Celebrating the 4th of July

Our days and nights have been full with enjoying our little family. Father's Day was especially sweet with the arrival of our little man, but I wasn't able to do everything I wanted to for my husband and father. I'm scaling way back in my expectations of what I can accomplish in a day. However, my sweet Kiddo is an aspiring "Martha Stewart" at age 5 and really wanted to celebrate the 4th of July with decorations and more. Luckily it only takes a few extra touches to make her smile..

A sweet little star garland in our front room..

A little door decor..

When you're 5 years old (or 35), crepe streamers can make any holiday festive..

I let Kiddo go crazy picking daisies from our garden to adorn the front porch..

Lots of red and blue treats for the day! 

Fun food picks for our BBQ.. 

We are so thankful for all those Americans that fight for our freedom! I hope you and yours celebrate a safe and fun 4th of July!!

Are you looking for some more patriotic ideas?
Come see my free pattern for this paper pieced mug rug..

Welcoming Our Sweet Baby Tommy

At my last OB appointment on June 7th, everything looked to be going great. Tommy had stopped trying to come early and we were all hopeful that he would make his induction date of the 17th. I spent that weekend having lunch with girlfriends and was even spoiled with a romantic night with my dear husband. I had been reflecting on the knowledge that this was our last baby chapter. The last time I would feel those baby kicks, those private moments only shared between our sweet baby and me. Even though every one of my pregnancies has been difficult, it is still such a sacred time in my life. I had planned on writing a post on the 10th about how I was going to cherish my very last week of pregnancy. Tommy had other plans..

Monday the 10th was supposed to be a quiet day of running errands with my Mum and the girls. We shopped at Target and were parking at Joann's when I received an urgent message from my OB nurse. At Tommy's last ultrasound, he measured 2 weeks smaller than he should. It was time for him to come. We raced home, made phone calls and prepared for Tommy.

My sweet baby came at 38 weeks and is perfect! He is my tiniest baby at 6# and 9oz, but in the end the ultrasound was wrong. He measured average for his size and is completely healthy. Tommy is truly an angel baby - he sleeps soundly, hardly makes a peep and is just the sweetest snuggle bunny. It is fair to say we are completely smitten with him!

We've already had 3 professional photo shoots with him and I can't wait to share even more pictures of my sweet little man. Here a couple snaps I took of him on his 1 week birthday..

Happy Birthday Sweet Baby

I don't know how my baby turned two. It has been the fastest two years of my life; I could probably sit and shed many tears over how fast it went. This picture from today perfectly embodies her sweet spirit. Love her gentle, silly ways more than I can say.

Her ultra sweet big sister desperately wanted to decorate the princess birthday cake. I squashed my type A desire to have it "perfect" and let her shine. She was extremely proud to make this for her sister and I'm not sure I've seen a sweeter cake. (Though it's been affectionately nicknamed "Hot Mess Barbie Cake")

Happy birthday sweet baby girl..

Land of the Free because of the Brave

We spent our 4th of July celebrating a birthday boy with friends. Lots of water play, ice cream, and squeals of laughter from kiddos.

 A wonderful day.

Thank you to every man and woman that has protected the freedom, the rights, and the safety of this amazing country.

Hope you are enjoying an equally sweet and safe holiday!

My New Happy Place..

My husband & I love camping and spending as much time outside as we can. Before we had children, we spent many summer nights tent camping in Arizona. After we had Kiddo, we were slightly afraid of what our outdoor adventures would evolve into. We waited to try until Kiddo was 18 months, and were ecstatic that she loved it as much as us. Then we had Baby and tried camping a few times in our new-to-us camping trailer when she was still small.. amazing trips! Last year.. not so good. Taking a crawling baby camping ranks pretty high on my personal torture scale. Tears, tantrums, and complete frustration - not fun and a little traumatic.

We were hopeful and excited now that Baby is walking, running, and listens, that we could return to our summer camping escapes. In a word - fabulous..

My husband had been told that Willard Bay was a great place for families & to fish. We booked a site for 3 nights and crossed our fingers. After spending the week prepping the trailer, shopping for groceries, and packing, we set off on our way. My heart sank a little when we pulled up to the site. It wasn't in the forest, it was hot, and it was crowded with people and boats. It wasn't what I had imagined for our trip.

After we set up camp, we decided to explore the bay and maybe test the water out. That evening will rank high on my places to think about when in need of a moment of serenity. We found a quiet area off the main shore. Kiddo was in heaven bouncing her beach ball and Baby giggled up a storm splashing in the water.

For once I didn't worry about what times the girls went to sleep. We stayed up late eating gooey smores and making wishes on stars. Kiddo entertained us with silly ghost stories and snuggled up to hear about our antics when we were her age. The girls slept through the night and didn't play musical beds. Heaven!

To say my family melts my heart in a million ways just doesn't do it justice. I loved watching my girls search for seashells, spending time hearing their voices instead of the television, and givng them the wide open spaces they had been craving. We spent everyday in our bathing suits soaking the rays and relaxing. We even took the girls out on a paddle boat one afternoon - funny to watch us juggle the girls on our laps as we paddled about the bay.

I am sadly aware that are just a number of summers to enjoy while the children are young. I am confident that Kiddo will remember this one for quite some time. It's true we caught more bug bites & seashells than fish (we didn't catch a single one!), but the memories we are making are truly priceless. Camping with kiddos, even in a trailer, is not the easiest thing in the world, but it is worth its weight in gold..

Ruffled Bums and Bouncing Curls

Ruffled bum bums and bouncing curls..

that's what my summer girls are made of..

Summertime, Summertime, Summertime

I have so many projects in the works right now, it is a bit crazy. And almost all of which I can not show pictures..yet. This is impossibly hard for a chronic oversharer. ACK! 

I am still alive and well. I thought I would share what the beginning of our summer looks like.

Nope, I'm not pregnant again. That is not pureed food for a baby...it's for everyone! While I'm not a fan of hiding veggies in foods because I think kids need to make the connection of a healthy life with a healthy diet, I do think it's great to pump up some foods. One of my favorite things right now is to add about 1/2 cup of pureed cauliflower to our egg scramble.. Yummy!

 Lots and lots of gardening! This is our first year in a long time when I'm able to get some yard work done with the girls. We won't mention Baby's fistful of EZseed in the mouth and my panic (all is well). Kiddo is the best gardening helper and loves watching our veggie garden grow. (there is no picture of her because her attire is usually just undies..)

And some secret surprises for a special teacher at Kiddo's school. I'm becoming such a fan of the Courthouse Steps motif!

I hope you are enjoying the beginning of a fabulous summer...

We Hit 7 And Still In Heaven!

Yesterday my sweet husband and I celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary. It is amazing how fast the years have gone by. I can still remember the excitement of getting dressed in that fabulous gown, of our first kiss as husband & wife, and the many hours spent dancing that night.

Though our love story took many crazy paths before we married, we took that next step knowing we wanted to be with each other for the rest of our days. In the past seven years we've had two amazing daughters, a number of wild adventures, and more inside jokes than we can count.

It is an amazing thing to be married to your best friend. He knows every flaw ingrained in my being and is able to love me more each day. I thought I couldn't love him more seven years ago, and then I watched him become the most amazing father.. and my love only deepened.

I can't wait for another 70 years of marriage with this silly, sweet man. Another 70 years of laughter and fun..

Quiet But Busy..

I know my blog has been awfully quiet this past week. My husband has been gone hunting this week (the first time in a couple years), so my mom came out for a girls only weekend! We had lots of fun creating a "movie house" in my studio with candy, popcorn, and pillows. We of course are eager to have Daddy back home, but it was a very fun distraction!

I've also been working on a quilt & two pillows for Kiddo's school fundraiser. I had a great time making these and I hope that they find a special home. I would love more than anything for it to find its way to her teacher, but we shall see..

There is my Kiddo's sweet, colorful hand print. To see her little hand in her finger painting always brings up a ton of emotions for me; I'm literally swept off my feet sometimes. I'm so proud she accepts her difference with grace and beauty. I love to see her shine and hope that amazing confidence is something that stays with her always. What makes us different from other people can be sometimes hard to accept, but she embraces her little hand without any qualms. Love my sweet girl..

How To Soothe The Soul

This past week we had a sudden death in our family on my husband's side. It was a shock that I think we are still reeling from. I am quite the emotional sponge - I stopped reading and listening to the news back when I was pregnant with our second daughter. It's very hard for me to disengage my emotions and carry on. However, when my husband rushed to his hometown with our eldest daughter, the house was TOO quiet at night. I decided that "working" may be the best for me.. so I completed my quilt for Project Quilting. Our theme was a tool prompt, and we had to incorporate 4 pieces of inspiration.

I present "And Sew It Begins.." I depicted the sewing machine and scissors in a literal format. I crocheted on the bottom of the machine (my third tool) and lots of free motion stitching (my fourth tool). It's a cheery little piece. I'm debating if I want to display it my studio as a reminder that art is a great way to work through my emotions.

In my opinion the best & worst thing about life, is that it goes on. The sun comes up, the children need to be fed, and our lives continue.. The loss of Darlene is deeply felt in our home and we wish peace to all who knew and loved her..

Happy Valentine's Day!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! I hope you had a wonderful holiday. We had so much fun watching our children's excitement and awe. I didn't make as many gifts this year as I would have liked, but I did have time to make everyone an ornament. I can't not believe how expensive they have become and I wanted something a little more personal. I've had a collection of polymer clay in my studio just waiting for some fun. It was a great experience to work in a new medium. I'm not sure if I can find a way to incorporate clay into my projects, but I'm looking!

Here are my first projects..

A pink Santa bear for Baby.

She is insanely in love with teddy bears right now.

An Ariel Mermaid for kiddo.

This one I did without a tutorial.

Loved how it turned out ( though she is bustier than I planned..lol)

And this year was all about Star Wars for my husband - 

from the Blu Ray collection to a 2012 calendar.

I made him a Rebel Alliance ornament.

Did you make any gifts this year? I would love to hear about them!

Oh Fudge...

Oh Fudge.. I know it's been awhile since I posted and welcome to all my new readers! I'm sure we are all busier than normal with all the holidays this month. Whatever you celebrate, I hope you are enjoying this special time of the year.

Have no fear, I have been quilting & designing.. just nothing I can show right now.. Though I have a SUPER fun Moda Bakeshop post coming on Friday.

In the meantime, I'm busy wrapping gifts, avoiding crowds, and making treats with the Kiddos. 

 Heaven help me in 10 years...

So much personality in such a little body..and her baby sister is no slouch either. While we were making fudge, Baby was rip roaring around the house in her Cozy Coupe.

The Patchwork Stocking

Prudent Baby hosted a stocking sewing contest this month. I had to enter - I can't blow off a sewing contest with a NEW, awesome serger as the grand prize. I had the toughest time being inspired though. I drew up a ton of designs and none of them really spoke to me. It's hard for me to dedicate time during the holidays to a project that I'm not crazy about. And then it hit me as I was playing with my fabric stash,,

Patchwork stockings are nothing new,but I really hope my take on it is a fun twist. I decided that it would be awesome to create stockings for my daughters that would also be memory keepers of the year. And this year, Isabelle became obsessed with knit, upcycled dresses. After winning one of Soren Lorensen Design's dresses. , she wore it until it was threadbare (and wears it still..). My only option was to make more and I lost count as to how many I made.

This stocking is created with pieces from a few of the dresses I made for her. The only exception is the giant monkey eating a cheeseburger. He was too small to make into a dress, but I kept him around just in case. Well Isa LOVES cheeseburgers (with NO pickles) and monkeys. It's perfect. I also raw edged appliqued an "i" on the foot of the stocking. She learned to identify her written name this year and loves to see her initials. Every detail of this stocking is with her in mind, down to using her favorite color green serger thread.

Not sure yet as to who won the contest, but I'm glad it inspired me to make this stocking. Isabelle was pretty excited to see it and insisted that she immediately hang it over the fireplace. And as a crafty mother, what better present is that?

My Sweet Bumpy Road Pie

Where Women Cook has a call open for “pieographies” – to tell your life story through a pie. My pie? My Sweet Bumpy Road – a yummy spin on a rocky road pie. Rocky road is one of my favorite taste combinations and it is a fitting description for our family.

What is life like while juggling aspirations to be a designer, raising two adorable daughters, and keeping the home fires alive? It is a sweet and chaotic life. Each day is full of laughter, tears, ups and downs. Each day I am thankful for the blessings I have and work hard to keep it all together.

I am awful at balance though it is something I strive for. There are times when I’m convinced that I have mothering down to a science and minutes later I’m pretty sure I’m the meanest mom on the block. I’m not Supermom, but I do try to be my daughters’ hero. I want them to know that even though their mom spends hours of the day working instead of playing with them, I’m working for them. I want them to remember the sweet moments of their childhood. I want them to realize that even though life is not fair, the sweetness outweighs the struggles we face.

Our lives are bumpy and fraught with obstacles, but each and every day I see my children smile and hear them laugh.

Everyday is sweet.

My Sweet Bumpy Road Pie

(2) packages of chocolate pudding/pie filling

2 cups of milk

(1) 8oz. container of Cool Whip

1 cup of mini marshmallows

15 graham cracker squares

1/2 cup pecan pieces

1.) Beat the chocolate pie filling with 2 cups of cold milk for about 2 minutes.

2.) Gently fold in 1 1/2 cups of Cool Whip and 1 cup of mini marshmallows.

3.) Crush the graham cracker squares into the bottom of pie dish.

4.) Fill the pie dish with chocolate pudding mixture.

5.) Swirl the remaining Cool Whip over the pie.

6.) Top the pie with the pecan pies.

7.) Refrigerate for 4-6 hours or overnight.

Christmas Tradition - Silhouette Ornaments

I'm a Disney nut. I grew up in Southern California and spent many birthdays at Disneyland. I love the rides, the movies, the songs. However, it wasn't until I took my first daughter there when she was 9 months old, that I went into the silhouette shop on Main Street. I'm not sure whose idea it was, probably my sweet Mother, but we decided to have a silhouette created each year for my children.

We haven't missed a year and quickly amassed a small bundle of them. This year was my youngest's first trip and of course we had to start this tradition for her too.

My favorite? The silhouette of the girls together.

It is amazing to watch my little munchkins grow through these little images. This year we had enough to decorate their pink Christmas tree.

Was there ever a sweeter tree? I think not..

If you aren't the Disney nut that I am, you can still replicate this tradition. There are a number of artists on Etsy that would be more than happy to create a similar ornament for you.

Do you have an ornament collection or tradition?