It is inconceivable that ten years have passed since September 11, 2001.  9/11 is one of those landmark days etched into our souls; we remember where we were and how it felt when we heard the news that our country was under attack.

We can’t forget the days and weeks and months after that as the rescue efforts turned into long-term recovery of remains.  We heard eyewitness accounts, saw video, and learned the names and faces of people who perished that day.  We grieved for their families, for New Yorkers and for the death of our naive notion that no one would dare to attack us on our home soil.

We will never be the same.  And we shouldn’t be.

Evil reared its ugly head that day in New York, and at the Pentagon and in a Pennsylvania field.  Over 3000 people lost their lives and many thousands of other people were devastated by the loss of their loved ones.

In spite of the destruction and unbearable grief, evil did not win that day.  Ten years later, stories are still surfacing about people pulling together that day, working together, caring for each other, getting each other through unbelievable circumstances.

Today, the  “New York Says Thank You” Foundation chooses an important charity project every year.  New York firefighters and other volunteers devote themselves to pay back the help they’ve been given, and to try to heal a little bit.

Groups like Action America have arisen to turn the events of September 11th into positive action.  They ask “what will you do?” What will we do? How can we help our fellow man today?  How can we use our lives for good, and not just for selfish enjoyment? If we all did just one unselfish thing for someone else today, just imagine the impact it would have on our world.

The legacy of September 11th should not just be fear and sorrow, although we are absolutely entitled to those emotions after what has happened to us.  The lasting legacy can be that we care about each other a little bit more than we did before, and that we do something about it.

We can be upset and sad as we reflect on 9/11, but if we’re only upset and sad, then Evil has won.  We have to do something.  What will we do?

The pain inflicted by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 does not have to be suffered in vain.

May God bless our country, and continue to use for good what our Enemy meant for evil on this day ten years ago.

Photo credit: sizeofguam flickr stream

~BigSis

LilSis had a baby shower for Bry and Rach on June 1st, and we talked about all of the fun things we did for it.  I had a complete blast making these fabric-wrapped letters for Jack’s room:

I’m not gonna lie to you though…these little dudes were tricky in parts!  I would absolutely do them again, especially since I learned a few tricks of my own along the way.  What kind of a friend would I be if I didn’t share them with you?  Not a very good one, I’d say, so let’s get busy making some cute letters.

Start by choosing the name. It sounds simple since you can’t change the child’s name, but there are some things to consider.  I originally planned on making Jack’s middle name too, since I love it so much.  Once I really thought about it though, I realized that would add 6 more letters.  Finding 4 fabrics that coordinated the way I wanted them to was challenging enough, and I think that finding 10 fabrics would have been a gargantuan challenge (aka pain in the tookus).

Besides the fabric selection issue, you also need to think about where the letters will be hung.  I was thinking about “Jack” on one line, and his middle name on a line below it.  But I didn’t know what his mom and pop had planned for his room, and I didn’t want to assume they’d have space for a wall hanging that large.

Decide on your color scheme as it coordinates with the child’s room. I think selecting 2 or 3 colors from his/her color palette is a good rule of thumb.  If you have a sample of their existing fabrics and colors to go by, all the better.

Select your fabrics. Go a little crazy! I love mixing different patterns for a really fun combination.  This is for a baby’s name, not a stuffy corporate boardroom, right?  As long as each fabric has the unifying color or colors to tie them all together, they’ll work fine.  Try patterns, polka dots, stripes, plaids; whatever grabs you.  I chose fabrics that all had blue, yellow and/or green in them, and opted not to use any solids.

You won’t need a lot of fabric.  I got half a yard of each and had plenty extra, just in case of a big boo boo.  One cool thing  I discovered is that a quilter’s “fat quarter” is a great size for this project and comes at a fabulous price.  The doggie fabric on Jack’s “A” was from a fat quarter that I paid $1.99 for.

Assemble the rest of your supplies. Here’s what you’ll need in addition to your fabrics:

• Paper mache letters (I got my chunky ones at Hobby Lobby. They also have thinner cardboard ones.)
• Quilters batting (I like the thicker poofier batting for this project.)
• Felt (for the back of the letters; in a color that coordinates with the fabrics)
• Wide ribbon (for the sides of the letters; choose a color that works with all of the fabrics)
• Thin ribbon or rope (to hang the letters from)
• Spray adhesive (to attach the batting to the letters)
• Staple gun (to attach the fabric to the letters)
• Hot glue gun (to attach the felt to the back)
• Scotch tape (for any areas the staple gun won’t reach)
• Xyron sticker maker (to turn the ribbon into a sticker)
• Pen or marker (to trace letters’ outlines on fabric and felt)

Here we go!

First, turn your letters upside down on the batting and trace around them.  Marking on the backside of the batting reduces the chance it will show through any lighter fabrics.  Go ahead and trace around the letters on the felt too while you’re at it.  For the felt, trace so that the marker will be hidden when it attaches to the back of the letter.

Cut out the batting and felt along your lines.  Follow the directions on your brand of spray adhesive, and apply the batting to the front of the letters. Press it down lightly, and allow to dry for a bit.

Decide which fabric goes with each letter.  Lay them out next to each other in different orders, so you can see which ones look the prettiest/most handsome next to each other.

Cut a piece of fabric slightly larger than the letter; I like to allow several generous inches all the way around, especially since the letters I used are so chunky.

Now comes the part that needs all your attention and a bit of patience.  With the fabric right side down, place the letter face down on it.  You’re going to go around each letter, keeping tension on the fabric as you pull it to the back of the letter and attach it with the staple gun.

#1, make sure your fingers are out of the way!  #2, make sure the tension on the fabric is consistent all the way around the letter.  I like to do the straight sides first.  If you’re working with stripes or plaids, check the front of the letter as you go to make sure the pattern is straight.

When you come to a curve, you’re going to ease in the fullness, making smooth little pleats as you go.  You’ll need to snip the fabric here and there to allow it to fit smoothly.  I use lots of staples on curves and take my time.

On corners, try to fold under the excess fabric as you would make a hospital corner with your bed sheets.  You can fiddle with it until you get it smooth and sharp, then staple it down.

Now for the tricky part I mentioned!  Some spots on these letters are a bear to do, especially if you’re a perfectionist like me!  The inside of the “A” and the inside angles on the top and bottom of the “K” gave me fits.  I found there wasn’t enough fabric in those spots to fold to the back of the letter, so that’s when I had to resort to bits of scotch tape.

Just remember, you want to keep the sides of the letters as smooth as you can so bumps won’t show through your ribbon, but the ribbon is going to be there to hide any remaining gaps the fabric didn’t cover.

Once all your letters are covered with fabric, admire your work! The hard part is done!

The next step is to cover the sides with the wide ribbon.  My letters were thick and I wanted a ribbon that would cover the whole side, and not leave any gaps.  I needed a 3/4″ ribbon.  Guess what? They don’t MAKE a 3/4″ ribbon, at least not that I could find after many many craft store trips!  Who knew?

What I decided to do was buy a 1″ ribbon and wrap the excess to the back of the letter.  It ended up creating a really finished edge, and I think it worked out even better than a 3/4″ ribbon would have.

I experimented with many different adhesives and fabric glues to attach the ribbon, and couldn’t find one that would have great sticking ability but would not stain the ribbon or show through. Hot glue would leave that ugly bumpy ridge so that was out.

My solution?  Run the ribbon through a Xyron sticker maker (with the permanent adhesive).  It works like a charm!  It sticks incredibly well with no staining, and the excess ribbon sticks nicely to the back of the letter.

Measure the length of ribbon you need, allowing a bit extra so you don’t come up 1/4″ short!  Run it through the Xyron, peel off the backing, and start applying to the sides of the letters, beginning in the most hidden part of the letter so your seam will be as invisible as you can make it.

Attach your felt to the back of the letters with hot glue.  I like to trim off any excess fabric before I do this, just to make the back as smooth as possible.  You can add extra tape or staples to any spots that are wild.  Since hot glue dries so fast, I like to lay down a small amount of glue at a time, working my way around the letter. All of your crazy mess is your secret now!

You’re almost done!  The last step is to attach the ribbon or rope (or whatever you like) that the letters will hang from.  I chose a thin white rope trim.  To keep it from slipping out of the staple, I made a small tight knot at the end, and just attached it to the top of the back with the staple gun.

There are lots of different things you could do with these once they’re done.  You can hang them from little wooden pegs like I did, or you could hang them on a curtain rod like a valence over a window.  You could skip the rope (ha ha), and just stand the letters up on a dresser or bookshelf.  Use your imagination!

That’s it!  Adorable, custom-made letters for some lucky adorable custom-made baby!

~BigSis

Happy purple petunias on my front walk.

I’ve had to really ‘baby’ these petunias that are in my front yard because they get a little more sun that they like, but they seem to be happy now, which makes me very happy!

I love how this random yellow pansy seeded right in the middle of this pot.

When BigSis was here visiting, we were talking while I was watering and we both agreed that petunias always remind us of our Grandmama. Petunias and snapdragons always bring back happy childhood memories of our visits to her house and of her beautiful flower garden.

Happy yellow petunias

And I just love these yellow petunias that I bought for the shower! They’re very happy in my backyard.

~Not to be “Debbie Downer”, but this week has been a bit of a melancholy week. We’ve both been extremely busy with work so there hasn’t been much time for a new post, but it’s also been a little hard to get in the mood to talk about anything related to Father’s Day.~

Last year I was able to shop for Father’s Day cards for my father-in-law for the first time since Daddy passed away, but for some reason I couldn’t do it this year; four years later. I had to ask my hubby to go pick them out for his dad so I wouldn’t end up a blubbering idiot in Hallmark reading sentimental Father’s Day cards.

Any time I’m a little ‘down in the dumps’, I make myself go for a walk by the beach or just go out into my yard and do some gardening. Both of those things always cheer me up.

We’re lucky that here in Southern California we have flowers that bloom year round and right now I’ve got some blooming like crazy! So, instead of talking about Father’s Day today, I wanted to post some pictures of some of my very happy flowers in my yard that make me very happy!

Happy Impatiens on my front porch.

In the winter, I just cut these impatiens back and leave the pots on the front porch and they come back in full force every Spring.

Happy Blue Hydrangeas

These blue Hydrangeas that I bought for the shower are absolutely gorgeous now that they’re in full bloom.

Happy Pink Hibiscus

I have a huge Hibiscus tree in our back yard that has struggled for a couple of years with some mean ole bugs, but hopefully this is a sign of some happy hibiscus this year.

Happy Orange Hibiscus starting to open.

The orange Hibiscus tree had to be trimmed all the way back a couple of years ago because of bugs, but this is my first bloom of the year so I hope it’s going to provide lots of happy blooms for us this year.

Happy pink Geranium.

We have several different varieties of Geraniums in our yard, but these pink ones are very happy.

Happy Bird of Paradise

And, one of my most favorite flowers is the Bird of Paradise and I’m really lucky to have several of these happy plants in my yard.

So, whatever you do tomorrow, whether you’re able to celebrate Father’s Day with your father or just spend some time reflecting on happy memories, as we’ll be doing, we wish you all a very Happy Father’s Day!

~LilSis

Did you see the movie “Up”?

I took the little guys to see it when it came out a few years ago and we loved the movie! (Even though it was a bit of a tearjerker.)

When I saw the scene where the house floats up and away into the sky, I wondered to myself if that was really possible.

I guess the answer to that question is ‘yes’!

Last month, National Geographic Channel and a team of scientists, engineers, and balloon pilots successfully launched a 16′ X 16′ house 18′ tall with 300 8′ colored weather balloons to set a new world record.

The filming of this National Geographic experiment will be part of a new National Geographic series called How Hard Can It Be?, which will premiere this fall. (You can read more about this experiment on Modern Met, which is where I found out about it.)

How awesome would it have been to be inside that house when it floated into the sky?

~LilSis

#1

Cookbook Giveaway: Cooking Light way to cook

#2

Easter Bird's Nest Candy

Easter Bird’s Nest Candy

#3

Roasted Garlic Dressing with Green Chili

Roasted Garlic Dressing with Green Chili

#4

Natural Dye Colored Easter Eggs

Natural Dye Colored Easter Eggs

#5

Better Crocker Easter Bunny Cake

Make an Easter Bunny Cake

#6

Ten in 2010

#7

Overnight Bloody Mary

Overnight Bloody Marys

#8

My little boy is in the Navy

#9

Eva Longoria Eyes

L’Oreal Extra-Volume Collagen Mascara

#10

Will P90X Kill a Forty-Plus Woman?

So there you have it.

Those are the Top 10 posts from 2010 based on readers comments and feedback.

This last post is actually from 2009, but consistently throughout 2010, it has been the most popular post based on page views.

Have you ever seen so many lavender plants? (Photo by Julie Ponder)

Sephora Stimulating Lavender Cuticle Oil

For 2011, we’re planning on narrowing our focus a little bit and we would love to hear what topics you find most interesting. Have a great weekend! 

~LilSis

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”

~William Arthur Ward

I found out about these lovely boxes of quotes from Bee Inspired in the November, 2010 issue of Whole Living. I’ve always had a love for inspirational quotes. I’ve got a stack of books that are filled with quotes and I’ve found that it really helps me start my day off on a positive note to read something inspirational and uplifting first thing each morning.

I love that each of these beautiful boxes contain a year’s worth of daily inspirational messages that are each hand rolled and hand tied into a small scroll. The boxes of quotes, which come in several different themes, such as Marital Bliss, Success, and Motherhood, start at $29.00 and would make a perfect gift for a special person in your life.

Here’s the story about how Kristen Novak was inspired to create these beautiful boxes full of quotes.

The Bee Inspired Story

~LilSis

You do remember that we get an extra hour in our Sunday, right?  Happy dance, happy dance!

What to do with that precious hour?  Here our my Top 10 Ideas for using that extra hour:

• Make a nice pot of soup for this week.  My go-to easy soup is a “can of this/can of that” recipe: Super Speedy Mexican Vegetable Stew.

• Just do it!  Intending to exercise won’t get you into your skinny jeans!  Start that exercise program TODAY and you won’t have to make that same old New Years resolution to get in shape!  If you’re working out super-hard, you may also be less prone to sabotage yourself by eating horribly during the holidays.  Bonus!

• Dig around iTunes and download some new music to liven up your cardio playlist.

• Clean your closets out now instead of scrambling to make that end-of-the-year charitable donation on December 31st.  You know you won’t have time once the holidays get into full swing!

• Have you met your medical insurance deductible for the year?  There may be some medical appointments you should schedule to take advantage of that situation, so make a list today of the calls you can make tomorrow.

• Think about what you want to cook for Thanksgiving this year.  My recommendation of course, would be to skip the turkey and do a feast of veggies and sides!

• Start your Christmas lists: gift list, Christmas card list, to do list.  It’s never too early to begin!

• Take advantage of the beautiful fall weather if you’re blessed with it today, and get out there in it!

• Hang out with your kids or grandkids without thinking about anything else you should be doing.

• Sleep!

photo credit: Somewhat Frank

~BigSis

U.S. Flag held by Sailors before Game 5 of World Series

As I’m sure everyone knows by now, our Texas Rangers lost 3-1 to the San Francisco Giants last night in Game 5 of the World Series.  (sniffle, sniffle)

BUT, as BigSis mentioned before, we’re hometown Arlington girls and we’re still really PROUD of our TEXAS RANGERS for making it all the way to the WORLD SERIES!

~LilSis

Remember when President George H.W. Bush mentioned a “kinder and gentler” nation?  BigSisLilSis just celebrated our 2nd blogiversary, and those words “kinder and gentler” just seem appropriate as we think about year 3.

The last two years have seen us publish 607 posts, and we hope to continue at that pace.  We absolutely plan to keep posting with a positive attitude and message, and to keep talking about food, health, fitness, fun and anything else that interests those of us girls who are 40-plus.

What has changed in our worlds since we started BigSisLilSis in 2008?

• We’re both focusing on things we can do around our homes to “Go Green”

• We both made a commitment to purge our homes of all products that are animal-tested

• After 16 years as a vegetarian, I went the rest of the way to vegan in January

• LilSis is having to learn how to eat a non-dairy diet

• Recycling has finally become a priority in my household

The result of these changes is a kinder, gentler, greener BigSisLilSis.   We feel like we’re finding our voice; figuring out who we are and what is most meaningful for us to talk about.

What does that mean to our readers?

• We’ll continue to share reviews of our favorite products, but we won’t be reviewing anything that we know to be animal-tested

• Since we both go berserk when we find new beauty products that actually show results, we’ll keep sharing our new discoveries

• You’ll see BigSis’ recipes here from time to time without animal products (you may have already noticed a few)

• LilSis will continue to bring you healthy recipes suitable for a family of hungry guys, but also try to adapt some to non-dairy recipes

• We’re both extremely committed to exercise in order to stay healthy and fight the “mid-life, menopausal, almost inevitable, battle of the bulge”.  If we discover anything works for us 40-plus women, you can bet we’ll share it!

• We talk about it all the time, but it’s true that LIFE IS SHORT.  Too short to be negative!  As we discover motivational tools or reading that helps us stay positive and encouraging, we’ll tell you about it asap!

• Our overall goal is to bring you information that will enhance your lives in a brighter, healthier, greener, more compassionate way.

Living this way is a daily learning experience for us, and we hope you’ll give us your input along the way.  Thanks for joining us!

Photo credit: Ecstaticist

~BigSis

LilSis and I moved to Arlington in the late 60s with the whole fam damily, so we grew up there.  Texas and Arlington are home base to us, even though I’m in Big D and LilSis is in California now.

Now, after 39 years, our Texas Rangers have won their first playoff series, AND their first playoff game at home!  It’s finally happened!  Yes yes yes!  And this week, we’re competing in the 2010 ALCS playoffs against the New York Yankees.

We know that the Rangers have had some tough years and haven’t always had a superior team, but this year they do and we’re thrilled and proud about that.  They play as a team without a bunch of diva drama, and it has taken them far…this far!

Not everyone is so happy about the Rangers’ visit to Playoff Land though.  Filip Bondy of the New York Daily News is a little less than joyous about it.  Check out this gem from Mr. Bondy:

~BigSis