Amy's Knits

Awwww, Pictures of the Week

2012-01-27T15:19:00.000-05:00

Our dog, Tippy, had her "batch", as my son says, on Tuesday night. She chose to give birth in the tiniest space possible, where I couldn't get a good head count. I saw 2 brown pups and 3 black ones that first night. Wednesday, my son said he saw 3 brown and 3 black. Wednesday night I realized there were 4 black pups.

It wasn't until yesterday that Tippy finally left her house to come out and greet me, when I realized there were 4 brown pups and 4 black pups! One for every member of our family!

Sooooo, anybody want a puppy?

Birthday

2012-01-23T14:17:00.003-05:00

Wow. Another teenager. I think I'm too young for teens, wasn't it just a few years ago that they were born? Last week my 2nd born turned 13. He's passed his older brother in height, his voice is changing, and his turning into a man right before my eyes.

Do you want to know what he was most excited about to turn the big 1-3? Facebook. Yup, I'm one of those moms who won't let her kids get a Facebook page until they are officially 13.

He also got an iTouch that he hasn't put down since he opened it. Derek and I decided this year to give a "big" present on the kid's birthdays and try to spread the love over the year instead of all at once at Christmas time. We'll see at the end of the year if it worked in our favor or not.

Quilt Progress

2012-01-17T15:08:00.000-05:00

I decided on using the Small Plates pattern from The Practical Guide to Patchwork: New Basics for the Modern Quiltmakerfor my quilt.

After spending a time over a three day period precisely cutting strips and squares, I decided I don't know why in the world people like quilting!

Once I got done with the cutting and got to the fun part of sewing, though, I liked it a little more.

Didn't these blocks turn out cute?

I'm a little worried that I didn't buy a wide enough variety of fabric. The pattern calls for 20 different prints, and I used much less than that. We'll see.

Addicting Little Series

2012-01-15T19:28:00.001-05:00

My son got the first 5 books in The 39 Clues series for Christmas. He went on and on about how great the first one was and begged me to read it. I did, just to please him, not really expecting anything from a book that my 10 year old enjoyed. Let me tell you, those little books are chock-full of adventure! I'm addicted and read all 5 within the week. Now I've ordered the rest and can't wait until Tuesday so I can find out what happens next.

Within the books there are also clues and riddles for you to figure out yourself. My boy solved a code within some of the pages and the message was this:

"This competition is about hope"

It reminded me of the scene in A Christmas Story when the boy gets his decoder ring and finds the message, "Be sure to drink your Ovaltine". Yup, my boy felt just about as disappointed as Ralphie with the message he found.

New Old Bedspread

2012-01-13T09:39:00.002-05:00

My mother had some old quilt tops that either my great-grandmother or great great aunt made many moons ago. Since my girls have a new double bed that they share, I needed a new bedspread. We pulled out the quilt tops and found this sunbonnet block one. Isn't it cute? And just perfect for their room!

I'm not so sure it's a quilt top, though. The seams are finished on the back, with bias tape covering up the unfinished seams on the front. The sides also have this thicker tape border like in the picture on the left below. I think maybe it was meant as a bedspread or bed cover.

Are there any quilters who read my blog? If so, what would you do? Would you make a quilt or leave it as is?

It's currently soaking in Oxi-Clean right now to try to get the stains out of it. You wouldn't believe the stank that came off this thing after putting water on it!

I read so many things on the internet on how to clean old linens and Oxi-Clean seemed to be on most people's lists. I even saw one website that recommended soaking the linens in buttermilk! Could you imagine that smell?

Update on my progress: I soaked this for 24 hours in the Oxi-Clean and that didn't get rid of the rust stains. Any ideas for what might work?

Wounds

2012-01-11T16:43:00.001-05:00

My older son has reached that magic age where he loves horror movies. He and his friends were counting down to see The Devil Inside, and it came out this past weekend. After the movie, four extra boys came over to spend the night. They all came in acting like the movie wasn't scary at all and what a disappointment it was. I was surprised that they were home so early and looked it up online and saw the running time was only 82 minutes.

That night, all Derek and I heard was creaking from the floorboards above us in our old house from them running back and forth, back and forth - I don't think I've ever wished for a ranch style house or basement more. I also vowed that night that it would be the last time I let five 8th grade boys spend the night. Good thing for my kids that I have a short memory, because I'm pretty sure I've said that before.

The next morning, Nate had a big red mark down his nose and also on his forehead. He said he thought he heard a noise behind him and turned to run .... and ran right into the wall!

The forehead and nose on day 3.

So..... I'm wondering if they were just trying to act all manly, and maybe the movie was a bit scarier than they let on!

I thought it was so funny and had to share, he didn't think so (hence the "evil eye" in the picture above).

Red and Blue Quilt

2012-01-10T13:33:00.002-05:00

I'm going to tackle my first quilt with the above precious fabrics. I think I need more red, right?

Book

2012-01-07T19:15:00.001-05:00

I want this book:

Real bad.

Some Random Thoughts

2012-01-06T20:33:00.001-05:00

1. My husband bought a Disney app for the iPad called Where's My Water? At first I thought he was crazy, not only because he downloaded a Disney game, but he also paid money for it. I just want to go on record for saying this is the best game ever for the iPad! I think I was also go ahead and say, I think it is the best $0.99 we've ever spent. It's so much fun and I feel so smart when I figure out a way to get Swampy some water. Maybe I'm just easily entertained. Go check it out if you have an iPhone or iPad.

2. I have found the BEST remedy for not being able to sleep this week. I have a hard enough time falling asleep at a reasonable hour anyway, much more so when my man is out of town like he was this week. Well; Derek happens to work with a guy who plays a mean Indian flute. When Derek met him he came home and told me about this guy, and that he even won a Grammy for his music. Well ... I looked him up and Derek was just a couple of letters off. It turns out he won a Nammy - the Native American Music Awards; still an honor, I'm sure.

The coworker was so nice, that he gave Derek a couple of CDs of his music. I decided to play one of them the other night and I was out like a light. I'm telling you, I still haven't heard past track 2 because I am instantly relaxed and right off to sandland. I'm not sure if he will take that as a compliment that I use his music to sleep, but thank you, dear Golana for helping me find a non drug remedy!

3. Having kids grow up and into adult shoes stinks! I had to buy my 8th grader a new pair of sneakers yesterday in 5 months his foot grew from a size 7.5 to a 9.5! Unfortunately, they don't make cheap men's sneakers.

I will leave you with some pictures of my daughter yesterday who had a serious case of static electricity going on.

A Few of my Favorite Presents

2012-01-03T17:22:00.000-05:00

This past Christmas was one of the best ever. I got some amazing presents from my kids, including:

A big iron skillet from my second born. I can't wait to fry a whole chicken on it using Lucinda Scala Quinn's method. I have a couple of smaller sizes, but this one is juuuuust right.

My other son got me a CD that I wanted. I'm loving The Black Keys right now.

I also got a decorative tree made of roses and a box of blue vase rocks from some of the others.

My man gave me a wonderful electric blanket; and just in time, too - since it's finally gotten cold in GA. It's so fancy, that it has a dimmer button for those (like me) who hate any emission of light during the night.

The one who thinks they got me the greatest thing of all, was my youngest.

I haven't used it, yet - I guess I need to so she'll know how much I love it.

My sister and her family got my kids a joint present this year: a tether ball set. I wanted to add a picture for her so she can see how much they have enjoyed it .... do you see how the ground is brown and stomped down in a perfect circle around the set? They love it!

My Young Composer

2011-12-31T17:50:00.000-05:00

My oldest son entered a contest a few months back . Local music teachers were given a theme by the conductor of the orchestra; and students were to compose a piece on piano using the theme as a starting point. My boy's piece was one of the ones chosen to be performed by the orchestra at their Christmas concert!

It was pretty cool, he had a couple of individual orchestration lessons with the conductor and got to choose which instruments play which part. Best of all was hearing his creation performed by an awesome orchestra.

While he has moved way beyond my piano and music skill, I do think I could teach him a thing or two about bowing and enjoying the limelight a little more.

Check it out:

My Month

2011-12-30T23:20:00.000-05:00

Wow, a month passed without a single post from me. My month was busy with going to class parties, sing-a-longs, and concerts galore between the six kids. I finally got a chance to download some pictures and here are some things I missed telling you about.

First, my redhead turned 7. She had enough birthday money to buy herself her first American Girl doll, but we found a used bedroom set someone was selling that she fell in love with. Can you believe she chose to spend the money on furniture rather than a doll?!? She and her little sister pooled up their birthday money and paid for 2/3 of their new ultra girly furniture! They are so proud and once I finish painting their room I'll put pictures up.

We had a week of very nice weather in December with temps near the 70s. I happened to look out the window one of those days to see my little girl playing and had to snap some candid (through the window) pictures. Notice anything different about her?

Below is when she caught me snapping and sulked off. By the way, those are tennis balls.

My youngest boy finally lost a top tooth......

and discovered the joys of playing with tape.

Happy Birthday, Baby!

2011-11-29T13:48:00.001-05:00

Last night was the last night I'll ever have a 5 year old child. Sad, isn't it? Well she wasn't sad! She had me french braid her hair just so she could take it out first thing this morning for curly hair.

This morning she wore her finest birthday dress to school (good thing there was no P.E. this week), and had me bring Popsicles to her class for after lunch.

And since I can be talked into things easily, she had me check her out of school early to play with her new Moxie doll.

I usually make them their favorite meal for supper and when I asked her what she wanted tonight she said, "Junk." I don't think I can do that, so I guess we'll just have her next favorite thing ... PB&J sandwiches.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-26T15:25:00.001-05:00

Things I'm thankful for -

My church - we recently changed churches and I'm so thankful for the new one we found. It's not like any other church we've ever been a part of, in fact - no two services have been alike. Derek says I have a short attention span, so maybe that's why I love not knowing what to expect. There is one thing I do expect, though, and that's for the Word of God to be preached and for my life to be changed. It is every week. Oh- and they feed our family on Wednesdays for free. I love knowing I don't have to cook one night of the week.

My family - I'm so thankful for a devoted husband whose funny, hardworking, loving, and can make me laugh in almost any situation. Yesterday marked our 17th Thanksgiving as husband and wife! I'm thankful for all of our kids that are healthy and happy. My youngest got an ear infection last week and was put on medicine. She asked for pills instead of liquid. As I gave her her medicine that first morning I thought, I am so glad that we are out of the liquid medicine phase. I know that's stupid, but when you have a couple on liquid meds at the same time, do you know how many dirty teaspoons you go through? So I guess I'm say I'm also thankful for modern medicine. Speaking of phases, I'm out of the liquid medicine stage, the diaper stage, the not knowing when you're going to throw-up and you spew all over the sofa stage, the Teletubby stage .... and for all of that, I am thankful. While I do miss the cute toddling around, I kind of like this teen/ tween phase, you can hold pretty good conversations and they are really funny.

My home - while it feels like a money pit sometimes, I love my house and I'm thankful for it. Not only the house, but the location - I love my community and the things offered in it.

My extended family - My Mother makes the best dressing you will ever put in your mouth, while my Father makes the best jokes. I love going to spend time with my family, and we all had a lot of fun at their house on Thursday. I got to meet a 94 year old great aunt that I've never met before. I found out today that she inspired Derek to start to exercise more and drink only water, but then again I've also seen Derek drink two cans of Coke today so far. The kids enjoyed playing with their cousins while I enjoyed visiting with my Mom and sisters.

Lazy days - I am thankful when the kids are out of school and we can just sit back and relax with nowhere to go. I've taught one kid how to play Cribbage and the rest of us have been enjoying a new card game I got called Dutch Blitz. Just like it says on the box, we think "It's a vonderful goot game!"

I did find out something this week - my sweet little angel on the right cheats at cards!

My van - Some people make fun of our 12 passenger van, but I love it. Sure, it looks like we're a commercial company carrying cargo; but the kids have lots of room to spread out and we can take 4 extra friends with us anytime, anywhere. Can your car do that?

A free turkey from Ingles - Yes, I earned a free 14lb bird with my turkey points this year!

There are so many more things that I'm thankful for, but I'm not sure the pages of my blog could hold them all.

My Christmas Wish List

2011-11-21T11:28:00.001-05:00

I've decided to write down my wish list for this Christmas because people usually ask me and I usually have nothing to tell them. I've been thinking about it today and here is my list:

King size electric blanket - mine barely warms anymore. I don't care what color as it won't show, just as long as it is warm.

Electric skillet - a rectangular one. I've had one since we got married, but one of my kids dropped mine several months back and it broke.

A big area rug for my den - like this one, or this one, or this one.

Paint for my bathroom, I like this Meander Blue from Sherwin Williams.

A headboard for my bed. I've been planning on making one for years, but we still just sleep headboard-less bead. So if you're reading this Derek, you could get me some plywood and foam and a few hours of help.

Frying pan - I would like just a simple, cheap medium sized frying pan. I have three small 6 in ones that are too small, and a couple of huge heavy ones that are too big. I need one that is juuuust right. Maybe a 10 incher.

Hardwood floors for my living room and dining room.

A working bathroom off the kitchen, with new shower so the girls will stop using mine.

True Blood: The Complete Third Season

True Blood: The Complete Fourth Season

This cute little owl ornament.

A rolling pin - I think mine broke or something. I didn't think about it until I made a pie last month, and while it wasn't difficult to roll out the dough with my small ergonomic Pampered Chef pin, it was extremely difficult to transfer the dough from the counter to the pan.

The Cricut pens that fit into your machine to draw instead of cut.

A subscription to Molly Makes magazine.

A measuring cup that measures more than 1 cup. Something to measure 2 - 4 cups at a time.

A really big mixing bowl like my Mom's.

My kitchen floor mopped and resealed.

My shower re-grouted.

Towels - we bought four nice towels from Macys last year that were "Hotel" quality. They are white with brownish stripes on each end. Derek and I get to use two, and then the other kids usually fight over who gets to use the "fluffy towels".

Socks.

House shoes - I wear a size 7 1/2 or 8.

Patio chairs.

Fire pit for patio.

There you go, something for every budget. I know a lot of these are over the top; but a girl can dream, right?

Photo of the Week

2011-11-18T13:47:00.001-05:00

Tom Selleck Fan Club

Kyoko Dress

2011-11-17T21:17:00.001-05:00

To tell you the truth, I never thought I liked the Kyoko dress pattern by modkid. It wasn't until I saw some of the amazing creations on the MODKID Flickr group that I decided I wanted to make one for my girls.

Sometimes I make them dresses that I'm so proud of, and they could care less for them. However, this was not one of those times! As you can see in the pictures, she was more than pleased with her new outfit. Well, once I added the obi (the cummerbund thing).

Added just because it was so cute.

Even the redhead loved it and wants me to make her one. I had her try it on to see if I needed to go up a size. Luckily, I don't have to trace another pattern, because it fits her perfectly!

Since I made plenty of bias tape, I think I'll go buy different fabric that will match the zebra accent for a second dress.

Look at those peepers!

Bottom line, I loved making this pattern. The instructions were very clear and this was a quick sew. It probably took about three hours, including making my own bias tape. I'm looking forward to making another!

Book Purse

2011-11-13T21:51:00.001-05:00

I found this great little tutorial a while back from Hungry Panda for making a purse out of a book.

The hardest part was picking out a book to destroy.

I bought this really cool Titanic book several years ago with visions of my boys devouring every word. In reality, no one has ever opened it up to read one sentence out of it; so I didn't feel so bad about ripping out its insides. Well, I did .... but I got over it pretty quick.

I can't remember at what angle I drew the side of my pattern, but I didn't do what the pattern suggested. I think I did it 60 degrees because that was the only option on my ruler I had. Therefore, my purse opens a little wider than the purse in the tutorial.

I also added a little tab for the Velcro closure.

Thanks to the E6000 glue, this little project was surprisingly easy with fairly little sewing. It was also FUN, especially since I got together with my Mom and sister for a little craft day.

There is only one problem, though. My crazy cute book purse is too small to hold all of my crap! Seriously, not even my wallet. I need to make one of those thin wallets that just holds your license and some cash for the days I want to look all librarian chic.

Darn It!

2011-11-11T15:13:00.001-05:00

After playing with a huge but lovable dog over the weekend, my son came home with a nice tear in his new shirt.

My Mom has darned things for my kids before, and it always looks fairly good. The one time I tried it, it didn't look too good. The trick that I didn't know about and my Mom told me earlier this week is to put fabric under what your darning. Duh .... why didn't I think of that?

As you can see in the above picture, the tear was L shaped, so I had to darn a fairly large area.

It's much better than throwing the shirt away, and since the hole was in the bottom of the shirt I don't think it's that noticeable. I really should have used a different color thread. If I were a professional, I would have done gray thread on the gray square, and red on the red. However, I am not a professional; just a simple Mom who saved a shirt from the trash.

Finished Jump Rope Dress

2011-11-07T21:04:00.001-05:00

The Oliver + S Jump Rope Dress is finished. Wow, that argyle print turned out much wilder and crazy than I expected! Looking back, I should have chosen the Scottie print as the main fabric and the argyle as the accent. Ah well, she loves it anyway. In fact, the brighter and wilder, the better in her eyes.

Fun pattern, she loves it, and I will make it again. Next time, I will make the view B, which doesn't have a waist. I really didn't like view B on the pattern, but after looking through Flickr, I like the no-waist view B much better.

Easy Peter Pan Costume

2011-10-25T21:27:00.001-04:00

It's that time of year, the time for the annual 2nd grade Fairy Tale Ball! Although the teacher said to not buy anything, but use costumes or clothes around the house; my boy insisted on being Peter Pan. Instead of buying a costume, I opted on making one. I bought a $4 shirt from Hobby Lobby and cut off the bottom and the sleeves. I also poked some holes in the top and wove a strip of leather to "lace" it up.

For the pants, they didn't have ANY green knit, so I had to use brown. I bought $4 worth of knit and used a pajama pants pattern I have. It's honestly the WORST sewing job I've ever done .... BUT, the beauty of knit is that you don't have to finish it and it won't unravel. It honestly took less than 30 minutes to make since I didn't have to hem or worry about the seams. If you don't sew, you could easily just pick up some cheap leggings in the girls section. I would have done this since he has little sisters who could use the leggings after Halloween, but my Target only had bright colors like yellow, teal, and pink. Isn't that crazy? It's not like it's Fall, Target.

For the hat - I took a $.79 big sheet of stiff felt and made a "paper hat" with it, then stuck a red feather in the side.

Total cost = $9, total time = maybe an hour

He is so happy and proud and excited, I don't think he'll be able to go to sleep tonight!

Peter Pan's shadow

In other news .....in Living this month, Martha Stewart showed how to make ghost using a foam head and cheesecloth. Trust me, hers looked much more ghastly than mine turned out. Although I will say that his reflection in the photo turned out a little freaky. This apparition is supposed to be hanging from the porch, but he fell down yesterday and is now perched on a broom in the corner of my foyer. It's just another thing that Martha makes it look totally cool and my version is a flop.

FFotW

2011-10-16T03:11:00.001-04:00

Never too old or too manly to play Polly Pockets with your sister.

Pleased With Myself

2011-10-12T11:12:00.000-04:00

My Mom and I got to spend the day together last week having an afternoon tea at the tahCha Teahouse. Side note, they have GREAT hot teas if you ever have a chance to stop by. On the way, we stopped by Intown Quilters. It was a GREAT fabric store that we've been wanting to go to for two years and I'm so glad we finally made it.

I fell in love with the Oliver + S Jump Rope Dress pattern over the internet, but I couldn't find it in the 4-8 size. Well Intown Quilters had it! I snatched it up and found this crazy cute argyle fabric and got to work right way. However, I quickly lost steam when I read the directions and saw I had to do a placket. Words like "precise" scared me a bit, because as you can see from my interfacing strips, I'm not exactly precise. Now that I look at the picture, the pattern is off on the argyle, too - although I cut that on the fold, so not my fault.

Anyway, I persevered and followed step by step ......

Outside right placket

Inside right placket

And sewed my first placket!

In the end, the plackets were not near as bad as I thought they'd be; and like the title of my post says, I'm pleased.

Too bad I have 5 bushels of apples that need tending to and I can't finish the dress.

Pumpkin Picking

2011-10-11T10:20:00.002-04:00

We spent Saturday with my sister and her family going to find deals on apples and also to stop by Bradley's Pumpkin Patch to pick up pumpkins for carving later this month. We had a lot of fun riding with the thousands of other people in Elijay doing the same thing. We found a farm off the rode that sold huge mountain cabbage for $2 a head, and a big basket of sweet potatoes for $7, which we split between the two families; but we got some of the biggest laughs stopping by a tiny shed on the side of the road that sold garlic.

I don't know ... maybe it was from driving in a car with 12 people for over two hours... but my sister, brother-in-law, and I found the jumbo garlic in the back left corner funny as we waited in the car and watched Derek dealing.

Of course that's the garlic he bought and posed with.

My sweet taters and cabbage

We spent the night with my sister on Saturday night, who happened to be having "allergy" trouble but ended up running a fever for the following two days. I think the fun was worth catching her funk, although I have been drinking all kinds of vitamins through teas.

One the way home my family ate supper at Cracker Barrel where I found the coolest candle. It's a Woodwick candle and the wick is made out of .....wood. It crackles as it burns and in this great spooky jar it gives off a dancing type glow. I love it!

Apple Hunting

2011-10-10T14:44:00.000-04:00

We headed up to north Georgia over the weekend for our annual apple run.

One of my favorite stops, Hudson Apple House

My sister and her husband with a peck of Gingergolds, or as my sis calls them Ginger Doodles (she could never remember the name - but in her defense, she was on TheraFlu)

I ended up with five bushels of apples. Let me tell you my secret on how to get LOTS of apples for little money. I go in and ask for culls, or seconds. They aren't near as pretty and are usually smaller apples; some are bruised and have rotting spots on them - so you have to cook them or eat them fast. While the regular price of most apples were $12 for a 1/2 bushel, I got mine for $4 - $5 per 1/2 bushel bag. I also got a great variety - Mutzu, Pink Lady, Fuji, Stayman Winesap, Empire, Sonata, Rome Beauty, and Granny Smith.

I looks like I have my work cut out for me this week making apple sauce and my kids favorite .... APPLE BUTTER!

One of the boy's favorite things about buying seconds is picking through the bags when we get home and finding some rotting apples for a game of pitch.

I will tell you that the birds were extremely happy in my yard this morning!

FFotW

2011-10-09T22:06:00.002-04:00

New kitty

Beautiful Outfits

2011-10-05T13:59:00.001-04:00

Remember the hemp design the girls and I got on our hands? Well, the wife of Derek's co-worker fell in love with my daughters (who wouldn't, right??) and bought them these beautiful Indian dresses!

The little one initially wanted the pink dress and the redhead wanted the blue. Here they are with the full garb on - the dress and the lowers, or as we yanks call them, pants, and scarf.

Most of what I know of Indian culture was learned from So You Think You Can Dance's Bollywood routine, so I had them do a pose.

They ended up switching dresses and ditching the lowers, as the pink fit Red much better and they didn't like the balloon feel to the drawstring pants.

If I were smart, I would've taken some closeups of the dresses so you could see the detailing with the sequins and beads, but I'm not.

The girls LOVE these dresses and already wore them to church the next Sunday. My little one has some gold gladiator type sandals that matched the blue and gold dress PERFECTLY! Thanks Rasheed and Jabeen!

Huey Helicopter Ride

2011-10-03T10:29:00.001-04:00

A Huey Helicopter came to our town for rides over the weekend and my folks came for a ride and loved it so much, they treated the kids to a ride! As you can see, not all were brave enough to go for it, myself included. Photos were taken by the man of the house.

My Dad was medevaced out on a Huey a couple of times in Vietnam when he was shot; I imagine this ride was a little more fun for him. My Mom and Dad got to sit in the gunner sits in the back, so they were facing out instead of straight.

Below is an aerial view of our town's square.

Yikes, I don't think I would've liked being on the edge seat when it banked like this!

My children's schools: A - the elementary where the younger three attend, B - the middle school where boy #3 attends, C - Jr. High where the older two attend, and D- the high school where I'll have one NEXT YEAR!

My Dad took this picture of them walking off the field and sent it to me. I think they look ultra cool and imagine music from Top Gun playing as they walk away slowly. One of my 13 year old friends (friend of my boys) on Facebook describes them as looking "beast", which I think, is a good thing.

Favorite Foto of the Week

2011-10-01T16:58:00.000-04:00

My girls

And now, some knitting

2011-09-30T07:50:00.001-04:00

I would have never paid attention to this until blogger updated its layout, but this is my 400th post! Since this was originally supposed to be a knitting blog, I give you a wave blanket I've been working on. I love how it's turning out so far, and thanks to my wonderful man who suggested I do a mirror image color scheme.

However, right after I took the above picture, I wadded the blanket up on the sofa, went to get a drink, and when I came back to knit another color block, I sat on my beloved Harmony needle and broke it.

The wooden section didn't just fall out, I somehow split the metal part so there is no fixing it. What's worse is, I have no idea what needle size I am using and where is my gauge to find out so I can replace it?

Farbenmix Emely Pattern

2011-09-28T11:57:00.002-04:00

I bought the Farbenmix Emely pattern awhile back and finally got a chance to sew it last week. I had bought the darling butterfly fabric from JoAnn's and was going to make it all out of that fabric; but after seeing other people's creations I wanted some accent fabric to go with it. My little girl insisted that zebra would go with the butterflies, I didn't agree, but I obliged.

I'm really glad I listened to her, because it turned out cute!

The directions weren't completely clear; for instance, it didn't tell you to hem the bottom (but who can't figure that out?). It also tells you to put the elastic in the top of the pocket, although I couldn't find how much and what size elastic anywhere in the pattern - again, nothing that can't be figured out, but a beginner might have a hard time following. All in all, this was one of the EASIEST things I've ever made and, not including tracing and cutting out the pieces, took me only about 3 hours to sew.

Another plus is - the top is reversible! Who knew? They don't tell you that on the pattern, but if you sew buttons to both side, why not? Which side do you like better? Me - the butterfly; the girl - ZEBRA!

Captain American turns 8!

2011-09-27T12:53:00.000-04:00

Where has the time gone? My youngest boy turned 8 last week. This one is crazy; always bouncing around, annoying his brothers with silly voices, and most the time has a smile plastered on his face.

Don't you think he looks a LOT like my father in the photo below?

My Favorite Foto of the Week

2011-09-24T12:55:00.000-04:00

2011-09-10T23:17:00.000-04:00

My baby lost her first tooth last week and she was so excited. She stood and looked at herself in the mirror after I pulled it for at least 10 minutes and came in and told me, "I look good without a tooth!" She's only 5, but the dentist told me she would probably loose her bottom teeth early after she fractured her jaw.

We are also in the process of cleaning out the girl's room, which you currently can't see the floor. I told them the other night to go find five things that they didn't want anymore that we could donate to Goodwill. This is what she came out with. In case you can't make out the picture, folks, that is three marbles, one pencil, and one dime. Isn't she generous?

Walking = Pedicures

2011-09-09T08:35:00.000-04:00

I've started walking in the morning after I drop the kids off at school. My eventual goal is to go every morning, Monday through Friday; but right now I'm trying to go three times a week for a 2-mile walk. I like to be rewarded for my efforts, so on the weeks I have made it to the track three times, I take myself for a pedicure.

I went to a different place last week and got completely pampered. It was a younger guy who talked me into paying extra for a hot stone massage for my legs, but it was totally worth it. Now I'm not one who likes designs on my toes and when he asked me and I said my usual, "No, thanks." He said, "I do real special for you." So he twisted my arm and he did this elaborate design that from my vantage point, look like a mess and just a bunch of green swirls all over my big toe.

When I got home to show my husband what a crazy job this guy did, Derek looked closely and said, "It's a staff! With a treble clef!" I had no idea! I'm still not too keen on my crazy looking big toe, but it's pretty cool to have something other than a flower.

Homemade Doughnuts

2011-09-07T09:34:00.000-04:00

We celebrated my husband's 36th birthday earlier this week with a rainy day off of school and work; and we made homemade doughnuts! Yumm-O these things were good. I used this recipe. The hardest part was waiting for them to rise the 2nd time.

The kids wanted chocolate glaze, so I split the glaze recipe and added cocoa to half of it. While they liked the chocolate better, Derek and I thought the original recipe was delicious.

We bought a new living room set over the weekend, so that meant no money left over for any present other than food and sleeping in. That's okay, though, because we do not need another tie or men's shirt brought into this house. I swear, my man has better and more clothes than I do. And that's not right.

HaPpy BirThDAy, BabE!

Fun with my Bloggie

2011-08-30T22:50:00.000-04:00

I bought a Bloggie back in the Spring, and I must say it was money well spent. Not only have I enjoyed it, but the kids have been making some pretty funny videos as well. My oldest loves editing and put this little bit together. They did it all on their own, the 7 and 10 year old filmed part of it; and the oldest (in the blue shirt) edited and added the sound effects. If he ever makes it big, you can say you saw his first film ....

Another Day, Another Apron

2011-08-13T21:45:00.000-04:00

I got another apron in the mail yesterday. My partner's inspiration was my favorite drink .... Coke! I talked my son into modeling for me, and it turned into an impromptu photo shoot and a chance for them to show off their best Blue Steel.

I also got these really cute duck and chickie figurine with a newsprint on them. I'm not sure if she bought this or if she used her savvy scrapbooking skills to add the newsprint herself, either way ... I love them!

Aprons I've sent out the past couple of weeks

2011-08-09T14:50:00.000-04:00

Here's the aprons I've sent out to partners in the past two swaps I've been in. Both are using a halter apron pattern.

The only difference is - instead of using bias tape around the halter like on the top apron, I lined the halter section on the bottom apron. I don't know why, but I'm not a fan of applying bias tape, and I'd rather use more fabric than use bias tape! I ended up cutting the pattern pieces a bit bigger for a seam allowance and I love the way it turned out. I also cut the ties twice as wide, to sew it together and turn it - much easier than turning under all around and top stitching.

My Aloha Apron

2011-07-28T23:32:00.000-04:00

This is the apron I received from my partner and I LOVE it, especially the matching headband! One of the things I love most about these swaps is the different styles that I get, and this one is unique.

She sent so many goodies with my package. I got some frozen treat makers (enough for the whole family), along with a ring full of laminated recipes for some good old fashioned popsicles. One of them is a pudding pop with Oreos that my man wants me to try first.

She also filled a mesh bag with summertime toys for my kiddos. You can't see it well in the picture, but I got some spreaders with matching table cloth weights - I'm so excited about those. Maybe I should host a backyard luau and put all of my new treats to use.

Hippie Chick

2011-07-26T23:50:00.002-04:00

On the way home from Key West, we stopped by a Tie-Dye store, hoping to find some dye. They didn't sell any dye, but already tie-dyed clothing, cloths, bags, etc.; along with lots of hippy clothing and accessories. The shop owner was a wonderful lady who said our children were "magical".

My redhead flower child fell in love with this dress and she's worn it almost every other day since we've been home. Isn't she cute?

Company

2011-07-26T20:47:00.000-04:00

What started with inviting one friend over turned into four extra boys at my house today.

My table and my island were completely clean and clear this morning, and by this afternoon .... this.

Just how many cups do 10 kids need? Notice the three empty jugs of Hawaiian Punch, some spilled juice spilled under my violet and cake top, and corn syrup/food coloring - ingredients for fake blood. I love my boys; and their friends. Seriously. What I love more is they cleaned ALL of it up themselves without my help.

Key West, Last Day

2011-07-25T17:44:00.000-04:00

On our last full day on the Keys, we drove back to Bahia Honda State Park. We had to drive through Big Pine Key and there are flashing lights and the speed limit posted all over the road, because of the Key Deer that live there. Several times we read, "Speed Kills Key Deer".

On the way back to the condo, we decided to take a road off to No Name Key, which my 7 year son pointed out, indeed, does nave a name, where more Key Deer live. Boy, those things were a dime a dozen. Everywhere you looked, you would see Key Deer. They were even walking down the middle of the street!

We saw this one with a plastic bucket type thing around her neck. I'm not sure if it was put there on purpose to protect her, or if she got it stuck around her somehow. You know the environmental posters with a duck and the plastic rings that hold 6 packs together around the necks? That's what this reminded me of. Speaking of environmental posters, my husband's work has started putting those in all the bathrooms and around the halls about littering. There is this one picture that I think is supposed to be a horrid reminder to dispose of my trash properly, but I'm sorry, all it does is make me giggle. It's a picture of a pelican wrapped up in a trash bag; and I don't know why, but it reminds me of my kids when they wear grocery bags ... they will put them on like pants and use the handles as suspenders. I'll have to post a picture some time.

Key West, Day 6

2011-07-22T13:29:00.000-04:00

We heard from the guest book at our condo that Fort Zachary Taylor had the nicest beach on Key West, so we headed there on day 6. We got in for FREE because July is Florida State Park month. If you find a ranger and read to them, which we had the kids do at Bahia Honda State Park, they give you a return pass to any Florida State Park, which Fort Zachary Taylor is!

It was a lot of fun running through the old Civil War fort, which saw action in WWI and WWII also. I didn't realize it when we left the condo, but my girls didn't wear shoes this day. That ground in the Florida sun was HOT. Derek being the good dad that he is carried them all over the roof of the fort, even up stairs.

The kids had a lot of fun playing on the cannons. This particular one in the photos above and below is a Parrot Rifle; it shot a 300 lb bullet shaped shells.

The latrine and some of my kids using it. Not really.

The beach was much nicer at Fort Zachary Taylor. There wasn't as much seaweed, but it is a man made beach covered with rocks. I thought they'd be smoother than they were, but it hurt to walk out and get to the water. At least, it hurt Derek and me, but I guess that's because we weigh more. You can see the rocks through the water in the photo below.

There was a cruise ship docked and we got to see it go out to sea while swimming. My youngest was so excited thinking it was Zach and Cody's ship.

The water here was much deeper than the other areas we went to, which was nice to cool off. There was a rock formation about a hundred feet off shore that we swam to. There were all kind of fish swimming around and you didn't even need snorkeling gear to see them with the water as clear as it was.

This was some of the kids favorite beach. Although Derek and I weren't fan of the rocks, the kids loved exploring and climbing on them.

Key West, Day 5

2011-07-21T00:37:00.000-04:00

Day 5 - Ernest Hemingway's house.

Ernest Hemingway spent several winter's at his home in Key West. We got to tour it and the beautiful grounds - which I found out weren't pretty at all when he lived there, pretty much just sand with a few palm trees as there was no running water on the island.

Kids on Mr. Hemingway's balcony with Key West lighthouse in the background.

Of course, none of the kids knew who Ernest Hemingway was, so they weren't all that excited about it. Although, my youngest asked when she saw the pool, "When that man gets back home and cleans his pool, can we go swimming with him?"

He had a lot of cats, in fact 47 of the cat's descendants still live in the home today. Above is a cat fountain - the top is made from an olive jar and the bottom was a urinal from Sloppy Joe's! BTW, we ate at Sloppy Joe's one day for lunch and it was so good. I really, really wanted to try their famous Sloppy Joe sandwich, but couldn't bring myself to do it. I think Manwich and school cafeterias have ruined a Sloppy Joe for me forever.

I read online that one of Ernest Hemingway's cats had six toes. There is a restaurant that was our favorite breakfast joint called the Six-Toed Cat right next door. Several of the cats on the island today have six toes. I was wondering how in the world you'd be able to tell a difference .... but when I saw one I knew!

Six-toed cat

There was a pool/guest house in the back with his office overlooking the pool area. Above is where Hemingway wrote 70% of his works.

Another cat curled up amongst books.

Did I tell you that most of the tour guides and ticket booth guy looked like Hemingway? Then again, this week Sloppy Joe's is holding their annual Hemingway Look-Alike contest and we were told half the island looks like him this time of year.

Key West, Days 3 and 4

2011-07-20T23:01:00.001-04:00

On day 3, we celebrated the 10th birthday of my son. He just wanted to hang out at the pool and eat pizza for supper, so that's what we did.

Day 4 - Derek looked online to find a better beach around Key West, and found Bahia Honda State Park. It was voted best beach in America .... it was in 1992, but that was still a good sign. Boy, was it beautiful!

There was still seaweed on the beach, but as you can see in the picture above, the water was clear blue.

There was one section that was probably the size of two football fields, where the water was clear and a little over ankle deep. Way out, there was some more sea grass growing. I could handle this much better that the stinky stuff growing across the street from our condo.

Sea grass that looks like a map of USA, here's Florida.

You can see how far off shore we were and how shallow the water still is.

This scene reminded me of a Corona commercial.

We all came back to this site our last full day in the Keys and Derek and I set our chairs up in the middle of the water and relaxed for hours in the sun.

In the early 1900s, Henry Flagler brought the railroad down to the Keys. A section of the railway is still standing through the Bahia Honda Chanel. Years later, they added a road to the top to the unused railway. That road looked so rickety but luckily, there is a much wider and more sturdy road that you travel on now.

Bahia Honda was the best time at the beach for all of us. I would love to go back, and hopefully seaweed free.

Key West, Day 2

2011-07-19T22:05:00.000-04:00

My plan was to blog everyday about our vacation; but with the tiny laptop and slowness of uploading pictures, it proved difficult.

On to day 2. I learned something on the 2nd day while taking a sunset/snorkeling Catamaran cruise - that 50% of my children get seasick. We took a 3 hour tour 7 miles out to sea to America's only living reef (and the 3rd largest reef in the world). Everyone was fine on the ride out, but as we were snorkeling the wind picked up and the water got pretty choppy. On the way back, three of them felt pretty bad. Matt "fed the fish" seven times in a 45 minute span.

Even with the tummy troubles, we all loved snorkeling on the reef! It was beautiful to see a the land under the water. Derek and the boys saw more than I did; but I saw a school of bright blue fish swimming around and lots of jellyfish. They were a kind that don't sting, though, so the boys had fun playing with those.

One the ride out - they gave all the free sodas, beer, and wine everyone wanted and the kids drank their fill.

They also provided all the snorkeling gear. It was Coast Guard required to wear the float thing around your neck, but you didn't have to blow it up. The water was pretty rough, though, so we all put air in ours. It surprisingly held you up and kept you above water. They also put a noodle through the girl's vests to keep them up even better.

On the way back to shore, they put the sail up on the Catamaran. My youngest boy was so curious about everything on the boat and pretty much talked the crew's ears off (when he wasn't throwing up); so one of the crew let him "help" by keeping the rope out of the way.

We saw an amazing sunset out on the water and more beautiful sailboats. If you ever go to the Keys, I highly recommend a snorkeling cruise. We went with Sebago, and they were so good and so nice to the kids. We will definitely be doing this again!

Key West Day 1

2011-07-14T14:15:00.000-04:00

We are in Key West this week for a family vacation. It's my first time in the Keys and we are loving it. Key West is not what I expected, however, but still fun. I really expected beautiful beaches - and they are not here.

This is our view from our condo balcony of Smathers Beach. We couldn't wait to get out in the water; but after driving all day we waited until the next morning to go out. The smell hit us first, then looked out in the water and saw nothing but sea grass and sea weed. Everyone else was walking through it, though, about 200 yards off shore to the clear waters, so we followed. Talk about nasty. About halfway through the mushy grass, we hit some rocky (maybe coral?) ground that cut some of the kids feet. The water was great once you waded through the gross. The only problem was, we didn't want to go back in because it meant walking through the sea grass again.

We headed into the old town in the evening and it made up for the bad beach day. Every night in Key West, people gather at Mallory Square for a sunset celebration.

There are vendors and street performers all over. Below is Key West legend, Will Soto, who juggled fire and walked on a tight rope. At one point, he was trying to get the crowd to his left riled up a bit, and asked us on the right to moon them. My boys all grabbed at their waist bands and turned around and they got Will tickled, to which he told me, "Lady, I like your brood!"

Derek got picked out of the crowd to hand him his pins and take the flags. Will told Derek he needed to run around the square yelling, "It's showtime!!!" while holding the rainbow flag and see what would happen.

We saw a sword swallower, according to him the oldest in the world.

We seen some of the most amazing boats out on the sea - this one was leaving the harbor for a sunset cruise.

My favorite part of the night was watching Jace, a 19 year old street performer who has been doing this for 6 years! He was a very good juggler, all while on his unicycle.

We ended up a little ways off from the seawall and stuck watching a pretty bad performance - for some reason I felt bad leaving in the middle of his show - and missed the actual sunset. Oh well, such is life.

4th of July Fun

2011-07-05T23:13:00.000-04:00

We went to Stone Mountain yesterday (and saw the most amazing fireworks) with Derek's co-worker and his family, who all happen to be from India. Guess what Jabeen brought to pass the time away while we waited for the Laser Show and fireworks? Henna!

She made the most beautiful designs on my hand and on both girls hands. If you look on the hand on the right and on my hand, you'll see three hearts .... we were told that they represent my two daughters and me.

Here's my hand. We ended up running out of light and time by the time the back of my hand dried. I would LOVE to get her to do my palm before we go to the beach.

Speaking of the beach, we are going on a long road trip soon. I started a project last night to take along with me on the 800+ mile (one way) drive. I'm using this wave blanket pattern with cotton fleece yarn. I am going to change the colors more often than the pattern. I'm about ready to start color #3. I'll keep you posted.

Mexico Beach Vacation

2011-07-01T16:48:00.002-04:00

I just got back from an amazing 8 night camping trip to Mexico Beach, Florida. I was just my Mom, my sister and her kids, plus my kids and me. It was really a shame that the men had to stay behind and work. Apart from the yellow flies (which made me vow never to return to Mexico Beach again, although I'm sure I'll forget about my promise to myself next year) the trip was marvelous.

One of the best days we had was spent at Crooked Island. You wouldn't believe the wildlife I saw that day. I saw a sea turtle in the ocean! And my nephew saw it too, so I know I'm not crazy. We swam with stingrays - one with at least a two foot wingspan. Luckily, they were scared away easily. But perhaps the best find of all was a shrimp! I don't know how, but my boy caught a shrimp! It blends well, but you can see it in the bucket, below.

Shrimp in the bucket

To get out to the beach, you have to walk over a long boardwalk, then it's a pretty good ways down to the beach. Then we chose to walk even farther down to a point where there was a sand bar. The water was clear and you could walk 30 feet out and the water still not hit your waist. There's not many people on Crooked Island anyway, but that day, it was like we were on our own private beach.

My shrimp catching boy also dug up a fist sized crab that day. My Mom came upon a whole bed of sand dollars. Everywhere you stepped you pick up a sand dollar with your toes. Because of the depth of water, only my older three boys went diving for those.

We stayed at Crooked Island and played until dark, and saw an amazing sunset.

Trying to catch some fish

Clear water all the way out.

No one around but us!

Looking through the sand dollars

We saw another beautiful sunset on our last night at the beach while the kids were catching crabs.

While J was showing me one of the crabs he caught, it ended up crawling onto his belly and down his shorts! The look on his face and the scream that came out of his mouth was one of the funniest things I've experienced in awhile.

I guess that's what he gets for wearing Velcro shorts that wouldn't stay closed!

Kissing a crab

It was such a fun trip, but 8 days away from my man was almost too long. We get to go back to the beach with him next week .... somewhere I've never been before and I. Cannot. Wait.

Fun With Friends

2011-06-14T22:49:00.000-04:00

My great Indianian friend is down here in the South for a visit with her folks and she and her kids (minus 1) graced me with their presence today. We tried to get a picture of the kids together - but the little guy on the left, as well as my camera, wouldn't cooperate.

We tried to get them to repeat funny phrases and make silly faces, but the kid wouldn't budge and turn his frown upside down.

As the old saying goes... if you can't beat 'em, join 'em - so the other kids did their best shoulder slump and pout.

Guess what! Getting pictures of just my BFF and me by ourselves wasn't any easier. Out of all of the twenty plus pics, my favorite on was way out of focus.

This is her daughter (who my kids think look like Selena Gomez) and my 3rd son. My husband and I used to teach these two in Sunday School when they were 2 years old. One of them, and I won't tell who, was afraid to go potty because of the blue water in the toilets at church. Remember that, F?

While we were inside in the AC chatting, one of my boys and one of hers were outside building a jet. I wasn't sure if giving a 6 and 7 year old a hammer and some nails was smart, but they did a great job and nobody got hurt. We were told that John was the pilot while right hand man was the co-pilot.

Finally, for Sharan's viewing pleasure, my wall in my den with some sticks and sewn birds on it. My birds fall off a lot, and I've been planning for months to sew them on the branches with clear thread. However, my friend recommended clips (why didn't I think of that). I think I'll go to Hobby Lobby tomorrow and buy some to hot glue to my favorite little birdies in my home.

Family Fun

2011-06-14T00:02:00.000-04:00

My folks were out of town over Easter and Mother's Day; so we got together with them a few Sundays ago and had so much fun.

I wanted to post the below picture of my son for my Mother - he looks a lot like pictures of my Dad as a boy.

My sister brought her Cornhole game and I got to play for the first time. Believe it or not, but my five year old was much better than me. I guess I should have tried throwing two handed like she did.

My kids LOVE hanging out with the family, and how sweet is it to see a 16 year old boy (Valera called this one "Big Boy" in his sweet Ukrainian accent) giving his little cousin?

Here is my oldest son, Nathan, with his Great-Grandfather, Nathan.

Faux Tie Dye Shirts

2011-06-08T14:43:00.000-04:00

My daughter's Pre-K class made tie dye shirts at the end of the year and they turned out so cute, that I wanted to make some with my kids. However, since I am lazy and it is a several step process, I decided to look for an easy way to make a tie dyed looking shirt. I found what I was looking for when I found a method called Punk Rock Tie Dye. I would be nice and put a link - but there is a virus on my computer and I can't use google or YouTube without getting on a spam site. If you'd like more information, though, just google it or there is a 1 minute video on YouTube showing what to do.

On the video I found, they used spray paint to give a tie dye effect. I wasn't sure how that would wash up, or if it would be stiff; so I used a spray on fabric dye I found at Hobby Lobby called Simply Spray.

This was such a fun and simple project that the kids literally didn't need any help doing. I showed them once how to twirl the shirt up; and then they took off with it.

I love how each shirt looked so different based on the colors they used and how much they twisted the shirt.

The only problem with the Simply Spray was - these shirts faded A LOT! The colors kind of bleed and none of the lines look as crisp now as they did on the first day. I did wait the 72 hours to wash like the directions said; however - I did not pre-wash the shirts and I probably should have.

My Spring Apron

2011-05-26T22:38:00.000-04:00

Here is the beautiful Spring apron I received from my awesome partner. The pattern is her very own and I love the way it fits, especially the wide waist band.

You may remember from my post that the tuck-ins for this swap were to correlate with our initials. My initials just happen to be the one word I would use to describe myself .... A.S.S. If I were sending a package for someone with those initials, I think I would have had to send monogrammed toilet paper. But my partner was so sweet - she sent some appliques, stamps, stationary, and an artichoke & spinach dip mix. The best, though, and the one that my kids enjoyed the most, was an Ukrainian apple cake recipe dedicated to Valera. I've already made it and it was DELICIOUS!

Thanks, partner, I LOVE my apron and I've already used it so much!!

My Mother's Day

2011-05-17T14:42:00.000-04:00

It's the end of the school year here in Georgia, and that means no time to rest for me with six kids in school. There were two Field Days last week, a Spring Fling today and tomorrow, a Luau on Thursday, and finally another Field Day on Friday (along with an end of the year breakfast and awards and another last day of school party with a slide show that I've been told will make us all cry.) In addition to the school activities, we've had two in baseball, one in soccer, one in piano, and one in violin. I really need a nap just typing out what all we've been doing.

All that to say - I'm behind on blogging and I'm just now sharing my wonderful Mother's Day.

It all started out with breakfast in bed. Not just any breakfast in bed, but the kind you see children providing lovingly for their mothers in a commercial or movie. I'm talking sausage, eggs, pancakes, a bowl of fresh fruit, a little pitcher with hot syrup, and a small vase of freshly picked pansies .... all on a beautiful Christmas tray.

Than we enjoyed a day in Atlanta going to the Botanical Gardens.

We tried to get a good picture of all my children with me on Mother's Day - but trying to get these six to smile all at the same time is close to impossible.

The flower lady in the herb garden:

This next picture is for my sister .... the perfect cedar tree. Cedar trees are like Mockingbirds to Kim - in that you should never kill one.

No pretty flowers in this picture, but it shows another cute angle of the dress my daughter made.

The picture above and below aren't good examples of the beauty at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens; but they are a great example of how men, no matter how old, are immature.

After the Botanical Gardens and Farmer's Market, we ended the day at Atlantic Station to watch Thor in IMAX 3D. I do not recommend paying the extra money for IMAX and 3D when you have eight people to pay for. I don't think it was worth it. The kids, however, did think it was worth it and they also thought they had the BEST MOTHER'S DAY EVER!

Spring Apron

2011-05-04T14:20:00.000-04:00

This apron swap's theme was "Spring Fling". I thought this fabric was fresh and fun and honestly didn't want to send this apron off. The tuck-ins were to be based on my partner's initials. This part was so fun this time and my partner had pretty easy initials - TLS.

T- I included some nice spring hand Towels.

L - I made the coin purse pictured below using this tutorial. I decided it could be used for Loose change or a Lip Gloss holder. I also included a tube of my favorite gloss.

S - Some new Spatulas.

I hope my partner likes her package I much as I do!

Halter Dress

2011-04-30T15:59:00.002-04:00

I got the book I've been looking forward to, Girl's World: Twenty-One Sewing Projects to Make for Little Girls, last week! The girls and I want to make pretty much all 21 projects.

After my mother taught Molly how to sew, she's been begging for us to sew something. I finally pulled out a little table to set up for her yesterday and let her pick out her material and pattern. She picked out the Tallulah Halter Dress from the book, and some swirly Michael Miller fabric.

I am pretty impressed with her skills. I cut the pieces out and pinned them for her, but she sewed the entire top pieces, lining and all, by herself. She was pretty mad at me for choosing the polka dotted lining ...she, for some odd reason, is not a fan of polka dots. Crazy, I know - she must get the quirk from her father.

She decided after the halter top that her hands hurt and she wanted me to finish. I have to say, I was confused about the casing for the elastic in the back. It was until several hours later (after watching some Royal Wedding footage), that I reread the directions and realized I did some things out of order. I had already sewn the side seams before I did the casing. That could be way things were tricky for me. Let that be a lesson, kids, read through ALL directions BEFORE you start a project.

I think we make a pretty good team. She hated my choice of lining, but ended up loving it in the end. I also questioned her choice of a zebra print ribbon that she wanted to add at the waist. I think that little detail makes the dress!

She loves long dresses to the floor, and was a little upset that I didn't make this one longer, so I think I'm going to go back and add a nice zebra print ruffle at the bottom for some more length. What do you think?

Bottom line - we both love the dress and the pattern. It was very quick to whip up, I think it could've been fairly easy if I would have read the directions, and very cute end result. I think I'll go make my other daughter one.

*Edited to add - Ms. Sis Boom herself commented on my blog! Squeeeee!

Charlie's Violin Solo

2011-04-27T23:29:00.000-04:00

We had another solo last night with my 3rd grader's violin concert. Our elementary music teacher goes above and beyond and teaches a strings class ..... for FREE. All we had to provide was the violin back in 1st grade. Charlie loved it so much that he has been also taking private lessons for the past year. Our lower elementary school only goes to 3rd grade, so this is Charlie's last year in the strings program. Every year at the Spring concert, his teacher has all the 3rd graders do a solo. Charlie has been dreading this day for a long time.

Charlie did not want to play in front of people, and his Mama did not want to accompany him. His teacher thought it would be special, though, if I did. The mess up parts were not him, they were all me! In fact, he told me the night before the concert that he would prefer to play alone because I was messing him up! Check him out.

Considering it was 7, 8, and 9 year olds playing a violin, the kids did AMAZING!

And guess what else! He found out today that his private teacher (who is a senior in high school) is having her senior recital and she wants Charlie to play in it. Sorry Charlie, but you've got one more performance to go, bud.

Band Concert and Proud Mom Moment

2011-04-25T23:07:00.000-04:00

Tonight was the Jr. High school band spring concert. It opened with Matt playing the trumpet with the 6th grade band. It's amazing how much these kids have learned since the beginning of the year. From never picking up an instrument to being able to read sheet music in this short amount of time, and then performing four tough pieces was quite a feat. I don't think I'm being biased when I say this, but the trumpet section was by far the best!

At their school, they have a jazz band that 7th and 8th graders can join; Nate joined this year with his trombone. The first song they played, Nate had a solo and I couldn't be more proud. He did so good! For my family and friends who missed the concert (and for the whole front row who left right before his shining moment), here's a clip of the song:

Sorry about the shaky in the middle, I was so excited when he was done that I forgot I was filming! The video quality isn't great, but you should be able to hear it fine.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T22:15:00.000-04:00

"But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again." Then they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened."
~Luke 24:1-12

After a wonderful worship service at church, I wanted to snap some pictures of the kids while they were in their Sunday best.

I just love the picture of Nate hugging his sisters; mainly because it shows Red's true redhead temper. She did not want him in her shot.

Check out this guy. He learned to tie a half Windsor knot this past week from his Language Arts teacher and asked to buy a tie yesterday. I can't believe he chose a pink one; but very glad he did because I think he looks sharp.

Too bad I didn't catch him smiling because uunfortunately, my battery ran out of my camera right after this shot, so no pictures of the family together.

There were also no photos of the ultra cool egg hunt we put on. I'm sorry, but I'm not into the huge egg "hunts" that go on nowadays. Throwing eggs on the ground in plain site isn't much of a hunt to me. How about call them Egg Grabs? Also, egg hunting with 500 other kids isn't my idea of excitement. Needless to say, we didn't take our kids to any organized egg hunts this year. We have plenty of kids of our own to make it exciting enough; and we hide them well enough that it takes them a good 10-15 minutes to find them all. We also had, in my opinion, some pretty great prizes for the prize eggs - coupons! Okay, so maybe that's not a great prize .... but the kids liked them. Some of the coupons were "One item from Dairy Queen", "Dinner out with Mom", and "Dinner out with Dad". I really should of specified on the dinner out part - one of my boys got that coupon and said he was choosing The Melting Pot as his designated restaurant. Not only is it over an hour away, but it costs a pretty penny. Maybe we'll be able to talk him into Taco Bell.

Bunny Cake

2011-04-23T23:45:00.000-04:00

We made a bunny cake tonight that my Mom used to always make from my childhood. You use two round cakes, and cut one of them in a way to make two ears and the piece in the middle would be a bow tie.

I let the boys frost it, although they were trying to get away with only using half the frosting so they could eat the rest of it.

We colored coconut for the bow tie and ears. I remember my Mom's bow tie being a distinctive bow; ours looks more a blob of green - maybe we should tell others that it's grass.

Also from my childhood, we used Twizzlers for whiskers. Me, not being a planner, forgot to buy those; so Derek decided to use some canned icing.

I'm really not sure what went wrong with those whiskers, but they look almost like a dead spider.

Since those didn't look quite right, I added some big ole Kit Kat bunny teeth.

The cake didn't end up quite like I envisioned it and not nearly as perfect as my Mother's cakes always were, but we had fun making it and it will taste delicious after my first ever try at cooking Easter dinner. That's right - I've never cooked an Easter meal. We always go to my folks. They are, however, on a well deserved month long vacation at the beach, so it's up to me to make lunch.

A Package for Valera

2011-04-21T16:38:00.000-04:00

Through our adoption agent, I met another family who is finalizing the adoption of their son - who happens to be from the same orphanage as Valera. She was kind enough to deliver a package to Valera for me on her trip over to pick her son up, and even better, she took pictures of him for me!

I don't remember what I wrote in my letter, but I do remember that Charlie and John each wrote him a quick note and ended it with "Boom chicka boom chicka boom boom boom", something Valera would say a lot while swinging his hips back and forth. Hopefully his teacher isn't thinking we are crazy Americans!

I really thought he would love the Jelly Bellies and finger flashlights I sent- but my new friend wrote to tell me that what he really loved and shared with his class were the pictures of us. Lesson learned for the next package, send more pictures, and less "stuff".

Open Arms Ukraine Slideshow

2011-04-16T23:41:00.002-04:00

Through meeting people over the Internet, I found this great organization, Open Arms Ukraine. I love that they are trying to change these children's lives - and the orphanage that they minister to is Valera's! I've messaged back and forth a few times with a sweet member of the team, and she tagged me (on FB) in some of the pictures she has taken of Valera over the past couple of years. It's so fun to see him a few years ago and know that he was being loved on and shown the love of Jesus.

If you watch the above video - towards the end, you'll catch a peek of our boy. It's the picture of four boys all wearing matching sweaters.

Kitchen Redo

2011-04-10T20:11:00.000-04:00

One of the things we loved about our house when we bought it was the spacious kitchen. In fact, the biggest selling point was the ultra cool, huge, commercial sized Sub-Zero refrigerator and freezer. What we didn't know when we bought the house, however, was that our Sub-Zero was really a huge piece of crap that didn't function properly. The freezer didn't work for years, and the fridge finally gave out last fall. When Derek pulled the monstrosity out of the wall, there was a mammoth hole where the freezer had been leaking and the sheet rock rotted. I had been wanting a different color in the kitchen since we bought the house six years ago, and now I had an excuse.

I took a few before shots (the hole from the fridge was almost as big as the piece of new sheetrock below). Notice the random light in the middle of the wall - I guess it was to light up the top of the refrigerator.

In case you're wondering, when we threw out the Sub-Zero, we replaced it with my favorite, normal sized refridgerator I've ever owned. It's a Samsung with the freezer on the bottom and I love it. The layout of our kitchen didn't really flow well, so thanks to my handy husband, he was able to take out some unneccessary cabinets, reroute the water, and move the fridge to the other side of the kitchen.

Here's a peak of the work in progress. I LOVE the new color of my kitchen and it's brightened the whole room up. We replaced the random light with a random sconce. I fell in love with this little red hutch at a consignment shop and also the BIG painting. Derek thought the hutch would be dwarfed by the big wall. Maybe it does, but I still love it, anyway. All that is left to do is paint my table, make some benches, and sew some curtains. More pictures to come when all is done.

2011-04-05T21:25:00.000-04:00

I met a lady through the power of the internet that is at Valera's orphanage right now adopting her son. She wrote me an email today -

Hi Amy,

As we were driving off this afternoon, I saw two little guys come running by. Of course, I noticed the little bow legs. I told the driver to stop, and I cranked down my window and yelled. Valera stopped. I said, "you know Amy in America....she said hello". He gave us the biggest, cutest smile! He nodded his head as though he understood. I wish I had thought to grab my camera.

There are some very precious children here! Their smiles are priceless. We will be praying that your process goes well and that Valera will have the courage to say yes. I can give you some advice on that later.

How sweet is that?

Adopting

2011-04-02T13:30:00.002-04:00

You might remember my posts about hosting Valera, an orphan from Ukraine. When we hosted him, we were adamant that we were not interested in adoption. We already had six kids and adoptions are expensive! I'm sure most of you know, though, that we fell in love with Valera while he was here. The car ride home from the airport after dropping him off was the most quiet I have ever experienced in my life.

The next day during church all I could think about was Valera and I wished we could afford to go get him. I thought I knew Derek's heart on the matter, though, and knew he would think I was crazy for wanting to adopt. That night as I was sitting on the phone talking to my sister, Derek tossed passport applications in my lap and said, "If we won't go get him, who will??"

So I'm pleased to announce, we have made the decision to adopt Valera! He is not available for adoption until August, so we are just now starting the process. We are meeting with our agent on April 14th for our first home study visit. I've met a lady through email who happens to be at Valera's orphanage right now and she's seen him!

This process is going to cost a lot of money, and we are stepping out on faith and relying on God for the funds. We have a few ideas for some fundraisers and are anxious to get started. If you'd like to help out, I have a paypal account that you can donate to.

Sewing Lessons

2011-03-31T22:07:00.000-04:00

My daughters spent last weekend with my mother and she taught them how to sew! Molly said she wanted to make a skirt and even drew up a pattern (above).

Molly picked it up quick. My Mom pinned the pieces together and did the ironing, but other than that, Molly did it all on her own.

They stayed up until after midnight to finish their projects. Like mother, like daughter... like daughters.

Even though Anna had the motions down, I think her Grandma had to help keep the fabric under the needle.

Her project was a little pocket. She wants to add a strap to turn it into a purse.

I do believe my Mom created a sewing monster, because even after making two skirts and staying up until 12:30 am, the first thing Molly asked when she got home was if she could sew. I had to decline, mainly because I needed my Sunday afternoon nap, but I told her that I didn't have a small table in order for her to reach the pedal. She replied with, "Oh! It's alright, I can just stand to use the pedal!"

I think that since they learned on my Mom's fancy Pfaff, I'll be bypassing a kid's version machine and get them a Singer or something cheaper for us to have fun filled sewing days. Oh, and of course, a short table so my baby won't have to stand.

2011-03-17T14:48:00.000-04:00

Here's the apron I made a couple of weeks back for my chicken lovin' apron swap. This cutie is now at it's new home in California.

I think this is one of my favorite aprons I've made. I found this great fabric on Etsy. I love the chicken wire! I also found this great chick button at Hobby Lobby. It doesn't really match, but I didn't care.

The greatest part is - I have enough fabric to make me one!

2011-03-15T09:02:00.000-04:00

My son and I are very excited. Today, the first book in the newest series by Brandon Mull is arriving via Amazon. When Matt found out there was a new series coming out, he pre-ordered A World Without Heroes (Beyonders) back in January with his birthday money.

This is the same author that wrote Matt's all-time favorite series, Fablehaven - the books he compares every other book he read to. I wonder how A World Without Heroes (Beyonders) will stack up!

Chicken Apron

2011-03-10T22:57:00.000-05:00

I received the cutest chicken apron from one apron crazy lady. Of course, some of my kids always want in the picture with me, and of course, I oblige.

I love the style and best of all, it's reversible! Here's a close up of the fabric -

Guess what I told her my favorite patterns were? Polka dots and swirls - both which she managed to find along with some super cute chicks.

Add to that some very nice and much needed pot holders, some very cute clothes pins, and a delicious chicken crock pot recipe (which I'm going to try Sunday); and it made for a great swap, as usual.

Birthday Cards

2011-03-03T14:21:00.000-05:00

I showed you the picture my oldest son drew for me for my birthday yesterday. Let me now show you what my youngest son wrote to me.

Awww, isn't that sweet? Then, five minutes later, I received this one:

For those of you who don't read a 1st grader's writing well, let me translate:

Roses are red

Violets are blue

I wish Mom was skinny

People Celebrating Birthdays Today

2011-03-02T15:20:00.002-05:00

Well, hello, my favorite 007. Yes, today is Daniel Craig's birthday.

My favorite Cuban, Dezi Arnaz would have been 94 today.

Happy birthday to my favorite children's author, Dr. Seuss!

Not my favorite singer, but most definitely my favorite name to say, Jon Bon Jovi's birthday is today!

Hey! My favorite person is 35 today! Happy Birthday, me!

My oldest gave me this drawing this morning, and I have to say - I think it's my favorite present.

Upon further inspection, there is a lot going on in this picture.

There's cheerleaders spelling out my name:

There's musicians, which represent the three of my children who play instruments. One plays the trombone, one plays the trumpet, and the other the violin.

There's five men with top hats and canes dancing for me:

There is an airplane writing my name in the sky with fireworks in the background:

And lastly, there is an aviator doing yoga, or maybe that's supposed to be me. Whoever it is, I love it!

2011-03-01T11:16:00.002-05:00

Remember these super cute Redondo Skirts? They were both made with Jennifer Paganelli fabrics. Well, guess what Jennifer announced yesterday? She's coming out with a book!

Why, I do believe I will pre-order it!

A Week of Firsts.

2011-02-27T18:52:00.000-05:00

My little girl lost her first tooth Wednesday night! She discovered it was slightly loose on Tuesday, and wiggle and wiggled until it was out 24 hours later. I tell you what, I have never seen a child so excited about a tooth gone. I don't think there has ever been another cuter with a missing tooth!

Matt is now our only child who has gone skiing. They, especially he, have always wanted to go; but with six kids, that is something we've never had the money for. Matt had an opportunity, though, with the Boy Scouts to go this weekend. When asked how it was, his response was, "AWESOME!"

There was only one mishap over the weekend. He didn't put on sunscreen! I almost didn't recognize him when we picked him up. His little face is swollen and so red. Really, the photos don't do this burn justice.

I guess another slightly minor mishap is that he also forgot his toothbrush and ALL toiletries. Since Boy Scouts are always prepared, I think I need to just prepare myself for a stinky, fuzzy-toothed boy to come home from all future Boy Scout trips.

2011-02-23T21:22:00.000-05:00

At our church, I am a life group leader for some of the youth girls. They found out I have a blog and I like to sew aprons, and they had a good laugh. I guess they haven't figured out that it is ultra cool to make and wear aprons.

One of the girls, who happens to share my beautiful name, had a birthday last week and asked for an apron. She promised that if I made her one she would wear it all the time and even do her homework in it.

So today, I made her a half apron that my wonderful red headed baby is modeling.

How cute is this gnome fabric? I've had it for awhile now and have not found fabric to match it - but I do believe some of my stash Katie Jump Rope did the trick!

Proud Mom

2011-02-21T20:33:00.001-05:00

My oldest was one of eight 7th and 8th graders from his school to make our District Honor Band. Kids from 14 counties got together and in less than two days, they were able to put on a great concert. It was amazing how good this band sounded - if you heard them, you'd probably think you were listening to a professional symphony orchestra.

The only bad thing was, we sat on the wrong side of the auditorium and didn't get to see our boy until they stood to take a bow. It was almost like a real life hame of Where's Waldo. I am so proud of my boy; he is quite the musician.

You might not know this about me, but I am nuts over popcorn. I eat it almost every day. In fact, I changed grocery stores purely for popcorn. I found out that Ingles gives free bags to kids under 12; but the folks there are nice enough to give me a free bag, too! So of course, when I saw a billboard for Popcorn Haven on the way home from the concert, I made Derek get off the exit. I was expected a place to sell different kinds of kernels, so I was a bit dissappointed when I walked in to a room full of pre-popped and very unusual flavored popcorn. I felt obliged to buy some, though, and let me tell you .... I have found my new favorite snack. Key Lime Pie flavored popcorn. Sounds gross but trust me, delicious. If you are ever near Calhoun, GA - you should check it out. Some of the weirder flavors that I did NOT want to try were steak, hawaiian pizza, and cheese caramel.

This is so funny!

2011-02-12T12:38:00.000-05:00

Success!

2011-02-11T12:09:00.000-05:00

The Cuppycake Dress fit! And ... she LOVES it! And .... those Pre-Kers really know how to party!

There were balloons, a DJ playing great party songs such as the YMCA, the Cha Cha Slide (which is very fun to watch a room full of 4 and 5 year olds dance) and the Cupid Shuffle.

The dress twirled good during a brief dance with her Daddy.

I'm really not just being an enthusiastic Mom, that was one serious fun party. Too bad they go through the stage where they become too cool to dance.

The CUTEST Dress

2011-02-11T00:10:00.000-05:00

I do believe I made a rather C.U.T.E. dress today for my little one. She is having a Pre-K Valentine social/dance tomorrow and they are supposed to wear their Sunday best. We decided to make her a new dress and while the finished product isn't a "dressy" dress, it is cute and will be unique.

All of the fabric is from my stash and not much of it was bought together, but don't all of these fabrics go quite nicely? In the middle of sewing, I ran out of white thread. I made a Wal-Mart run and LOOK at the shoes I found! Little Bit was in bed by the time I got home, so I hope her slippers fit. I hope the dress fits. I hope she likes the dress enough to wear it tomorrow because I LURVE it.

Cost: $2.46 for thread, $7 for chic satin red shoes. I'm not counting the stash because I bought it so long ago, so it just doesn't count, okay?
Time: About 3 hours

$9.46 isn't bad for a evenings worth of entertainment, some stash busting, and one seriously cute dress.

Apron I made for Lori

2011-02-08T09:05:00.001-05:00

This is the apron I made for the Flirty Apron Swap. I used some fabric from my stash and the Lola apron pattern. The main expense of this apron was the 300 yards of bias tape. Okay, so I exaggerate, but I did use about 5 packs, plus one pack of ric rac.

I made a potholder with the video tutorial I posted a while back. This is an amazingly easy pattern and I think you should all go try it today. You'll have a lovely potholder or trivet in less than 10 minutes.

My wonderful stick figure son modeling it for me. Trust me, Lori looks much cuter in the apron than Nate. If you'd like to see her modeling it, go here. While you're there, take a look at the other wonderful cutie pie aprons all the swappers have made.

My Cutie Pie Apron

2011-02-07T21:25:00.000-05:00

Here is my apron I got from Lori. Isn't it cute?!? I am telling you that the picture just doesn't do this apron justice. She used a Jamie Christina pattern. After seeing how cute it is and how well it fits, I think I will definitely have to order some of her patterns.

I also got this hand towel with LOVE appliqued on it. I'm hoping my sweet children's grubby little hands will lay off it so it can stay beautiful.

I got some cupcake tins and picks (which I bought the exact same picks to send to my partner, who happened to be none other than Lori)! I got a cute magnetic notepad and some delicious chocolate covered cookie dough bites. Those things were so good that I almost couldn't stop eating them. The only way I did was to offer them up to the lucky kids who happened to be standing near me at the time.

This was a great swap and a lot of FUN! Thanks, Lori!

Look Ma, no Training Wheels!

2011-02-06T22:21:00.000-05:00

Guess who learned to ride a two wheeler? Her seven year old brother taught her all my himself with a few simple pushes. She is outside constantly now riding away.

How to make a pot holder in minutes

2011-01-31T15:11:00.000-05:00

2011-01-24T20:05:00.000-05:00

My Mom found a tutorial for a little girl's pillbox hat on Sew Forum, so she made my girls each one. They immediately knew which one was made for them. My redhead loves zebra print since that is her class mascot, and my little one loves polka dots and blue (that the color of her winter coat, too).

After their afterschool fudge bar, they decided to ham it up and wear each other's hats.

Thanks, Grandma - they love them and can't wait to wear them to school tomorrow! In fact, little Ann hasn't taken hers off since I gave it to her. And yes, I remembered to give them their gifts as soon as they walked in the door.

2011-01-23T20:32:00.001-05:00

I haven't been blogging much - because I've been a reading addict. I haven't sewn in at least a couple of months. I haven't picked up my knitting needles, either. I have, however, carried my Nook everywhere I go. I've read while I dry my hair, in the bed, at red lights...

I thought maybe I'd keep a list of what I read in 2011 and, since I like to keep my posts short and sweet, a very short review of each one.

Switched (Trylle Trilogy, Book 1) - Pretty good original little story, about a girl who realizes she is a changeling and finds her true idenity. Short, quick read.

Torn (Trylle Trilogy, Book 2)

Ascend (Trylle Trilogy, #3)

Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble: The Jolie Wilkins Series, Book 1 - Best paranormal romace I've read. H.P. Mallory is a very good author and I can't wait until the 3rd book comes out.

Toil and Trouble, a Paranormal Romance (Book 2 of the Jolie Wilkins Series)

To Kill A Warlock: Dulcie O'Neil Series - Another good book by H.P., but, in my opinion, I like the Jolie books better.

Water for Elephants: A Novel - Best book I have read in awhile. Very sweet and touching story and I can't wait for the movie to come out. The husband even read this one and loved it.

Bet Me - um, good while I read it, but already forgotten the plot.

My Blood Approves - ugh, dragged on and on without going anywhere.

Darkfever (Fever Series, Book 1) - My newest series of books. Good and original I just started this series midweek and I'm already on the 4th book. Gripping story that I can't put down.

Bloodfever: The Fever Series (A Mackayla Lane Novel)

Faefever: The Fever Series

Dreamfever: The Fever Series

Once I finish the 5th book in this series, I am putting my Nook down for awhile. There is an apron that needs to be sewn, a scarf that needs to be knitted, and some dishes that need to be cleaned.

Departure Day

2011-01-17T00:39:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we had to take our boy to the airport for him to head back to Ukraine. One of the saddest things happened before we even left home. Derek was filling out the luggage tag and asked Valera to write his name in Ukrainian - he wrote Valera and then used our last name.

Some friends from church hosted a brother and sister from Ukraine. They came over to our house a couple of times and Molly got so attached to Natasha. She was happy to get to spend another hour with Natasha at the airport and she pretty much stayed attached to her side like below.

Valera enjoyed spending his last hours with us goofing off with the kids and laying around getting some last hugs from Derek and I.

He also reconnected with a friend from his orphanage, Vitaly. Any other time we got around other people from Ukraine, Valera wouldn't talk to them. He would RARELY use any Ukrainian words in our house, even when we'd ask how to pronounce something. So it was really fun and neat to see Valera interacting with Vitaly and hear them talking in their own language.

Above, Vitaly is playing with his host Mom's cell phone and Valera playing with Derek's Blackberry. Who knew Brick Breaker could be so much fun?

We really were not prepared for saying goodbye. In the training manual and in talking to other folks, I learned that the children usually will not cry. They are taught not to cry and in their situation, they really just shut down and don't show much emotion. That is what I was expecting. When the time came for us to part, Valera had his back to us waiting to be taken to security. A lady closer to the scene mouthed to us that he was crying. Derek went to him and said there was a puddle on the floor from Valera's tears falling off his face. Derek just held him and let his own tears land on Valera's shirt. Derek let him go and I went to hug him one last time. He wouldn't look at me or talk to me, so I just held him and his shoulders shook as I did. The group (the chaperon along with about 15 kids) took off to security and Valera didn't once look back at us.

I knew that I would be upset. I wasn't prepared for my own kids to cry. I wasn't prepared for the 45 minute car ride home in complete silence. I wasn't prepared to get so attached to a little bow legged Ukrainian boy.

Saying Goodbye

2011-01-14T23:51:00.002-05:00

I do believe that tomorrow I'll have to do one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. We will have to say goodbye to the sweet boy who has lived with us for the past five weeks.

We made a little photo book for him to take back to Ukraine with him. We all signed the back cover, and Valera tried to get his favorite one of us, Tippy the dog, to sign it. No joke, he was putting the pen in Tippy's mouth before Charlie grabbed it and signed it for her.

This is his favorite page of the whole book .... all because of the picture below.

Awww - we're going to miss Valera! It's been a trying five weeks and I've learned a lot about myself. I think the good memories and blessings will far outweigh the bad. I wonder how long Derek and I will say, "Voila!" after doing every little task? I wonder how long before my kids stop dancing and singing, "Boom chicka boom chicka boom boom boom." Will I ever refer to my nephew by his given name instead of, "Big Boy" with a cute Ukrainian accent? Will I ever be able to look at a sausage again without saying a prayer for Valera?

People keep asking me if I'll do this again. Ask me again next month. It's all too fresh right now.

2011-01-13T13:49:00.000-05:00

I found this great new up and coming author via the Big Deals section at Barnes & Noble. I'm not really sure if it's okay to mention Amazon and B & N in the same blog post; but so be it. The author is H.P. Mallory and the first book I read was Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble. If you're into paranormal romances, trust me, this is the book for you. Within three days I had read it and the sequel Toil and Trouble, a Paranormal Romance (Book 2 of the Jolie Wilkins Series).

If you have Nook or Kindle, do yourself a favor and go download these books now. For less than $5 you get almost a week of entertainment.

I just finished my third H.P. Mallory book, To Kill A Warlock: Dulcie O'Neil Series this morning. I was reading on her blog and found out that she is in the middle of the second book in this series. There is a contest to be a character in the next book that I entered. I must admit, it's not really so much to be a character in an upcoming book, but more with the fact that I would get a signed copy before it's released!

2011-01-12T20:06:00.004-05:00

Just joined the Flirty Apron Swap 14

You should, too!

Snow + Ice Day, Part 2

2011-01-10T22:08:00.001-05:00

Valera was one of the kids that was a little afraid to go down the big hill. It really didn't help that there was a fence at the bottom that they would run into (due to construction). He finally decided to go down the two-person sled with Derek - but only if he could ride in the back.

Valera didn't quite make it all the way down.

And Derek didn't, either.

These two didn't have any problems, though. If it would've been up to them, we would have stayed out until dark.

Snow + Ice Day

2011-01-10T21:59:00.000-05:00

We had so much fun tonight with the southern snow and ice storm. This afternoon, there were a couple of inches of snow with about 1/4 of an inch of ice on top - which made for some good sledding.

I know that this first picture is blurry, but I wanted to show the fun the boys had this morning. One would get to sit on the sled while the others would run them up a bike ramp. My camera kept messing up and I couldn't get an in focus shot or one that showed them in air.

Later on, we went to our school field that has some great hills. My Mom let me borrow a really cool antique sled with blades in case the ice got thick enough. You wouldn't believe how fast it was! However, only my youngest son was light enough for it to fly and not get stuck.

Valera had a blast on the smaller hills.

I don't think anybody enjoyed it more than my little bit. She was fearless. She would find the steepest part and jump on the saucer and go. She would also climb on her brother's laps and steal rides with them.

We moved to the bigger hills after about an hour, and it took some of the kids a little while to work up their courage. In the picture above, you can see that the girls decided to slide down on their rears.

My Mother Bracelet

2011-01-03T21:02:00.000-05:00

My Mother gave me a mother's bracelet for Christmas. One of her friend's daughter is a jewelry artist and happened to be down in Atlanta doing a show. My Mom talked her into making a bracelet for me using my children's birthstones. The result is beautiful and I love it! In fact, I've worn it everyday since I've received it.

So pretty ....thank you, Momma!

My man gave me tickets to see the Blue Man Group in a few weeks. I can't wait for that since I think they're the coolest blue things since the Smurfs.

The biggest present I received (if you asked my kids) was a Snuggie from my boss. I have never seen seven kids more jealous in my life. They thought I struck gold with that gift; so guess what they are all getting for their birthdays this year!

The apron I made -

2011-01-02T13:23:00.000-05:00

I never did post pictures of the apron that I sent out to my partner for Shawnee's Flirty Apron Swap.

We were supposed to spell out a wintry word and include "tuck ins" for each letter of the word. I chose the simple word SNOW.

For the letter "S", I sent my partner socks.

I kind of reached for the "N" tuck in. The only thing I could think of was a nutcracker, and I just couldn't find one that I liked enough to send. In the end, I decided to send her a garland of her Name. Thanks to my ultra cook father in law, I got a Cricut for Christmas and was able to make this super easy!

For the letter "O", I sent two ornaments. My partner decorates her tree in pink and cream - so I hope these two beauties looked good on her tree.

For the "W", I sent a recipe for Wassail along with two mugs. Unfortunately, I heard that one of the mugs was smashed in shipping.

Finally, here is the apron - since the theme was snowflakes, I went with the snowflake patterned fabric.

2011-01-01T20:53:00.000-05:00

It's been too long, and I have so much to catch everyone up on. First off, we had a wonderful Christmas! Since many of my friends and family did not get a card from us this year (due to sending them out December 23 and using address labels from three years ago), here is the picture we used.

My kids are having so much fun with Valeriy and I think he is having just as much fun. I truly have never seen someone so excited about Christmas and presents.

The kid eats EVERYTHING! One thing we learned in training is that a lot of the Ukrainian kids are very picky eaters. They like bland food and the condiment of choice is ketchup. In fact, their idea of spaghetti is noodles with ketchup on it. However, Valeriy is nothing like that. He eats everything we put in front of him and about three times more than my kids eat. He has gained over five pounds since he got here. His favorite things are pizza and McDonald's. Since he loves pizza so much, we thought we'd take him to the place that serves the biggest pizza around, Big Pie in the Sky. Yup, he and all the other kids loved it.

He's Here!

2010-12-13T22:57:00.000-05:00

With the help of family and friends, we were able to raise ALL the money we needed to bring Valeriy here to the states for Christmas. My younger three kids helped me make a welcome poster for him. I looked how to spell "Welcome" in Ukrainian on google translate, and I hope that's what I put on the poster! Who knows (besides Valeriy) what it really says.

Nate and Matt had to stay back in town for a band concert so they couldn't go to the airport with us. I am telling you, I have never seen someone so curious and excited about every little thing around my house. He would yell from upstairs, "Mommee! Mommee!" and then come show me what he found. So far he has found my college ID that I haven't seen in 16 years and a cross pendant that I'm not sure I've ever seen. I think my favorite thing that he brought me was a binder. He yelled his "Mommee", then sat and showed me how the rings open and close!

I do believe this will be a very fun 5 weeks, and oh so very hard on January 15 to say goodbye.

A Real Tree

2010-12-08T16:37:00.000-05:00

We haven't had a real Christmas tree since or first year of marriage. This year, though, all of the artificial lights were blowing and it was shedding, so we thought we'd let the kids experience the smells of a fresh cut tree throughout the house. My sinuses aren't loving it, but we knew the kids would.

Through the lovely Internet, I was able to find a tree farm just 10 minutes from our house. I drive past the road all the time, but I would have never noticed their sign. After going up and down several rows, we found our perfect tree - 9 1/2 feet tall!

All of the kids had their turn at sawing, although I don't think they got anywhere.

They gave free hayrides (with tree purchase)! We had the whole trailer to ourselves, so that was fun.

These next few pictures are to show my Mom the tree stand we bought at the farm. It's pretty cool - maybe they are all like this now and I didn't know since it's been almost 15 years since we've bought a tree stand. There is this spike coming out of the container; probably about 6 inches long. They drilled a hole in our tree, so all we had to do was hammer the stand to the hole. Voila, it just stands there by itself without turning the three screws like in the old stands!

Sadly, we have been so busy with school activities that we've not had a chance to put all of the ornaments on our tree, yet. I'll post some pics when we finally do get a chance.

Flirty Apron Swap

2010-12-02T21:34:00.001-05:00

I was part of Shawnee's Frosted Flurries Apron Swap this season. Not only do we send an apron, but we also include tuck ins to go along with it. We are supposed to spell out a word that has to do with Christmas or winter, the word I chose was "SNOW", and then send a tuck in for each letter of that word.

I got my package on Monday, and boy, did my partner deliver! Not only did I get a super cute apron, but she sent A LOT of goodies. Let's start with the apron - my son couldn't seem to capture a picture with me wearing a smile. I love the pattern and the fun fabric! It fits good and it crisscrosses in the back.

For the tuck ins, she chose the word "CHILDREN" - since I have so many! No, she knew that our kids are the focus over the holidays. This is the "L" that she tacked to the pocket - a Little angel!

The "R" was also included on the apron. A Recycled vintage brooch. In the shape of a snowflake, no less.

She sent me a lot of scarves for the kids to play with. Aren't these pretty? I know she sent them for imaginative play for the children; but I will admit, I've been wearing a couple of them myself!

The "N" is for Neatness. She sent me a thread catcher that her mother made! I must admit, that I am a messy person and I throw my threads and scraps on my table as I'm sewing. I'm so excited about this thread catcher! It has a grippy bottom on the flower to stay put on my table and it's also a pin cushion. As I sew, I'll just be able to throw in my threads in the cute little bag. How cute! There was more things that were including that I didn't include pictures with - Candy canes for the kids (they're already gone), a Hand towel with snowflakes on it, Decorative snowflakes all throughout that I will use as ornaments, and snowflake Earrings! I think that the best surprise of all, though, was that my partner was sweet enough to include a donation to help bring Valeriy to our house!

Thank you so much, partner! This was most fun I've had opening a package in any swap I've ever been in. You truly made it special!

2010-11-11T10:02:00.000-05:00

I was a sewing fool earlier this week! My Mom and sister have an open house every year for their embroidery businesses and I worked hard to get some aprons made to try to sell. Of course, I ran out of the house yesterday morning without taking a single picture of my work. Good thing for me, though, that my sister took some pics last night of their goods and put them on Facebook!

I am selling them to help raise money to bring Valeriy here. I found out his name is pronounced Va-Larry. I decided to sell raffle tickets to win the reversible apron below. Now that I look at it, I kind of wish I had one like it! I love that combo of Anna Maria Horner fabric!

I'm planning on making a special mother/daughter matching apron set to giveaway on my blog - hopefully next week. Stay tuned!

Will you help us?

2010-11-06T12:09:00.006-04:00

We are hosting a sweet little boy in our home this Christmas through an organization called New Horizons for Children. You can go to their website to read more, but here's an excerpt from an email and this explains a little more why I want to host Valery in our home.

"NHFC is a non-denominational, non-profit, Christian ministry. Our goals are to reach orphans in Eastern European countries and bring them to the USA to visit with American Christian host families for 4-5 weeks over Christmas and in the summer. This shows them a functional family environment, immerses them in English, gives them love of family, and of their Father in Heaven. It undoubtedly builds their otherwise non-existent self-esteem. They realize they DO matter and can succeed in life."

Valery - 12 last week! speaks Ukrainian, Russian and a little English. He came to the interview with “Bubba teeth” in his mouth that he got from our team while waiting his turn. He really loves cooking and aspires to be a chief in the future. He has a very warm smile and enjoys playing ball and swimming. He would like family with kids younger than him and dogs. He also would like to live near a city. A past adoptive mom wrote: I (Stephanie) spent some time with Valery while on our adoption trip. He is a little shy, but very friendly and ready to smile! He has very bowed legs, and I think some of the kids tease him for it. Although he is a good little soccer player, he would shy away from playing with the big boys. He is small for his age, maybe a size 10? Super sweet guy!

Some money has already been donated to bring Valery to America! Derek and I are willing to host him and pour our love on him, but we need help to raise the remaining money. Will you help us?

I have a paypal account you can donate to, or you can go to my active fundraising page. By donating through the active page, the money will go straight to New Horizons (for our family and Valery) and will be tax deductible.

Thank you!