Working on

All the sudden I feel like this baby will be here before I know it. Rationally I know I have a few months, but emotionally I feel like I am in a huge hurry to be ready!

I have so many projects I want to complete before his or her arrival! I spent last night making new burp clothes. I had a large box of flannel remnants that have been sitting around for about a year. I hate getting rid of anything, so they sat, and sat. Sitting in bed at 9pm last night I decided they had to be made into something-immediately!

They were quick and easy to do! The sizes vary as they were scrap pieces, but are mostly uniform burper size. I like mine a little on the thin side so they can be used for drips under a nursing babe's mouth--and -ahem- the extra sprays you get while breastfeeding!

I made a mix of girl and boy prints, although I am sure we will use all of them regardless of the gender the baby comes out with. They are for spit up and milk, does it really matter? It feels good to complete something! I feel like so many things get 1/2 done lately that it's driving me insane. Maybe I just need to "plan" less projects? Although everyone here knows that will never happen.

I'll be finishing up the kids Valentine's Day dolls tonight. They are turning out so awesome! It's been hard for me not to show the kids already. I can't wait to see their faces on Sunday morning!

Winter Wonderland

Another snow storm swept through central Ohio last night. Everything is covered in beautiful, fresh, bright white snow. It sure beats the dreary, grayness that was here!

I love looking out the window and seeing all the prettiness-especially cause I don't "have" to leave the house today. We'll be snuggling up doing some knitting & drawing from the warmth of our home!

Over the Weekend

Friday afternoon a winter snow storm blew into town. We usually don't see too much snow here [well, I grew up in Cleveland, so that's what I use for comparison]. The kids love to play in the snow and be silly together. They even got to make a snowman with Daddy! Fun!!

The snow actually makes it less gloomy & bleak here. I look out the window and see a nice, bright wintery day!

Lately

There's been lots of snuggling in our house lately! Lots of cuddle time wrapped up in blankets on the couch. I'm officially tired of winter, and I think the kids are also! While I am feeling a little stir-crazy, I've totally been enjoying the time, keeping my kids close and warm. Sometimes it's nice to have things slow down a little and just enjoy our time together. Even the kitties have been snuggling up sleeping for extended hours...well longer than their "normal" extended sleeping.

We've also been busy crafting handmade Valentine's for everyone in the family. The bigger kids have had a great time doing this and they are getting to practice their writing skills too. Each Valentine has a special message and drawing.

creative personality + pregnancy hormones=

I've had the sudden urge to make things the past few days...like, if I don't make something now, I will lose my mind. Haha-gotta love creative personality + pregnancy hormones!

I've been extra sleepy the past few weeks, and pregnant enough that I've took the time to actually rest rather than start 100 new projects. I have not made a single thing for a few weeks and it's caught up with me. I made a new set of pillows for the living room yesterday [I'll share this one's friend tomorrow].

I love the Heather Ross Underwater Sisters fabric. I have a few small pieces left in several of the colorways that I am hording. You can see the pink version in the quilt I posted yesterday and the blue in tomorrow's pic's. It's just so dreamy and fun. The fabric is extra soft and I love the texture. Big on texture here!

I've been working on some fun embroidered pieces also. Something relaxing to do, while I sit on the couch and "rest". I'll share those next week.

New Quilt

Some of you may remember this mermaid quilt I started last summer. Once I got to the binding stage, I never finished it. I knew then that I had to keep it for myself and pushed it aside for awhile. The other day I was overcome with the need to finish the blanket. I'm hoping this little baby is a girl and she can call the blanket her own.

It's hand bound in a pretty blue and white, checkered print. Every time I look at it, I smile! I love doing hand sewn bindings. The extra time and effort are worth it to me, for someone special! There are small splashes of blue throughout the quilt, so I think the blue coordinates, but also adds a sense of surprise and texture. Many people would have chosen a pink or green binding. Finding ways to use a feminine blue is my passion. I love blue, and I love blue for little girls even more!

How to: Mini-Dolls

Need something quick and easy to make for your children? Thes mini-dolls are super fun to play with and can be sewn up in an afternoon.

Pick out fabric that you'd like to use. I chose this cute Japanese import with little girls. Fabric with animals or other people work well also. Many of the Japanses imports have a small scale to the design.

Cut out the pieces you'd like to use. Don't worry about them being perfect. I made these into small circles, but depending on the scale of your "dolls" you can stitch them around the body shape.

Pin them to a felt backing. This will give them a little bit of structure [stiffness] and help them stand up better. [any thick-ish material will work]

Sew around your dolls. Make sure to leave an opening so you can turn them right side out and stuff them.

Turn your doll right side out and stuff. I like to use bamboo stuffing. It have a great shape and feel to it inside children's toys. Any polyester, cotton or bamboo stuffing will work though.

Stitch up the hole. I stitch these by hand, as they are pretty small.

Play!! I made a little tote purse for these girls to live in. Keeps them all in one place, and it's extra fun for your little one. A blanket and a kitty were added for accessories. Get creative!

One Year

One year-365 days-In just one year, the kids have changed so much! The older kids are learning how to read and write and question everything the world tells them. They seem to have grown so much in just one little year. Chubby cheeks are being replaced by more grown up features. Every other day, they seem to get inches taller also!

Little {L} is well, not so little anymore! He's a big, independent, strong boy! Climbing, jumping and running everywhere!

- 2010-

- 2009-

-2010-

- 2009-

Little {L} very "carefully" [ahhhh!] brought me my camera the other day. Instead of whisking it immediately away to safety, I told him to smile and started snapping pictures. He makes these silly faces now that he thinks your "supposed" to make for photo's. The two older kids are always up for pictures so they quickly joined in the fun!

WIP

I am desperately trying to get this scarf completed before the warm weather arrives. It seems at most these days I get 2-3 rows finished before someone needs something, or calls me away from knitting. Busy, busy these days. I love this wool yarn though! It's so soft and the colors are yummy. My two favorites, blue & green.

Worst case scenario, I'll have a lovely scarf to wear next fall!

My favorite Space

With a large-ish family with young children [and homeschooling], we spent a lot of time in our home-A LOT! There are areas of the house that I fantasize about remodelling and re-doing and well, just changing. The kitchen is one of those places. While I am in there, I am always thinking about how great it will be when we get around to adding more counter space and storage. It's actually kind of annoying because it's what I think of the WHOLE time!

One room that makes me smile from the inside out as soon as I look at it, is my daughters room. It used to be my studio and I painstakingly picked out the perfect shade of blue for the walls. It looks warm and bright in the sunlight and also cheerful at night with the lamps lit. She has a collection of things that Mama made her scattered throughout the room too. The corner that houses her bed is my favorite place to sit in the entire house! She has a nice comfy bed surrounded by happy, colorful things.

The baby will be joining her in the room [no matter if it's a boy or girl-it's the last space left]. With the large amounts of pink she has accumulated for the room, lets hope it's a girl...or a boy who loves pink. haha. I'm really happy with the room. It's a small space, but I don't think it feels to crammed or claustrophobic. I'll be adding some fun embroidered art pieces for the baby over the next few months as I finish it.

It's a......

Baby! Yeah, we decided to be suprised with the gender at birth, again this time. It was such a great moment when {L} was born and we finally got to find out. I'm so looking forward to that moment again-meeting my child and finding out it it's a boy or a girl, all at the same time.

I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for another little girl! We'll see in a few months!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas! Hope your day is filled with family, happiness and love!

GIVEAWAY

CONTEST CLOSED!
The winner is Christopher and Tia! Congrats, lol.
[Uprinting will email you information on your prize within the next week.]
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Giveaway Prize: 100 Postcards for one (1) lucky winner!!

Size: 4x6; Paper: 14pt Cardstock Gloss; Printing: Full color both sides

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Giveaway [for winner and blog owner] is sponsored by UPrinting.

To enter, just leave a comment here, teling what you would use the postcards for. Be creative!

One winner will be chosen on Janury 4th.

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Please leave an email address so I can contact you.

Ho Ho Ho!

We are counting down the days now!! The kids are finishing up their last week of school before our break. We are reading lots of books about Winter, Christmas and the Winter Solstice. It's been a fun week filled with lots of arts & crafts too. Our weekend plans include 2 full days of baking. Mmmmm Christmas cookies! I can't wait.

The only thing better than making tons of homemade cookies with the kids, is going to my mother in laws and eating some of her awesome cookies! Yum! She makes these really tasty cherry filled ones-they were a pregnancy craving while I was pregnant with {L}. I'm looking forward to sampling some[ok-a lot!] on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Gifts

Finishing up the last of my Christmas gift sewing. HOORAY! I still have some things to get done for the kiddies, but everyone else is pretty much done.

No matter how hard I try it seem that I am sewing up to the last minute for everything lately. I'm actually glad I didn't sign up to do all the holiday shows I had wanted to. I would be a sleep deprived crazy woman, if I had!

I'm really happy with the fabric coasters that I made. They are a simple square cut of fabric, backed with fleece, then quilted. I love the randomness of the quilting lines. They make nice gifts to give as a "family present". We are not able to buy every individual member of the family gifts this year. I'm happy to gift these though-they are fun and useful at the same time!

I also made a batch of hand printed tea towels. They are one of my favorite gifts to share. I use hand carved stamps and do each image one by one. I keep meaning to make another set for our house, but they seem to get passed on to family & friends faster than I expect.

How fun are these Eric Carle, the Very Hungry Caterpillar: Coaster Set? [my favorite of the bunch!]

So...

So....I just needed to post a picture proving I am not about to have this baby any day now-lol. This picture was taken a week and a 1/2, AFTER the last "giant belly" pic!

Things are going well with the pregnancy and I am enjoying feeling this little one move around. Hopefully he or she won't grow to be quite as strong as {L} was in utero. I thought he might break a rib with all his kicking and shoving in there!

This shot also proves that I need to clean the mirrors in our house more often. Every mirror that {L} can reach has his mouth prints all over it.

Behind the Camera

I often look through photo's from different events and special times in our lives. I smile at the remembered joke, or how sweet, little or innocent the kids look. Reminisce about silly times, and miss some of the days that have passed.

Recently I've noticed that I am missing from many of the scrapbook pages and entire events all together, due to being "behind" the camera. I started wondering what the kids would say when they grew up. Would they ask "Where were you?", "What did you look like then?"

In an effort to avoid these questions and record that, yes, I truly was present at every one of the important moments in the photo books, I took some pictures the other day. There will be a new scrapbook page featuring the top photo. It will read, this is what I looked like when you were growing up! I've been so involved in catching every change as they grow, smile, and pout that they see me behind the camera quite often.
I also decided to try and make sure I am in at least a few of the photo's-especially some while I am pregnant this time around. This may vary well, be the past time, so I am trying to enjoy every moment! It seems to be passing so quickly and if I blink I will be holding a new baby. I remember thinking I was pregnant FOREVER with my first. It's so different when you have a brood of kids to chase around and no time to ponder the future.

Our Christmas Puppy

We adopted Lucy three Christmas' ago. Time sure has gone by fast. A few weeks before Christmas we spent the day going around to local shelters trying to convince my husband we needed a new pet. We found Lucy at the second shelter we visited. She was a big puppy with LOADS of energy! I fell in love with her immediately, as did {D} & {M}. Even my husband said he like her...until the kids said let's take her home. All the sudden he wanted to think it over, and didn't really think we should get another dog.

We left the shelter, everyone but Daddy, pouting and sad. Over the next week, the dog was brought up everyday with the same response-we didn't need another animal. Christmas morning we were 2 hours away visiting family. Mr. {D} asked his Daddy who Lucy was spending her Christmas with? If she had no family was she all alone and sad? I watched his heart break during that conversation. The VERY next day he was calling the shelter, telling them to hold the dog until we got back in town. We stopped and picked her up before even getting home from that trip. Daddy figured it was on the way, and he didn't want anyone else to adopt her. [they wouldn't hold her for us]

He went into the shelter alone, and about 10 minutes later came strolling out with our new Christmas puppy on a leash. The kids smiles grew past their cheeks that day! The next few weeks were up & down training her. She has been severely abused in her short life before us[ she was only 6 months old]. She was always afraid we were going to hit her whenever we reached out to pet her. It broke my heart.

Three years later. she is THE sweetest dog. She's a part of the family and fits in perfectly. She loves and protects the kids as if they were her own. I could not be happier with her. This will be our first Christmas since the passing of our other dog, Bowie. It's been sad for me! This next baby will never even get to meet her. I do miss her, she was a wonderful member of our family over the years with us.

Ready for the Holiday's?

Man, Christmas is really sneaking up on me this year! At this point, I am usually done with shopping, have everything wrapped and most, if not all of the handmade gifts complete. This year I can;t check off any of those things! I have a 1/2 knitted scarf on my knitting needles for my son, and just a LONG list of projects for my children, and a few gifts to make for my parents, and in-laws.
Things around here have been going at a much slower pace since I found out we were expecting baby #4 later this Spring! Yikes, my energy has been zapped. It will be a whirlwind two weeks of sewing, knitting and creating! I'll share some of my handmade gifts here as soon as I get them complete!

The one thing that was done on Thanksgiving was our decorations. The tree is up, the wreath is on the door, and the lights are strung in the yard. Just seeing those things make me smile!

We're growing again!

Our family is growing again!

We will be welcoming our fourth child to the family this upcoming Spring. Everyone is beyond thrilled and excited. The older kids are really hoping for a baby sister [and so is mama!]. This baby will most likely be our last addition, so it would be awesome to have another little girl in the house. The boys are starting to take over!

It was a rough start this time. I could literally fall asleep anywhere at anytime the first 3 months, but things are coming around. I'm not feeling nauseous anymore and while I am a bit more tired, nothing extreme like it was! My belly is growing [I swear it gets bigger earlier, each time!], and the kids are loving watching it grow. {D} & {M} talk to my belly and tell their new baby sister or brother all about our family and the life they will join. They have little {L} kissing my belly and saying. " hi baby!". Boy, he has no idea what he's in for! He doesn't understand, but it sure is sweet anyways.

My lovely friend Colleen send me the card pictured above after I told her. It really meant a lot to me! With this being baby being #4, we've found even family, not as excited this time. I think each and every child & pregnancy is special and unique. It warmed my heart to open this special card that celebrated our newest miracle. You can read more about Colleen on her blog, Craft Lovely.