all business

Wow!

How important is this?

My very own business card...

in its very own holder.

I have an excellent business manager/partner

that got our cards worked up and ordered...

cheap too!

This holder, my first, needs some tweaking.

So it's back to the drawing board in

my sewing studio to rework.

b

coffee burlap bag

This is the second burlap coffee bag I made...

Mr. b was forced to hand over a pair of his denim jeans for this one.

I love the pairing of burlap and denim.

And that shiny button all the way from Italy!

The bag innards are denim and pillow ticking...

 like grandma used to stuff with feathers.

Sewing through all these heavy layers made for some difficult work.

My old Singer was huffing and puffing.

Dakota Maid Shop Update:

 bibs, dish rag and waffle weave towel went out in the mail today.

Our bibs are a shop bargain, and so soft and sweet.

just saying...b



No David!

Granny...

and Gramps

made it to the granddaughters Saturday.

When the guys went off to the golf expo

Grandma entertained the girls with a couple of their favorite books.

The books are about David who is a very naughty boy...

and what girl doesn't enjoy a book about a naughty boy?

This page always gets a big laugh out of us!

There are lots of good lessons to be learned from the books.

Don't skateboard in the house...

pick up your toys...

 don't play with your food.

and more.

I have a brother named David...

that these books could have been written about.

He was a very naughty boy growing up.

He kept us entertained, still does.

b

move it!

 Hey! guess what day it is?

No it's not Monday,

 had you scared for a minute didn't I?

It's Friday!

Time to "Move It!"

And if this weather straightens up...

We'll be seeing the granddaughters.

Boy do these girls like to "move it"

This grandma never goes empty handed...

I think I'll hide these in my knitting bag

 and see how long it takes them to find them.

Grandma likes to tease...

b



healthy living?

I think not...

I felt the urge to keep working on my bread making skills yesterday.

Can't let that yeast and flour get old can I.

My recipe does have a cup of  healthy oatmeal in it...

I think it counter-attacks the butter and sugar.

I'm not ready to enter them in the State Fair yet...

but almost.

They went perfect with this pot of

beef stew about ready to go into the oven.

b



secrets

It's no secret where I'll be when the snow starts a flyin'

Yup...

in my brand new custom fit to my behind only

leather recliner.

And if your name isn't Barb

and you're NOT knitting,

well then...

you need to keep your behind out of my chair!

b



classics

"When a new book is published,

read an old one."

-Samuel Rogers

Wow! Was I happy when I recently saw these classics

in a give-away pile of books.

"Little Women"...

the first book I checked out as a young girl

with a new library card.

So thrilled then...

so thrilled now.

I was actually trying to buy this same book

on ebay not that long ago!

b



"Tara" Tote

I just listed my newest bag...

the "Tara" Tote

on Etsy.

I've been admiring bags made out of recycled coffee burlap bags

 for quite awhile now.

I actually bought two burlap bags in a farm store over a year ago.

Can you tell I am a huge procrastinator?

The back of the bag is a different design...

love that frog!

The inside of bag is also very sweet...

I know what I like in a bag

and this is it.

b



Who

Look what the airhead is modeling for me today...

This stocking hat will be super warm and soft

 in the chunky alpaca yarn I used to knit it in.

Aren't the little owls cute?

It was fast and easy in this child's size.

I can't wait to get to the shop

 to buy another skein of yarn.

Maybe a shade of blue?

b

gadgets

The newest addition to our kitchen gadgets is this food saver...

Mr. b's birthday present from myself.

We stocked up on these green peppers that were on sale,

 chopped them up and bagged to freeze.

I think we will get our money back on this appliance.

I hate using food out of the freezer with freezer burn

 and usually end up throwing it out.

This food saver should prevent that from happening -

thus $$ in our pockets.

Now back to our regularly scheduled show...

b



cluck cluck

I felt like I was reading "Goldilocks and the Three Bears"

while I tried to decided what size to sew these

chicken pin cushions.

One was to big with to little of tail feathers,

one had to big of tail feathers with to little of a comb?

Beaks were to low or to large.

Good Grief!

In the end...

I liked the first one I made with a little tweaking needed,

mainly beak and tail feathers.

Anyone need a goofy chicken pin cushion?

b

love

After all these years,

over 40 Valentine days together...

he still loves me!

If I were to write about marriage

I would write about

love, laughter and respect.

Hope you're having a lovely day...

b

mindless monday

My model is definitely mindless...

But I loved how this cabled headband turned out.

To bad I haven't needed it this winter.

 I wonder if I could take our savings from the heat bill

and shift them into my yarn account?

Just a mindless thought...b

Wunnerful! Wunnerful!

It's Saturday night...

and while I was a young girl

 Saturday nights meant baths, the Lawrence Welk show

 and Gunsmoke.

In fact Lawrence Welk played here in his early days

 at the Casino Ballroom

beneath the large mirror ball

Now this was before my time of course.

Old timers here love to talk about weekend dances.

It was THE place to be.

Yup, Lawrence Welk and his

"Champagne Music"

didn't like it then...

still don't like it.

But it takes me back to a good time in my life.

b



A big one

Mr. b celebrated a big birthday today...

I'm afraid all our birthdays will be big from here on out.

I fret and stewed about what kind of cake to have...

chocolate or white?

How big did it need to be...

one or two layers?

Frosted or filled?

And then where to buy it!

Happy birthday hubs...

I love antiques!

b



mornings

The best part of waking up everyday...

...is definitely coffee with my favorite creamer.

b



finally

A laundry detergent that will remove odors from clothing!

I like a bargain...

so I suppose I'm guilty of always looking

for the cheapest laundry detergent.

Well, the cheapest just never seems to remove odors from clothing...

until now.

This powder detergent cost me $12.63

and that means ONLY 8 1/2 cents a load!

It makes 16 lbs. of detergent = 150 loads

Laundry Detergent

3 bars Fels Naptha bar soap, grated

(can also use Ivory, Castile, Zote or another bar)

4 lbs. Borax

4 lbs. Arm & Hammer washing soda

4 lbs. Arm & Hammer baking soda

Mix and store in airtight container.

Use 1 to 2 tablespoons per load.

Makes NO suds but cleans super!

I found all the ingredients at the grocery store (one trip yay!)

I love this soap...b



together...

Hey!

I've got some fun and exciting news about my etsy shop...

(sorry my chicken bag is sold...

someone else likes chickens too.)

Daughter knit and pearl and I will be selling together

 in my (our) little DakotaMaid's etsy shop

to make it even more fun to shop.

She makes the cutest, sweetest baby stuff ever!

bib and burp cloth combo

Trust me...

you can NOT buy nice bibs and burp cloths in stores.

She will be selling hers at a very reasonable price.

There will be other fun items as well...

knitted dish rags (I love using these),

hand embroidered towels,

mug rugs,

quilted table runners, cloth napkins,

lap quilts

cowls and scarves,

pet treat bags and maybe even some treats!

Check us out,

we make a great team...b

art

It's so nice to see children's artwork displayed in our house again.

It has been quite a few years.

Our granddaughters were a little reluctant to give their hearts up...

after all they are beautiful!

Grandma kept their fingers busy this weekend

with these inexpensive beads from Hobby Lobby.

b



crazy stupid love

I'm in some serious trouble here...

Mr. b hooked me up last night

 to rent movies at home from Amazon.

I love love love to watch a good movie.

"Crazy Stupid Love" was somewhat corny for my taste

but I give it a two thumbs up.

And talking about love...

These little crocheted hearts are so fun and easy to make.

We are going to visit the granddaughters this weekend.

33 days of no grandchildren is a record for us.

At three-years-old they don't quite comprehend that we are 2 hours away.

I'm sure they're wondering if we've abandoned them...

b



happy things

Five things that make me happy every day...

Morning coffee with my favorite creamer

Warm clothes just out of the dryer

Checking out my favorite blogs

Time spent in my sewing "studio"

A good movie late at night

Mary Engelbreit's art makes me smile...

b



February

It's February!

Or as I call it...

the longest month of the year.

But on the bright side...

we'll be celebrating Mr. b's birthday

and

Valentine's Day.

So in honor of the month I just had to start a pink project...

and the fact that I gave away

 my last pink baby flannel blanket this morning

prompted me to start crocheting on this sweet one.

Make it a "lovely" month...b