Celebrate the Boy!

Just wanted to share, Dana, over at Made, and Rae from Made by Rae are having their Celebrate the Boy month again starting on Tuesday Feb. 15!

They did this last year and to be perfectly honest, Dana's 90 Minute Shirt tutorial is what opened my eyes to the fact that I could sew!!! (needless to say I'm a *WEE* bit excited to see what all they teach us this year!)  There are sooo many great ideas, clothing, home decor, crafts, toys and everything else you can think of.

(awww...doesn't he look so little?  And totally adorable?!?  I kinda miss this hair cut.)

You can check out all the details here...and I'm really hoping this will spur me on to get stuff made MY boys' room!  (so weird to type that in the plural...especially since tiny baby boy still has no name!)

Anyway, I can't wait till the kick off and hopefully I'll have all sorts of BOY things to share with you over the next month too!

12.25.10

Christmas eve the littles all opened one present (new PJs...just like half of America!  lol)  Kessa and Gabi got matching ones from American Girl that I snagged on e-bay...and the other two got jammies from Target.  Not gonna lie, I was disappointed in the jammie selection available this year...I looked at a lot of stores!  Oh well, they could have been old and holey and the kids would have loved them!  :)

Grace got a new shirt from DressMe that I think she looks FABULOUS in!  (but of course being the tightwad frugalista that I am I bought it used off of Recycled Upcycles)

Kessa recieved a beautiful, one of a kind, hand made Waldorf doll from Snicklefritz Friends (have I mentioned I LOVE to barter?!?  If you make something cool and have an itch for some cute clothes for your kids PM me and I bet we can work something out!  lol ;)

and THIS little dude...is becoming such a man.  He got REAL tools for Christmas and couldn't have been more pleased.  

(that cool bracelet Ezekiel has on is an ID bracelet from The Owl and The Firefly)

We did have some attitude issues that were discouraging to deal with on and around Christmas, but God is faithful and they seem to be on the mend...at least until next Christmas.  

Kessa also floored my husband's family when her Grandmother began reading the Christmas story from Luke 2 and she took over and quoted the entire thing. This wasn't something I sat down and made her memorize.  Last year at Christmas (when she was 3) we just read it every night before bed, and being the little sponge that all toddlers are, she memorized it.  That has been both an encouraging and convicting lesson to me about what I saturate her mind with...may it always be as beneficial as learning scripture!

I pray you and yours had a very merry Christmas and were reminded anew of the wonder and awe of God being made flesh...of Emmanuel....God WITH us.  

The Gingerbread House

Like most of you, we like to make a gingerbread house around Christmas.  I realized after the fact what I REALLY should have taken pictures of was me trying to get the silly thing to stand up!  lol.  That was a feat.  Last year I bought one that was already assembled.  I see more of those in our future.  

The first thing 'Zekiel wanted to know when I was putting the house together..."Where's the garage?!?!"  Yup, he's a man.

Kessa was very intentional with her side of the house.  We bought a Willy Wonka kit complete with Runts, Nerds, Sweet Tarts, and Bottle Caps.  She loved using all the Bottle Caps on the roof.  With much care and precision. 

Zeke put some candy on his side too...

but mostly he had to be reminded to not eat ALL of it before we finished the house.  

Kessa took pity on him and helped him finish his side so it didn't look so naked.  

We also got a nice little pebble (nerds) walkway up to the house.

And this is what it looked like by the next evening.

Cannibals.  

(and yes Jess, they're both wearing Narnia shirts!  ;)

Real Life Friday...

posted on Saturday (due to circumstance beyond my control, but completely in HIS control.)

12.10 - The birthday of my dear sweet hubby.  We've had big plans ever since we learned that This was being released on that very same day!  Wasn't it nice of them to plan such a big celebration for him?

So, our plan for the day,
    morning - relax, hang out at home, play
    noon - FIL picks up the littlest and takes her home with him  (Kessa and 'Zekiel were just as excited about the movie as we were!)
    noon-thirty - stop for lunch on the way to movie
    afternoon - watch The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
    evening - dinner out and maybe some fun shopping

God's plan for our day,
   morning - relax, hang out at home, play

    noon - FIL picks up the littlest and takes her home with him  (Kessa and 'Zekiel were just as excited about the movie as we were!)

    noon-thirty - stop for lunch on the way to movie - here's where it started changing a bit...we ate at Taco Bell and as we were eating I though I was starting to get indigestion

   afternoon - the kids and hubs watch The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - I alternate between sitting, walking, trying to stretch across the stadium seating and finally end up in the car because I'm in a lot of pain

   4:00 - call my OB to ask about said pain (this is something I NEVER do.  I've been pregnant three times before and basically anything weird that happens, I chalk up to pregnancy)

   4:05 - OB nurse tells me to try Priolsec and be on a clear liquid diet for 24 hours

   4:07 - OB nurse calls me back because she thinks I may have been crying because of the pain (not confessing to this one, but it *may* be possible)  asks more questions, tells me to have someone take me to the ER

  4:09 - I call my SIL who has JUST arrived back from her honeymoon at Disney World and ask if she can get the kids so they don't have to go to the hospital with us.

  4:15 - hubby and kids emerge from movie and I give them the scoop "Happy Birthday Honey!!!"

  4:30 - amazing SIL and new BIL show up and take our over tired children away

  4:55 - as we pull into the ER parking lot..."Tim...it doesn't really hurt anymore"  (this after FOUR HOURS of severe pain!!)

  4:57-5:05 - Do we go anyway?  We DO live an hour away.  The nurse DID say to go.  But it doesn't still hurt!  ARGH!

  5:06 - Go into ER and explain the situation (being VERY clear to blame our appearance there on the nurse who told me to go!  lol)

 5:07 - 7:45 This was fabulous actually, because I'm pregnant I got sent up to Labor and Delivery instead of having to stay in the ER...and...added blessing, my OB was the doctor on call!    Anyway...after much poking and prodding and ultrasounding and so on and so for it was decreed that the pain had been caused by my gall bladder, however I didn't have any stones or other visual problems so I will *hopefully* be good to go as long as I stay on  a low fat diet.  

8:00 - go out to dinner with the hubs and then go home and crash into bed and sleep like a log until morning.  

The END.

It.Is.Finished.

Or just beginning...depending on how you're looking at it.  But they're married. My sweet sister-in-love and her fiance are married.  (and if blogger will EVER stop flipping my photos maybe I can post pictures!) It was beautiful, and God-honoring, and full of sugar, and lots of hard work.

There were FIVE children (ages 4, 3, 2, 1 and 9 months!) all in the wedding...and all their mommies and daddies were in the wedding too.

And full of sugar.  And lots of hard work.
Did I already mention that?

I'm going to go pass out now...and pray I sleep till tomorrow, without getting up with a 1 year old.

O Christmas Tree

(first, let me say, I HATE indoor flash photography...bleck!  How horrible does the above photo look?  But at least I realized quickly!  ;)

So today we did the whole "put up the tree" tradition.  I LOVE decorating for Christmas...and this year Ezekiel was SOOO excited about everything.  I'm smiling just thinking about it as I sit here typing.  

Sadly I didn't have that same attitude all day.  About half of us are feeling under the weather around here and because of that I needed a lot of helping "finding a happy heart" today.  I'm so grateful that, as we're reminded in the catachism, "the Holy Spirit alone" is able to change our hearts.  

I'm so grateful for this time of year.  Grateful for the focus of the season (JESUS, not gifts!  lol ;) and the continual reminders of what an amazing God we serve.  One who's plan, from the foundation of the world, including sending his Son to earth as a baby.  

(when did my baby get so big?  And so darn pretty?!?!)

We've stressed so much that Santa isn't what Christmas is about, that he was just a kind man that lived a long time ago, and that we're really celebrating Jesus's birth...that I'm a little worried that one of the kids is going to get us into trouble by telling some other little kid that Santa isn't real.  We've talked about how some people like to pretend Santa is real and all that...but...any ideas?  

Grace was all about helping daddy pick out ornaments!

and this little dude...I think he hung everything on two branches!  lol.  So funny.

Alright, so, that was random but I hope you had a great Thanksgiving!!!

Because We're Dorks...

We all (as in every single person in the household, all five of us!) were very excited about the box that came today.

How often is it that a single box brings something for everyone in the family?  Pretty much never around here!  But today, today was different!  Today the UPS man brought ONE box...with FIVE stunning, pretty, shiny new.....

nalgene bottles!!! 

 Because, like I said, we're dorks (and I had a coupon for 50% off my entire order!  Score!!)  

Anyway, we're all thrilled and I'm all into things being color co-ordinated...so in general Kessa has purple stuff, Grace has pink stuff, and Zeke has green stuff (not sure what we'll do if the new baby is another girl though!  I mean, if it's a boy, that's easy, it'll get blue!  lol)  

Ok, I'm done with my dorkiness for one night...but I'll leave you with one last picture!  ;)  

It's Finally Fall!

I know it's been ACTUALLY been fall for a long time...but now my blog looks all pretty and "fallish" too!  :)  And thanks to Virginia I finally can stop being annoyed by my header been off centered!  Thanks V!!!

And..I know it's too late now, but did you vote?!?!

Because if you didn't maybe you should go sit in a corner and feel like this:

(leggings by Fancy Pants Designs, dresses by BabyFish Designs)

but I'm sure you were all good responsible citizens and voted right?!  :)  

So instead you can be proud of yourself and feel like this:  

The Introduction is Worth It

Now, I don't know about you, but a lot of times, when I pick up a book, I don't read the forward, or the introduction, or anything like that.   I just want to jump into the book.  However, last week I got a new book, and for one reason or another (divine intervention perhaps? ;) I read the introduction.

The book?

  I can't remember where I first saw this, but honestly I may have snickered at the title...and then I read the subtitle, "Establishing and ENJOYING a Peaceful Home."  That caught my attention.  And THEN I saw that Ginger Plowman wrote it.  I LOVE her book Don't Make Me Count to Three (and highly recommend it!) so I used some of the Amazon gift cards I had earned through Swagbucks and bought it.

But, back to the introduction.  As I was reading it these words jumped out at me. "It will be tempting to read this book with the mindset of, 'What steps must I take in order to have a peaceful home? How can I be a happier more fulfilled Christian?' I urge you to read this book with the mindset of, 'Although there is nothing I can do to earn righteousness and acceptance, how can I radiate the peace of Christ so that his character might be glorified in and through me? How can I bless God in the way I treat my family?  How can my mind be transformed that I might become more pleasing to Jesus?"

How I needed to read those words!  You see, when I'm pregnant, I don't really get sick, or even have to many crazy mood swings.  I just get mean.  Impatient.  I struggle to survive my children rather than enjoying them.  Basically I feel like I'm PMS'ing for 9 months.  But that is not at excuse.  It's a reason to cling to Christ and his grace and mercy.  It's a way for Him to very visibly sanctify me every minute of everyday...but far too often I don't allow that to happen.  I just wallow in my sin.  So these words were both convicting and encouraging to me.  Focus on CHRIST.  That's all I need to be doing...the rest will follow.

Catching Up

So I thought, let's just jump back in!  I saw on my husband's blog feed that it's been FIFTY-FIVE days since I've blogged.  Umm....oops?  Not gonna lie though, it was nice.  I'm almost out of my first trimester with little one #4 and I think I'm FINALLY starting to get a bit more energy back.  I had NO extra energy...even to blog.

So what HAVE we been doing?

Hiding in cabinets....

Going to pumpkin patches...

and of course, sewing too!  

He might look like he's grimacing but I swear he picked up Fiona and wanted in the picture when I was trying to photograph a new doll dress!  lol

And now I'm off to watch the rest of Parenthood and find a bedtime snack.  Night night!

Comparisons

We all fall prey to them don't we?  They're ugly things.
It doesn't matter if we're the ones doing it or if someone else is.
It doesn't matter if we come out on the good end of the comparison...or a little bit lower on the list.

In one case we end up belittling others and becoming prideful.
In the other case we end up missing out on the gifts God has blessed US with and envying someone else.

We do it all the time.  We envy how quickly she can work, or how clean her house always is, or how well behaved her kids are, or how good her photography is, or, or, or.  The list goes on and on and the more we compare the less satisfied we are.  Often it doesn't even spur us on to work harder or seek out help in becoming more like the characteristics we envy.  It just makes us bitter.  And gets us down.

I'm reminded of Galatians 6:3-5 which says, "If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.  Each one should test his own actions.  Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load."  In my bible from highschool and college I have written under these verses, "we should compare ourselves to no one but Christ that we may see how miserably short we fall.  That's helpful if we're getting prideful, but I was also reflecting tonight that if we are looking constantly to Christ we won't get caught up in the whole comparison thing to begin with.  We will simply be seeking after Him fully, trying to glorify HIM in all work, all play, all business, all cleaning, all training, all discipline.

Life really is so much more simple when we forget the world and seek first Him who can satisfy completely.

and because no post is complete without some eye candy....

Real Life Sunday (Posted on Monday)

My house is a wreck.  I've ALMOST given up on all of it being clean at the same time.  I was telling my husband last night that at least once a day the whole house looks pretty good...and it last for a split second before someone pulls out 5 or 10 books...or spills some juice...or...or...or.... but as I stood in my terribly messy kitchen, washing dishes, trying to get it clean enough to mess up again by fixing dinner I was reminded of something I read a while back on Money Saving Mom and I started thinking about what all the messes in our house MEAN.

For instance, the dirty dishes and messy kitchen mean that our family has gathered together and had plenty to eat.

The books littered all over every room in the house mean that learning is taking place (by ALL of us!)

The toys mean that God has blessed us with three amazing children who are able to play and enjoy in a safe environment surrounded by their parents and sibling who love them.

The material all over the playing/sewing room floor are a sign of all the business that God has blessed me with so that I might contribute to our family finances and also buy some "extras."

All in all...when I look at it this way, the mess isn't so overwhelming, or depressing for that matter.  Instead each mess reminds me of a reason to praise my awesome God!

A Bubble Dress...Tutorial?

Well this isn't really a tutorial, more like a walk through or something.  And it might be completely lame.  If it is, please tell me so I can never do it again!  lol

Kessa's been asking me for quite a while if I would make her a dress with the above Tink shirt, so yesterday while I was waiting to hear back from a customer about the item I was working on I thought I'd try making her a bubble dress with this.  

So I dug through all my knits and picked out some other fabrics that coordinated well with this shirt.

Then I just start cutting.  I cut out squares and rectangles and lay them all out on top of my pattern to get a general idea of how many pieces I need (except I didn't have a pattern for this style!  lol)

After I've got what looks like will probably be enough cut out I start sewing them together.  

Once I got to this point I decided I wanted it a little longer so I sifted through my stack of scraps and found enough to make another strip at the bottom.  

After I added that I measured my bottom band and started sewing it on...only to discover that I measured incorrectly and it was, in fact, too small.  So then I added a little bit more to it (but didn't measure this time...) and it ended up too big!  lol.  I tried it on Kessa and it really does need fixed...so I'll post pictures of the final product after it look more normal!  ;)  

And now...I'm off to see what else I can get sewn whilest the littles sleep.  

Happy Thursday!!!  

Celebrate Good Times, Come On! (part 3)

It's only a few days late...not too bad for me!  lol

(not a great picture, but the expression on her face is just pure love for me!!)

(this is the "turtle cake" we had on Sunday at my parent's house.  Mom made it all out of cupcakes, pretty cute huh?!  Now you know where I get my crafty genes. ;)

and finally...because I got busted for not showing you how messy Grace REALLY got with her cake....

and that concludes the parties!  Promise I'll start posting some "normal" stuff again next week!  lol

Happy Friday!!!

Celebrate Good Times, Come On! (part 2)

I thought today I'd share some of the good ol'e one year old, dig into your cake, look gross and nasty and yet oh so cute pictures!

(let's just pretend this is practically wordless Wednesday...enjoy!)

LOVE!!!!!!!

Come back tomorrow for the continuing birthday saga...and big sister's cake!