Is this a designer bag?

 So, if I make my "Set the Table" placemat tote out of Ralph Lauren placemats.......

does that make them designer bags?....just sayin'

                                  

Don't set the table with these!

I love to wander through the discount stores, they are almost as interesting to me as a trip to the hardware store.


A couple weeks ago, I picked up these....some lonely vinyl placemats

I discovered a long time ago that a vinyl placemat is not just a vinyl placemat and these are not something I would buy for my table, I really don't like them as placemats.

BUT.....


I love to use them to make bags of all sorts. Tote bags, clutches...oh yes.....

This IS a vinyl placemat!

 

  And these are too......

I got so excited about how cute these totes were turning out, I wrote a pattern for them (my newest addiction) so you could make some too. I love, love, love writing patterns! These totes are soooo easy to make and the possibilities are as endless as the supply of clearanced vinyl placemats no one wanted for their table! 

If you aren't the DIY type, I listed some in my Etsy shop and the pattern is HERE if you are and want to make some for Christmas gifts...they make great project bags or market bags, strong and sturdy...not too big, a teacher might find them handy for everyday use. 

One of the rules of womanhood I find easy to follow is "you can never have too many bags" so I say, don't set the table with those placemats....make a tote instead!!

 

 

Finding success even in failure

I tried, I really, really did. Sometimes things just don't happen the way we expect them to but in the end, I think if you can look back and say, " wow, that could have ended so much worse", then you probably have some blessings to count....and I do.

I love backpacking in Yosemite. Period. My husband and I have completed some amazing trips through God's wilderness. Volgelsang, The Grand Canyon of the Toulumne, Glen Aulin to May Lake...... 

Volgelsang, Yosemite 2007 with my brother, Barry and sister, Marcy

This year was to be no exception...a trip up to Cloud's Rest 9,990 ft-ish elevation then down to Little Yosemite Valley and then down to Curry Village where a shower, pizza and our vehicle awaited us. Ok, so perhaps I should have taken the cue when I broke my wrist the week before we were to leave.....did I mention stubborn? FYI, when the Harley begins to lean....LET IT GO!! Pfffff.....hubby feels a little responsible for this one.

BUT, I was not going to allow a simple cast on my left arm to keep me at camp...no way. My husband, my brother, Greg, and I donned our packs for the 3 day 2 night excursion, purple cast and all and headed up, ....and I do mean UP. The trail ascends a great deal in a short amount of miles, the resulting trail is most definitely UP.

Oh, I've gone up before....Volgelsang is nearly 11,000 feet...not a walk in the park. At about 9400 ft. the top of Clouds Rest was so very close and the worst part of the uphill was over. But, what are you suppose to do when your head begins to spin and there is a feeling of disorientation? GO BACK? Yes, that's what you do.  One of the hardest things I have ever, EVER done. All the planning in the world doesn't prepare you for altitude sickness. I have never experienced it before and I hope I never do again. I admit I cried on the trail, I did not want to end my trek, but I knew I should not go on.

Getting back to camp was an adventure in itself, and whoa....this could have ended much worse for sure! My husband and brother were so strong at a time when I felt so vulnerable, I am truly blessed to have both of them in my life.

Of course as I descended and my head began to return to normal .....I was planning a return trip to complete this hike. Did I mention that I am just a little bit stubborn? I will be back to tackle this trip again.

I haven't blogged in a long, long time. This fail...if you can call the resulting almost there and back a fail? It was grueling....this fail, really weighed on me. I've taken some time and while the disappointment is still bruising, I know I made the right decision. Period...and that to me spells success! So, I'm getting over it...putting it behind me.

Life threw me that curve ball and I swung the best I could and I am just so thankful God gave me such amazing team mates to play the game with!