Trick-or-Treat

Happy Halloween!!

Days Passing

Some days, are hard. Like, really, really hard. With a gang of children in the house, things get loud, laundry piles up, toys pile up, and arguments, ehh... erupt {sometimes often}. There is always a dish to wash {usually 20+} or clothes to fold. There is never a moment where we  think: there, now everything is done. There is always something to do. Sometimes I let that "something" take on too much power and it starts to overwhelm me. I get cranky, I cry, I pout, I go on marathon hat knitting sessions to block it out. I think today isn't goings so well, maybe I should go back to bed & try again tomorrow. While the idea is nice, the reality is, that's never an option. It's life- that's what it all comes down too. It isn't always pretty.

It's in those kinda days,  I really have to think about the good times! The times when no one is thinking about homework, speech therapy, laundry, the muddy dog that's waiting to be bathed. The moments where you catch a genuine smile dance across a childs face, hear them giggling together in play, teaching each other, or find a book they have been writing and illustrating that makes you smile. These are the moments that really matter! There are far more good times than bad. There is far more happiness than bickering. There is alotta love in our family. Sometimes I just need to remind myself. A quick reminder that tomorrow will come. Nothing lasts forever, good or bad. Take a deep breathe & smile!

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.  join in @ Soulemama.

One down...

I finally finished my daughters blanket. Hooray! I've been working on it for the last year. Honestly, it probably sat in the closet for 3-4 months of that time, while I worked on other things, but it's been a work in progress for quite sometime. This will be for her birthday gift and it's complete just in time. I'm going to love seeing it around the house. It's a gift I'm glad is staying here, for me to enjoy for awhile too. A lot of love & stitches went into it!

My hope is someday, she might use it with her own child. I'm probably just being overly sentimental, and the blanket will be long gone by then... but, I like to think of her snuggling a baby inside of it's wool. In the meantime since she's {ahem} six and all, and we have many, many years until that would ever happen, I hope she loves it, and snuggles herself tight in it's softness. She sometimes gets scared at night, I always tell her snuggling with a blanket I made her, is like having me there, hugging her through the whole night. She likes that. {I do too}

Pumpkin Patch 2012

My favorite time of the year is here! One of my favorite things to do in the Fall, is go to the Pumpkin Patch.  We have been going to the same, pick your own pumpkin patch, since the older kids were just little, tiny babies. I think it's worth the drive for the tradition of it alone. The kids love it, I love it! 

The past 2 years we've had friends join us. This year- I'm not gonna lie, it was a wee bit stressful for me. Seven kids will do that I guess. Six of which are running in opposing directions at once. Mostly it was Little {L} , TRYING to get lost in the corn field that bordered the pumpkin patch that had me a bit worried.  You'd think with two husbands along with us, that we were doubling the adults, so children could be more easily watches. Lesson learned, ehhh, yeah, no. It totally doesn't work that way. One husband is somewhat helpful, two makes them useless because they talk to each other the whole time, oblivious of those six children dispersing in all directions around them. All in all once all the kids finally got reeled in, pumkins were picked with care, and we had a great time. 

Some yummy apple cider, a little dancing, some hilarious {obscenely shaped} swan gourds, seven happy children, and 12 pumpkins later, made for a great afternoon

A little of this..

We had a little of this, and that to celebrate: 

Eight years! Eight years, since he joined our family & made me a mother. Eight years, since I first held his little hand and kissed each of those fingers. Eight years, since I realized my life would never be the same again, and it was the greatest feeling I'd ever had!

I love his determination. The way he always has to do things just a little {sometimes a lot} different than everyone else. I love his passion. I love his quest for knowledge. I love... him!

Happy Birthday Kid! Your amazing!

{this moment}

A week in photo, since it's been quiet here while I catch up.

Fifteen Years

This weeks marks fifteen years together with my husband, and seven married. That's A LONG time! I met him when I was 15, so I have known him an equal time, as not known him. Next year, I'll have spent more of my life with him than without. {15 years with, 15 years without. crazy}

So much has changed for us in those fifteen years. When we met, we were just kids-high school sweethearts, naive and ready to take on the world together! I kinda feel like I grew up with Mike. All the important things I've gone through have been with him.We met in high school,  spent our college years together, started having babies, bought a house, and now we spend our time making our house a home.

There have been lots of ups & downs. Like, when we spent 2 months eating toast in college. Or,when I was raising two little one's at home, and he worked 80+ hour weeks. Only home long enough to catch a little sleep & kiss us before heading back to work. We were broke college kids together, without a car and living in crappy campus apartments with hand me down everything, and we thought we were living the life!. I look back of those days with such a sense of love & respect. We didn't have much, but we've always had each other, and that's what matters.

There have been so many great moments for us too. The day I graduated and thought, this is it. Our life together can start now. I'll never forget becoming a mother, our very first baby & looking over at his proud, smiling face. The moment he became not just a boy, but a father.  A father to OUR child. The day we purchased our home together, all giggly, excited and scared--feeling like we were officially grown ups now {which is really quite silly because we already had one child, and another one cooking}.

Most of all I enjoy the things that happen every year- Christmas morning, pumpkin picking at the patch, watching him rock my babies to sleep, the way he always tries to get out of helping plant the garden, then digs every single hole because I do it the "foolish" way. I love him quirks & all!

I can't wait to see what the next fifteen years brings for us!

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

-Join in @ soulemama

Looking for homes

These guys will be making their debut at Craftin' Outlaws this weekend. I'm really excited about them. There are a limited number so anyone wanting to adopt one, or a few, come down early. Back to work now. Enjoy your day!

5 .. 4.. 3.. 2...

Getting close to Craftin Outlaws. It's this Saturday! I know--I'm excited just saying it!I feel like a happy, little elf getting ready for Christmas. Busy, busy! The past few days I've been finishing up some cool, new blankets- for the ladies & gents. The patchwork top pictured above may be my very favorite of all time. In person, the fabrics just sing together. I keep trying to find reasons to keep it. {alas, I have none so far}

Other than sewing like a madwomen, I've made a few gifts for friends & family too. We've spent lots of time baking with our many, many, many apples from the orchard. We've made apple cobblers, apple pies, apple sorbet, warm apple mash. I just need to finish up the applesauce & we are all done with that batch. Feels very much like fall here with the scent of fresh apples always baking in our home.

Better get back to sewing, so much to do, so little time. The countdown is on. {And anyone who knows me in person, knows I'm a huge procrastinating, pulling everything together just in time is my specialty.}

Ps... The second picture up there. Yes that one. Any of you get early bird pass for the show? If you did, check your bags. I sewed up a batch of mini-ornaments/ gift card holders just for you. If your shopping regular hours at the show I will have a small display of them on my table for the show, come by and pick one up.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
Join in @ Soulemama.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to my very best friend. She's such an amazing person-kind, gentle, smart, thoughtful, fun, talented, a great mama, and "just" weird enough at times, that she always has me laughing. She's the only person in the world who can embarrass my husband {I LOVE it}.

She's the kind of friend everyone wants. The kind who brings you soup and knitting patterns {with the appropriate sized needles}, when ALL your kids are sick for what seems like weeks on end. She's the friend who sits for hours with you at a slow craft show, just so you don't have to be bored alone all day. The friend who loves your children like her own. She loves them equally, treating the negative just the same as the positive.  She's the friend I can find often hugging or kissing my children. The friend who loves you in college, even when you act like a jerk {1/2 the time}. She's the friend that see's goodness in everyone.

She is the friend who you could call in the middle of the night to babysit if necessary, with her asking only, your house or mine? The friend who "doesn't" think it's "weird" that you have four kids, and wishes you to have a few more... and bring them to her house to play! A friend I can cry with. A friend who I laugh with everyday. A friend I can rely on. A friend I trust and love. Thank you for being such a wonderful person. We love you Mary! Happy Birthday. May your year be filled with health & happiness!

Apple Picking

We were able to squeeze in a trip to an apple farm, in between colds, cranky kids & rain here. I'm so so happy we did! It will officially be added to of list of family traditions in October. The kids had a great time, we came home with more yummy apples that I know what to do with {118!} , and we spent family time together.  The day was filled with lots of giggles, smiles, and well.. apples galore. I can't believe it's taken me thirty years to go pick apples. Seriously? What did our parents do with us as kids?

On the menu this week: apple pie, apple mash, apple cobbler, some applesauce to store for the upcoming winter, and apple ice cream. {with the recipe from the Jeni's splendid ice cream book. I'll share more on that later this week}

I'm so glad to welcome October! It's one of my favorite months filled with trips to the pumpkin patch, birthdays, craft shows, crispy air and the autumn leaves blanketing everything. I'm totally a fall girl & the apple picking trip has me all excited for the following month!