You Never Know What You Will See at the Beach : part 2

More fun pictures from the beach!

Pick your poison! ;)

Go Fly A Kite!

I know I said I was going to share things other than waves & sand

but this was too gorgeous not to share.

This is unedited beauty.  Thanks be to God!

This picture of striped towels, hanging on the rail of this beautiful beach house

conjured all kinds of ideas for a novel, a poem, a blog post, a postcard

...it was just pretty

Lots of seaweed on this trip, but it was pretty like this.

Whatever was inside the shell looking things at the end were still alive

A Dove from a Sand Dollar

No, we didn't do surgery although this looks pretty gorey. 

This is a Portuguese Man Of War! 

Yes, it's as gross as it looks and I DID NOT touch it!

Under the canopy

Whatever critter was in this shell was still alive too

Needless to say, we didn't bring this one home.

Back from Vacation! {You Never Know What You Will See at the Beach : part 1}

Well, it was wonderful.  The weather perfect.  The food outstanding.  The company even better.  The Gracious Family enjoyed a much needed break from the regular routine.  It went by too quickly; as it always does...but it is good to be home.  As cliche' as it is, there's no place like home!  It was even good to do laundry in my own laundry room.  My bed and my shower ... PRIMO!

So, I know you've seen plenty of pretty pictures of sand & waves.  I share them most every year, but this year I decided to shake it up a bit.  One of the labels of my blog is "You Never Know What You Will See at the Beach"... and for good reason.  You just see things at the beach you that you don't see in my little tiny home town.

Here's just a bit of "extra-ordinary" we saw this past week!

Baseball practice in a small town on a Friday afternoon in April

The Bat Mobile {?}

Priorities, People!  BAIT listed first, even before food

It was Superhero Week :: We also saw Superman!

The Full Moon.

I wish I were a better photographer because it was gorgeous!

Playing with the exposure on my camera with that beautiful full moon

This must have been a Girls Week at the beach.

There were about 10 of them total. And the water wasn't THAT cold.

Beach Volleyball, anyone?

This little boat faired much better than The Minnow

Beautiful Dog

It's Official!

I'm on VACATION!

• The Etsy shop will remain open for your shopping convenience while I'm out
• Orders placed now thru April 24 will go into production the week of April 25
• Convos will be checked periodically, but replies may take a bit longer than usual so that I may enjoy the time off with my family
• All Easter Baskets and other orders received before April 11 have been completed & shipped
• Some items {including wallets, mini wallets & organizer bins that aren't ready-to-ship} have been temporarily removed from the Etsy shop to allow time to complete pending orders before vacation.  These items will be reactivated soon.  Thanks for your patience!

Wordless Wednesday : sand

Spring Break in Sew Gracious-ville

Finally . . . almost . . . SPRING BREAK!





but there is still work to be done! 

Spring Break coincides with Easter for us this year.  That creates some challenges for things in the ol' SG Etsy Shop.  This has been the biggest year yet for SG Easter Baskets.  I'm happy, I'm blessed and I'm sewing like crazy!  :) 

I have established a work schedule to accomodate orders, but still have time to get ready for vacation. It's hard to get all of the details in the shop announcements at Etsy so I wanted to explain things here. 

• April 11-24 : Orders placed during this time will go into production the week of April 25
• All Easter Baskets & Organizer Bins currently listed in the shop are READY TO SHIP and can be mailed until April 14
• Easter Baskets ordered before April 3 will ship by April 14
• Some items {including wallets and organizer bins} have been temporarily removed from the shop to allow time to finish pending Easter Basket orders before spring break.  These items will be activated in the shop around April 15
• April 15-24 : The Etsy shop will remain open for your shopping convenience, I will check convos but not as often as usual.  No orders will be in production and no shipments will be made.

If you have questions about a pending order, please contact me via Etsy.


Have you had your Spring Break yet?  What did you do?

Spa Day!

No, not for me unfortunately.  I wish!  {Maybe Santa will bring one of those!}

The Spa Day is for my sewing machine.   It's actually more like a Spa Week.  She won't be home til after Christmas.  She's worked hard this year and needed a break.  {hmmm . . . kinda like me!}   It's time for her to be pampered, cleaned, checked for repairs and just to rest.  It's been a while since she's gotten that kind of attention.  Lately she's been pushed, worked long hours and hung in there like a real workhorse.

Machines are pretty complicated, as shown in this simple diagram.  I have a drafting degree, but I'm not going to tackle heavy machine maintenance!   I'll leave that to the experts.

Even though I won't be pampered like my machine,  I will enjoy the next few days; preparing for Christmas and enjoying my family!    Hope YOU do too!

Ahhh . . . relax!

Enjoy your break,  Miss Machine.  We're gonna be busy in 2011!

Beach Wedding

You just never know what you may see on the beach.

During our recent vacation, we were "guests" at a wedding.

We weren't invited, but I don't think the bride minded. :)

We decided to stay on the beach late that day; to watch the sunset.
It was quiet & almost deserted.

P E R F E C T!

Then we saw some guys in white shirts & khakis walk out on the beach;
followed by a photographer.

I knew what was to follow.

There was a small group of family & friends

 . . .  an us in our beach chairs about 20 yards down the beach.

She was beautiful.

The service was beautiful & simple.

That's the way to go.

It was very sentimental for me.

This wedding took place just a couple of miles down the same beach
where Sew Daddy & I got married almost 15 years ago.

I remembered how I felt 15 years ago.

Getting married on the beach is nice & you can't beat the pictures. :)

I don't know who this happy couple is, but I wish them MUCH happiness!
Thanks for letting us be The Wedding Crashers {from afar}

Wordless Wednesday : The Beauty of a Shell

Bad Blogger

Ok.  Obviously my blog needs a little love.  I knew I hadn't blogged in a few days, but didn't realize it's been 2 weeks.

Bad Blogger

In my defense, it has been a busy 2 weeks.   I've been:

sewing like crazy; catching up on orders that came in during my vacation
working with several smart brides got their bridesmaids from me on Etsy
working new items
going to Little Gracious's softball games 
celebrating that Little Gracious made the volleyball team at her school for next year
planting our veggie garden {pictures to come soon}
planting annuals {more pictures to come soon}
dodging some typical Southern severe weather
getting back to working out regularly {attempting it anyway}
having some landscaping done {major project that would be hard for us to do alone}

I could tell you more, but I think you get the idea.  Real life happens.

I have been posting on Facebook regularly so you can become a fan to stay updated {or now that they've changed things again, you have to "like" me}.  I hope you like me anyway.  :)

I promise to try to be a better blogger. May is going to be a super busy month but I have SO much new fabric that is calling my name.  Hang in there with me!

Back to Life, Back to Reality

Well, that week went by quickly, didn't it? 

I can't believe is Monday again?  I'm missing the sun, sand & relaxation already. 

Ok.  No whining. Chin up.  Work to do. Bills to pay. Laundry {always}.

and the best part of all . . .

LIFE IS STILL GOOD!

Calamari, anyone?

Ok, I tried it . . .  for the first & last time in my life. 

Little Gracious wanted to try calamari.  Sew Daddy has had it and likes it.   I'd never had it and had no desire to try it, but . . . the things you do for your kids.

So, I tried it.

It wasn't as bad as I thought, but still too chewy for my liking.  I'm "texture-sensitive" with food and the texture of this was not pleasing to me.  I had to concentrate on the marinara rather than what it was.

The little fried tenticles didn't help.  I almost felt like I was on an episode of Survivor when they eat the weird stuff.  LOL

Thank goodness the rest of the meal was better.  Give me a grilled grouper sandwich anytime!

Wordless Wednesday : at the beach

sun . sand . waves ::: life is good

Spring Break Announcement

---------------------------- ♦ SPRING BREAK April 8-18 ♦ ---------------------------

♦ Orders placed through end of the day Tuesday April 7, will be shipped by Friday
♦ Orders placed after Tuesday will begin production/shipping on Monday April 19
♦ I will leave the shop open so that you may shop during my vacation :)

I'll check convos & emails while I'm gone;

but not as often as usual; as you might imagine! ;)

This will be my view each morning

and

this is what I'll see in the evenings.

I'm looking forward to lots of family time & time away from our everyday routines.

Life is Good!

See Ya Real Soon!

If you live in the US, you are in the midst of one of the coldest, snowiest winters ever.   We haven't had much snow, but it's been so cold in the deep South this year.  Snow flakes are even predicted along the Gulf Coast tomorrow.  Now THAT is cold, my friends.  It just doesn't snow in Florida & Lower Alabama, but it will tomorrow. 

Wishing for warmer temps, a tropical vacation?  Me too!  That's why I made our beach reservations this week!  Can I get a WOO HOO!

It won't be long till my toes are in the sand.  It will seem like an eternity.  It always does, but at least the room is booked.  It's on my calendar . . . in INK!  Until then,  I'll stay bundled up, try to keep warm and think about how beautiful it will be.

Enjoy . . .

life is good

PRIORITY MAIL SHIPPING WEEKEND

:★: Monday 12.21 is the last day to ship via US Priority Mail in order for packages to arrive in time for Christmas.
:★: This weekend, everything in the shop is READY TO SHIP & has Priority Mail shipping charges applied.
:★: Last Minute Shopping this weekend will ship Monday morning via US Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope . . . after that I'll be taking a few days off to enjoy Christmas with my family

SHOP NOW AT SEW GRACIOUS!

Need A Vacation

Hmm . . . that could be a question or a statement.

Q. Need a Vacation?

A. YES!!!!!

or

NEED A VACATION!!!!!!! {now!}

If you're like me and won't be taking a vacation anytime soon, treat yourself to a new nail polish. It's alot less expensive and you don't even have to pack!


I usually wear hot pink shades on my toes in the summer, but saw this pretty soft pink {which is actually prettier than this picture} at Target yesterday. I decided to take a break from my usual shades and try something soft. I was surprised when I realized the color is called "Need a Vacation". CUTE! I've used Essie polish before and have always loved the colors & wearability.


Even if you won't be having sand between your toes; at least your toes can look good this summer!

Happy Pedicures, Sweets! Life Is Good!

. . . and it ain't New Orleans

Until recently, I thought the one and only, world famous Pat O's was in New Orleans. I've been there, had a great time, drank a cyclone {it's much better than a hurricane and the glass is pretty cool too} and enjoyed the beautiful courtyard. Good times!

I was so surprised when I discovered THIS Pat O's in Destin, Florida. It's beautiful and sits right on the Destin Harbor at the new Harborwalk there. A Commanders Palace restaurant is a short walk away and the view is incredible. It's in a great spot for catching the sunset . . . very romantic.

Wordless Wednesday : In a Tight Spot Here

Found It!

Have you been looking for this?

I'm happy to say that I found it while on vacation at the beach.
Isn't the beach a wonderful place!
Ponce De Leon has nothing on me. ;-)

If only there were a real Fountain of Youth. As I move farther away from "youth" in years, I realize that the real Fountain of Youth is found within. If you feel old, you will be old; no matter how old you are. So, over look those tiny lines & ignore the crows feet. I'm learning to love my laugh lines because it means that I SMILE alot! :)

I don't look my age, so that's a good thing. It makes looking in the mirror each morning a little easier. LOL It's not just my family; even my doctor told me that so it must be true. I'm happy to finally be at a point where I can say I've learned my from experiences. Yes, I still make mistakes, but I'm SO much wiser than I was in my 20s . . . even early 30s.

To sum it up, I have to say LIFE IS GOOD.

Go Fly A Kite!

Ah, first day back to real life after a week at the beach. That's always a big step after having no schedule for a week; eating what we want & sleeping late. Hakuna Matata . . . no worries. :) We had a wonderful trip; lots of family time and new memories made. It was one of our best vacations ever!

If you've spent any time on any beach, you know it's a wonderful place to people watch. During our week, one of the people we watched each day was Kite Man. We looked forward to his arrival on the sand each day because we knew we were in for a treat. When I was getting all the pictures off my camera, I realized that I hadn't snapped pictures of all of his kites. I wish I had! It was really a spectacle to behold. He had a tribal mask kite, a red hot chili pepper, lots of windsock-looking contraptions and who know what else.

He brought everything to the beach in golf club bag and most days set up a 10x10 canopy for his family and himself. He was truly a professional. He must have used clothesline for string because considering the gusts, the weight of his kites and all that he was flying, ordinary kite string would have never worked. Have I said he was a professional? We actually wondered if he owned a kite shop . . . or maybe kept one in business! LOL The string was wound on one of those big orange spools that you wind heavy duty extension cords on. I don't know how long the string was, but the kites could fly up to about 8 or 10 stories high. You could see them all over the beach.

This is one of his creations. I believe the top kite had a span of about 7 or 8 feet. Apparently the round addition is his signature piece because, even when he had multiple kite lines in the air, he always had one of this round, spinning pieces on each line. Most days he also had an American flag flying too. I loved that!

The long tail here must have been over 50 feet long.
We saw him get this one in the air and it just kept unrolling.
It was so long I wasn't able to capture the entire length while standing on the sand.

So, wanna meet the Kite Man?

Ta-daaaahhh!

Here you can see the big orange spool and the heavy duty kite string

and the golf club cart. :)

So, Kite Man; although I don't know you or where you are from; should you ever find my blog, I'd like to thank you for the beautiful kites and the entertainment you provided for us each day.

You surely enjoy your hobby and we do too. Thanks for sharing with those of us lucky enough to be on the beach last week!