Rosy Lemmons

our week

2012-01-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

There has been lots of lego playing for Todd & Kate while Alice wasn't feeling so well for her 3rd round of croup for the winter. Thankfully she is finally feeling much better.

We love parking garages. We drive all the way to the top floor to allow us more time on the elevator. Plus you get the best view of the area from way up there.

I love this picture of Todd. Just one of the ways we stay entertained while waiting for his bus.

keeping my hands busy

2012-01-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

I end up just sitting for about 15 to 20 minutes waiting for Todd to get out of school. Today I decided to bring Mom's quilt that I'm working on. This way I can still chat with Kate and my hands are busy. Don't you like how I just tossed my sewing stuff into Kate's hat to hold everything? She didn't mind since that meant that she had it to wear when we went out later.

I was supposed to have this quilt done for Christmas. Since that didn't happen, I'm trying to get it done before I see her again so I can give it to her then. I did underestimate the amount of quilt squares that needed to be replaced. I've gotten one side of the quilt done and am now working on the last corner. If I can get a square replaced everyday for the next 2 weeks it should be finished. That's the plan anyways.

a little shopping fun

2012-01-24T12:46:00.000-05:00

The girls & I were out shopping early last week when we stopped off for some baskets. I saw these awesome masks and had to get Kate to wear one. We loved them and we got such fun pictures!

more Christmas stockings

2012-01-23T08:00:00.001-05:00

My crafty friend, Ellie, made this stocking for Todd a few years back and we love it. Todd especially. During the Christmas season he'll put it everywhere for decoration.

This Christmas, Kate & Alice, got stockings to go with his.

I love the personalized embroidery that she does by hand. Aren't they just the sweetest things? Ellie is the best at giving handmade gifts. Thanks Ellie!

p.s. I had a couple people ask about the names on our Christmas stockings and I did cross stitch them by hand.

this week

2012-01-13T11:31:00.000-05:00

lunch notes

2012-01-12T21:17:00.000-05:00

This was one of my little man's lunch notes last week. It's very winter festive and so far the only snow we've seen this winter.

Crib Rail Teether Tutorial

2012-01-10T08:00:00.004-05:00

Alice just started teething and as much as I love her getting fiber I don't want her to get it from her crib. It only takes a couple of hours to make... depending on how many interruptions you have.

I was originally going to use batting to pad the rail teether but I didn't feel like cutting into my quilting batting. Instead I used some fleece that I had on hand. Now my fleece was not long enough so I had to stitch it together so that it would be long enough. If you have to stitch your batting or fleece together use the zig-zag stitch so that your fabric does not overlap and create a bump:

You can use batting for the inside, but then I would suggest cutting only one strip of batting and cutting a strip of fabric for the backing. This will allow it to stay washable.

You need:

2 strips of fleece

1 strip of outer fabric

ribbon

Your measurements will probably differ depending on the size of your crib, but my strips measured 53 inches x 6 inches.

If you would like your rail teether to go farther down your crib side just cut your strips wider. I only wanted to cover the rail so kept the width to 6 inches.

Layer your strips with the fleece {or your batting} on the bottom, outer fabric right side up in the middle, and then fleece {or backing fabric wrong side up} on the top.

Like so:

If you did patch together 2 pieces of fleece like I did then flip your strips around so the the seams are not on top of each other. I was afraid that if my two seams were on top of each other it would make an uncomfortable bump.

Stitch around 3 edges leaving one end open:

On the end that you stitched close, clip the edges:

Turn the long strip right side out with your outer fabric on the outside.

Then you will have a lovely long thick strip:

Turn your open unfinished edge in and top stitch it closed.

It's alright that your seam is on the outside and showing because now your going to top stitch all along the rest.

When you're done you'll have this lovely strip:

Then take it and put in on the crib rail to mark where you want to put your ties.

I used safety pins to mark the spots where I wanted to sew on the ties. Using safety pins keep you from getting stuck when sewing on the ribbons and keeps your baby's fingers safe while they're playing assistant:

My ribbon ties were 6 - 6 1/2 inches long. I might have made them longer, but that was all I had of that ribbon.

Fold over your ribbon when you sew it on or it might rip right off when you go to tie it onto your crib {like mine did the first time}:

Sew your ribbon onto the back of your rail teether. If your tie has an obvious top MAKE SURE the top is facing the same direction as your outer fabric:

Looks like a cool caterpillar, right?:

Go ahead and tie on your awesome crib rail teether:

I tied the ribbons with 2 knots each and then finished them off with a bow:

1st trip to Hobby Lobby

2012-01-09T08:00:00.001-05:00

I went to Hobby Lobby for the first time ever while we were in Arkansas. Holy Moly. It was awesome and I can't wait to go again sometime. While there I bought this key holder. It's nice to have a place for our keys besides on our kitchen bar or a shelf or on a cluttered counter or some other random surface. Josh used shiny silver screws to put it up and then I painted the screw heads black with some basic craft paint and now they totally blend in. Love it.

On another note, I'm working on my very first tutorial. It is for this crib rail teether that I whipped up for Alice since she just started teething last Tuesday {her 10 month old birthday}. I'm excited to share it with you. I just need to make the time to finish it up. I hope to have it up this week.

p.s. The flower damask fabric & velvet ribbon for the crib rail teether was also purchased at Hobby Lobby. ;)

letter to Santa

2012-01-06T08:00:00.001-05:00

I know that I'm backtracking a bit. But I don't care. These are just too cute to not share.

I snapped these as we rushed to mail their letter to Santa on Christmas Eve. We were cutting it close with mailing it out that late, but that's alright since Santa is magic and he definitely still got it in time.

And so Christmas was saved.

a freaky story

2012-01-05T08:00:00.001-05:00

Wanna know what happened with that real tree? Well, it got pretty real. haha. The day after Christmas, Josh and Todd were jamming on their guitars when Todd told Josh that there were bugs on the wall.

Wait.

Bugs? On the wall?

Josh goes over to inspect and sees these teeny tiny brown brown praying mantis' crawling up the wall... and the curtains... and then sees hundreds on the tree itself!

I had just gotten in the shower and finished shampooing my hair when Josh bursts in and lets me know that he needs my help to get the tree out of the house... FAST and then he disappears downstairs. So I dry off as fast as I can, hop back into my dirty clothes, and throw my wet hair into a quick bun. I finally make it to the living room where I see Josh standing there with the vacuum cleaner hose sucking them up.

At first I was horrified that he was vacuuming them up. But when I saw them scattering up my walls & curtains and on the floor... the panic set in. And then I was all for getting those freaky buggers out of there.

We tossed ornaments {thankfully, the shatterproof ones} into an open box as we made sure there were no bugs on each one. Then we just sucked it up and grabbed the tree and shoved/pulled it out the front door. All I could think of when I had my arms around that infested tree was how grateful I was that I still had my shower to finish.

Ewwwww!

Josh & I have now sworn off real trees. My sister and I ran to the store and bought one on clearance that night.

finished in the nick of time

2012-01-04T08:00:00.002-05:00

On Christmas Eve in the afternoon I finished Alice's stocking. Todd & Kate, especially, were relieved that it was done in time. They were very concerned that their baby sister wouldn't have a stocking up for Santa to fill.

I love that they all match. When it was Todd's first Christmas I went & bought a large amount of fabric and all of the supplies I figured that I would need throughout the years.

Alice's blessing dress

2012-01-03T10:45:00.000-05:00

Alice turns 10 months old today and so I decided that it was about time to finally post about her blessing dress. I did buy a pattern a long time ago, yes... but I never opened it. I decided to just wing it like I usually do. I did find an old basic pattern for a sleeve and made that work. It was my first successful time doing sleeves. Even though it's risky to just wing it, it's how I love to sew. And I LOVE how this turned out. It has that classic period look to it and is full of details.

I made it longer than her legs so that when you held her in your arms the length draped over your arm.

In the left photo you can see the tiny white eyelet lace that I hand stitched onto her sleeve. Also, a close-up of the crocheted lace on the gathered empire waist.

In the right photo you can see the little flower stitch around the neckline. You can also see the sweet puckered top of the sleeves.

The sleeves are the only things not lined.

I chose 3 flat buttons that would be as comfortable for Alice as could be.

You can see the crocheted lace also on the back. It didn't quite meet up perfectly, but I don't mind so much.

You can see the lining in the left picture. As silly as it sounds, I actually felt more capable in lining the dress than making a pair of bloomers {since I had never done bloomers before}, and she needed something. After spending all the time making the dress I was not going to have the pattern on her diaper show through the light fabric. No way.

On the right you can see how much I loved that crocheted lace. Combining the crocheted lace with the eyelet lace on the bottom of the gown really gave it that look I was going for.

Hooray! And now that I've finally posted about her blessing dress I can tuck it away in her special container for her to keep.

I hope you've enjoyed seeing it.

Alligator Farm

2012-01-02T15:05:00.001-05:00

We went to an alligator farm while in Arkansas. This was a real labor of love for my Dad. I was ready to not go. You see, I grew up with a recurring nightmare of crocodiles & alligators trying to eat me. {terrifying} But, when he said that he had always wanted to go to the alligator farm since he was a kid, I was like, Alright! Let's go then! But still, my favorite part of the alligator farm was this awesome totem pole.

They had quite a few other animals besides the alligators.

But, of course, the main attraction was the alligators:

Eeeeek!

Seriously, the alligators freaked me out. But not Josh. I think he loved every minute of it.

Even Kate & Todd got into the alligator fun.

Arkansas for the holiday season

2012-01-02T13:34:00.000-05:00

We drove to Little Rock and back for the a few days before Christmas to visit with family that we haven't seen in ages.

I'll post the photos from the Alligator Farm in a different post since there are so many.

We had a pretty good drive there, even though it took 14 hours to get there!

Everyone got into the fun of playing with Aunt Sharon's homemade play dough.

We had such a good time visiting with family. My only regret is that I didn't get as many pics as I had hoped for. At least I was busy visiting!

On the 14 hour drive back home we were all so exhausted from the long visit.

bunch-of-aprons

2011-12-14T13:31:00.000-05:00

I finally finished this pile of aprons. It feels so good to check something off my never-ending to do list.

{It feels like the only thing I going to get to check off my list.}

See that blue up there? I can't wait to paint it on my stairwell walls. That will be our art wall. At least that's plan right now. In our home it's liable to change up until the wall is painted.

before & after haircut

2011-12-13T08:26:00.000-05:00

Last Friday,

hmmmm... or maybe it was Thursday,

anyway...

I was able to get a much needed haircut. I hadn't had one since early August. And I feel so much better about myself, I must say.

Which is important right now in the midst of holiday madness.

Did I say madness?

I must have been mistaken.

I meant celebration.

getting our Christmas tree

2011-12-12T08:00:00.001-05:00

This was the first time we've gone and picked our own tree to cut and bring home.

Josh decided to go with the authentic experience of cutting down the Christmas tree. After about halfway through he decided that that was authentic enough for him and so the guy brought the chainsaw over.

Todd & Kate got to pull the tree on the trailer and found out how to see how old a tree is.

Our tree is 14 years old.

Seriously. We love living in our small town.

Only a few pics from Thanksgiving

2011-12-08T14:47:00.000-05:00

I really didn't get pics taken from anything at Thanksgiving except from this visit at Josh's parent's home.

But, what I do have... I love.

Josh snapped this pic last week.

They are finally all better.

That makes me so grateful.

last month

2011-12-08T10:33:00.000-05:00

These are just some pics I took on the way up to VA for Thanksgiving that I wanted to share:

Christmas Parade

2011-12-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

quick trip to the pet store

2011-12-04T14:16:00.000-05:00

Alice loved the fish

Kate loved all of the animals. Even the rats. Yuck.

Now, know that we did this trip a few weeks ago when it was warm out. That would be why Alice didn't even have socks on. It was warm and rainy... hence the jacket but no socks or shoes.

I mention that it was a few weeks ago because this sweet baby of mine has RSV and we are not really going anywhere. And when we do need to pick something up we sometimes turn around in aisles and go back the way we came to avoid other kids.

I'm so ready for my family to get well. Also I would like to find the time to take pics of some finished craft projects {Not that advent calendar I was going to do. I scrapped that.} so that I can show you. Hmmm... oh yeah, I would also like to find my address book so that I can get to work on Christmas cards without having to contact every single person to get their address.

Yep.

That would be great.

what you've missed

2011-12-04T11:54:00.000-05:00

this delish corn & cheese chowder that I can't wait to make again.

I got on all fours & started roaring like a tiger. I asked Kate what she was doing. She said that she was "cooking baby Alice for food for Mommy Tiger."

This chick is hilarious because what else do you do when you're in danger of being eaten by a tiger but cook up your little sister for it... then you're safe!

Trying to snap a pic before Josh went off to Canada for a week.

This one turned out a-ma-zing!

Kate just can't seem to get enough of these pink roses. I can't seem to get enough of watching her.

I'm grateful for~

2011-12-01T05:35:00.000-05:00

22. Urgent care

23. Leslie, my awesome friend that brought us dinner two days ago

24. antibiotics so that Todd can not be contagious and go to school

Todd & Alice are sick again. Todd has bronchitis and Alice has bronchialitis. I'm ready for them to get better and stay that way.

I hope everyone's Thanksgiving was wonderful and that time was well spent. I wish everyone a Merry Christmas... especially with it being December 1st!

I'm hoping that I can magically get a certain advent calendar made and put up by the time Todd gets home from school today. With Kate going to a birthday party today I will be running to the store to pick up a late present and should finally be able to pick up the things that I need to get this advent calendar up. Yay! The advent calendar tradition is covered this year whether I get this one up or not though. My sister was awesome to pick up a few yummy chocolate in a box advent calendars from Trader Joe's for us this year. If I get mine up I'll post it so you can see it.

What about you? Do you do an advent calendar? What kind do you have?

I'm grateful for~

2011-11-21T21:49:00.000-05:00

17. Dr. Pepper

18. peanut m&m's

19. Redbox

20. thermometers

21. pediatricians

Josh was in Canada for a week and I took the children to a pediatrician 4 times in 8 days. The Dr. Pepper and chocolate kept me alert when exhausted and redbox kept the sick child on the couch entertained. I am grateful for that week being over. I am grateful for prayer and knowing the Lord was watching over Josh on his business trip, my sweet sick children, and me taking care of them. Todd & Kate are better now. And Alice is finally on the mend from croup. I have so much to be thankful for and I'm glad to be able to share that with you.

I'm grateful for~

2011-11-16T21:34:00.000-05:00

{image source}

16. I'm grateful for technology. It allows us to stay in contact with Josh when he is gone on a business trip. I love to see the joy on the children's faces when they see their daddy on my phone. They tell him about their day, get to see around his very cool hotel room, and have fun swapping funny faces.

I'm grateful for~

2011-11-15T10:53:00.000-05:00

15. I'm grateful for the holidays. I'm trying to take the time to get more into the spirit of each holiday and enjoy them more with the children.

These are pics of my mantle with my Halloween decor still on it with Thanksgiving next week. Whoops.

I'm grateful for~

2011-11-14T08:26:00.000-05:00

13. for the times in the evening when all the kids are in bed at night and I get to watch t.v. and sew to my heart's content. I stay up late some nights just having such a great time laughing at whatever movie it might be {last night it was My Life in Ruins} and seeing how much sewing I can fit in before I have to crawl into bed.

14. Alice being partially stationary still. If I lay her down that baby chick will roll over that floor but if I set on the floor sitting up then all she usually does is turn around in a circle while keeping her bum in the same spot.

I love her.

Cadence's doll

2011-11-12T15:53:00.001-05:00

I made this doll this past weekend for another birthday party of one of Kate's friends. I always seem to make these last minute.

pirate princess

2011-11-12T14:51:00.000-05:00

Back in April I was making a doll as a birthday present. I had just told Kate not to touch the eyes since the paint was still wet... so she touched an eye. The only thing that I could think of to do was to paint an eye patch on. I made another doll for the birthday present and kept this one for Alice. I just finished it the last week.

I'm thinking that maybe she'll look more the pirate princess part if I add a belt. Not sure how I would do that yet but it I think it would look pretty cool.

I'm grateful for~

2011-11-12T14:24:00.000-05:00

Josh's USMC pic.

I'm grateful for Veterans!

I'm grateful for~

2011-11-11T08:00:00.001-05:00

9. warm blankets on cold nights

10. sweet loving children tucked into bed

11. hot apple cider

the girl's aprons

2011-11-10T07:17:00.000-05:00

Kate's apron is the same pattern as the one I made for her twin friends. I made it months ago but am just now getting pics of her wearing it. I just love the Heather Bailey fabric that she chose for her apron. It's the same fabric that I used to makeover the glider rocker for the girl's room.

Olivia's apron is the first 2~piece one that I've made. It turned out pretty cute but I did mean to make it bigger. Oh well. I try to remember that for next time.

Olivia's Mom, Amy, told me that she wears her apron every night to help her cook dinner. How cute is she?!

I'm grateful for~

2011-11-08T08:00:00.003-05:00

I'm grateful for lunch notes.

Since Todd is still in the early stages of learning how to read I don't send in the typical handwritten lunch notes. Instead I send in a hand drawn picture. He loves the surprise of opening his lunch every time. I love drawing a new picture almost every day. This rocket ship was sent in his lunch yesterday. I've even had a request or two. It made me so happy to know that Todd is enjoying it so much and is sharing that with the kids he eats lunch with.

I'm grateful for~

2011-11-07T08:00:00.001-05:00

4. the beauty of Fall

{pic taken by Josh}

5. paint on the walls

*already on & planned to put on

6. library books

*found a new fav children's book

7. being a stay-at-home mom

*especially with how much Josh travels

*he's in Arkansas right now

I am grateful for~

2011-11-04T08:09:00.000-04:00

Josh being awesome with technology. I just recently had to switch laptops and couldn't figure out why my pics wouldn't upload. He is currently fixing this *simple* problem. Since I am not so tech advanced I am especially grateful that he is.

I am grateful for~

2011-11-02T21:00:00.000-04:00

my husband

and

our three children

{image by Emilie)

I am grateful for~

2011-11-01T22:01:00.000-04:00

Josh's love for our children and him being such a great Dad.

us together

2011-11-01T08:00:00.001-04:00

I just joined Aleida's Challenge. Click here and scroll down to the bottom of the page to read about it.

I plan to be taking more pictures of the children and Josh & I.

We took this one Sunday morning while getting ready for church.

This kid is awesome.

Fall goodness

2011-10-31T08:00:00.001-04:00

trunk-or-treat

2011-10-28T14:13:00.000-04:00

Every year there is a Halloween party at church where the youth set up booths for the children to play games and then when that's all done everyone heads outside where trunks are decorated and adults hand out candy to the children as they go from trunk to trunk.

This was Alice's 1st lollipop. Josh was in Wisconsin and so I totally resorted to giving her lollipops to keep her entertained while I kept tabs on Todd & Kate.

Oh, and thanks to everyone who helped me out with the children and step up for me when Josh is out of town & I show up at church with all 3 kids in tow.

Alice was a witch~ Kate's costume from three years ago.

Kate couldn't have been happier to be a jack-o-lantern this year. It's Todd's costume from last year.

Todd had so much fun being a ghost. I love how he chose such a classic costume. He had been a ghost 2 years ago and we used the same sheet. But back then we had just cut 2 holes for his eyes... and it never stayed on right. So this year I cut a hole for his head and bought some white creme makeup and... ghost perfection.

birthday fun

2011-10-28T13:52:00.000-04:00

Here she is loving her dolly.

end-of-season football party

2011-10-28T13:39:00.001-04:00

Last week marked the end of Todd's 1st football season. We will definitely miss it but right now I'm enjoying not rushing off & dragging both girls to games & practices.

Todd was the "most improved" player!

hehe

He started his first practice with not wanting to do anything the coach told him to. His first game when he got the ball... he ran in the wrong direction. At the last game he scored an extra point for his team! And now he can throw a youth sized football with a perfect spiral!

{Kate's pirate pose ~note the wink}

hello there

2011-10-26T22:15:00.000-04:00

I know that I haven't been doing my daily posts daily but it is on my mind... along with half a million other things. Life is always extra crazy when Josh is at a job out on the road. {This morning he was at a job in Wisconsin. Tonight he's staying at a hotel in Chicago. Hopefully he will be home tomorrow afternoon.}

So I'm wrangling my 3 little people to school, naps, with me on errands, a church Halloween party, and to bed. And despite Alice not falling asleep well tonight {probably picking up on me being stressed} and having to put the kids in bed early because I ended up being really stressed I have to say that I'm not doing too bad. Todd's clothes are set out for the morning. {He's insisting that he wants to wear his Huge school shirt... and I said "sure"}, his backpacks ready to go, and everyone has clean clothes hung in their closets and sitting in their dresser drawers. Oh yeah, and the dishes are all clean and the van is clean inside & out. Hmmm... maybe I'm stressed from doing so much all by myself all while letting Todd & Kate eat tons of candy. I did more than that around the house but it didn't seem like that much until I started writing it out and picturing you read this. So now I definitely know why I was majorly stressed out tonight. Good to know. Moving on.

I'm probably not going to get a post up tomorrow either. Tomorrow I'm going to have some fun. After Kate's school I'm going to IKEA with a friend. Then Josh should be home and he'll be taking kids out for "daddy & me" dates. We'll actually get to eat dinner as a family! And then tomorrow night I'm hosting a craft night. Yay for crafting with friends! So maybe Friday you'll get a post. Yup. Friday sounds good. I can't wait to show you the cute kid aprons I made.

around town

2011-10-25T08:00:00.001-04:00

I took these going to and coming home from Todd's last football game on Friday night. I just love the cool old buildings that we have all around, the train tracks running through downtown, and the colors at night.

birthday present

2011-10-24T08:00:00.001-04:00

Kate's friend Olivia had her birthday party Saturday. I remembered at the last minute that I had made her doll yet that I had planned to make for her. So I let my house get cluttered and messy as I sewed like a crazy woman. Her party started at 1:30 and I sewed the last stitch at 1:28. But we arrived at the party with a finished present and only 10 minutes late!

this moment

2011-10-21T08:00:00.001-04:00

homemade cinnamon rolls

2011-10-19T08:00:00.001-04:00

I made the cinnamon rolls from the farm chicks cookbook. Yum! I snapped this picture while making them because it took. three. hours. It took forever because it smelled so good. But I forgot to take a picture of the finished rolls because we were too busy eating them. Delish!

I plan to make them again sometime but not at the same time as I'm making a pot roast. That was crazy. Next time maybe I will stop eating them for a minute to snap a picture or two.

SC State Fair

2011-10-18T11:15:00.000-04:00

After the zoo our friends went back home and the kids & I headed to the hotel.

Can I just say how awesome our hotel room was?

Josh travels so much and we miss him tons. But our silver lining are the points that he accrues.

We had such a great time at the SC State Fair!

Why did we go to the SC State Fair instead of the North Carolina one, you ask?

It's closer.

The timing worked out perfectly with us going to the zoo and it was the only time that would work with our schedule.

Truthfully, I was just so happy to be going to the fair. Even being the only adult with my 3 kids. I loved being there and sharing that experience with them.

I just have to say that Alice is amazing. She did so great at the zoo and state fair. I took this picture to show you how happy she was even at the end. Amazing, right?!

Oh, and look at how great she is getting at sitting up:

Like the pacifier holder in the above picture?

hehe

I don't have any of the store bought ones and was hurrying out the door when I realized how much I needed something to keep her pacifier off the nasty ground at the zoo and fair. So I grabbed this long strip out of my fabric bag. Works pretty great.

We had such a great time. There was lots of yummy fair food: corn dogs, cotton candy, & funnel cakes. We hit the kiddie rides and saw the animals, including the famous duckling water slide. And, of course, saw the craft exhibits.

We're already looking forward to going next year. Hopefully, with Josh and my Mom along. Then even I can do the rides!

the zoo

2011-10-17T08:00:00.001-04:00

Last week I took a break with Josh being in VA all week for work. On Friday, the kids & I went to the zoo with some friends for the day. We had such a great time! I know that there are a lot of pictures here but, trust me, this is only a sampling. hehe

Enjoy!

Discovery Place Kids

2011-10-11T08:00:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday to my sister!

2011-10-10T13:58:00.000-04:00

I made this little zippered pouch for my sister's birthday today. She is 31 today and is the best. I loves her so much. I wanted to give her a bag because you can never have enough bags. This one is destined to be a make-up bag.

Alice~Baby

2011-10-09T09:50:00.000-04:00

I adore that blonde ponytail

2011-10-08T21:37:00.001-04:00

I took these the other week while we were waiting to pick Todd up at the bus stop.

kid pictures

2011-10-07T09:27:00.000-04:00

Here are some more of my favorites:

family photos are in!

2011-10-06T08:00:00.001-04:00

I am thrilled to say that I received our family photos yesterday! They were taken by our great friend, Emilie. She is seriously talented and has a style to her pictures that I love.

Here are two of our couple shots:

family heirloom

2011-10-05T10:35:00.000-04:00

See this gorgeous crocheted barbie furniture set? See the detail? You can only see the bedroom and dining room set here but there is also a sunroom type set, a baby's cradle to go in the bedroom, a living room set, and even a bathroom. The bathroom even includes towels and washcloths! See what I mean about details?

My Grandma is the amazing person who crocheted these. She gave them to my sister & I when I was in middle school. Aren't they amazing!?

I feel so blessed to share these with my children. You should have seen their faces when I pulled it out. Absolute bliss!

priorities

2011-10-04T08:24:00.000-04:00

I had been planning on making and selling dolls, elephants, quilts, etc. ...but I've been feeling like I've lost my footing with having 3 children now. Todd's in Kindergarten and playing flag football, Kate is keeping me on my toes, and Alice is increasingly requiring more of my time. This is all wonderful, but does not allow me the time to craft what I want to for my family and craft extra to sell.

And I want to craft for my family and to be able to concentrate on getting settled in our home still. I want to touch up the paint in Todd's & the girl's room because it needs to be touched up. I want to make a doll & elephant for Alice so that Kate doesn't feel like she has to share her special toys. I want to repair my Mom's quilt.

So I'm going to put the selling my crafts dream on the back burner for now. I'm going to enjoy my sweet family and spend my very limited crafting time doing what I truly want to do. Even as I write this I feel such a lightening of stress. I had been feeling like I had too much on my plate and was floundering. I'm trying to find what works for me and my family and how to best spend our time. This is a big part of it. I'm excited about this. Now I'm feeling very motivated to spend my time on some things that I have been wanting to get to for quite awhile now.

First up: finish crocheting a dark purple chunky blanket for Alice. It's a project that I have had the supplies for since Spring but wanted to wait for Fall. Looking forward to finishing it, showing it to you, & promptly making it one Alice's favorite blankets since I will probably keep it with her 24/7 this Fall & Winter, along with her quilt that I made for her.

Ha! Did you really read all of that?!

You're Awesome.

proof

2011-10-03T09:32:00.000-04:00

See... I have been sewing:

The pictures are a bit off because I took them in the house on a cloudy day. But for them being taken like that... not bad.

more baby love

2011-10-01T07:42:00.001-04:00

{image source}

When Emilie and her family {and her sewing machine} came down to visit for a week this summer she brought this sweet little bunny for Alice. Isn't it darling?!

She used a small corduroy for the main fabric of the bunny and Alice loves running her fingers across and feeling the texture. Another special thing about the bunny that I adore is the fabric that she used on the ears is the same fabric that she used on the travel checkers that she gave Todd for Christmas one year. I love using the same fabric for multiple projects and the memories that come with it.

I just have to say that I love having crafty friends that share their talents with me. Thanks Em!

this moment

2011-09-30T08:00:00.000-04:00

Random Thursday

2011-09-29T08:00:00.001-04:00

My friend, Amy, has this huge toad sitting in her flower garden. Kate loves it. As evident by her petting it with the random yellow shovel.

It's pretty cool. But also a bit freaky because it seems so life-like and is so big. hmmm... I think that must be why Kate likes it so much.

On another note:

I have been sewing quite a bit. I've made some matching bib & burp cloth sets for a friend and am almost done with a baby girl quilt. I have been doing very well with getting sewing done... just not good about posting about it. I'll try to post them next week, but as you're reading this I'm probably hand stitching binding on a quilt or crocheting a blanket for Alice.

isn't it beautiful?

2011-09-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

It has been raining so much here lately. But the other evening the sun broke through the clouds just as the sun was going to set and it looked like heaven in the woods.

big Christmas project

2011-09-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

Yes. I did just use the word Christmas in September, but the truth is that I start thinking about Christmas in June right after my birthday. {I love that my birthday and Christmas are almost exactly 6 months apart. Every 6 months there is one of my favorite holidays!} Anyways. See this quilt? Well...

When I was at my Mom's this summer I spotted this quilt tucked away somewhere. She was given this quilt from Grandma Carol and I remember her using it so much throughout my childhood. The only problem is that it's been used so much that the looser-weave fabrics have practically disintegrated! See...

I snatched this quilt up and offered to repair for her for her Christmas present. I like it when I can actually come up with a great and original Christmas present for someone. And I think I hit it with this one. I've only found the time to replace one block so far. I could freak out about that. But. No. I've decided that I will find time to get it done by Christmas.

I'm excited about this Christmas present. What a neat experience to fix a special quilt that has been made with love. To help it last for many more family memories. And since my Mom knows about it I'll be able to share my progress with you on here.

Now to figure out what in the world to do for everyone else for Christmas...

music from the past

2011-09-24T14:34:00.000-04:00

Thanks to the rain I get to skip yard work day this week. Yard work day is every Saturday. Lately it's been by myself since Josh has been at work so much. Well, I suppose you could say that I get help from Todd & Kate, but... not so much.

{image source}

This is also the day I try to dredge up the last of my energy and stamina for the week to clean house and whatever else may need doing {which always seems to be just about everything!}. So in the middle of working on laundry, kitchen, the garage, bathrooms, etc we've been having some fun dance parties. We've been listening to different old cd's that I pulled out of an old box in the garage to see just how badly scratched they are. To see if they should just be tossed because they are scratched beyond saving or if miraculously they live. We've listened to cd's like Savage Garden, Incubus, and Bob Marley. I've been enjoying sharing some of the music that Josh and I grew up to with the kids. They've been enjoying it too.

{this moment}

2011-09-23T07:31:00.000-04:00

Josh's birthday present

2011-09-22T08:55:00.000-04:00

For one of Josh's presents we went to the Panthers vs Packers game.

A HUGE thank you to our friends who watched Todd, Kate, & Alice for us.

This is us driving to the game. We were so excited!

I'm officially a football fan now especially with Todd playing football.

Josh getting his game face on.

We were SO close to the field. If I walked down just a few steps I could pretty much talk to the players. I didn't. Not that they would have paid any attention to me anyways. This was a lot of fun and I really want to be able to do this again with him.

See... close enough to remind me that the players are still human because I can forget that when I'm watching the game on tv at home. Then they can seem very un-human large hulking monsters. Josh says that they are still large hulking monsters. hehe

I do have to tell you that walking into that stadium was like walking into a whole new world. I didn't grow up around guys into sports and always felt like I had missed out. So I was thrilled to marry a guy that loves football. Apparently there are tons of people that love football just like him and they were all there that day. As soon as we walk in there was so much yelling and cheering and all kinds of football happiness. I've never been around this much football fever. Even though I was seriously intimidated... I LOVED IT. And I can't wait to go again.

weekend of celebration

2011-09-21T16:41:00.000-04:00

Pics from this weekend celebrating our guy's birthdays.

Aunt Clair & Todd at his game on Saturday.

Kate's favorite thing to do during his games is play in the baseball diamond dirt.

She wasn't the only one having fun in the dirt.

My sister & I

Kate getting her nails done by Grandma.

{My Mom did all of our nails while she was here. Thanks Mom!}

This is the best picture I could find of the cake and Todd.

We went bowling for Todd's party.

It was Todd & Kate's first time bowling.

So much fun.

Aunt Clair took most of these bowling pics.

This is the first time I've ever gone bowling as a family. And I loved it!

Alice just hung out in her stroller the whole time. She's so chill.

Aunt Clair, Todd, & Kate's hands.

The lightning bolts on Kate's fingernails were her special request of Grandma.

It was such a fun weekend celebrating our guys.

it's all good

2011-09-20T08:00:00.002-04:00

Thanks for all your support about the picture of Kate being used on someone else's post. I just wanted to put this out there that she did credit the photo back to me. I have no hard feelings toward her. It was just a first time that someone liked a picture of mine enough that they wanted to use it. And that is a new world for me. I'm not mad at her and do not feel that she stole my picture.

I have learned that it's ok to use someone else's picture as long as you credit and link back {image source}. Good to know. Thanks Em! Thanks for letting me know what you all think.

my new look

2011-09-19T21:35:00.000-04:00

Do you love the new look of my blog?!

I do.

I feel that it just works better for me.

If you are in the little window of google reader or whatnot then click out of it and come to my main page and check it out.

See? Lovely, no? My awesome friend, Emilie, hooked me up. If you are needing any blog love, contact her.

photo shoot

2011-09-19T08:00:00.003-04:00

Friday we were waiting for Josh to get the tags for our van when Kate climbed up on these cute seats. She is so cute. I didn't tell her to do any poses or anything with her balloon. I just watched her play and snapped these shots of her playing in her own little world...

{well, except the boots, that would be me in my own little world}

I'm enjoying my weekend

2011-09-17T14:42:00.000-04:00

I hope you are too.

My Mom & her husband and my sister are in town celebrating Todd & Josh's birthdays.

We have a packed weekend but I just wanted to share this cute photo I took of Kate with you.

See you on Monday!

Happy Birthday to the Mr.

2011-09-16T22:23:00.000-04:00

Josh turned 29 today.

So while Todd was at school us girlies took Josh out for lunch at Red Robin {his choice}.

I love you a million starbursts.

Happy Birthday to the Mr.

this moment

2011-09-16T15:38:00.000-04:00

He's Six

2011-09-15T11:38:00.000-04:00

I snapped this really quick this morning to have a true 6 year old picture of him.

See how happy he is?

He had Happy Birthday sang to him lots this morning & was able to eat sugar cereal first thing.

On Saturday, to celebrate his birthday family is coming into town and we're taking him bowling for his first time!

matching bib & burp cloth set

2011-09-14T14:42:00.000-04:00

I sent this matching bib & burp cloth set along with the zig-zag quilt.

I had used some of the same fabric in the quilt. I love doing that. Using some of the same fabric for different projects and remembering the stories behind each one.

I almost always use cloth diapers for the burp cloths. They make the most absorbent ones that I've found.

more zig-zags

2011-09-13T17:02:00.000-04:00

I love this quilt. My sister commissioned me to make this quilt for her friend, Beth, who is having a baby boy. She said that Beth & I have very similar tastes. So I just made a quilt that I would absolutely love.

I love everything about this quilt. From the fresh modern look of the gray zig-zags mixed with the random boy fabric zig-zags... to the basic grey binding.

I did a pieced backing since the fabric I had planned on wasn't long enough. I like how it makes it look like there is a top and bottom to the quilt.

I machine quilted it just using that lovely free-motion quilting foot of mine. I love how it makes the quilt feel.

make-shift s'mores

2011-09-12T15:09:00.000-04:00

The other day I indulged myself. I was wanting s'mores but I didn't have a fire. So... I lit my vanilla candle. {In the off chance that roasting a marshmallow over a candle would transfer the smell into taste I would rather my marshmallow taste like vanilla instead of cinnamon.} And, it worked! Josh just laughed at the idea of me roasting a couple of marshmallows on the couch for a couple of s'mores randomly in the afternoon for a sweet treat. I think my randomness is one of the things he loves about me.

remembering

2011-09-11T11:37:00.000-04:00

I am so grateful that the 10 year anniversary of 9/11 is on a Sunday. I feel that that allowed me {and hopefully others} to give the anniversary more of the attention and respect and honor it deserves. As I sit here watching the memorial on t.v. there is such sorrow. I feel that the best way I can honor the memories of the people whose lives were cut short is to best appreciate mine. Especially my family, my love Josh and my sweet children Todd, Kate, and Alice. And enjoy their love and smiles and the joy they bring into my life.

almost Fall

2011-09-09T08:00:00.003-04:00

It's almost Fall.

I can feel it in the air in the morning chill.

It's almost cool enough for me to have my windows open again. I miss the fresh air blowing through the different rooms in my house. It inspires me to clean {truthfully, because I really don't like the idea of wind blowing dust around}, also, because all I want to smell in my home is that fresh air.

But for now...

it's still Summer. And I have a summer cold.

Alice does too. So I'm not cleaning. I don't feel like it. I'm making sure the essentials are being taken care of. Essentials being getting Todd & Kate to school on time and picked up on time, check up at the vet, 6 month check up for Alice, football practice. You know, just the essentials. Ha.

not sure

2011-09-08T22:06:00.003-04:00

Today I googled my blog... just because. I found this photo of Kate on this post. I'm not sure what I think. I appreciate that my photo is liked enough to accompany someone's post but not sure I like seeing the photo of my daughter at her first dentist appt anywhere but here.

I know that that is something that comes with putting the pictures on the internet. I waffle back and forth because it doesn't bother part of me and the other part of me is like, "Wait. What??" I'm trying to think about this with an open mind and will probably be giving this lots of consideration.

Are there certain image copyright protection you use? Or do you just put your photos out there for the world? I think that my main concern is that I control what my photos accompany. I don't want pics of my sweet children to be with anything that I do not approve of.

What are your thoughts?

weekend treat

2011-09-07T23:22:00.002-04:00

1st day of pre-school

2011-09-07T22:45:00.000-04:00

I love her.

all boy

2011-09-06T08:16:00.000-04:00

I just got home from getting Todd on the bus for school. When the bus pulled up there was a HUGE puddle on the side of the road between the kids on the sidewalk and those bus steps. The two girls stopped unsure of what to do and looked at that puddle. Todd walked up to the puddle, took one look at it, and stepped right in without a second thought. The girls eventually figured out how to get on the bus without getting their shoes wet.

I have to admit that I would be one of those girls, but I love how Todd just barreled on through. Nothing was going to stop him from getting on that school bus. I love having a boy. He is so different my girls, from me. Watching him, how he works, is like seeing the world from a whole new perspective and I'm loving it.

hopscotch

2011-09-03T11:59:00.002-04:00

Todd wanted waiting at the bus stop to be less boring so we brought a piece of sidewalk chalk yesterday.

So I got on my hands and knees on the sidewalk with cars driving past and drew that hopscotch.

Then I was invited to join in with him.

I did and loved every minute of it.

It was fun to have the other children that go to the same stop to join in the game (I stepped out of the game then), too.

I plan on bringing a piece of chalk every morning now to the bus stop.

this moment

2011-09-02T08:00:00.001-04:00

random Thursday

2011-09-01T10:23:00.001-04:00

With Kate still being sick and Todd off at school I decided to show a few photos from August that never made it on here.

Kate and Todd at our town pool.

His first root beer float.

I love how Kate loves to play with the sidewalk chalk.

Playing King of the Jungle.

Todd hustling back to the huddle.

Josh transplanting one of our trees.

Kate at Todd's football practice.

How the sky looked one evening while I walked in the backyard to get Alice to fall asleep.

Tuesday

2011-08-31T08:00:00.000-04:00

monday

2011-08-30T07:50:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was Todd's first day of Kindergarten. Isn't he just adorable? He climbed right onto the bus as excited as anything. No tears were shed {by either party}. He's such a brave adventurous little man.

But the bus stop is where things went downhill for Kate. As soon as we got there she got sick on the grass. I first passed off as motion sickness combined with maybe eating too early in the morning. Poor Kate has been throwing up all yesterday and last night. She woke up with dry heaves this morning but is now keeping Pedialyte down. At least for the last 40 mins.

My fingers are crossed for my sweet sick little girl.

I'm just so grateful that Alice Baby slept through the night last night. I put her in the pack n play set up in Todd's room... just in case. And I'm grateful I did. Last night was rough but at least I don't have to deal with cranky kids when I'm so tired and am already busy with taking care of Kate.

Alice did roll from her tummy to her back for the first time yesterday! Over and over again!

milestones

2011-08-27T13:23:00.002-04:00

Alice will be 6 months old in a week.

She is wearing 12 month old clothes now.

Todd can make her laugh hysterically.

She has found her toes.

They're quite tasty.

She loves every food that she has tried so far.

She is the softest sweetest baby.

We love her so much and are so grateful that she is here and part of our family.

Kindergarten

2011-08-26T15:12:00.002-04:00

Todd-man has grown up so fast. It's been right before my eyes but somehow I feel like I've missed so much for him to be as old as he is already. He's just about to start actual flag football games and in just a few days he starts full day Kindergarten.

Kate is also going to be starting school {pre-school, that is} soon. She is excited about it, but I think that she is mostly excited about that fun playground she's going to be able to play on now.

A few hours 3 days a week with just Alice & myself.

Sounds good to me.

They get to learn and grow lots and I get to do whatever I choose to do.

Oh yeah.

taste of summer

2011-08-25T08:00:00.001-04:00

We have been eating s'mores a lot lately.

I'm not complaining. It's more like I'm reveling in the yummy goodness and I don't want it to go away. Ever.

diaper clutch

2011-08-24T08:00:00.001-04:00

I made this awhile back before Alice was born. I wanted a little clutch to be able to fit diapers and wipes plus have a little bit more room to fit some diaper rash cream in it too, if I needed it.

This holds it all for me.

I did the edges so that it would be a box bottom and would stand up for me.

I'm grateful that it's a zippered one because everything stays in when I'm digging through my bag for one of the million things I keep in there. I'm also very proud of myself for how well this zipper turned out because zippers are a trouble spot for me.

I lined it with just a solid beige. I wanted it to be very understated since the outside fabric is anything but.

This is perfect for me and adds a happy note to all of the diaper changes that are happening.

I found my inspiration for this from this post and from there found this tutorial which I just modified for what I wanted.

asian strip quilt

2011-08-23T08:00:00.001-04:00

My friend, Andrea, is having her first baby soon. I made this for her sweet little baby girl. I asked Andrea what her favorite color is and she told me blue & purple & jewel tones. I also found out that she likes Asian things. This fabric combination seemed just perfect for her. I decided to make it into a strip quilt to add simplicity to balance out the vibrant colors and bold patterns.

I adore this quilt.

I admit I did snuggle Alice in it once or twice. You know... to add some sweet baby love into the making of it.

I found this large print for the backing. It's wrinkly in this picture. Sorry. It really does look lovely in real life though.

I used the same orange fabric for the binding.

Now onto the next baby quilt. But, I can't reveal that one until mid September.

hot date

2011-08-22T22:22:00.000-04:00

And yes, the pun is intended seeing as the top half of my face is sunburnt from being at the beach.

We took turns watching all of the kids to give each time to go on dates. I took this on our way to ours. We went out for lunch and went to the mall. I loved every minute of it.

Oh yeah. My boots came along too.

I'm loving them. I just picked them up for the Fall and for our family pictures that Emilie took while she was here.

Can't wait to share those with you.

the beach

2011-08-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

Emilie Ahern and her family were able to come down from Pennsylvania and stay with us for this past week. We fit so much into those few days {except sleep ~ not so much of that} and even made it to the beach for two days. We had SO much fun. Even my Mom was able to meet us at the beach since she lives close by. She brought three boogie boards which worked perfectly since the three oldest were ready to try out the waves. Kate was perfectly happy to stay at the edge of the water and dig in the sand. Which is why most of the few pictures I took are of Kate, she was the closest to me.

I did snap this good one of Eva, Ella, and Todd as they came to shore. They loved the boogie boards and used them every minute we were there.

They slept well that night.

Alice loved the beach until the last day. Then she didn't want anything to do with the water.

Kate loved every minute of the ocean.

quilting in the summer...

2011-08-15T15:03:00.003-04:00

...is seriously crazy. And yet, I still do it. The pile of quilt squares equals out to about 1/2 the top of a baby quilt. I can't show too much since it is to be a present. But I'm loving the fresh and modern look of the quilt. Can't wait to show it to you.

it's poppin'

2011-08-12T19:18:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I gave my kids pop rocks to try. I love pop rocks. The kids... not so much. Well, actually Kate thought they were cool at first until she heard Todd freaking. Then she decided that maybe they were a little freaky.

I just love my crazies.

Yes.

These pics were taken in a dressing room.

Yesterday was a bit crazy.

I love living in our small town.

2011-08-12T08:10:00.002-04:00

sew 12 update

2011-08-10T22:06:00.006-04:00

I am so proud of myself for sticking to this challenge. Not that it was that huge of a challenge, though, since I need to craft like I need to breath. I always need a creative outlet to pour myself into to stay sane in the middle of my everyday life. The challenge is that for 12 months, 12 days a month, I will sew for 1 hour. I've had months that I've culminated much more than just the 12 required and rolled over into the next month which worked out perfect because sometimes I didn't have any time to sew on another month. Hmmm. Too confusing?

Well, suffice it to say that I've sewn my required 12 hours for all of the months from January to July. And for this month of August I've already sewn 9 hours. Hooray! *victory dance* And I have so much more to sew for this month. I've been working on baby quilts, planning to give a couple of dolls some hair, mending one special stuffed pirate monkey that Josh & I brought back from our Key West vaca for Todd, & mending one of Kate's church dresses.

I still need to take pics of the diaper clutch that I made before Alice was born, Kate's new apron, oh... and Alice's blessing dress. Why haven't I posted about it yet?! It's lovely & I can't wait to share it with you. Just as soon as I take pictures of it. I better get on that.

football season

2011-08-10T08:27:00.002-04:00

I know that pre-season starts tomorrow but football has already begun here. Watching Todd doing those drills at practice has to be the cutest thing that I've ever witnessed. I'm now offically a HUGE football fan.

Rosy Lemmons

our week

keeping my hands busy

a little shopping fun

more Christmas stockings

this week

lunch notes

Crib Rail Teether Tutorial

1st trip to Hobby Lobby

letter to Santa

a freaky story

finished in the nick of time

Alice's blessing dress

Alligator Farm

Arkansas for the holiday season

bunch-of-aprons

before & after haircut

getting our Christmas tree

Only a few pics from Thanksgiving

last month

Christmas Parade

quick trip to the pet store

what you've missed

I'm grateful for~

I'm grateful for~

I'm grateful for~

I'm grateful for~

I'm grateful for~

Cadence's doll

pirate princess

I'm grateful for~

I'm grateful for~

the girl's aprons

I'm grateful for~

I'm grateful for~

I am grateful for~

I am grateful for~

I am grateful for~

us together

Fall goodness

trunk-or-treat

birthday fun

end-of-season football party

hello there

around town

birthday present

this moment

homemade cinnamon rolls

SC State Fair

the zoo

Discovery Place Kids

Happy Birthday to my sister!

Alice~Baby

I adore that blonde ponytail

kid pictures

family photos are in!

family heirloom

priorities

proof

more baby love

*this moment*

Random Thursday

isn't it beautiful?

big Christmas project

music from the past

{this moment}

Josh's birthday present

weekend of celebration

it's all good

my new look

photo shoot

I'm enjoying my weekend

Happy Birthday to the Mr.

this moment

He's Six

matching bib & burp cloth set

more zig-zags

make-shift s'mores

remembering

almost Fall

this moment