Trey and Lucy

Christmastime at our house

2011-12-20T09:43:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

School is out, and I finally have a second to sit down and say hello.

I have never had a busier 3 months in my life!

Sunday I snapped this quick picture of the kids after church.

I love those three little kids more than anything in the world.

Trey was adamant about taking this picture of the girls and I.

Thanks Trey!

Sunday morning while getting ready for church I found this bow tie in treys closet. The thought of him wearing it to church made me giggle with delight, but i knew he would strongly object.

"My friends will make fun of me!" he protested.

"Oh but trey think of baby Jesus, we like to dress up extra nice for him around Christmastime." I said.:)

Next thing I knew he was wearing it! He is such a tender hearted little guy. He was the most Handsome little man in his bow tie and missing front tooth.

Thinking about baby Jesus had him wearing that bow tie all the way up to the church doors, where he then ripped it right off saying "It's not worth it mom!"

Ha! It was worth this priceless picture though!

Charlotte doesn't go anywhere this winter without this cute hat her aunt toad sent her in the mail.

{I have been sewing}

I made a couple of these Cozy Car Caddys for Christmas gifts.

I followed this tutorial from a great blog called Homemade by Jill.

Thanks for the idea Jill!

It opens up into a little car garage and road.

awesome!

{ trey has been crafting like a CHRISTMAS fool}

he made this christmas card holder.

(originally found on martha stewart.com)

you just need:

12 or 14 inch wooden embroidery hoop

small wooden clothes pins

glue gun

ribbon

*all supplies were purchased at Joanns

hot glue the clothes pins about 1 1/2 inches apart.

make sure every other pin faces the opposite direction.

then just tie a ribbon on top and hang!

{Candy Garland}

what you need:

sour patch kids

string

needle

{Paper Christmas Garland}

trey saw this idea at a baby shower thrown by my good friend erin, and wanted to give it a try. he made it completely by himself.

how to do it:

use a scalloped circle punch to cut a bunch of circles....

place two circles on top of each other...

sew right through the middle....

when you reach the end of the circle sew about 10 stitches until you feed the next circle through.

when your done open the circles and hang!

Merry Christmas from our house to yours!

happy halloween

2011-10-31T15:47:00.000-07:00

Charlotte will never forgive me :o) She was very mad when she woke up inside a pumpkin.

The kids came back from the mailbox today with a package from their Aunt Kathryn. She sent the girls both Halloween headbands! They are so cute! She really has amazing style and she is so creative! The blogging world needs her in it. I will see what I can do about that :o)

Thanks Aunt Kathryn!

Photo taken by Lucy of Charlotte and I.

Nice job Lu!

(you can see the pumpkin in the back ground getting warmed up by the fire for baby charlotte's photo shoot. we wanted her to be nice and warm in there for goodness sake.)

Have fun tricking and treating!

pumpkin ice cream made by the kids

2011-10-27T19:23:00.000-07:00

The kids and i have learned this fun and oh so easy way to make ice cream.

you honestly need to try this!

such a great idea.

you can make so many different flavors, but this one is our latest creation and it tasted fantastic.

what you need:

crushed ice

salt

milk (any kind)

agave (any kind of sweetener you like)

pumpkin puree

pumpkin pie spice

1 gallon size ziplock bag

1 quart or sandwich size ziplock bag

we used 1/3 cup of pumpkin

3 cups of milk

less than a half teaspoon pumpkin spice

about a tablespoon of agave

then mix it together and give it a taste.

then just add what is needed, if anything, until the kids give it a thumbs up.

pour your pumpkin mixture into the smaller ziplock bag

before closing the ziplock bag, set it on the table and push down to get all the air out, then close

take a half cup of salt...

and pour it into a gallon ziplock filled with crushed or blended ice

place your smaller ziplock bag filled with the pumpkin mixture into the gallon bag filled with ice and close

put the bag into a pillow case and have the kids shake it for 5 minutes

after five minutes it will look like this!!!

scoop it out with an ices scream scoop and your done!

isn't that so fun and easy!

happy halloween!

and we went to the pumpkin patch

2011-10-26T08:35:00.000-07:00

the last six weeks since we have had charlotte have absolutely flown by.
i think it is because everyday i run around like a crazy woman juggling a new baby, homeschooling and being a mom to trey and lucy, being a wife, managing the house, and just plain keeping up with life.

there has been something that has been on my mind amidst all of this craziness that i wanted to share:

when i am out and about with three kids, i often get friends and strangers making comments asking me how i am doing it all, and saying silly things like how i must just be super mom...or they start to compare them selves and say things like "when i had a baby i didn't leave the house for months and was such a mess" and so on.

when i get a comment like this, i think to my self "oh my gosh what i have done wrong to make this person think i am anything special?" don't they know that i feel crazy sometimes...don't they know that i have cried every night since this baby was born...and my fridge hasn't been cleaned out in a month...and i found a back pack full of my daughters belongings the other day and when i asked her why she had packed her clothes it was because she had run away and i didn't even know!!??

me, super mom??? ha!

let me just tell you about our trip to the pumpkin patch will help me further explain my lameness:)

charlotte was only 2 weeks old i took these kids on a field trip to the pumpkin patch.

the field trip was through the kids homeschool co-op. we had gone the year before and had a blast.

i had tried my very best to be on time, but despite all my efforts, i ended up getting out the door about 15 minutes late and the field trip started out with a train ride.

me being just 2 weeks post baby, i was very emotional. i was so worried we would get there and the train of kids would have already left. i was feeling like such a loser because i knew the kids would be so disappointed if they didn't get to go. i may have shed a couple of tears on the car ride there. ridiculous i know.

when we pulled up, it was just in time to see the train full of kids already loaded from the parking lot. i had two choices....leave and pretend i had forgotten about the field trip when the trip leader later asked me why we didn't show up...or make a run for the train and make a fool of myself in front of a trainload of people.

i had no shame...i told the kids to run like crazy to the train, i would get the baby and be right behind them, and maybe the conductor would see them and not leave before we got on.

it worked, and though it was pretty embarrassing running with a baby while 40 people sat on a train watching us try to catch it, the kids and i ended up having a great time!

here is lucy wearing her new hat that is pretty darn cute on her if you ask me.

my pumpkins with their pumpkins.

here are some fun little videos of the kids playing around.

so anytime you start to think i am something special...just think to yourself "hey isn't the girl who cried on the way to the pumpkin patch...oh and didn't her daughter pack a backpack full of clothes and run away and she didn't realize it till days later."

also, while at the pumpkin patch we saw these halloween candy men again!

we made them last year and showed you how.

click here to see how to make them!

and just because she is the sweetest little darlin' here is a picture of charlotte.

it is hard to tell in this photo, but everyone keeps saying that she may have a little bit of red in her hair!?

to me it looks just really light brown.

what do you guys think?

the end

Felt Bow Headbands

2011-10-12T07:07:00.000-07:00

Just a couple of weeks before Charlotte was born; I sent my husband and kids fishing, sat down, and created all kinds of things for my little darlings hair.

These felt bow headbands were one of my creations.

So easy...so cute..

and really a lot of fun to make!

here she is wearing this pink one.

this headband is nice and big.

i will show you how i made this one that Charlotte is wearing, but

play around with different sizes as you make these.

here's how i did it:

you'll need felt.

i am a fan of wool felt because it is thicker, holds up nicely, and really it just looks so much better.

most joann's stores carry it.

elastic or stretch lace.

joann's sells it.

cut a strip of felt...

19 inches x 1 1/2 inches

then another...

3 1/2 by 1 1/2

find, and if you would like, mark the middle.

fold one side to the middle and then fold the extra back over to the other side.

do the same thing with the other side making sure the initial folds are at least even.

put some hot glue in the center to hold those folds down.

when you turn it over it will look like this.

next take your small strip...

glue it to the back of your bow like this.

then tightly bring it around to the front of your bow...

i like to pinch the sides of my bow down like this as i am bringing the smaller strip around...

now bring the smaller strip around to the back and hot glue it secure.

your bow will look like this!

cut a triangle shape out of the ends of your bow like this.

measure a piece of elastic about an inch or so smaller than your babies head...

put some hot glue on one end...

glue the ends together.

now cover the back of your bow with hot glue...

and glue your headband to your stretch lace.

if you don't have the measurements for the headband size you need, here is a general idea of what size to make:

Sizes
-Newborn 13.5 in
-0-3 months-14 in
-3-6 months 15 in.
-6-12 Months 16 in.
-12 Months-Tween 17.5 in.
-Adult 18 in.

Happy Headband making!

hello from baby land...

2011-09-27T07:19:00.000-07:00

just checking in with a few photos from my iphone.

(a couple of days after having charlotte, my husband came home with an iphone for me. purple case and all :o)
i was really skeptical about getting one. i told him it was too expensive..i didn't really need it...i didn't want to be wasting my time on it...and so on.
but, honestly it is one of my most favorite things that i own now.)

charlotte with her mama.

those toes in her hot pink heart pants picked out by her big sister melt my heart.

her first sunday to church.

i adore this little dress my cousin brittani picked up for charlotte while she was in italy this summer.

this little hat used to be mine when i was a baby.

i can hardly contain myself when she is wearing it.

i know that she is much too brand new to smile...

but i am convinced that she really does!

when i tell people...i can tell they don't believe me.

she only does it when she is wide awake, perfectly content, and her mama talks to her.

i happened to catch it on my phone camera.

what do you guys think?

is it a real smile?

her name...

2011-09-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

is Charlotte

(i realized after reading the comments in my last post that i forget to tell you her name?!?! can i get away with blaming it on the lack of sleep and get away with it?)

above is her baby announcement that i made in photoshop elements 7.0.

i got photo shop elements a few years ago after getting my Nikon D40.

it is easier to use than photoshop and much much cheaper.

i now have photoshop cs4 but still do a lot of things in elements because it's a little easier for me to use.

my husband took trey and lucy out for some fun and charlotte and i did a little photoshoot.

we had a great time together.

here she is at just 3 days old....

i love her so much it hurts my heart :o)

she is here...

2011-09-20T15:39:00.000-07:00

it all started with a day at the beach...

the forecast said close to 100.

the thought of being stuck at home without central air was too much for me to handle.

i told my husband we were taking the 1 1/2 hour drive to the beach where it was supposed to be 20 degrees cooler.

we were driving when i started to have some pretty strong contractions. my husband stopped the car to turn around.

i had been having strong contractions for a couple of weeks, figured it wasn't a big deal, and told him to keep driving.

keep in mind i have never gone into labor on my own before so had no clue what to expect!

the beach was perfect. lucy shared her stash of suckers from wholefoods with me...

and posed for lots of pictures.

(my husband and I laughed for awhile abut this picture. she was trying to put her hands on her waist but aimed a little high :o)

my husband and son trey skim boarded...

trey crashed big time and was a little down about it...

so my husband drew a football field in the sand and played the best game of football i have ever watched!

touch down :o)

family photo.

we headed home from the beach the the contractions were still coming but not regularly at all.

my husband had an obligation to take care of at the church, and i didn't want to think anymore about how i was probably just having false labor, so i told the kids to go get their swimsuits on, that we were going swimming!

we drove to the pool only to find out it was closed for maintenance.

so we headed to wal-mart to get some groceries instead.

it was in salsa isle that i found myself barely able to stand through my contractions as i propped myself up against the shelves.

i had a cart full of groceries and my two kids with me.

we were in the check-out line when i got hit by another contraction...

the lady checking me out turned white and said "do you need to call someone?"

"you know what?" I said, "i think i am about to have a baby...could you please hurry?"

the kids helped me load the groceries in the car and we headed home.

i met my husband at home, we dropped the kids off with our friends, and headed to the hospital.

on the way to the hospital i was so worried that i was in false labor, that they would just send me home...the thought of it was so unbearable because the contractions were really painful.

here i am about to get checked to see if i am in false labor or not...yes still wearing my swimsuit :o) i did not even think to change.

when the nurse said i was dilated to a 7 i could not believe it!

i remember my husband shhhhing me after i responded to the nurse with "holy cow are you kidding me!?"

a few hours later we met our little girl!

we will never be the same.

our family of 5.

i love that there are 5 of us now :o)

the girls.

my husband is honestly the best dad. he loves our kids and love snuggling this baby.

a friend brought me these pink roses and they smelled so wonderful.

she is perfect.

we are completely smitten by this baby.

it is the most wonderful feeling.

Ribbon & Bakers Twine Baby Bows

2011-09-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

I love just a simple bow on a brand new baby.

I can't imagine anything sweeter.

So the other night I sent my husband fishing with the kids, and I made bows for this baby that is coming any day now.

also...

Have you heard of BAKERS TWINE?

I am a fan of this stuff!

I found the Bakers Twine at a scrap booking store in Florence, Oregon...but I know they sell it at lots of places.

I got a yard in each color.

I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it!

I made several little bows in each color.

I can't wait to see what they look like on this baby!

I have been collecting ribbons for a while...

you just need about 6 or 7 inches to make a tiny bow.

They turn out so cute!

When I was little they used to stick on baby bows with honey...but now they say honey is not safe for babies.

Did you know that KY Jelly works great though! I just bought a tiny little bottle of it at target.

You put a little dab on the back of the bow, stick it in place, and when it dries it stays wonderfully.

Here is a picture of Lucy 5 years ago, when she was brand new with one of the little bows I would stick in her hair.

p.s. I have been having contractions all day so I think we might be getting really close :o)

nyree's blessing dress

2011-08-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

i have been a very lucky aunt this year!

i have gotten 2 brand new nieces and a nephew.

so far i have 3 nieces total.

i have made blessing dresses for all of them!

this one i just finished last week.

it is for my newest niece Nyree.

it is made out of a very light cream silk taffeta.

it has tulle coming out of the bottom...

ruffles around the neck...

and antique looking diamond buttons down the back.

i made this matching headband...

and sewed some bows on some tiny socks.

i have decided that baby dresses are my favorite thing to make.

sweet Nyree I know you will look so beautiful in your dress.

now it's time to start thinking of a dress design for my little darlin' that is due in less than 4 weeks!

ahhh!

the kiddos...

2011-07-25T22:39:00.000-07:00

while being a stay-at-home mom to two children and one on the way, i sometimes picture myself running out the front door with my hands in the air screaming for mercy....

the only thing is, i think i would just turn right back around, and run even faster right back to these kids.

even though they drive me so crazy...

i. love. them.

trey just turned 7,

and i do believe that he is more handsome than ever.

that sideways baseball cap (he wears one everyday now),

those blue eyes,

orange hair,

and freckles are impossible for a mama to resist.

lucy is coming up very swiftly on 5 years.

i think, that she is the prettiest little almost 5 year old ever.

she's got those ruby earrings (that she refuses to let me change),

those perfect little teeth,

and that sassy attitude that drives me insane but i wouldn't change one single bit.

lately she is very much into babies and animals.

she is so nurturing it amazes me.

here she is feeding the goats at a berry farm last week.

so instead of running out front door screaming for mercy...i have really been focusing on enjoying this time with my little ones...and when things get really bad just turning to chocolate :o)

we had someone snap this picture of us after trey's birthday party.

for those of you wanting to see me in all my pregnant glory there you have it, and that will teach you to ask. :o)

little conversations...

2011-07-21T21:18:00.000-07:00

i get the biggest kick out of listening to my kids when they think i am not around.

as far as trey is concerned lucy is his life's challenge.

he quietly cried to himself in the ultrasound room when we found out we were having another girl.

he is convinced this baby girl will be just as sassy and feisty as lucy.

the other day i walked in the room just in time to hear this:

Trey: "lucy you know that if we ever put you in an orphanage no one would ever adopt you."

(after a few seconds pause)

Lucy: "i know."

ha ha

i will never forget it.

the 8th month...

2011-07-20T07:58:00.000-07:00

children are pointing...

women are staring....

men are asking "aren't you about ready to have that baby?"

(the kids and i at ikea last night)

i am at the very beginning of the 8th month of pregnancy.

heaven. help. me. :o)

because putting napkins on my lap at dinner does not help one little bit, i have resorted to the shame of resting them upon my stomach.

as you can see it takes more than one napkin :o)

our 4th of july week

2011-07-08T09:22:00.000-07:00

my husband took the week off work and we packed up the car for an adventure!

we had a two hour drive ahead of us and we were trying to keep the kiddos busy.

my husband was driving and telling the kids the history behind this great holiday.

he had just taught them about the American flag when we passed hundreds of flags in the side of the road and had to stop to check it out.

the kids thought it was very cool and we even purchased an American flag of our own.

where were we headed?

there is only one thing in the world that could make trey this happy...

and that's camping!

(we go to the same camping spot every year, we reserve our spot 6 months in advance, and talk about it often until our trip finally comes around!)

just look at that chocolate fudge cookie covered face!

*can you see his bike in the background? i took this picture right after my husband, trey, and i had been heading down a trail to go salamander hunting. trey lost his footing on the petals off his bike, and from a distance while i am screaming for someone to save him, i saw his little life flash before my eyes. my husband heroically jumped of his bike and ran faster then humanly possible to save trey from what would have been a very big crash.

here he is just after, happy as can be, with nothing but catching salamanders on his mind.

this is his makeshift net that did not fail him in his hunt :o)

trey lives to hunt.

this is just one of the many many critters he caught this week.

this cute little chipmunk kept invading our camp.

after no time at all trey had half of a crawdad trap propped up by a stick with a string attached to it, and a bag of sunflower seeds as bait.

it took him about 10 minutes to catch that chipmunk!

we cooked him up and ate him!

ha, just kidding, what kind of people do you think we are!?

we let the cute little guy go of course.

i think my husband is an excellent fisherman.
everyone he took fishing came back with something to show for it!

my husband and cousin ethan with two nice sized trout!

my husband cleaned those fish, and I rolled the them in some fish fry batter and cooked them in olive oil.

they were a hit!

the lake was full of crawdads!

with fish heads as bait, and an uncle bob who took great care in placing the traps, we caught tons of them.

we boiled these guys up till they turned pink...

and everyone had a taste :o)

i was skeptical of this huge floaty my husband purchased at costco...

but it turned out to be a blast for everyone!

it has a really nice plastic mesh across the bottom that made it safe and fun for the kids.

i was worried how i would do on this camping trip. i am still not 100% at 7 1/2 months pregnant. but i really just had the greatest time, and my husband helped me out so much with packing and keeping the kids busy.

one day i decided i needed to take a little rest in the tent.

lucy found me in there, as well as my camera, and we had a great time taking pictures in the tent.

she is just a beautiful and fun little girl.

she made my "nap" so much more fun :o)

we even had some fun visitors come for the day.

this is wesley. i love him.

on his face is a mixture of licorice and dirt.

i think he loved the taste of both equally.

lucy and cousin ethan doing a pirate craft that aunt toad brought.

two years ago when we were camping we did a pirate treasure hunt. we really played it up big time. we had a note from a pirate named "one eyed willy" stuck in the tree by a knife and everything. i thought the kids were all having the time of their lives when i noticed both of my kids were close to tears because it was a little too real for them.

this year i made sure to make it much simpler.

you can see though, the knife mark in the paper because i started to get carried away again but quickly realized what i was doing and corrected myself before we had more tears :o)

i made sure all the clues were simple enough trey could read and they had a great time.

the final clue lead them to the dock where my husband was paddling in the canoe carrying the final treasure.

the kids loved it!

it really is a lot of work packing up the family to go camping. but there is just something about being outside for a whole week...we don't even get cell reception and my husband and i really look forward to that. the kids can run around, get dirty, and do everything a kid loves to do and it makes it just so worth it.

until next year favorite camping spot!

we can hardly wait!

here's an idea...

2011-06-13T19:54:00.000-07:00

get yourself a watermelon...

cut that baby into the biggest, juiciest, slices you have ever seen....

sit out on the sidewalk and enjoy.

does it get any better than that?

an ultrasound to remember

2011-06-02T08:16:00.000-07:00

these last 6 months have been tough on our little family.

from me being sick from the pregnancy, to my husband working 60 plus hours a week, and with him traveling.

i am very lucky to have a husband who is a very busy hardworking man.

so, i made sure to schedule my ultrasound later in the day hoping he wouldn't end up missing it!

trey, lucy, my sister emily, and i were waiting at the doctors office on the second floor of the building.

it was time for my appointment, the ultrasound tech was going to call us any second, and my husband was nowhere to be seen!

he had never been to the doctors office, it is kind of hard to find, so i was worried.

we were all perched next to the windows facing the parking lot to see if we could see him driving up.

finally we see his car race in...he jumps out...

and just watch the video to see what happens next...

trey thought it was the funniest thing to see his dad sprinting from his car, through the parking lot, and into the building. we were all getting a kick out of it really.

except for lucy that is...she does not like it when people laugh at other people :o)

while my husband was coming up the elevators to the second floor, the ultrasound tech calls us back.

i run over to her and ask if we can wait just one second for my husband.

this place is like a maze of ultrasound rooms, and i knew it would be hard to find us if he missed us.

right then the elevator doors open and all is well.

so i think...

we get into the ultrasound room, i am laying on the bed, and the ultrasound is just starting when i look over at my husband and he mouths the words "i really have to pee."

i have had enough of his shenanigans by now and pretend i have no clue what he is saying so we can proceed. :o)

after just a few minutes, we find out we are having a girl!

(i really just think she is the cutest thing i have ever seen!)

i then give him the go ahead to leave for the restroom.

after about 20 minutes the ultrasound tech comments on if he is ok or not.

i say "he is probably just lost out there trying to find the room we are in."

sure enough, with only a few minutes left in the ultrasound, my husband finally finds us with a story to tell about how he walked in on a women having an ultrasound who was not his wife! ha!

he eventually went to the front desk and received directions on how to find his wife and family.

it made for an eventful and unforgettable ultrasound :o)

i was really just glad my husband made it and all was well with our sweet little princess!

now it's time to really start thinking about a name for this little darlin'.

henry's shower

2011-05-25T21:17:00.000-07:00

good heavens it has been way too long since i have blogged, and by golly do i miss it!

i miss my old self...and i miss you guys.

i am slowly coming back, and dare i say, i am ready to start blogging again :o)

last month i did not have a lot in me...but my friend erin had a sweet new baby and i wanted to throw a shower for her.

i thought you might like some of these easy ideas:

Scalloped Edge Muffin Toppers:

i used photo shop to create a round circle and added the text "henry" in the middle. if you do not have photo shop just forget the circle and print out your name on card stock. then i used a round scalloped punch to cut them out!

simple.

Flag Muffin Toppers:

i cut out random triangular shapes out of double sided paper and just taped them to toothpicks.

easy.

Flag Name tag Vases:

i had a bunch of these white vases.

i filled them with white carnation flowers, placed a flag in the vase, and tied a tag and some tiny triangle flags around the vase. they turned out super cute!

Flag Table Banner:

i don't have a close-up picture of the banner?! i just cut out a bunch of triangles, punched holes in the corners, and strung them on white string.

(I should have taken a before photo but this is a photo of the aftermath :o) ) 

love and miss,

tanya

cowboys and indians

2011-04-05T05:00:00.000-07:00

i have the sweetest little nephew named miles.

i love this kid with all my heart.

that's him with my dad...his grandpa jess.

he turned 5 in january and...

he is a lover of homemade treasures.

so back in january, i made him something special for his birthday.
(i also started this post back in january and am finally getting it posted)

it's a TEE PEE...but not just any old tee pee...

if you dare open this particular tee pee...

you might just get attacked by some cowboys and indians!

i packaged up this tee pee and sent it on down to california.

miles called me when he opened it, and as soon as he saw what was inside this tee pee...well, he forgot he was even talking to his Aunt Tanya he was so excited about it :o)

originally i was just going to use cowboy and indian figurines, which i still think would be such a cute idea! but, this kids loves legos so much i hunted some some down on ebay.

you can get cowboy and indian figurines in packs at toy shops, hobby stores, amazon, ebay, or even at the dollar store sometimes.

i made sure it had a little handles so miles could pack it around where ever he went.

Here is the pattern below for you to download if you would like!

Tee Pee

Here's how to make it:

*After you have sewn the sides of your teepee together, fold your teepee right-side-out and push the inner fabric inside the outer fabric. it will look like the photo below. the top of your teepee will be unfinished. just fold the top 1/4" inside the teepee and pin closed. this is where i added about 2 1/4 inches of ric-rac inside the top of the teepee before i sewed it shut at 1/8".

*make sure your inner fabric is facing out.

then your done!

good luck, happy sewing, and hooooeeeeehh to all those little boys who will be playing cowboys and indians!

Mei Tai Winner

2011-04-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

The Winner is Comment #116

Lindsay

Lindsay Wins a Custom Reversible Mei Tai Carrier

from my friend Dani's Etsy Shop!

(Lindsay Email me at treyandlucyblog@gmail.com and I will get you in touch with Dani!)

I just had to show you guys something new to Dani's shop:

It's called the Mommy Purse/Diaper bag!

My sister emailed me last week saying she is getting me the grey one for a baby gift!

I am so excited I haven't been able to stop thinking about it!

They are a great price and are too cute!

Don't you just love the red one!?

Dani also sells shoe patterns that are just so darling!

(I am going to need to get these shoe patterns!)

Thank you Dani for such a great giveaway!

a little something fun...

2011-03-30T04:00:00.000-07:00

oh my goodness hello everyone!

i am slowly getting better and it feels so amazing.

my 6 year old trey says i don't "look like a tortured woman anymore," and i am so glad about that :o)

your prayers, comments, and emails have meant so much to me.

i am getting soooo close to being able to blog again.

but for now, i have something for you i am SO excited about.

do you remember dani?

my sister lives in california and she is one of my sisters best friends.
i met her last year when i drove there with the kiddos, and was completely amazed by her!

she has an etsy shop where she sells fantastic patterns and ready made as well as custom order mei tai carriers!

and guess what!? she wants to give a customized mei tai carrier away to one of my readers!

leave a comment letting us know you are in!

we will randomly pick a winner and announce it on monday!

HOW TO CUSTOMIZE:

1- Pick ONE fabric for straps (black, brown, white).
2- Pick TWO fabrics for each side of the main body.

Click here for better pictures of fabric

Here are some reviews on her carriers:

"Such a BEAUTIFUL carrier! I am so so so excited to wear it to our play group today. I feel like I need to dress up just to match how pretty it is. I LOVE it.... it really is gorgeous and so well made! It's so cute and I feel all fancy wearing it... I love my Ergo, but never realized how informal and shabby it looks now! :)" - Wendy in El Cajon, California

"I absolutely love this Mei Tai and so does my daughter! I'm glad I finally found a carrier that she likes and feels comfortable in. I love, love, love the fabric!" - Amber in Tomball, Texas

"Got my Mei Tai today in the mail. I LOVE IT!!! It's so pretty and the quality is excellent! Thank you!" - Liz in Ontario, Canada

"This is a great carrier! I love it even more than my ergo. So pretty too! And I love the flower headband you sent, I wear them together and feel like a "pretty" mommy for a change." - Luana in San Diego, California

i have seen her carriers in person, she is a perfectionist, and her work is amazing!

(me and dani last year :o))

good luck!

i will be back to you soon i promise!

i can make more than just crafts around here...

2011-02-07T14:59:00.000-08:00

about a month ago my husband came home to find this on his pillow...a positive pregnancy test...left by me of course.

it was very bitter sweet for us as...with my other two pregnancies, two weeks after i get a positive test i become extremely ill for about 5 months.

i hoped and prayed that this time would be different.

the nausea came right on time.

it was fierce and relentless.

3 days later i was in ER.

6 days after that i found myself there again.

in less than 2 weeks i had lost 11 pounds.

i could not eat or drink, my body was in starvation mode.

i cannot describe to you the pain that comes with this.

i spend my days and nights praying and crying.

my first trip to the ER, i recieved a text from my sister-in-law margo, saying she was flying in that night to stay with us and help out in any way she could.

she has been here ever since.

she takes care of my house and brings me little things to eat.

but most of all she cares for my kids and loves each of them exactly the way they are.

she comes in at night, sits on my bed, and tells me about their day together and little things she appreciates about them.

i owe her so much and will someday find a way to repay her.

this last friday i received in home IV care.

i have an IV in my hand and another line into my stomach for my anti-nausea medication.

my husband wakes up in the middle of the night and changes my IV bags and tubes, he also has to change the location of the line into my stomach daily, he holds my hand at night and listens to me cry even though it means no sleep for him...i cry as i think of all he has done for me and am incredibly grateful for him.

i can eat little bits of food ever since receiving the in home care, and can even eat ice chips now.

it has made such a difference and has made life somewhat bearable.

my dad checks in on me pretty much daily with a phone call or text to see how i am doing.

the other day he called me and i was really struggling.

i said to him, "one of the hardest parts about this is that i just keep praying, and i feel like the Lord just doesn't care about me ."

my dad responded with, "the Lord has you exactly where he wants you to be."

i knew he was right.

with my pregnancies combined, so far i have spend over a year of my life bed ridden and completely miserable.

but when it comes down to it i wouldn't trade the experience for anything.

it has been the hardest thing i have ever done.

it has stretched me beyond anything i ever would have thought i was capable of.

i has made me grateful for every single day that i feel healthy.

if i ever start to feel like i can't do something...i think back to how horrible this experience was and a fire ignites inside me.

i cannot think of a single day that my kids and i (when i am not sick) have not lived a day to it's fullest.

that my friends is a gift.

i owe that to the lord and the things he has taught me through the trials he has given me.

i want to say thank you to my friends and my family who have fasted and prayed on my behalf...i feel it.

*if you have been checking my blog wondering where i have been, now you know...

and you better not believe even for a second that you have seen the last of me!

all is well...

2011-01-19T08:03:00.000-08:00

I had the most horrible restless sleep last night.

I have been a mess the whole last week.:o)

I woke up this morning wondering what was going to happen and if I was going to make it though.

(ever happen to anyone else?)

While I was laying in bed, it was still dark outside, I had this memory flood back into my mind:

It was the night before my wedding.

I had just returned from the errand of picking up my wedding dress from the dry cleaners...only to find that my dress had been ruined.

I had made the pattern, designed, and sewn the dress completely by myself.

I was devastated.

(These are my Grandparents.
As I type this they are on a LDS Church Mission in New Zealand.

They are incredible people.)

After I had returned from the dry cleaners, I was sitting on the piano bench at my Aunt's house crying to myself.
(I was a mess then too :o))
Wondering how everything was going to work out and how I was going to make it through.

My wedding was hours away and I had no dress.

My Grandpa walked over to me, gave me a kiss on my forehead, and walked away without saying a word.

I felt from him that all was well...and that everything would be OK.

I will never forget it.

I am so grateful I was reminded of this story on this morning.

Everything will be OK and that this too shall pass...I just know it will.

Thanks Grandpa for helping me remember.

this is my favorite shirt right now...

2011-01-14T09:54:00.000-08:00

i found it at Target!

it's there now and i thought everyone should know :o)

i love how the ruffles go all the way around the neck and you can see them when worn with a cardigan.

i also like to wear it tucked in with a little jacket.

they also have it in black and yellow.

you might just need one.

liam's kitchen

2010-12-30T15:07:00.000-08:00

he is our good friend liam who loves to come over and play with lucy's kitchen.

so i came across that little kitchen at goodwill and knew he had to have it for christmas.

i sanded the kitchen because it had a shiny finish.

removed all the knobs.

primed it.

taped off around the burners and sprayed them metallic silver.

sprayed the rest of the kitchen a white gloss.

then sprayed the knobs a fire engine red.

i wanted it to be gender neutral, and i think it turned our pretty darn good!

i hated the bowl that was used as the sink originally.

so i found this plastic bowl at target.

i wanted to get him some dishes that weren't girlie and found these at target as well!

i heard that he loves it!

i have to give a huge thanks to my sister chelsea for helping with the kids while i worked away at this kitchen while she was visiting!

if you haven't given spray painting a try...start with something small...in no time you will be a pro!
your husband will hate it...ah but who cares!

A Christmas to remember...

2010-12-29T11:53:00.000-08:00

My parents moved to Central Oregon a few months ago.
There are 6 kids in my family,
and we all headed down there for a big Family Christmas Celebration!

This my friends, is my sweet niece little Miss Ruby.

"Ruby Sue" or "Smooby Sue" as I like to call her.

Isn't she amazing!?

She spent the entire holiday wondering around, getting into mischief, and stealing every one's hearts.Travis and I picked out this little outfit for her with a matching one for Lucy for Christmas.

They looked adorable at Church the next day.

Trey had "the best Christmas ever!"

We gave him a Red Ryder BB gun.

He hit the target every single time!

His Grandpa Jess and Uncle Spencer gave him a Leopard Gecko.

He is completely in love with both gifts.

(the picture left middle is of trey giving spencer a hug for the gecko...love it!)

Lucy loved every single gift that she was given, and has been playing nonstop for the past 5 days!

It has been wonderful :o)

My mom and dad got all the kids slippery polar fleece socks and blankets so they could slide around on their wood floors.

They could have never known how much fun the kids would have with these gifts!

(While running up the table for Chrismas dinner...my nephew Isaac slid into the table taking half the dishes down with him...luckily it was the kid table so the damage was minimal :o)

My dad pulling the grankids around

and loving every single second of it!

Ruby Sue likes it too!

My parents have made some new friends in their new town.

One of these friends lives in a cabin type house with Christmas decorations galor!

It takes them 40 storage bins of decorations and a whole week to put their decorations up.

My parents took us over there so we could experience this Christmas Wonderland.

My dad told me about how cool he thought this old stove was before we arrived.

It was more amazing than I imagined.

They had Christmas treats waiting for us.

I love this picture...my sister (far left) and her friend Casy (middle) are trying to get lucy to smile.

Their faces are crackin' me up!

Trey thought he'd be sneaky and tried to ruin this picture by popping his head up in the back...nice try trey boy i love it even more!
(my 17 year old sister far left, lucy and trey middle, my sisters friend casey far right)

Last but not least, I made this Christmas Video!

Enjoy some of our Christmas madness!

tie-on dish towels

2010-12-21T10:07:00.000-08:00

these are the greatest!

i came up with this idea awhile ago but it has taken me forever to bring them to life!

need an easy last minute gift idea that everyone will love?

here it is!

you can make all kinds of variations, different sizes, and shapes.

i kept these simple though.

the dish towels i got at target and the fabric is amy butler.

here is what they look like un-tied. just a long rectangular piece of fabric sewn into a dish towel.

so easy!

here's how:

these are fun and easy!

they make great little handmade gifts!

i don't know about you guys but i have about a million projects i am working on and house guests, so i am out of here!

merry christmas!

pom pom headbands and clips tutorial...

2010-12-13T16:21:00.000-08:00

if you lived in oregon you may have seen this little girl prancing around with her new pom pom headbands and hair clips.

she is just loving that i whipped these up for her!

(shhhhhh...i seal them and love to wear them too!)

my sisters and i are spending christmas together, and you better believe i will be bringing the supplies to make these this year.

want to make some?

here's how to make the pom poms:

i just traced around a lid i found in my kitchen drawer, make sure the fabric is folded so you are cutting out at least two at a time.

keep gluing till you are happy with the size.

when you are done you make need to give it a little tweeking or more gluing to make the pom pom look nice and uniform.

when you are done you can attach it to a clip or a headband.

here's how to attach it to a clip:

first cover a clip with ribbon.

here's how:

then just hot glue it to the to of the fabric covered clip.

here is how i made the 3 pom pom headband:

first i covered a headband with ribbon like this:

then i attached three pom poms to the side of a headband with hot glue.

then glued 3 felt circles, the same size as the ones i used to make the pom poms, and glued them over the headband to the pom poms.

it gives makes the pom poms nice and secure.

get together this holiday season with your sister's or friends and make some of these while the guys watch football!

merry christmas!

flora pillow number 2...

2010-12-06T21:43:00.000-08:00

i am alive!

and well!

i usually blog after the kids have gone to bed, but we have been out of town or have had company in our guest room/computer room for the last few weeks.

but i am back...and you can bet your boots that i haven't been slacking around here one bit!

i fell in love with the "flora pillow" that i made a few weeks ago..

but then i envisioned making another one...but this time a solid flower and a printed background!

it is a gift for one of my really good friends and i think turned out pretty darn awesome!

i changed it up a bit as well by doing a geometric printed canvas on the back.

what a great gift idea!

to make the flower you can follow the:

photo instructions here

or the

video instructions here!

on another note...

for those of you who have been wondering...this is what it looks like to turn 30!

i can hardly believe that 30 years have gone by!

whahooo!

car seat blanket sale

2010-11-26T07:28:00.000-08:00

my sister-in-law is having a sale on her car seat blanket pattern.

it is a blanket that you put into the car seat, and it has slits for the five point harness to come through so you can wrap you baby up nice and snug!

i have made 3 of these blankets in the last couple of months for friends, and they have been the biggest hit!

everyone says they cannot live without it!

she is also giving two patterns away for free!

go check out her blog for the sale!

trey in the early morning...

2010-11-11T10:56:00.000-08:00

trey's aunt emily (my 17 year old sister) spend the night last night.

he told her he was going to TP her car...she did not believe him.

trey was up before her this morning, put his sneakers on, and headed out the door in his pj's with toilet paper under his little arm.

this was his first time TPing.

i was impressed with his natural ability.

check out the arch on that air born toilet paper roll.

i took this video on my phone.

i wanted to give him a little scare, so i snuck up on him and yelled "hey kid watcha doin!?"

he just looked at me and said "mom you know it's just me!"

i am going to have to keep my eye on this kid when he is a teenager...i see lots of toilet papering in his future.

fighting "upper-inner" exposure one skirt at a time...

2010-11-09T22:54:00.000-08:00

i had been wanting a denim skirt forever!

at the end of this summer i was at the gap and i finally found this one!

it was is a way cute pencil skirt, but there was one problem...

the slit was wayyyy too high for my comfort.

whenever i am shopping for skirts it's a problem!
why are the slits so dang high!?

when this happens i like to call it "upper-inner exposure" :o)

my husband laughs every time i say "upper-inner"...that's why i say it, ha! anyway...

i came up with a way to fix my problem.

i took some dark blue knit fabric from joanns.

knit is nice and stretchy...so i would still be able to move around in the skirt.

turn your skirt inside-out. with the selvage (the self finished side of the fabric) lined up with the bottom of the skirt, and the slit laying flat open, i just cut out a piece of knit that was a little bigger than my slit.

then sewed it down right a long the very edge of the fabric...taking my pins out before i got to them so i wouldn't break a needle.

yes!

problem solved!

love it!

my friend erin came over last week and wanted to see if i could do the same type of thing with her black pencil skirt.

the slit on that skirt went all most all the way up to the zipper!

seriously!?

I decided to use lace for this one.

Lace stretches a little bit. It also has a nice finished selvage edge.

I doubled the layer of lace so you wouldn't be able to see through it.

I pinned the lace starting from the skirt being inside-out, making sure that the selvage edge was lined up with the bottom of the skirt, then turned the skirt right-side-out, pinned it, and then took the pins out from the back. This way I didn't have to worry so much about breaking a needle.

Then I trimmed the extra lace off close to the seam and was done!

It works and is so super easy!

Go get out your old skirts with those slits that are just too high!

november...

2010-11-06T08:52:00.000-07:00

trey is a tree climber.

he has scared just about any visitor or neighbor we have had, by hiding up at the top of one of our trees.

now that the leaves are falling, he has put his tree climbing skills to good use.

i was talking to my dad on the phone while trey and i were raking up a huge pile of leaves.

he heard the exchange between trey and i.

"hey mom can i please climb the tree and jump into this pile of leaves?"

me against my better judgment as a mother, knowing that he maybe could get hurt, but eventually being won over by the fact that it would be really fun, and he will only be a kid once, and the fact that i would want my mom to let me do it :o)

"sure just aim for the middle." i say.

then i say to my dad, who really is just a big kid himself, and has rubbed off on me...

"this is your fault you know"...and he doesn't deny it because he knows it is.

trey was nice and safe and landed right in the middle each time.

he would land in the middle and then do this dramatic roll off to the side.

lucy came out and had her go at it...

but safely from the ground!

happy november!

ask and ye shall receive...

2010-11-05T11:50:00.000-07:00

well hello everybody!

i have had several readers ask for a video on how i made these roses.

i made a picture tutorial you can take a look at here...

but i realize that a video would make it so much easier to follow.

i love my readers...so i did it!

i have never made a video that was cut and put back together so this is a first for me.

i am a little shy about it and felt like a dork while making it :o), but if it will help you guys that i am all for it!

while i was making this video trey came up to me and said "hey mom what the heck are you doing?" i had to cut that part out! then later, when he was making top ramen on the store-top, i heard him explaining every step of just how he was doing it...i was so embarrassed for the both of us.

here's how to make it...

here's how to sew it...

i had to show you this pillow that i finished!

i used the same steps as in the video but added 3 more thicker strips of fabric.

the pillow in the back with the yellow flowers i did not make...found it at

target!

it is still there for $24.99!

i am making a bunch of pillows to cover my couches.

stay tuned for more!

i am making these hats for christmas gifts!

now with the video you can too!

p.s. this is going to be huge to my husband and anyone that knows me...after listening to these videos i now realize how soft spoken i really am and that i truly do mumble. i can't believe i admitted that! no one can ever hear what i am saying and now i know why. i am going to get so much crap from my husband for all the times i have said "nevermind" after he as asked me to repeat myself.

sweet lu on halloween...

2010-11-02T23:33:00.000-07:00

i have had several family members say "hey wait a minute we never got to see photo's of little lu on Halloween!"

well don't you fret!

i laughed my way through Halloween this year and let me tell you why.

first of all, we had already been to a Halloween trunk-or-treat the night before Halloween.

i told the kids that one day of trick-or-treating was enough...trey was excited to just hand out candy that actual night of Halloween. i figured that was that.

well Halloween came, and it was our little lucy who took to handing out candy.

she sat outside in the cold waiting ever so patiently for the trick-or-treaters.

it was just too cute for my little heart to handle.

then, our little friend liam came over.

he was a cowboy.

when his parents headed out to take him trick-or-treating i heard my little lu run up stairs...next thing i knew i see a flash of pink run past me as i head to the door to pass out candy to the trick-or-treaters.

wait where did lu go!?

i looked for her and found her two houses down standing at their front door...shoeless, in her costume, bucket in hand! i was so surprised that she had run out in the dark by herself! she doesn't do that ever!

last year she was so shy and wanted nothing to do with knocking on doors.

this year she was a maniac, stopping at nothing to get a bucket full to the top with candy!!

so out we went!

i laughed every time liam ran past with his funny little run in those cowboy boots...i will never forget it!

trey dressed up as a skeleton the actual night of halloween.

he thought he was pretty cool...and so did it.

lucy ended up with a bucket full of candy so she was a happy girl.

i had forgotten how much fun halloween and trick-or-treating really are!

i especially loved seeing all the little babies in their costumes!

what a fun time of year.

bring on thanksgiving!

bukaroo bib/vintage hankie bib

2010-10-31T21:00:00.000-07:00

i am really excited about this one.

my mother-in-law made me a couple of bibs when trey was a little baby.

they are made with a hand towel and a bandanna.

i used them all the time, and thought trey looked like such a cute little buckaroo in his bib.

i decided to give them a try because they looked so easy and would make great gifts for this gift giving season.

easiest thing i have ever made!

then i had an idea.

why not use a vintage hanker chief to make one for a little girl.

i have a few vintage hankies and i found this little hand towel at the dollar store with a sweet little picnic embroidered on it.

i put them together and made "the vintage hankie bib."

so sweet for a baby girl.

the hankies i had are definitely smaller than the bandannas.

they will for sure fit a baby...i am not sure about a toddler.

now i just need a little girl or a buckaroo to use these bibs.

i would take either thank you.

All you need is:

a hand towel

a bandanna or hankie

Fold the hand towel in half.

Lay the point of your bandanna on top of the hand towel.

Only about 6 inches of the bandanna will be on top of the towel.

Stitch right next to the edge of the bandanna only on the parts of the bandanna that are touching the hand towel.

So when you are finished you will have stitched a big "V" shape.

Here's how I made the vintage hankie bib:

My hankie was fairly small so i cut two inches off the top of my hand towel, then zigzagged the top to keep it from fraying.

Then made two pleats to make the towel not as wide and to make it a little more girlie.

Pin the point of the hankie onto the hand towel.

There was only about 3 inches from the point of the hankie to the top of the towel.

Then sew the hankie to the hand towel just on the edge of the hankie again making a "V" after you have sewn.

All done!

You roll the top of the hankie down and then tie it onto your sweet baby.

bear will you marry me?

2010-10-30T11:40:00.000-07:00

around here we love to watch BEAR GRYLLS MAN vs. WILD.

trey likes it just as much as we do.

his favorite episode is when bear is in the mexican desert.

bear had caught a snake and needed fluids to stay alive.

Bear pee's into the snake skin, ties the snake off like a balloon, wears it around his neck, and later drinks it to stay alive!!

This year Trey wanted to be Bear Grylls for Halloween.

Here is Trey as Bear Grylls with a pee snake around his neck :o)
(post edit-ok so i posted this post then headed down to do the dishes...while doing the dishes i realized some might think there is really pee in that balloon...its just water :o)

here is the video clip if anyone is interested :o)

you know you are.

a thriftful photo shoot...

2010-10-22T09:08:00.000-07:00

my cousin brittani asked if i would take a few pictures of her for her senior photo's.

so we headed to goodwill to see if there were treasures awaiting us there.

i found this old picnic basket...it just needed a little spray paint and...

it was perfect in these photo's to give them a little pop of color.

we also found that purple pencil skirt...it is too cute on her!

not to mention that pretty little pocket watch necklace that brittani snatched up at goodwill as well...

brittani's eyes are the most amazing color!

here are two vintage hats i found at a garage sale for $2 a piece.

i love this brown one...

here is that locket again! love it!

we has such a blast taking these photo's.

thanks to my sister emily and cousin bailee who helped babysit while we romped around in the woods and open fields to take these pictures.

goodwill has treasures that are just waiting to be found.

it's a perfect place to get stuff that is inexpensive for fun photo shoots!

have a great weekend guys!

katniss for a day....

2010-10-20T14:26:00.000-07:00

my brother's name is justin...but we call him "juice".

he is just 15 months younger than i...and he is a hunter.
everybody loves juice.

i have always wanted to go hunting with him.... but have heard that he just runs anyone into the ground that hunts with him. being the stay-at-home mom that i am, i have always been apprehensive to go.

after reading "hunger games" this year, i wanted to go more than ever, and knew i would regret it if i didn't give it a try.
i have recommended the "hunger games" series to several people. of course they always asked me what it's about.
i do my best at explaining the books, but apparently i think the series is about something a little different than everyone else.

about a month ago my sister-in-law margo called me on the phone.

"hey i read hunger games and loved it! i just have to tell you, it was nothing like your explanation though!"

"what do you mean?"

"well you said it was all about hunting, gathering, and survival and stuff."

"it is, isn't it?!"

"no, it is not at all!"

we were both really laughing by this point, because we both realized that i like the books for different reasons than most people i guess.

i love that katniss has a bow and arrow, that she is a hunter, that she spends her time wondering the woods, that she is strong, that she is a survivor, and most of all that she fights for good.

i'll admitt it....i want to be like katniss.

so this year i asked my brother if it was ok that i tag along with him on his bow hunt for elk.

this is me at 4 something in the morning out in the middle of nowhere.

we weren't hiking for even an hour when my husband came up beside me and whispered "are you thinking about you being katniss?"

i had to admit that i had just been thinking about it.

nerdy? yes.

do i care? no :o)

here is the photo of our hunting group.

my brother juice, one of his good friends from high school dave, my husband, and i.

i was just there for two days, but i honestly loved every minute.

i don't have a bow, so i tagged a long with my little video camera.

this video is the first day when i heard the elk calling for the first time. my brother is telling me to get into a position where i could stay for awhile and wouldn't need to move.

this was also right before we came into a huge heard of elk...as we got closer i started to smell something that smelt terrible...later i found out my brother's friend dave had sprayed my back and boots with elk urine.

thanks dave.

after we came into the huge heard of elk, we couldn't get a good shot, so we tried to circle around and cut them off. we just barely missed then by like a minute!

it was very exciting!!!

i told my brother that i am in for next year!

who knows...maybe i have been good enough, santa will bring me my own bow this year :o)

he would have to throw in a good pair of hunting boots as well.

i already asked him for a new bottle of my favorite perfume and a new pair of boots(not hunting boots), so we'll just have to wait and see i guess :o)

halloween candy men...

2010-10-15T09:11:00.000-07:00

we went on a field trip to the pumpkin patch.

(you can tell from this photo how much lucy adores trey...though she is way too stubborn to ever admit it.)

while we were there, my little lu fell in love with these halloween candy men.

they were too cute!

i let her buy one, and told her we would figure out just how to make them so we could make some at home.

here's what we came up with:

we put the candy in bowls so the kids could create their candy men exactly like they wanted.

the kiddos loved these halloween treats!

these would be great for teachers, kids in your sunday school class, or close friends that will be trick-or-treating at your door!

make them, they are fun!

our yurt

2010-10-12T08:28:00.000-07:00

we love to camp.

but, the oregon rain is already in full force!

so this time we decided to try something new.

ever stayed in yurt?

they have them all over in oregon but they are always way booked out.

i had been checking a few times a day for a couple of days, when i found a friday night open on the oregon coast so i hurried and booked it.

they kids were so exciting upon arriving to our little yurt for the night.

i got a lot of hugs and "good jobs for getting this for us mom" praises :o)

apparently they had forgot about the fact that i forgot our sleeping bags and added a good 30 minutes to our drive.

i was so surprised to see that the yurt had lights and a dial heater!

it also had plug-in's so you could bring your laptop and watch movies if you wanted...or a fan to help you sleep.

lucy spent a lot of time coloring at the little table...

and jumping on the bunkbeds.

the skylight is awesome and can be opened.

we were all nice and warm in our little yurt and the lights were turned out.

i could tell the kids were asleep and so was my husband...it always takes me a lot longer than everyone else to fall asleep.

i was laying there on the bottom bunk thinking about how much fun we were having when i heard a growling sound.

my heart started pounding and i figured it was nothing...when i heard it again...it was coming from outside of the yurt right where i was sleeping.

i yelled/whispered to my husband "something is growling outside and i am not kidding!"

he jumped up and went to the window...

there were 6 raccoons on our porch trying to get into our cooler.

they were growling and fighting.

now you would think that when they saw us looking at them they would run away...think again.

they were not afraid of us at all and we could not get them to leave!

we were banging on things, yelling, and beeping the horn on our car alarm.

finally we grabbed the broom and made a plan...my husband flung the front door open and ran out with the broom...it scattered them long enough so he could grab the cooler and drag it in.

seriously i had not idea how mean these animals are...and how scared of us they are not.

they hung around our porch forever and eventually found a trash bag i had hung up on a porch pole.

i had nightmares about it all night!

the kids had woken up and were pretty scared as well.

then while we were trying to go back to sleep, my husband decides to browse the internet on his phone and read up on raccoons.

i told him so please stop reading at the part where "raccoons can tear of siding to get into houses."

the next morning we headed up HWY 101 just for fun.

there were so many cute little towns.

one of the little towns we stopped at had this cute little "Life Jacket Loaner Station."

oregon is so wonderful!

the rain did not let up the entire trip!

we didn't want the weather to stop us from having fun so we found a little store, purchased some ponchos, and found a little public dock to fish from.

trey is seriously the coolest kid ever. he fished from that dock forever in the pouring rain and didn't complain about it one bit!

we usually spend our

weekends out and about.

there are many times where it would just be easier to be a little lazy(sometimes we need a lazy weekend though) and hang around the house, but we have such a great time as a family getting away and experiencing this life...i am so grateful that my husband and kids are always up for an adventure!

what are your favorite things to do as a family...i am curious to know!

blogger down...

2010-10-07T20:16:00.000-07:00

my internet was down all week!

it was rough i tell ya!

i don't have much to share, except for a few photos from my second photo shoot for my sister's senior photos i took yesterday. i have never really taken photos like this before...so it has been fun messing around.

enjoy!

we had a heck of a time getting those balloons in and out of the car! good heavens!

i bought that headband for lucy like a year ago from forever 21...lucy won't wear it...my sister kyped it right off my dresser on our way out. emily you thief! i love it on you though!

last week when my sister came up for our first little photo shoot she didn't have bangs...right before we left she decided she wanted bangs for for her pictures...so i cut them for her just for the photo shoot...i have been giggling about it ever since.

she is rockin a pair of my favorite shoes and you can check out the eyelet trim belt i made in action :o)

man was there a beautiful sunset going on behind her.

have a wonderful weekend!

go do something fun!

dear grandpa jess...

2010-10-03T12:10:00.000-07:00

you moved 3 hours away.

remember how i used to bring you a huge stack of books and you would read every single one to me?

well, my mom has started taking notice to the fact that i must be really be needing some time with my grandpa.

let me tell you what happened yesterday...

i was painting my moms fingernails with my purple sparkly nail polish.

my mom said to me,

"lucy that nail polish is so beautiful, just where did you get it?"

that's when i said to my mom,

"from grandpa jess...it is the same kind he used when he was a little girl."

that's when she knew i really must be missing you.

with love,

lucy

my sister texted me yesterday...

2010-10-01T01:16:00.000-07:00

"will you take some senior photos of me?"

i got excited.

it was nice at the oregon coast, so we packed up the car and headed there.

we weren't really prepared, but thought we would just do a few practice photo's.

we found this screne propped up against the side of a beach house.

loved the way the photo turned out.

this vintage bike was chained up to this post...so i told my sister to hop on.

see this beach house...see that gate...didn't stop her.

we had way too much fun "trespassing" inside vacant beach house gates and using props that just happened to be there.

we are planning another photo shoot soon! this time we will bring our own props.

eyelet trim belt

2010-09-28T00:05:00.000-07:00

ok this was fun, easy, and very inexpensive,

and adds such a pretty little touch to any outfit.

look how cute!

i went to goodwill and found two belts for $2.99

then hit up joann's for some eyelet trim.

glued some eyelet trim to the back of the belt with a gluegun...

tried them right on!

love it!

earlier i was wearing this shirt with a cream carnigan and had the belt over the carnigan...but the sun came out so i took it off.

you don't need much:

these belts are too cute!

i have been planning in my head all day of what outfits i can wear them with!

a heck of a day...

2010-09-23T17:36:00.000-07:00

it took me two of these to get through the day...

(yes that is a spoonful of peanut butter rolled in chocolate chips)

heaven help me :)

a flower in my hair

2010-09-22T00:58:00.000-07:00

i wore this flower in my hair today...

i originally made it to go on a pillow...but it looked too cute in my hair!

it felt almost like i was wearing a vintage hat.

i loved it.

i have never gotten so many compliments in one day...

then my mind started racing with all the colors i needed to have these in...all the places i could wear them...

i went to target and bought these two hats...and yes i did...

i sewed one of these flowers onto each of them...

i was happy about it :o)

yes i know, you need these in your life!

here's how:

after the first part of the flower is finished...put some pins in the back to hold it together.

then start with the second wider strip you have leftover and repeat the steps above.

then hand sew it together.

i started in the middle.

hide your stitches.

when i hand sew i work mostly from the back...this helps hide those stitches.

then your done!

i am obsessed with making these right now!

wait till your husbands are nice and asleep...then sneak down and start crafting.

my husband has no idea what goes on in my nightlife.

i need a name for these flowers!

any ideas???

see this guy? that's my husband.

2010-09-14T00:03:00.000-07:00

all he wanted for his birthday was "a weekend away with just our family..."

so we headed to the oregon coast for a weekend of camping.

you never know what kind of weather you are going to get at the oregon coast.

the oregon coast stumps even the best of weathermen.

but this time we were lucky....

the weather was so fantastically perfect i had to roll up my jeans!

man is that kid cute!

my husband and trey boy skimmed...

and we fished in the bay.

we have no clue what kind of bottom dwelling fish this was...we threw him little guy right back where he came from!

we hung out at our campsite.

ok i just have to ask...

should a 4 year old know how to hold out the camera and take pictures of herself like this?

seriously who does she think she is??? how old does she think she is???

she posed me for this photo...

we used those giant marshmallows...

to make these ginormous smores.

we didn't have a birthday cake for my husband but i experimented and made him a birthday treat:

i took a pillsbury biscuit dough and roll it out

added some peanut butter

chocolate

and marshmallow

then folded the dough like kind of like an empanada and placed it on some tinfoil coated in olive oil

wrapped it up and placed it on some hot coals.

then i turned it about once a minute, then took it off after a few minutes to check and see if it was done.

it tasted fantastic, inside was a peanut buttery, chocolaty, marshmallowy goodness, and my husband really loved it!

(i have to thank my sister-in-law's boyfriend dennis for a similar idea he gave me at our 4th of july campout this year.)

besides the fact that i had 3 smores...it was a successful weekend!

my husband said it was his best birthday yet!

one week down...

2010-09-09T16:01:00.000-07:00

we started homeschool this week...

this morning i was getting ready in the bathroom, when i heard a little knock on the door...

"is that you trey?"

"yes lucy is still asleep, i am going to take a shower, let's get started with school before she wakes up!"

"trey that is a great idea!"

you see, little miss sassy pants lucy's school only takes about a half hour...so when she finishes before trey she just wreaks all kinds of havoc.

this is about how it goes:

"mom i'm done what next?"

"lucy i am helping trey right now you need to raise your hand thank you."

"mom i'm raising my hand!"

"mom do you see my hand!"

"MOM I AM DONE WHAT NEXT I AM RAISING MY HAND DO YOU SEE MY HAND MOM!!??"

yes it is just wonderful.

so trey and i have caught on to the fact that if we get an early start with school, lucy will wake up and meld right into what we are doing when we are halfway done, and it works out a lot better.

so here we are while lucy is still sleeping eating some cereal.

we set up my camera and had a little fun with it....

if you look closely you can see what kind mother i am by the fact that i have my hand on the back of my sons neck holding him up so he has to be in the picture...oh and a firm grip on his arm as well. ha!

"eat your cereal boy and get up and practice your reading!"

anyway, whether you are homeschooling or sending your child off on the bus, i hope you are having a heck of a time doing it!

ribbon embellished tee

2010-09-06T22:04:00.000-07:00

I saw this tee the other day.

I loved the idea but not the price tag or the color for that matter.

So I decided to make my own!

As soon as this super cute tee was finished I ran upstairs and put it on!

Come along and I'll show you how.

You will just need a:

t-shirt ( I got mine at Anne Taylor Loft for $9.99...they are the best tees!)

ribbon

thread matching the ribbon

First Cut:

18 - 4 1/2 inch ribbons
19 - 3 1/2 ribbons

Fold them in half and iron them.

Then singe the ends of each ribbon with lighter or a match.

This way the ribbon won't fray.

You will pin 4 rows of ribbon to your shirt:

First Row Starting with a Short Ribbon: 7 shorter Ribbons & 6 longer Ribbons

Second Row Starting with a Short Ribbon: 7 shorter Ribbons & 6 longer Ribbons

Third Row Starting with a long Ribbon : 3 longer Ribbons & 3 shorter Ribbons

Fourth Row Starting with a long Ribbon: 3 longer Ribbons & 2 shorter ribbons

For the First row:

Start with a shorter ribbon and pin it to the middle of the shirt at the neck then work your way to the left and then the right, alternating short and long ribbons. You will be sewing these on 1/8 of an inch from the edge of the ribbon...pin them so that seam ends up being right at the seam on the neck.

Point the ribbons up.

For the Second row:

Do the same thing starting in the middle with a shorter ribbon 3/4 of an inch down from the First row.

Pin the ribbons pointing down.

For the Third row:

Do the same thing starting in the middle with a Long ribbon 1 1/2 inches from the Second row.

Fo the Fourth row:

Do ths same thing starting in the middle with a long ribbon 3/4 of an inch from the Third row.

Next stitch the Second, Third, and Fourth rows down.
Sew them 1/8 of an inch from the edge of the ribbon.

Here are they are sewn.

Just the top row left to do!

Sew the top row down 1/8 of an inch from the edge of the ribbon.

It will look like this.

Now pin them down.

Note-when you pin them down make sure the top of the ribbon at the neck bumps right up against the neck seam of the shirt.

Then stitch the ribbons down at 1/8 of an inch from the top of the ribbon.

It will look like this when you are done.

I hadn't sewn in awhile so this project was really fun for me to do!
I cut and ironed the ribbons one night and then one morning did all the sewing.

Today Trey called me "A craft lovin' Mama."

Trey buddy you know me well...you know me well.

Now get out there all you "craft lovin' mamas" and make you some Ribbon Embellished Tees!

it's true...

2010-09-04T22:38:00.000-07:00

my baby is four...

and you would be hard pressed to find a prettier little birthday girl.

we threw her a makeover birthday party.

nail polish, eye shadow, lipstick, and hair updos.

she was in heaven.

aunt marge flew in all the way from st. george just for her party.

these two are quite the pair with their matching shirts.

after lucy's makeover party we headed to downtown portland...

we walked the streets...

and took an adventure ride on the tram...

the next day a trip to the oregon coast...

the birthday girl and her mama...

and then to grandma and grandma's for a family party.

Happy Birthday to our sassy little sweetheart...we wouldn't have you any other way than the way you came to us.

(my nephew greyson and i with lu's cake. photo taken by trey boy.)

summer, blogging, kids all wrapped into one

2010-08-31T08:20:00.000-07:00

my blog and i have come to an understanding that i am so at peace about. that is...i blog when i have time, and i blog when it is fun to blog.

this summer has been our most insane yet. there was little time for blogging. if you know anything about oregon you know it rains for 9 months out of the year. when summer comes we aren't at home...ever. we have been everywhere and done it all. i have played with my kids, visited family, picked lot's of berries, and had a wonderful time with no regrets. it has been awesome.

my husband and i got to go for the first time to cancun together a couple of weeks ago. it was a work event for my husband and they let spouses tag along. we were gone for 5 days away from the kids.

(here i am reading "hunger games" for the second time.)

(i am IN LOVE with this series. i haven't read the latest book "mockingjay" because i am reading the series again to refresh my memory. i loved it even more the second time through! best books ever!)

i'll have to admit i was excited to get a break from the kids.

after about a day of sitting around the pool (which made my rear end sore i think because i am really not used to sitting around) i had enough of a break.

i thought about the spot right above lucy's cheek that i kiss many times throughout the day...

and how even though trey is a tough guy who loves playing outside with his friends and climbing trees...when it comes down to it he loves just really loves snuggling up with his mom on the couch and playing with my hair.

i thought about how much the kids would be loving the food we were having, swimming in all the pools, and the shells we were finding in the mexican ocean.

it really made me realize that there is no place in the world i would rather be...

than spending time with my family.

we had a great time and i know an occasional break is wonderful and much needed so we can appreciate each other and so my husband an i can spend some time together...but this is so much where i want to be.

*on another note, we are starting up homeschool again for the second year in a row! we will get things rolling after labor, day and i am excited to share some things i learn along the way with you guys! i had quite the time picking out curriculum for this year. i talked to other homeschool moms, read reviews, and checkout some blogs of awesome homeschool moms before choosing. its all in the mail and on it's way.

for any that are interested, here is what we are doing this year:

History: Story of the World: Ancient Times
Language Arts: A Beka
Math: Saxon
Science: Apologia
Writing: Handwriting Without Tears

wish us luck!

i am getting excited to get back to blogging!
i have some fun stuff up my sleave!

Tutorials

2010-08-30T19:02:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!

With the help of Emily...I have added a Tutorial Tab to the top of my blog.

It will contain this post to make it easier to find my tutorials.

They are broken down into categories.

Just click on the photo to find different tutorials.

Then get busy makin' your favorites!

trey just wanted you to know...

2010-08-04T22:55:00.000-07:00

that even though we haven't been home at all this summer...

and we have had little rest...

that he is having the time of his life.

and lucy just wanted you to know...

that even though she is the prettiest thing we have ever seen...

that she already knows and there is no need to tell her.

and i just wanted you to know....

that enchanted forest's bubble gum ice cream is my very favorite.

just so ya know.

doily wall art/a wreath around the clock

2010-07-28T18:14:00.000-07:00

trey boy is sitting on the floor next to me with

48 g.i. joes waiting for me to play with him as i type.

this will have to be fast!

i had a bare wall...

it had a red clock hanging on it and that's it...

so i went to the garage and found these wood blocks i have had in my garage for a year!

i had bought a long piece of wood at home depot...had them cut it into pieces...they will do this for $1 a cut i think.

then i sanded them down and painted them with some brown paint mixed with water so it was more like a stain.

then i taped them off with blue painters tape,

spray painted one color and waited for it to dry,

lightly glued around the edges of some paper doilies with a glue stick,

sprayed another color on top, and peeled the doily off.

then when the paint was dry...i roughened them up with sand paper to make them look worn.

i love how they turned out! so fast and easy! the kids helped!

when i was finished i hung them up. the wall needed a little something more. so i hung the clock back up. still i needed more.

i found this wreath in my garage and it fit perfectly around the wreath!

i have decided we should all be putting wreaths around our clocks!

holy cute!

it goes perfectly next to my dining room wall!

now go get some doilies, wood blocks, a glue stick, some sand paper, and make yourself some doily wall art!

wahoooo!

oregon blueberries

2010-07-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Lucy,

I had a wonderful time picking u-pick blueberries with you...

I had to drive you back to the bathrooms 3 times in 45 minutes so you could pee...

we picked 11 pounds of blueberries...
you ate way more than you picked...

your poop is now blue...

let's do it again sometime.

Love,

Mom