started as a small scrapbook store has grown into a mega fabric/quilt/scrapbook shop of amazement | fun classes with an enormous classroom | friendly, helpful staff | large inventory | and a soft spot in my heart | all three of my daughters {@amberhansen01 @mandersras and @ameliajohnson} were employed there in their youth - luckily that was during the pre-fabric days | #fabrickindofscaresmyoffspring

13july2013 - you've heard of #throwbackthursday and #flashbackfriday | well . . . today must be #scarysaturday | so many things here i'll never do again | let's start with perms {my husband refers to this as the sphinx phase} --- never again | dresses made from three mens tshirts --- never again | splatter paint --- never again | shoulder pads --- never again | also {sadly} i'll most likely never be that thin again! | #allthosethingssoundedlikegoodideasatthetime #ishouldprobablyneversaynever

14 july 2013 - to tell you the truth, i'd never even looked at the craftsy website before today | just to let you know --- i'm kind of/extremely stubborn and independent and i'd usually rather figure stuff out myself | two exceptions: a beginning quilting class at a local quilt shop {not to be confused with MY local quilt shop, please} where i actually did learn a few very helpful tips that i use to this day; and the monthly card making classes that i faithfully attended for over ten plus years at MY local scrapbook/quilt store {but, seriously, it was never really about the cards - rather, it was another form of cheap therapy!} | HOWEVER --- if i WERE to take a craftsy class, it would most likely be @croskelley's because i'm in awe of all the darling fabrics she designs {with her cute mom}, patterns she creates, the way she tackles projects around her home, all the while raising three adorable little boys {and a husband!} | #shecouldprobablyteachmeathingortwo

15july2013 - my to do list for the day | three out of four's not too bad, i reckon | #tomorrowisanotherday #lofty goals

16july2013 - an unfinished object | and i'm saying to myself ---"self! just finish it already!" | left to do : outer pieced scalloped border {it's cut out}, pieced bee block for back label, figure out what to use for the back, get it quilted, make binding, and bind it | i'm so close | no big whoop | #justdoit #beeinmybonnetrowalong

17july2013 - "go to" fast dinner? | that's an easy one | "go to" taco tuesday | where else are real tomatoes and limes used as edible wall art? | #caferio #doublecheckyourtakeoutorder #corntortillasmandatory

18july2013 - sorry @kritta22, but you canNOT ask a musician/music lover to choose just one song | impossible | too many genres | too many seasons of my life | BUT --- if i HAD to choose {at least in the popular music realm} it would most likely be something by my guy sweet baby James Taylor | and it's pretty handy that my appreciation of his longevity in the music business, his dexterity on the guitar, and his magical baritone pipes is shared with my husband | if James' tunes are in the CD player or on the iPod, we're both happy campers | #justkiddingaboutcamping #youvegotafriend #carolinainmymind #yoursmilingface #somechildrenseehim {that one's on his Christmas album - you should buy it}

19july2013 - a special #oops order for some fans of the louisiana state university fighting tigers | orange is at the top of my "least favorite color" list, but purple is kind of up there, too | yet purple and gold are the school colors of my beloved mesa high | our nba phoenix suns team's colors are purple and orange | AND the living room furniture we inherited from my cute mother-in-law included two of the prettiest purple chairs you ever did see | so . . . there's that

20july2013 - tv and i --- we're good friends | and please bless the genius who invented the dvr | it's a good thing today's photo wasn't supposed to feature our favorite tv commercial, because i haven't seen one in years | so many shows . . . but i decided to narrow it down to some that are currently airing new episodes {with special thanks to the usa network for their summer seasons} | burn notice {favorite character: jesse}; covert affairs {favorite character: auggie}; suits {favorite character: donna}; graceland {favorite character: johnny} | these are some of the "friends" who keep me company while i sew | #ilistenmorethanwatch #favoriteshowschangewithseasons #theysaybullsh*tontheseshows #thatbugs

21july2013 - maybe it isn't cool or politically correct in this day and age, but my dream job has always been to be a wife and mother - even a stay-at-home mom | i'm thankful every day that circumstances were such that my dream came true | i love this family of mine | the six of us have grown into eighteen {so far} and i'm really proud of each one of them | now --- since my "never again" photo was such a hit last week, here's another treat | this time from easter 1989 | please enjoy our coordinating outfits and big big big hair

22july2013 - a work in progress | yay! we have scalloped border blocks | i swear --- when this quilt is finally and blessedly finished, we will ALL be grateful, won't we? | #imtheslowestquiltmakerintheworld

23july2013 - let me explain: "bucket list" is derived from the phrase "kick the bucket" --- meaning a list of stuff to do before you die | so here's the deal --- everything's relative, right? | truth is: i only •thought• i was going to die if i didn't get my nails done today | but, seriously, the gel was super chippy and scraggly and snagged on my clothes and just generally bugged | but they look awesome now and . . . bam! life goes on | photo credit: thuy | #dramaticmuch?

24july2013 - today's assignment is "check on new years goal" | well --- sadly --- i've never really been much of a resolution maker | i'm more of a day to day type person | i DO make lots of lists, though | and who doesn't love checking stuff off their to do list? | so satisfying | #stillneedtogototargetisee #iadditemsAFTERidothemjustsoicancheckthemoff #youknowyoudotoo

25july2013 - "maybe christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store --- maybe christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more" | and pretty much anything else jim carrey's grinch character ad libbed in the 2000 live action remake of the 1966 animated version of dr. seuss' 1957 book | what's your favorite grinch quote? | #wrongo #loatheentirely #itsbecauseimgreenisntit #imsurekrittameantchristmasFABRICline #mybad

26july2013 - there are so many positive things about the quilt process | one of my very favorite parts is choosing fabrics - love that! | piecing - love that! | quilting? - hmmm - not so much - that's why awesome long-arm quilters were invented - love them! | binding - love that! | but today has been spent unsewing - what is the •opposite• of love that? | #myownfault #gottapayattention #thankfulforabrandnewseamripper #taketwo

27july2013 - gotta be gold canyon's pomegranate | every time one of the neighbor kids comes around selling these to raise money for {fill-in-the-blank} school/sport/club, this is the flavor i buy | maybe i should branch out | what's your favorite scent? | i'm open to suggestions | the founder of gold canyon served as a missionary for our church right here in my area for part of his mission | these candles are yummy | #youshouldbuyone

29july2013 - i've been lucky, over the years, to see some pretty darn amazing places | the grandeur of national parks and little weekend day trips and picnics as a child with my parents and siblings | a cross country drive {AZ-NJ} with my dad | golf trips with my husband and friends to the east coast and the west coast and lots of places in between, and not in between - hawaii, france, belgium, england, wales | cruises {alaska was a favorite} | countless theme parks with our children | but to tell you the truth --- i'm a homebody through and through | living out of a suitcase drives me crazy | i like my own bed and my own stuff in my own closet and my own drawers | my favorite days are those when i don't have to go anywhere at all | and, at this point in our lives, isn't that lucky? | thirty years ago this month, we began construction on the home where we've lived ever since | that constancy is something i'm thankful for every single day | #imneverboredeither

30july2013 - weak | my idea list for august photos is really really weak | #sorrykritta

31july2013 - and all i've got are excuses Excuses EXCUSES | my goal was: finish and deliver #beeinmybonnetrowalong quilt to my favorite quilter, @maraeharris, by the end of july | status: derailed | contributing factors: 1-@beelori has a darling book {including this pattern} in the works - which i have pre-ordered, and so the block details are no longer listed on her blog; 2-after a tiny panic attack, i decided to try to figure out the label myself: 3-my embroidery skills are sub-par, and there's quite a bit of info to be stitched by hand; 4-the fabric for my backing has not yet arrived {perhaps that's because i just ordered it today} | so . . . amended goal: finish embroidery before backing arrives by mail, and deliver to quilter as soon thereafter as possible {i've already contacted her} | #bestlaidplans

31 July 2013

. . . #julysewphoto . . .

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