Introducing: Jodi Dolls!!

I finally got busy on my new venture. Jodi Dolls were born on May 5, 2006. The first litter was 23 dollies and they have already grown and morphed a bit. As they develop, I am taking notes for future generations. The ideas are flying in my head as to how to do themes, sizes, and especially personaliztion. They will even have a tag signed by me so you know you are getting a one-of-a-kind original.

My busy new baby...

Yippee! I got a new car! After much prayer and research, we went out and got a Kia Rio5. It is Sunset Orange and runs like a dream! We got it just in time, too. The other day our 1991 Pontiac Grand Prix decided that it was old and tired and didn't want to drive to work ANYMORE!

So, this is my birthday and anniversary present from Keith! We truly need reliable transportation with each of us working 7 days a week 30 miles from home. That's not even taking into consideration all of the kids's activities.

Maddie had softball tournaments in Sarasota this weekend and I drove there twice! In 7 days we have put almost 1000 miles on this baby! Keith came home and said I will get to see it turn over on my way to work tonight. Can you imagine?

Anyway, now I just need a name for it. Got any suggestions??

Jodi

18 pounds!!!!

Woo-Hoo! Woo-Hoo!

As of this week, I have lost 18 pounds! I just need 2 more to be at my first goal. Next Wednesday is my birthday and I am so happy to be celebrating it 20 lbs lighter! Woo-Hoo!

Jodi

Green Belt??

Well, I am home from my trip to see Lisa and life is zooming fast once again. I was so calm in Tallahassee. It was so beautiful there. Canopied roads, hills, it felt so Northern! LOL I was totally at ease in the home of my dear friends. I even came home with all kinds of goodies. :-)

Today is one of those Supermom days. I am about to leave for Peter's Tae Kwon Do test. He is going for the Green belt! We'll see what happens. He was an orange belt when we stopped going for a year and a half. Now he's back and has caught right up into his old routine. He goes with his grandpa twice a week and Grandpa tells me Pete is going to be great! I have no doubt.

Then we leave the TKD test and head for Maddie's softball game. Luckily, they are both five minutes away from each other. ;-) Maddie is playing so well this year. I am so proud of my athletic kids!

It's going to be a while before I am in a new routine with this crazy messy office. I'll try to keep up with my blog, though.

Later.

I'm a bad blogger!

Ok, so I come to the conclusion that I suck at blogging! LOL

Really. I seem to find the time to check my email several times a day, but I can't seem to find the time to blog. I am going to be optimistic, though, and believe that it is only because my life has been so crazy busy since I got home from Nashville and not that I am a failure at a simple thing like typing regularly. ;-)

Today I am sitting in my new office. Yup!I got me an office. Perhaps you'll see pics here soon. (But don't hold your breath!) Actually, it's our walk-in closet. We took our stuff out and put my office in and now our bedroom has a whole "less is more" thing going on. It looks great (the bedroom! not the office). We went to Lowe's and found these cool free standing clothing racks with covers that match my curtains and keep the whole "island cabana" theme going. We had thought about building an actual new closet, but besides the fact that we wanted it done NOW, I like the ability to still rearrange the furniture when we get bored. Building a new closet would have killed that for sure, and Keith and I rearrange regularly. (I guess it's like getting a whole new house without having to move!)

The office will have to wait to be cleaned up and organized because today I am off to a mini vacation. I am headed to see my dear friend Lisa Cowell, the other half of Blue Moo. She is still actively involved in the designing business, however she is somewhat geographically challenged at the moment due to a continued series of appointments in the Tallahassee region. So, I'm gonna pack up some fun and take the show to her! I told her to get her hard hat on, cuz I'm comin' to pick her brain all weekend! I have a ton of new ideas and since she has "been there, done that" to just about every crafting related subject under the sun, she has a lot of answers I am looking for.

I am also looking forward to some major stitching time. I have just finished the daunting task of doing our taxes, so I am really ready for a break. The bad thing is that I will miss a couple of Maddie's softball games. She is on fire this year and I have so much fun at those games. At least I'll be back in time for spaghetti dinner and talent show at school next week. :-) AND, next week Peter tests for green belt in Tae Kwon Do! We are definitely busy around here.

Well, that should catch you up, fine readers. Thanks for being interested in us and our work! We'll have some great new things to show you when I get back. Until then, check out Lisa's site: http://www.lisacowell.com
and visit our stitcher's challenge page to join in on the fun! http://www.designsbyjodievans.com/Stitchers_Challenge.html
Have a great weekend!

Jodi

I'm Published... Again!

Yippee! I never get over the thrill of seeing something I wrote published in a public periodical. I am not talking about blogs or something that you publish yourself. I am speaking of things written and submitted to an editor who you hope will find relevance and decide to print your work. This may seem like small potatoes to some people, but my column was accepted and printed in the January 2006 Florida edition of The Country Register.

My local shop owner, Carolyn, kept telling me last year to submit something because January is the stitching issue. Well, I never got it together in time, so this year she really pushed me. Some people really like my writing. ;-p

I wrote an article titled "Yes, We Have Shops Just For Stitching." The CR did a lot of typos and some editing, but for the most part it's pretty true to my submission. I began explaining that no one quite gets what I do for a living when I tell them I am a NeedleArt designer. I go on to speak about the benefits of stitching on your mental and physical well-being. Then, I wrap it up with a short description of my three most local shops and their distinctly different personalities. I write with a sense of humor and Carolyn thought it was pretty funny.

So, now that I am published again I am looking for new venues to submit my work to. Who knows...

New Art Adventures...

Wow, I am so excited about my new art explorations! I have been stamping and doing all sorts of paper crafts. Now I am getting into ATCs and buying all sorts of new supplies. I got a heat tool and embossing powders. Now I just need to find time to play. These days I am all about getting ready for the Nashville Needlework Market in two weeks.

Maybe I can have some goodies ready to share with my buddy Monique. She is a very dear friend of mine who I met about a year ago. It was one of those times where two people just click, you know? We both have the same values and beliefs, we both design needlework, and we both are looking for new and different ways to bring our love of stitching to the world. Monique is the one who helps me find all kinds of cool new art to get interested in.

You should check out her new "Markers" line. They are a perfect example of looking at counted thread in a whole new way. Her website is: http://mymarkdesigns.com and her blog is http://www.mymarkdesigns.blogspot.com/

Have fun!