Quilts!

I'll admit. I'm sentimental about handmade things.
One of Bill's aunts has sent us a quilt each time that we've
had a baby. She also has made the most adorable
infant sweater sets for us.

So after aquiring this set of bunk beds, I thought it would be
nice to have twin size quilts to put on them.
I was SO excited when our Aunt said
that she would make them for us!
(maybe someday I'll learn to quilt..we will see.)

I couldn't resist sharing. Aren't they beautiful?
The kids are excited. Well...Matthew is excited here because
he's in someone else's bed. hee hee
None the less, these are very special to us!
Thank you Aunt Sharon!!!
~Rachel

Around the house...

I've been reading a sewing book and

organizing my sewing corner.

Here's a peek at what I've got

put together so far. This morning,

Maggie and I went through all of the

fabrics that I need to get organized.

That's still a work in progress. I've been collecting

fabrics from all over. Hit it big at garage

sales this year :)

We haven't said much about our little hamster,

Boxer. He's grown up into a poofy little guy

since our last post about him.

"What ya lookin' at?"

"I'm gonna check this out..."

I gave him a haircut...you say: what? Are you crazy?

Maybe a little. The poor poofy guy gets bedding stuck

in his hair. I like to give him a trim when it starts

to get out of control. :)

So Boxer is still well loved (a little too much by the baby...

borderline obsessed.)

This little hamster is a keeper.

Paper Dolls

I found this cute site for free printable paper cutouts. You can make paper dolls, little houses, cards and other little things. I like that there are things for boys and girls.
It's called The Toy Maker .

Ornaments

We made cinnamon ornaments this week.
It was actually easier than I expected!

We basically made our dough, rolled it out, made shapes
and let it dry. The kids had a great time with the cookie
cutters. I think they turned out well, and smell VERY good too!

Activities

This weekend was full of activities.

I can't believe it's already September and

fall is quickly approaching.

Bill took the boys fishing, and I hung out at Grandpa and Grandma's

house. Here's Maggie after some coloring at home.

David is always ready to give me a smile for a picture.

Luke...what a ham...

We did a little paper craft before bed last night. Kind of like tissue paper Mosaics.

I found the idea at The Crafty Crow. Neat website! Like the tissue on Dub's forehead???

Sewing and the Garden

I'm always jumping at the chance to learn a little more about sewing.

Here was an attempt to make an all in one diaper with my own pattern.

These really need gussets, so I'm thinking of a way to improve the legs.

They fit my older one in diapers great, but I think they could use some reinforcement...

I'm really enjoying the flowers in the yard this year.

Below are Cosmos. It is my first year to grow them. The plant

is larger than I expected, but worth it since

they are beautiful in a vase.

Next are a few other flowers. My favorite of course is

the Blanket flower. This is the trumpet variety. It's the lower left one.

Marigolds and zinnias are this last picture.

I like the bright colors!

Little Sewing Projects...

Sew here it is!!!! (Drum roll, please....)

I finally got around to making this apron for the kitchen.

I am always wiping flour on my pants, so now it will actually go on the apron!

I made a matching one for Maggie, but she's not quite into it yet.

I'm sure that will come later!

I also made a simple cover for my sewing machine.

It has a leather case that it fits into, but isn't practical for

using all the time. This cover is my second attempt since I have

not idea what I'm doing without using a pattern for

something like this. Notice the fabric matches my knitting needle case

found here.

A Sewing Kick...

I've been on a sewing kick for the last few weeks. It's been raining so much here, and welll, I just don't get to play in the flower beds as much. I just made a fun little Apron for little miss, and will be working on a matching one for me. I can't wait to share! I've got a list of little projects that involve sewing, so we will see what's to come!
This weekend, we've had a great time together as a family. I'm really enjoying the kids grow and change. They are each just so beautiful.

Sewing-n-kids

So Dub is crawling in full gear now. He's a very motivated little

baby! The other day, he took a bath with the big kids,

so today he was gung-ho to figure out how to get into that

bathtub! He just loves the water.

I'm on a sewing kick right now. Dub has outgrown a few of his wool covers,

so I had an excuse to pull out a stash of wool sweaters. These look

much better than the first ones I made. I'm learning better

how to follow a pattern, and how to use the machine.

This morning, I found Maggie with the camera...

I guess she does literally copy EVERYTHING I do!!!! So

Here's a picture she took. She even turned the camera back off... Wow...

2 going on 20!

I love it when she picks up the dirt devil and cleans b/c she

sees a mess! I also stepped into the kitchen the other day,

and came back to the dining room to find her feeding the baby his

baby food, and saying YUM-YUM to him in a baby voice.

That one made me laugh.

Dub has baby food!

So here it is...my sweet little baby had his first bowl of oatmeal this week.

I started noticing those longing eyes staring at my food as I ate. I thought...already?

Could it really be time? NO!!!! Not the little baby who I never want to see grow up!

He was so excited, and it's here. Solid foods for the little man.

Go J-Dub! Quite the little participant!

So here's a cover I made today from a wool sweater. It's for the next size up. He likes to sport his new covers..hee hee

This last picture I couldn't resist taking. Don't you just love that HUGE smile?

~6 months old already~

Mother's Day and More

Did I ever tell you that I'm absolutely in LOVE with my family? My children are soooo precious to me!!!









JW (who seems to be taking on the name of his great grandpa...Dub), is now rolling to his tummy everytime we put him on the floor. I just love to see that sweet little smile! Right there, he's on a lovely quilt that his great-aunt Sharon made him. Doesn't Luke have the most precious smile?
Here is our family picture on Mother's Day per my request. It's nearly impossible to get everyone to look at the same time. Especially when we have 2 cameras pointing at us!!!! I find these pictures pretty comical.










Now this is my new favorite blanket for a cover-up when I've gotta feed the baby.
My friend, Amy made this for me, and wow! I really didn't think I needed ANOTHER blanket around, but this fabric is so nice and light. It isn't hot and folds up very small to fit in even the tightest packed diaper bag. Don't you just love the sparkle?







This week, I found this bamboo shade on clearance, and took the opportunity to get my boys a new shade for their room. Theirs had started falling apart, so it was due. Turned out, it was pretty much see through. I found this cute fabric, and modified the shade to become a nice starry window. The boys really get a kick out of it. David even asked if he could got to sleep with the light on so that he could see the glitter in the fabric. I thought that was sweet.

I made a curtain for the back stairwell, and have one more to go for that hallway. Pictures coming soon!!!!

The little things...

A little thing...

This morning we had a tatoo party.
Sometimes, I forget how much I loved
those little treats as a kid.
I have to mention that the bracelet there is
David's. He gets very excited when Bill makes
one for him.
It seems like the days at our house have been
going much smoother since we are able to go outside and
play, run, get energy out! The sun is out and the overcast
skies are becoming fewer. It's funny how a warm sunny day
can effect our moods and energy level.
Our little garden in the window is doing well. It seems to be growing
daily...to the point where I hope I can keep them alive once
we transplant them in a month or so.

Another little thing...

I've been needing to make a few bibs for JW. He is drooling and
more spitty lately. After sewing a sling last night,
I found myself with extra material, so hey! Why not make those
bibs? This should help cut back on laundry at the very least!
If you are interested in making your own pocket sling or baby carrier, I found my
pattern at: http://thosemartins.com/bmt/index.htm

Maybe at some point, I'll post a picture of it. I hope we make it out to the library this week, or maybe even to a park! It sure is nice out!

Gardening and Knitting...

With Spring here, I just can't wait to start planting our vegetable garden. The kid's helped plant seeds a few weeks ago, and they are growing nicely. Each day, we look at them and get excited about the fruit to come. David is starting to be such a great helper in watering them too!



So I finished my diaper cover project a few days ago. It's a free pattern that I found here: http://warmheartwoolies.com/PlainWrap.pdf This is how it turned out. I'm still trying to decide if I want to modify the pattern a little to make it a better fit on the baby. We will see about that! I've learning quite a bit about how to knit by trying these little patterns. It's a fun hobby.





Here is a little baby bootie that I also just finished. I recently found this pattern online at http://www.saartjeknits.nl/ She has another pattern for these cute little flowers that I might try someday. It's too complicated for a beginner like me at this point.

This morning has started out a little rough, but after prayer, and seeing Jesus show up to change things, I am doing much better. I also found out that a friend had her baby this morning. I'm sooooo excited for her. It's a boy!!! I know she was very excited to find out if the baby was a boy or girl. It seems that amoung my friends, the boys seem to out number the girls!!!

Well, off to play with the kids :) Until later, Rach~

Wool Diaper cover

Ok, I just had to mention this website called http://www.crankypantshome.com/ .
As you must know by now, that I just love using wool covers for the cloth diapers that I use on the kids...
This lady has the Cutest hand knit covers I have ever seen. Right now, I'm learning to knit. I hope that someday, I will be able to knit something like this. Aren't they cute?????

Busy Weekend

This weekend, we had a great time
working around the house and playing
with the kids. Bill dyed eggs with our Boys.
They got a kick out of using glow in the dark
colors!

Maggie is growing so fast,
and saying so many new things!

Grandma & Grandpa stopped over
for their grandbaby fix!

This is the wool cover I made our little one.
It think it fits great!