the time of a nice weather!

 Our beautiful plants for Christmas .......  Summer time!!!

our beautiful plants in the garden!

Our dear Christmas guy!

Home and Family

 

our home for this special time!

So about almost last month we started a new time for a warmer time and sunny days!  But the cold weather is around yet!  We just had 4 days of constant rain and a still a little cold weather!  A very not time of weather usually.  The way the seasons have been in the last years have changed, and in this big São Paulo city many things have changed because of how it has grown and how big it has become.  It is constantly in the 1st 10 in the world about of its size.  Some countries that have never grown until now have been seen and became part of the same growth.
The worst thing that hast happened every country is the rain, the fire, and so many other not so good conditions.  This happening all over the world has been more and more frequent.  The stories and conditions we can read in the computer, newspaper, TV, and every other possible show how our life has changed since not long ago.  We have had some new things avail and possible like never before, what a good thing!
However we can also so many bad things happening all over just the same.  The thing I am happy about is the chance to be with family and everything we can be to one another.  As we come to this year end and prepare for Christmas we can think and pray for one another, spend time together as families, use the Christmas time to grow more religious and better persons.
This is my great desire for this season...not money or fun...but good time with our family and friends, and happy for the time together!

getting better!!!

Well this year was one really not years really are for me!  The year was/has been totally different of any other year.  In April there was an incident during a heavy rain and we got stopped inside a big cross full of water.  We didn't know that this was the normal thing in this place.  Well making it small and short...we got stuck in the middle of the water was dead and would not start again; we had to get out in a very dirty water full of all kind of dirty things...all kind of very bad and thirty water.  Our car took a long time to get home...we needed to be taked home and the car need to be carried home as well.  After this mess at this time I got sick and after 3 weeks had to run to the hospital...and there I was totally out for 6 days and after that I had to go back to normal like slowly.  This lasted in the hospital until the end of May...at home I have been taking care of ever thing to make sure everything is back to normal.  I came back to normal and have to work my speaking way...sometimes I steal forget at that little starting some word or way of saying something...today it is much better and faster.  So after all these days...many days working out the last months I am almost back to what I was and more active.

This was an interesting period of time and life...not having this more series life before I had to learn how to be more careful and learn a new way for me.  I had to become more careful and patient, more loving and understanding of all of us who sometimes have to be patients with those around us!!  Life is important in many ways, but families should be always the most important thing in our lives.  When we are like that ... we help  one another in the difficult moments.  I am very happy for my good family who were always there...all my life ... and this time again ... who helped me !!!  The ones I have also had the chance to help them also!!  I am so thankful to and for family's every moment we have had the chance to be with each other!
This has been a good one for me with all my good brothers there with me!!!  thank you dear brothers!!! and son boys as well!!
I love you all from my heart...me Ilona







 

luck of the Irish to you!!!

creativity at it's max

Nothing to do with women's craft, but this is sure one wonderful work, creative work, imitating nature and how soft and beautiful movement is!  worth watching!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dehXioMIKg0

new ideas

I won't even go into the hassle this last week was, the business of remodeling is still in motion, and a nightmare!

So on a happier note and trying to think of much better, interesting and more fun stuff .... as I was perusing the net searching for images to illustrate some of my little children 's English teaching activities I came across this interesting and new idea on stamping and paper/scrapping work.

http://www.stampavie.com
They are image stamps, and there are plenty of cute ideas for card making, the stamps are physical and digital!
Can't post images because they won't copy and paste but, if you like stamping and scrapping go pay them a visit!

http://justbeenme.blogspot.com/2011/02/valentine-papaer-bag-journal-tutorial.html
this link will take to other great ideas on card making, easy, fast and your ideas are the limit!!
the tutorial is really clear and easy to follow!

http://melstampz.blogspot.com/2008/11/50-gift-bag-templates.html
this other link is for tons of paper made bags and gift bags or boxes ... there are very cute ideas that can be used for every occasion

http://melstampz.blogspot.com/2009/08/cuttlebug-challenge-altered-desk-set.html
same blog, but another idea and tutorial... just cute as a bug... and there are a lot of other tutorials!

and if you go from these blogs links on you can also find lots of other links and other great work!

It never ceases to amaze me what a great fun and blessing this is to share with so many people from everywhere  and to see how much creativity is there out there, all the beautiful work that's being done and how much we can all learn from each other... all the gracious people who share their fabulous work and the time the put out to show these beautiful tutorials !!

Thank you all !!

just like spring is in the air for all the northern hemisphere and new blooms are popping  up in the air of fall in the southern hemisphere, let's join in creation and make our worlds and environments paradise like!

It's been almost a month since I posted last!!  wow can't believe how fast time goes when you're having fun... or maybe... This month has been a hectic one, so much going on!
Between managing this remodeling in the house, getting started with the new year, new students, working on some orders on some sewing, and all else that life entails just about took all my time away.
But, I can't deny also that this month was a downer as far as the things I had set as goals, and the things I actually got to do.  This always lives me feeling less of a winner!

Pondering on all these things I realize that that's what life is really all about.  We need to set priorities... someone said in a talk once.... If you don't have your priorities in order, you lose power!...
And isn't it so very true... if I don't know where I am  going I'll never get there.  Our mind needs to be aligned with our priorities and goals constantly... think and act on them constantly, reevaluating, resetting and getting started again!

If we fill up our plate too much, we will always feel rund down and less victorious!

Sometimes we also carry too much load on our shoulders, and that weigh us down!  It's a must that we unload that which we don't need anymore, those things we can't act upon and that are not ours to carry, and that alone is a heavy task... us women have that thing that makes us think we are here to save the world of its burdens, and we are to save our world only...if we can manage to do that we are saving the world of sorts... meaning we create less problem which by itself frees others of our burdens!

The idea of being self sufficient is of great import to many as it should!  After all we must be able to take care of ourselves and our family.  The down point is when we overload ourselves so much that we instead become  unable to function because we can't see through of what to do 1st! consequently we run in circles and don't get anywhere.

So this is what I have been trying to do... put these ideas in check, make sure I am unloading unnecessary baggage, and freeing myself for those things that really matter!

those include: thoughts, feelings, goals, things, and as I seat here writing this post I can hear the birdies chirping and singing and flying around, feel the breeze and the sun shinning through the windows, and realize that we need to little to really be happy.  It shouldn't be hard to organize things!

Someone posted a video on FaceBook about time, how it has the great power to help us put things into perspective!  How we can get over resentments, frustrations and some many other things, if only we can give us time to work on the steps to get to where we need to go.

We were all born with 2 great gifts, we were all given free agency and time.... we are all born with them... with the correct use of time and free agency we can shape our destiny here and in the life to come!

love casteth away all fear

Today I am in the musing mode, thinking of what this life is made of !
In church yesterday, I read a quotation from I John - Love knows no Fear - Love casteth away Fear!

Let love abound !

May we all think of that before we allow ourselves be angry, resentful and act on love...what would Christ do in this situation?  I am sure we would have less of what we see in the world today!

As I blog I read and meet so many wonderful mothers and women of character and determination, I see so much they have done and do to make their family's and their lives better!

We as women should join up, and in our own individual sphere of influence do just that influence for good, for peace, for love, for understanding...  teach our children about forgiveness and understanding each other's different cultures and ways of life, allowing space for the differences and respect for them!

If we all do our little bit, I am sure that we will see an overall improvement!

I enjoy and follow so many of you great women, thank you for showing me and sharing all your many talents and accomplishments!  I hope to be the same!

Thank you all who visit and please let me know you have been Chez Moi!

Happy Valentine's Day 

on bags again

Again on bags, Lucy from http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/crochet-bag.html is an avid crocheter... and she does some fun and colorful things!  I love how she makes her house so lively with her crafts, but this bag has been seen in many blogs and I really like it!

Some ladies in Australia were making them for the relief fund to help those who have lost so much in the floods!

make a bag

Making bags is one thing I really love doing... can't tell you why though...

it's one of those things that just makes me happy!

I think you can tell someone's likes and personality by the way they use their bags!

The 1st bag I made I was around 16... it was a patchwork bag...made of a whole bunch of littles scraps my mom had... made a on a simple zig zag machine the hot point od machines back then.

I like reds and yellows, they look like spring and summer to me, and this bag was like that with lots of reds and yellows  -- I lined it with terry cloth -- I didn't know anything about quilting back then -- so no quilting, but the patchwork I made was what today they call the crazy quilting only thing is that I had no embroidery on it.  I used a wood handle  and also some braided cord for the long strap!

When I got into college this bag was very handy for all the many things I had to carry... it almost felt like a Mary Poppins bag...all sort of things came of it!

So as I was browsing today I found this bag, and it's colors and prints reminded me so much of my old bag! Memories flooded my mind.  Back then my mom was there with me, and she was surprised by final product!  and I felt so proud of myself!

I guess that's were my love for bags started.... considering that in my mom's widower pension budget there wasn't much I could buy to supply my teenager vanity.  Learning how to make my own things came out of need and now it is such a pleasure to be able to keep doing it after learning so many other ways to do so many other things!

this cute little bag was found athttp://kellyrachel.com/blog/2010/06/01/make-a-bag-part-one/

 along with a very fun PAP and many other things she has there!  hop on for a visit if you want to see more!

life

So January is just about over! and we have just began a new year...isn't amazing how fast time goes by and we always feel like we didn't see it, or just didn't do all that we needed to to!... And as we get older it seems it is even going faster and faster!?
I feel totally overwhelmed and somewhat frustrated because I haven't been able to do all I needed and wanted to have done!  Is it because we expect so much from ourselves, or because we set our goal way too high? 
In either case the fact is that time is such a fleeing thing and we do have to keep track of our seconds and minutes every second!!! The thing is though that sometimes we just want to do nothing and we feel like we deserve that time, after all we always coming and going so if we just relax for this little bit it won't matter! But, then again, if we allow ourselves that relaxing moment something won't get done!

What a difficult equation!  it seems we are doomed to be a slave to the clock ticking!

two grown boys and you would think that your task is over...

I was in a condition, as a missionary to my church, that required of me to constantly keep tract of time and set goals and priorities!  Ever since then it have just become a habit to set priorities and goals!  if something doesn't get done today, it goes high up the list for the next day's priorities!
As the years have gone by, and the boys have grown up and life has come to a different set of priorities and demands, and I found myself with more time in my hands to do the things I have always wanted to do it now becomes a challenge to get those things done...

 hubby loves to play Santa... he lets his beard and hair grow especially for being Santa

 good friends sure bring joy to our lives... here is Lídia and kids, my dear Italian friend!

 and life is good when you have the right person next to you!

So here is the question, how do you motivate yourself and keep focused  to achieve those things? especially when the only person who expects anything from your is yourself?

Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions!?

nature bounty

I really love my little piece on earth... I 've planted many trees plus the ones already here part of a native forest now protected by law.  I have avocados, oranges, tangerines, lemons ( 2 different kinds), acerola --a little fruit cherry like with a vit C content higher than oranges or lemons, delicious to eat like cherries or to make juice usually it is combined with orange or such-- I've just got some grape vines which are going to be planted shortly, sugar cane, pomegranate, jabuticaba -- a little fruit that grows on the bark of the tree which I have already posted here, peach, banana and mulberry... I love to walk around the garden eating from the trees.   I have two big banana bunches on the trees and another just filling up...they will soon be ready to be cut from the trees.

Here you can see the acerola fruit and tree... the tree is 4 years old and this year it really filled up and we can't keep up with it.  It's such a pretty little fruit, and when it is ripe on the tree it's a most beautiful red !

a new bag and another little girl's dress

Fait mains pour moi!!  no patterns.... just cut as I went along!

some crochet to add some charm, rosettes and a fast, some quilting on the fabric and of course some sewing using some cute ribbons!

and a couple of dresses, a headband and a bag to match all --  for a cute little girl, my friend's daughter!!!

here is some quick embroidery in satin and chain stich

some fun and soft summer cotton ... easy and nice to work on... a little dress can be made very quickly and make the day for a little girl!
also... no patterns...just some cutting along the way!!