good news and bad news.

Bad news:

I haven't accomplished much lately except for a few little projects here and there.

I did do a lovely job devouring a half of a bag of tootsie rolls though.

Here's the thing.....I don't really even like tootsie rolls.

How's that for some epic emotional eating?! :)

Seems like I have lost most of my gumption.

I think a lot of it has to do with thinking we were going to be moving for the last 9 months and then suddenly we weren't. I even had a few boxes packed.

That'll teach me to not "count my chickens" wont it?! Haha!

We are truly happy about our choice, but the complete turn around in our thinking

kind of messed me up a little.

I haven't felt like doing much of anything

except letting my poor old brain rest from all of its decision making.

But I did participate in a fun pin keep swap. I gave a little teaser to my partner in my last post. 

This is one that I originally made for her, but I after I made it,

I thought it might be a little too "cutsie" for her tastes. 

It's made from an egg cup that I picked up at Easter time.

I don't mind a bit keeping it for myself. :)

As some of you have read, we are expecting our first grandbaby in October. We are so excited!!!

I reconnected with an old high school friend on facebook

 and she was so sweet to send me some cute gifts for Cameron and Crystal.

She told me about these "monsters" that she made with her Young Women's church group and asked if she could send us some. Since we didn't know if the baby was going to be a boy or a girl, she sent one for both! She also included a burp rag for each! Aren't they so fun?!?

 I think they are so cute! Thanks so much Angie! Angie has a set of boy/girl twins too.Her son is getting ready to leave on a church mission, so for her to do that for us just means so much.

Here's the GOOD NEWS!!!

We found out today that Cam and Crystal are having a.........

BOY!!!

We couldn't be more thrilled.

 If you need me, I will be at the fabric store buying blue fabric.

A few weeks ago, I had the rare opportunity to stop in at our local Savers store. I don't go there often because, for the most part, they just have clothes and shoes.

But every once in a while I find a treasure there.

This was one of those occasions!  

In a bag, hanging on the wall, I found 12 sock forms.

 Now, they aren't anything vintage, and they were painted in some funky colors,

 but I could see these would be pretty easy to make over. :)

Here is the before picture.

I'm not sure why there are so many holes in the smaller ones.

 My guess would have to be for some decorative purpose....?

**Thanks to my blog friends, I have been enlightened about the holes in the sock forms...They are ventilation holes for the drying of socks. I let out a great big DUH! when I read their comments.

Leave it to me to completely miss the obvious! ;) 

 So, I got out some of my trusty spray paint colors and started spraying.

I found a place for one in our guest bathroom.......

A couple more in our family room.........

I got this wall hanging from Kimberly at My Brown Bag Studio.

We did a swap a while back. I loooove it!

And don't mind the dust....I live in the desert, and dust is just a given.

And more in the upstairs hallway.

Boy!  I sure do appreciate an easy make over project!

**************************************************************************
Onto some other stuff......

I have a dear friend, whom I have known for years, that is organizing a service project for some of the children of Africa. Her son is serving a mission on the Ivory Coast. Given the fact that our son, Mark recently returned from serving a mission in Uganda, it was easy for me to want to contribute.

  It goes without saying that there is such need in Africa....it's hard to even put a finger on one thing that is needed. But, Sindy heard about the teachers who were trying to teach the little children some church songs, but didn't know the tunes. They hadn't heard the songs before, and without a piano, they had no way of knowing the tunes. Sindy immediately went to work organizing a project, collecting children's hymn books and CD's containing the primary songs (in French) to send to Africa.

Then, as most projects go, it got bigger. More people wanted to participate so Sindy decided that she wanted to put together 100 tote bags that included a picture of Jesus, a CTR ring (a popular piece of jewelery in our church that has the CTR emblem on it, reminding the wearer to "Choose The Right") and a Book of Mormon in the French language.

Since I have a hoard of an over abundance of fabric,

 I decided to sew up some tote bags to contribute to the cause.

  I know I'm not alone in saying that there isn't a better feeling

 than knowing you have done something to help someone else.

It sorta just makes you look for the next time you can serve, right?!

:)  :)  :)  :)

One of my favorite sayings......

Give without Remembering,

Receive without Forgetting. 

Have a blessed day!



It's official!

Craig and I are so happy to announce that we are going to be grandparents!

 Our oldest son, Cameron, and his wife, Crystal, are expecting in the fall.

This is a picture of our little grand baby!

Isn't he/she the cutest thing you've ever seen??

I am going to give this precious little sugar anything he/she wants. And when I say anything, I mean anything. And everything. ;)

Now, for the hard part.....what exactly, should a 29 year old grandma be called?

A swap teaser......

I can't show you the whole surprise,

but Julie over at Country Girl at Heart and I have entered into another swap.

I love swapping with Julie....she is so talented and generous!

I hope she likes what I sent to her. It should arrive today or tomorrow. :)

Well, I have been busy sorting and organizing these past few days. I rarely get the "bug" to do that, so I suppose I need to go with it when I do. I spent the majority of Friday and Saturday working on my craft closet and my preschool closet. It feels so good to get rid of things and be all sorted out again.

 Next, I will be working on a couple bedrooms.

More specifically, the half empty bedrooms that Mark and Makenzie recently vacated.

(sad face)

I will be selling anything of value at a yard sale....

That'll teach 'em to leave their mother!

A first try

After making the wool eggs that I showed you in my last post, I decided that I would make a penny mat.

I have worked with wool in the past and have found it very fun and easy,

but never have made a penny mat.

 I have only admired everyone else's!

I actually bought a little kit for this one so I would have a pattern and the instructions for future reference.

And here it is.....

(I put in on this big wooden charger so it could be seen on my black table)

To be honest, I struggled just a little bit.

It's not that it was difficult.

I think it's because I tried too hard.

Or maybe it's because I don't follow instructions well, or possibly,

 because I feel compelled to do my own thing.....

I don't know, but there is probably some medication that helps people with problems such as this.

The instructions had me trace the pattern onto freezer paper (brilliant!). The circle pattern had a large circle with a smaller circle inside it.

The smaller circle was to be cut out from the larger circle......so I had 16 "donuts" and 16 "donut holes".

Make sense??

Then, they were arranged as seen above.  The problem I found was that the little circles weren't necessarily the same size as the holes. The wool did stretch as I blanket stitched it into place but they smaller circles appear to be "sunk into" the larger ones.

Is this the way it's supposed to be?

I always assumed that the smaller circles were on top of the large circles.

Mine seems to lack the dimensional look that I have seen before.

Anyway, it is what it is.

I still like it.

And, I will more than likely try making another one.

That is, after all of you professional penny mat makers, impart your wisdom and knowledge unto me.

 And since that little black children's chair is showing in the background, I will include a larger picture. This is a re-do of a children's chair I picked up at a consignment shop many years ago. It was spray painted with a very light coat of white. The color was fine when I got it, but I recently decided to wood glue it in a few loose places and give it a new coat of paint.

Ahhhh. Much better. 

Happy Saturday. :)

SO here's the thing.....

I cannot abide a pity party.




Unless it's mine.



I don't have one very often and I don't stay too long, but sometimes I have one.

Lately, I have had a BAD case of the crankies.

I have hurled myself on the bed and had a good cry. I have put my hands on my hips, made a mad face and stomped my foot. I've made fists and said "Humph! and "Grrrrrr!". 





You see, I am not ready to be an "empty-nester". (insert whiny voice)


Three of my babies have left the nest and the fourth is counting the days until it's her turn.

It's just not fair.
My cruel, cruel children.



Come back and I won't care if you mess up the kitchen making cookies.
I won't care if I am in the bathroom and you come in to ask me a question and all your little friends follow you.
I won't care if I give you my very last dollar so you can buy more (fill in the blank).
I won't care that I have to call the neighbor to tell them their child has seen me in my underwear....again....because you forget to knock on the door.
 I won't care if you dirty every surface/dish/piece of clothing you own.
 I won't make you find what stinks in your room and get rid of it.
I won't make you only pick three books for me to read to you.
I will cook whatever you want for dinner....even if it means I make four different choices....one for each of you.
I won't make you have a bedtime/curfew.
I won't make you practice spelling words.
I won't kiss you in public.

Just. come. back.




I want to be very clear though.

 IF you don't come back, I will be forced to find new children.
Then you'll be sorry.

I'll give you until the count of ten.....
ONE......., TWOoooo.......

Calling all turkeys!

Let me be clear....I am not calling any of you a turkey.

It's just that I love the whole "turkey" theme of Thanksgiving.

I love putting my turkey's out to display after storing away all the remnants of Halloween.

This little guy is one of my favorites.

And, this big fabric turkey makes me happy when I bring him out of the storage bin and sit him on the shelf. He is holding a rather large sign, but I think he's doing a great job at it.

I would like to believe that he is personally reminding us to remember to be thankful! :)

I love the turkey theme so much that I dedicate a whole preschool day to turkeys.

I call it.....(wait for it....) TURKEY DAY!

We make our own little turkey puppet to sing with one of my favorite Thanksgiving songs.

Albuquerque the Turkey

sung to "My Darlin, Clementine"

It goes a little something like this.....

Albuquerque, he's my turkey,

And he's feathered and he's fine.

And he wobbles and he gobbles,

And I'm awfully glad he's mine.

He's the best pet that you'll ever get,

Better than a dog or cat,

Albuquerque, he's my turkey,

And I'm awfully glad of that.

Albuquerque, he's my turkey,

He's so cozy in his bed,

Because for our Thanksgiving dinner,

We had scrambled eggs instead.

I know you will be singing this little ditty all day long now.

But.....just go with it.

 :):):)

some finishes.

I have been spending a lot of time with my sewing machine lately.

I think I've run the old girl right into the ground actually.

 I am hoping that if I give her a little rest, she will start acting like she should again!

The tension is all wonky and I have unpicked my fair share of tangles threads.

Because, seriously, if she's a goner, I will be really sad....and bored.....

Anyway, tomorrow is the volleyball banquet for the high school. Makenzie coached the freshman team this year and had a total blast. The coaches do a little something for each one of their players. Makenzie wanted to something personal for them. So, she asked if I would help her make a little blanket for each one of them. We went and got a variety of those soft and cuddly fabrics and made blankets.

I did an overcast stitch around 15 of those babies!

Oh,  but they are cute. And soft. And cuddly. (I'm thinking I might need one for myself!)

She also put together a little bag full of candy and a lotion for them

 and she tied it on with the ribbon that you see in the picture.

 Also, thanks to Makenzie, I got another project done.

She is always wanting to do big projects....projects like painting a room.

She suggested we recover a chair that is Ragans room that has been waiting to be recovered for a long time.

Last year, for Christmas, one of Ragans gifts was some fabric to recover it. I got the chair at a thrift store (for $5!) when Ragan was in the 5th grade. At the time, her room was full of bright colors so we covered it with purple fun fur.

But, now that she is all grown up it needed an update to match her new room.

This is how it looked purple!

This is how it looked when I picked it up at the thrift store. (except that it wasn't disassembled!)

And now, here it is......

 all

shiny and new!

The legs were really a light colored wood so I spray painted them.

Ragan loves how it looks.

 And, that makes me happy. :)

Thanks, Kenz, for your gentle nudging. :):)



let me explain.

I have had a few people ask me the reason behind my last post. I thought maybe I should explain, lest there be any confusion.

(Mind you, this explanation will be void of any specific details, as to not further the drama. )

My daughter, Ragan has been the recipient of attention from said mean girls.

It has been difficult, to say the least, for me to not go up to these mean girls

and give them a piece of my mind.

Not that that would do any good.

Even I've had more than a few "looks" (let's just call it stink-eye)from these girls....

Looks that I would like to smack right off their mean little faces, 

but again,

probably wouldn't do a bit of good.

The moms of these girls are in on it too.

They give Ragan stink-eye.

Classy, right?

I suppose you're wondering what Ragan did to inflict this upon herself.

I'll be glad to share......

Hope you can follow this.

Ragan spoke to a boy at lunch one day.

Friend#1 confronted Ragan about the conversation.

Ragan was told that (friend#2) likes boy and has been

"trying to get with him" (yep-that's AZ ghetto talk) since the 8th grade.

Ragan acknowledged that fact and assured friend#1 that she and the boy were "just friends".

Friends #1 and #2 find out that friend #3 likes aforementioned boy

and is currently in negotiations for a relationship.

Ragan is best friends with friend #3, thereby incriminating herself.

I know.

I didn't get it either.

And I am not even going to get started about the girl who took pictures of herself and put them on her myspace, got caught and then blamed that all on Ragan.

It was a "Ragan made me do it" kind of thing.

That mom, will not even look my direction.

(Kind of a blessing, though, because then I don't get the "stink-eye".)

In both cases, the other "players" will not talk to Ragan--or me, for that matter.

My first reaction was to vindicate my daughter and proclaim her innocence.

Now, don't get me wrong...if Ragan was culpable in any of this, I would admit it, accept it, and then deal with it appropriately. I am NOT one of those mothers who believe her children can do no wrong. However, in both of these cases, we believe Ragan didn't do anything to provoke the treatment she's had.

Which makes me even more mad.

But since I can't fix it, I make fun of it.

Yep--that's how we roll around here.

But, I have to tell you, as hurt as Ragan was about all of this, she really helped me regain my focus on the things that really matter.

She said,

 Mom....I know who I am.

What they think about me doesn't matter.

Bless her sweet little heart.

So, I say this in closing....

I'm rubber, You're glue!

Whatever you say,
 Bounces off me,

And sticks to you!!
So there.

Just trying to keep busy.....

There are times, in my quiet moments, that I swear my brain is going to explode with all the things I am thinking about. It is full of  thoughts about what I would like to do, what I should be doing, what I need to do, how much money we have....or don't have, and ideas for things I would like to make. Sometimes I just have to get my little notebook that I've carried around for years in which I jot down ideas and sketches of ideas that I think would be fun to make. It helps get them out of my brain so the ideas and things don't drive me bonkers. It also helps me remember the ideas.

But sometimes I just sit down behind my trusty sewing machine and do some mindless sewing and let my brain do it's thing.

I was asked by "someone" (I can't say or it will ruin the surprise) to make a baby quilt or two.

 This project was perfect for me while my brain was doing it's swirling about.

 

Once again, this is a stash only quilt. I was nervous about having enough "boy" fabrics to pull this off, given my goal of not buying anymore fabric until December. But I surprised myself and squeaked this little baby out. I hope the colors are not too dark for a baby boy....
So, if the "some one" that asked me to make this, sees this post, let me know what you think! :)

Ragans first "real" date! :)

"Your baby is all grown up......Are you gonna cry?"

That's what Ragan asked me as I was taking these pictures of her before she left for Prom on Saturday night.

I didn't cry....even though I have never seen her look more beautiful.

**sigh**

Out of the Mouth of Babes

My daughter Ragan is such a crack up sometimes.




Saturday, she was singing at the top of her lungs. She changes her voice into several different styles.....the opera voice, the tinny, nasally voice, the sheep vibrato.....you get the picture. And, seriously, she knows the words to every.single.song in the world. She sings everywhere and anywhere. The only thing she won’t do is sing when asked.

Well, sometimes it's so funny that she even laughs at herself. This makes it a lot easier to laugh at her, too.



I told her that one of these days I was going to secretly video tape her singing and put it on You.Tube. She just laughed at me and said, "Ya, and you'll probably blog about it, too, huh?!?"



So that got me to thinking.

I have blogged about her before and it's freaking hilarious! So, exerting my right as her parent to exploit her (and any of my other children if I so choose) for the sake of a blog post, I am going to share a funny story about her.

( Don't judge me. They all have to pay me back somehow for the stretch marks.)



Recently, Ragan was watching "A Baby Story" on the TLC channel.

I was in the kitchen. I can see the family room from the kitchen and I hear this couple on the TV talking about their infertility issues and how this baby was conceived through invetro fertilization.



Ragan says, "Mom?????"



"Uh-huh", I answered.



"When a baby is conceived through invetro, how do they get the sperm?"



Before I go on, let me just say that Craig and I have always made ourselves available for question asking and have always tried to answer them honestly and completely. But this time, I was completely taken aback. Don't ask me why.



I was amazed at the possible answers that ran through my head in that nano-second before she expected a response from me.

Here are a few of them.....

* I thought I was done answering these kinds of questions.”

* I thought, call Craig. After all, HE is the sperm expert, not me.

* I thought of asking her, “Wasn’t this covered in the maturation assembly that we went to?”

* I thought of the old stand-by, "Heavenly Father takes care of things like this." (Okay, so I never REALLY used this one, but I thought of pulling it out the play book.)

* I thought of the consequences of me telling her she could Google the subject.





"Welllllll.....", I began.

*ahem*

“The dad goes to the doctor.......and (insert awkward silence), he....uh.... gives the doctor the sperm."



I look at Ragan, bracing myself for her to ask me to go into further detail.



I see the wheels in her head turning.

I wait.....I’m waiting.....



And then it happens.



The light bulb goes on.



"EWWWWWW! EW. EW. EW!! ARE you SERIOUS??? That's DISGUSTING!"



I slap my hand over my mouth so I don't laugh out loud.



But, I'll tell you one thing. The next time she asks a question like this, we are soooo Googling it.

Happy Birthday Ragan!

I just don't know where the time went! I keep asking myself how my baby girl is suddenly 16!!!

Makenzie wanted to give Ragan her present on the night we went to dinner with Craig's parents. I am so glad because we all got a good laugh at Ragan's reaction to her gift! :) YAY! Footy pajamas!!! Ragan really wanted some! Modeling for us..... She is so funny! We were laughing so hard!!

Sadly, these pj's were too small....I guess that's what happens when you have long arms and legs! (an exchange is currently in the works)

I can't believe that November is already in full swing!!! I still have my hands in the Halloween candy! I dug out some of my fall decorations today and had forgotten about this quilt I made a few years ago. It's been folded over the banister in years past, but with my new pegboard that Craig made me, I can finally hang it up. (I didn't realize all of it's uneven bits until it was hung....{{sigh}}....)

It's a Memes Quilt pattern. I have always enjoyed these patterns because they are simple and fast to finish.

Anyway--I have been given an opportunity to be grateful about a few things lately and need to share.... Last Thursday, a woman ran a stop sign and Craig t-boned her with our suburban. She had no drivers license nor insurance. She was cited for causing the accident, not having the proper insurance and license, and her car was impounded.

There is a very high probability that she is here in the US illegally and will more than likely go back to Mexico and not even pay any of the fines.

To make matters worse, we had just switched the insurance on our suburban to liability (at the suggestion of our insurance company), and it was totalled. We just bought a car about 2 months ago and cannot afford another payment. So, basically, we are just out a car.

We have really struggled with the unfairness of the situation, especially because we can do absolutely nothing to change these facts.

However, I am so grateful that no one was hurt. Especially Craig.

I am grateful for friends that let us play with their baby while she takes her other two boys trick or treating. We slurped some big 'ol kisses off of Dallin's chubby cheeks! I am grateful that these two beautiful girls are mine....forever.

I am so grateful that my missionary is almost at the one year mark!

I am grateful that my son Cameron calls me almost every day while he is on his lunch break. He doesn't know how much we miss him!

Take care, be grateful....and go hug somebody!

Preschool joy.....or not?

This week has been a taxing week at preschool. Don't get me wrong....I LOVE the little children that come here every year. They are adorable and I would take any one of them and love them as my own ....if only their parents would let me! ;) This week, there was far too much Halloween excitement, not to mention an injury of a child that upset me greatly. I am exhausted. PHEW! Thank goodness for miracles (no broken bones, just bruising) and resting days. (that's what I call the days that we don't have preschool) I wanted to share this activity we did last week. We talk about how animals prepare for winter in all parts of the world. We talk about how birds fly south to warmer climates during the winter and how lucky WE are to have all those birds come and vacation with us here in Arizona. We made a pine cone bird feeder. This was the funnest (and stickiest) project for the kiddos! I mix up about a cup of Karo syrup or honey (with a little water added just to make it a little runnier) with a cup of birdseed. The kids push the mixture into the pine cone with a plastic spoon. The spoon is usually forgotten when the children figure out how "cool" it feels to push it in with their hands. :) We added a piece of yarn for hanging after it dried. This is Emma and her creation! When the honey or Karo syrup dries it is so shiny. The birds devour these sorts of treats! (**a funny side note.....A few days after completing this project, I discovered green things growing up from the drain in the preschool bathroom sink....it took me a minute to figure out what it was, but then I remembered how much birdseed I washed off of little fingers and hands that day!) There truly is never a dull moment! :)

Oh, the shame....

I feel a little embarrassed about the rant that I unleashed in blog land on my previous post. Let's just suffice it to say that there was a lot of estrogen swirling about here and things were, well, just bound to get a little out of control......;) So by way of an apology, I have included some pictures of my fantabulous children. Here is our Mark "running with the bulls". No, not it Brazil, but down the streets of Kabowa, Uganda. He sent us a funny video with these bulls....the cars just drive on either side of them as they walk down the middle of the road. Mark is, in his words, "still kickin' it in the mission field". {{{so proud}}}} Here is our Cameron with his wife, Crystal. We miss them so bad!!!! Cam just got a new job that pays well and has good benefits. {{{so thankful}}} And our girls, Makenzie and Ragan...Beautiful. {{{happiness}}} May you all be blessed. Have a wonderful Thursday!!

Just another day in Utopia....

Okay---if I am being totally honest, I have to tell you that the title of this post is completely sarcastic. I am having a hard time of it lately. I am exhausted being the mother of teenagers. Now, only one is still a teenager, but, seriously, it's quite possible that she is going to be the end of me. Not just her specifically, she will just be the proverbial straw that breaks the camels back. But let me back up a little..... Makenzie is in Utah. She went to Utah to have a little break from her life here in AZ and sort a few things out. Well, I think she is just more confused than ever. And I worry. She doesn't want to come back to Tucson, and I don't blame her. But then, the next thing I know, she says she's coming back. Well, now I am worried and confused. I want to help, but my help seems to only hurt....her feelings AND the situation. I have now committed to staying out of it, and anyone who knows me will know how hard that will be for me. {{sigh}} I didn't get an email from Mark yesterday....so I worry. Craig got one, so that helps, but dang it!...I wanted one, too. There is a very real possibility that he TRIED to send me one and it didn't go through. That has happened before. However, he was his happy positive self in the email he sent to Craig, so I will try to let go of this particular worry... And then there's Ragan. Will someone just pleeeeease tell me it's okay that I am completely thrilled about the fact that she is my last child??? Most days I love being her mother. She is funny, smart, happy and an absolute joy. But then, there are days that if I see one more eye roll from her or have to listen to the noise she calls music for one more second, I think I might have a complete and utter "come apart". I find myself longing for a private room in the "happy house on the hill". I believe I will be working off my worry and frustrations this afternoon on the treadmill. I have been neglecting my fitness for awhile now, which could very well be my biggest problem. But who can run when there are so many Cadbury mini eggs to eat????? **(on a positive note--I have not worried about Cameron lately. After being out of work, he was able to get a good paying job. YAY!)