:: THIS YEAR WAS A BUST ::

I didn't complete my 2009 Resolution of 50 projects. I believe I completed at least 50 projects, but I did not document, make tutorials, and all that I was planning... so I lose. I don't feel bad. I did other things instead.

I had the cutest little baby on the block.

I took my little family back to McCall Idaho and we all went camping for the first time.

Cohen started Kindergarten.

I got a new sister in law - Yay for Missy and Andy.


We moved in with Grandma.

A lot of other things happened, too, that I don't have photo proof of:

• My car broke down a few too many times
• We almost bought a house (we were under contract and everything)
• We finally moved out of our apartment
• Mike grew a pretty burly beard
• I got a new cell phone
• I lost two pant sizes
• I gained a pant size (but I am still down one)
• I cut 11" off of my hair
  
• I had strep throat for the first time in my life
• I finally found a pair of tall boots to fit my XXL calf (this in itself is a miracle)**
• I learned the excellence of crockpot cooking
• I learned how to say no
  
• I didn't write on this blog much
• I started stretching - what a difference it makes
• I went away on my first "scrapbook retreat" and I really enjoyed it
• I met many new friends
• I got a new church calling working with the Young Women
• I embraced my inner nerd and started playing some of Mike's weird games

I'm sure there are many more. I didn't just sit around reading your blogs all day - okay, that is my biggest time commitment.

As we move forward in 2010, the only resolution I am making is to do things with more heart. I often do things half way and I want to change that. So... Happy New Year to you all! May 2010 bring you what you want.

** EDIT ** Avenue.com is the source for large calf boots. I actually had a choice. There you go for all of you who have asked.

:: OH MAN ::

The worst blogger of the year goes to .... LORI! Man - I know there aren't too many of you out there, but I apologize for the lack of commitment to the blog lately. I've been so busy with my life, as we all are, and have had to put a few things on the back burner. I think I am getting more settled now and hope to get in my regular swing of things soon.

I'm entering the contest below because they are offering a little too much to even believe. It would be a Merry Christmas if I won. I never win, but now you all know what to get me for Christmas. :)

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme
TodaysMama and Provo Craft are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What 5 items are on your holiday wish list this year?

• digital SLR
• new bike (mine got stolen last year)
• brown boots
• deep saucepan
• my wedding ring fixed

2. What is your favorite handmade gift you have received?

• a beautiful pair of earrings from a friend. I wear them all of the time

3. What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle?

• I want to make a beautifully pieced quilt with machine quilting for my mom

4. What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child?

• My sisters and I all got Cabbage Patch kids one year. My mom fought off crowds to find them.

5. What items are on your kid’s wish list this year?

• All Cohen wants for Christmas is a Nintendo DS with a Phineas and Ferb game. I'm sure we'll get it for him, but I still think he is too young.

6. What is your favorite holiday food?

• Ham and home made candy (obviously not together) - Divinity, Marshmallows, Chocolate pretzels. DELISH!

7. What will you be hand-crafting for the holidays?

• All of my gifts for friends will be hand made. Scarves, mittens, headbands... yikes! I better get knitting.

8. What is your favorite holiday movie?

• Animated original Grinch

9. Favorite holiday song?

• Bing Crosby's "Silver Bells" & Karen Carpenters "Merry Christmas Darling"

10. Favorite holiday pastime?

• Sitting around and enjoying each other. I love driving around and looking at lights, too.

:: COULD YOU JUST DIE? ::

(Image courtesy of designer)

I just came across the most amazing Etsy shop and I wanted to share it with you. Aren't these little dresses AMAZING? FaithWorksU has the several beautiful little dresses and outfits that I know Piper would just look fantastic in... I know she wants the green one.

I have nothing to report. We are just getting ready for the big move and trying to stay sane through the billion activities and events we have going this month. We'll make it and I'll try to post more often. Sadly, I can't make any promises.

:: GENERIC - BUT SO CUTE ::

This year for Halloween, Cohen has had the hardest time deciding what he wants to be. His only requirement be that it had a mask. UGH. Anyway, finally today about 5 hours before our Halloween party, he decided that he would be Iron Man. Nothing better than hearing your kid sing a little Black Sabbath from the back seat all day long. I AM IRON MAN - Dun nun dun nun nuh nuh nuh nuh!


Piper didn't really have much of a say when I asked her what she wanted to be. I saw these cute flower combos in the scrapbook section and I knew I wanted her to wear a big Halloween flower on her head (I know... I am eating my words of me never allowing big flowers). I found some matching tulle and made her a little tutu. I guess you could say she is a cute little witch.


I wish I was able to make Cohen's costume, but super heroes are a little tricky for me. Maybe next year he'll want to be something that I can craft. I love making costumes.

Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!

Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!

I think this is the most amazing costume I've seen wandering around the internet this year. AMAZING. Go take a peak.

:: I Wish My Mantle Looked Like This ::

(Photo from PolkaDot Chair)

But... I don't have a mantle. There is a give-a-way for this super cute banner. If you have a mantle, you could put it on yours. Anyway, hop on over there and leave a comment for your chance to win. SUPER CUTE!!

:: About That News I was Going to Share ::

We were under contract on a house. It looked great. The inspection proved otherwise. It was in Layton and I am glad we are not moving there. We'll find a place eventually. For now, we're packing up our apartment and moving in with Mike's Grandma. Oh my. It will make for some cramped quarters. But we're crossing our fingers we find an affordable home to buy soon.

The end.

:: To Serve Love One Another ::

Tonight is our annual Relief Society Fall Dinner/Service Auction. I've learned in the past that I am not very good at offering a service to be redeemed at a later day. Last year I made a blanket, took it to the dinner, someone bid on it, my part was over. It was much more enjoyable. This year I decided to do the same thing. I'm on a sewing kick again. Making little girl dresses is pretty fun, so I decided someone else could use one, whether for themselves or for a gift.


I am wearing out this pattern. It is such a good and EASY one. It is just a jumper, with only 4 pieces to cut out and sew together. Buttonholes can be a little tricky, but if you pick big huge buttons to cover them, it isn't so scary. :) Piper has a few dresses in this pattern.


I made a little tag so it is ready to give away if the purchaser is getting it for a gift.

And... contrary to my old beliefs, every girl needs a big flower on her head. I made this one using a tutorial I found online. I'll link you to it later. I hope this item is well received.

:: SUMMER IS OVER ::

And that is fine with me... I can't wait to wear sweaters and boots and watch the leaves change. I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted. Time has flown by the last month. Our life has been a whirlwind and we've got some great and exciting and frightening news to share... soon.


But, in the meantime, Cohen started kindergarten like most 5 year-olds. You can tell from the above photo how seriously he took his first day of school. He was a little sad because he didn't know anyone in his class. All of his buddies from preschool are in the other AM session at the school. But, with no problem, he had two new best friends by the end of the day. Silly kid.


He likes his teacher but is a little shocked at the amount of work he has to do. He wonders why Kindergarten isn't as fun as preschool. Welcome to the next 20 years of your life, kid! I was very proud when his teacher told me he was more than ready to start and was very smart. As his mother I say, "Of course he is..." but I bet she says that to all the moms.

:: WINDY DAYS ::


There is always a weird little storm that rushes through Utah at the beginning of August. Usually it is a three day rainstorm, but this year "A Mighty Winds A' Blowin'" (love that movie and I love folk music). Yesterday we had gusts up to 50 mph in the SLC Valley. It was crazy... and SO HOT. It felt like the death that is summer in Phoenix.

I love this time of year, though. Everyone gets eager to do last minute camping, swimming, traveling, etc., before school starts. I love the smell in stores when stock the shelves with school supplies (I also love school supplies... I could blow $500 bucks on pens, pencils, erasers, markers, and paper in a minute). All of the moms in our neighborhood are talking about which school their kids are going to and organizing carpools. We're all buying new clothes for the kids- I also love my Fall wardrobe 100% more than my summer clothing. I've pulled my stacks of corduroy fabric off the shelf to make Piper some jumpers and pants. I love that we have 3 barbecues to attend this weekend. Ahhhh.... I love a good season change. Always my favorite.

If any of you reading this are in Salt Lake this weekend, head down to the Gallivan center and support the local craft and music scene at Craft Lake City. I can't wait to see all of the great stuff including Suzanne's revamped venture. Cub Country is playing at 6:00 - WAHOO! All of this is going down Saturday from 2-10. Be there or be square.

PS. I borrowed this picture from my brother-in-law's Facebook page. I hope the moon stays red all weekend.

:: HE'S 5 ::

(blowing out the ScoobyDoo candle... I am so prepared)

I found the birthday pics. Whew... they were in the file with my writing samples I send out with my resume. Hmmm?

Cohen had decided he wanted a party with a "Jellyfish" theme. We figured water and a jellyfish cake would suffice. I bought and organized everything, and Mike made the cake and entertained the kids. Just the way I like it.

(The firing squad)

This was a really funny bunch of boys. They all did so great together and there was no crying. We bought them all squirt guns and filled up 200+ balloons, filled up a pool and hooked up the slip n' slide. They took care of themselves.

(The squirt guns were Mike's idea)

Mike was the ring leader. They chased him for 15 minutes having the best time.

(The gifts... and Cohen's plumber bum.)

(Water gun wars in action)

Overall the party was a success. Cohen said it was "TOTALLY AWESOME" and that is all that really matters. We love that he is five because now we don't have to tell him how many days until his birthday.

:: 4 MONTHS ::

Here she is... all 17 lbs of her.

PS. Cohen did turn 5 last week. I cannot find the pics on my computer anywhere and I am just sick because I've already deleted them from my camera. UGH... I'll keep looking.

:: 20 DAYS AFTER THE FACT ::

So now that we're approaching Utah's celebration of July 24th, I guess today I might as well tell you about our July 4th trip. My brother Jeff was blessing his new baby that weekend so we decided to make a trip out of it. I'll just post the festivities in chronological order.

THURSDAY


I loaded up Mike's parents Subaru, picked Mike up at work, and then headed out to Boise. Both kids were such troopers and traveled so well.

FRIDAY

We met Bridger Reed for the first time. He is a darling little boy. Here are Piper and Bridger ready for our day at the beach. I am glad Piper will have a cousin her age just like Cohen has a bunch his age.


This is Remington. We picked strawberries out of Jeff and Heather's garden for delicious pancakes. Heather made the best syrup.

Recipe:
1/2 cup butter
1 Cup Sugar
3/4 Cup Buttermilk (or soured milk using lemons)

Bring this mixture to boil. Then add 1 teaspoon of baking soda before serving. Oh my... lip smacking!

While we finished up breakfast we started packing for a day in McCall. What was supposed to take 2 hours, ended up taking 6. We got to see everything along the road. :-)


We stopped at Horseshoe Bend pond for lunch. The kids had all fallen asleep and were a little cranky. But they had fun playing in the sand for a few minutes before we had to get back in the car.


We went to a little beach right in town (McCall is home to Payette Lake). I lived in McCall when I was Cohen's age. I don't really remember much about it, but there are little parts. Jeff says my mom used to take us to this beach all of the time. I remember going to play in the lake but that is about it. Jeff and Mike played in the freezing water while Heather and I stayed on the beach with the babies.


The kids would have played in the sand until dark if we'd have let them. Cohen was a little nervous of the water so he would not take his floaties off.


After we played in the lake we went for ice cream and then headed to the campground for dinner. Because July 4th weekend is ridiculously crowded in McCall, we headed back towards Donnely and camped at Cascade.


I love the beautiful Idaho mountain meadows.

our campsite was beautiful, but there were so many mosquitoes. We built enough fire to cook a hotdog and a s'more and then hid in our tent for the evening.


As you can see, we really know how to rough it.

Mike and Cohen looking across the lake at the cabins on the other side.


Both kids slept all night and it was wonderful. I can't wait to take them camping again soon.

SATURDAY


On Saturday morning you would have never known there were billions of mosquitoes the night before. We took a walk around the campground before cleaning up. I wish that dumb kid wouldn't have been so convinced to just stand there and keep asking "what are you doing?" so I could have taken a nice pic of Mike and Cohen on the docks.

We headed back to Nampa because Jeff was having a barbecue before the fireworks that evening. After checking into the hotel (Thanks Pops! Those beds were so comfortable after sleeping the night before on the ground).


After finding out the place Jeff wanted to take us wasn't doing their firework display that year, we headed to Boise and parked in the parking lot of a bar across from the baseball stadium. We made s'mores again and had a great time.



SUNDAY

After a beautiful blessing for Bridger, we headed back to Jeff's house to let the kids play a little longer before we headed home. It was a wonderful trip and I hope they'll let us come back next year. Whattaya say, Jeff and Heather?

:: WHAT'S UP NOW, SKINNY JEANS? ::



Now that is what I call awesome.

:: THIS TO SHALL PASS ::

Does "to" need two o's? This post is off to a poor start. I've been in a funky mood all week and I don't know why. I guess we had such a great vacation (next post) and I just realized how boring the everyday stuff can be. So, my bad mood will pass and so will my barrette making obsession.

For Bea and Ryan's new little June Bug.

For the Smyth Twins - Summer and Zoe

For Mandy and Garrett's soon to arrive Nora/Norah?

For Brandon and Bridget's yet to be named daughter.

I think I got those all correct. Anyway, it is fun and addicting and just takes a glue gun and scrapbook findings. I LOVE IT! Poor Piper has an over abundance. I'm out of control.

:: MY GO TO GIFT ::


For the most part, baby blankets are my go-to baby gifts (However, I am on a barrette kick now, so sorry if you'd rather have a blanket. Throw me hints... I'll make you a blanket.). My dear friend Erin had a sweet little baby girl last month and I wanted to make her something that showed her how much she means to me as a friend. First let me give you a background...

As a 21 year-old, I decided to serve a mission for the LDS church. I wasn't sure I was doing the right thing at all, but I turned in my papers and got a call to serve in Florida. I was very very nervous about going and knew that having a good companion to help train me was going to be a crucial part of my experience (It is always easier to blame someone else when things don't go the way as planned, right?). I went to the MTC and had an okay time. I figured most people have a 'okay' time at the MTC so I didn't let it account to much. I arrived in Florida and wondered what I had gotten myself into. Seriously, I was ready to turn around. I spent my first night in the mission home with tear filled eyes. The next morning all of my doubts and fears went away as I met Sister Erin Enke. She greeted me with a hug and bright red fingernails. I was thrilled. Erin and I had a great few months together and formed a lifelong friendship. Since we've both been home, we've spent only a handful of days together. But I'll never forget how wonderful and patient she was with me. She was fantastic and she loved Peeps and Cadbury Mini Eggs more than I do. I love those friends that feel as if you've never spent a day apart even though you haven't seen them for years.


This blanket is easy but can look so fantastic if you choose the right color scheme. With this version, I cut 3 1/4" strips of fabric in various lengths and sewed them together in one continuous piece. I then cut 40" strips and made enough to get a 40" width when sewn together to make a square. After basting the quilt, I just rand the blanket through my machine on the seams to quilt it. Easy peasy. I feel that the 'fanciness' comes through the binding. It doesn't matter what your quilt top and bottom look like. When you have a nice hand stitched hem, it really finished the quilt. Heather Bailey and You Tube both have fantastic tutorials for this type of binding.

Anyway, there you go, Erin! I hope you and Lucy enjoy it! Good luck on your motherhood adventures. :)

:: INDEPENDENCE ::


In a few short hours we're headed to Boise for a visit with my brother's family. We're going camping near McCall - where I lived from age 1 to 5 - and to play in the Payette Lake on the beach. Burrr.... mountain lake water. Cohen will love it.


I made Piper some head gear the size of the National Firework show using this tutorial. I swore I'd never put giant bows and flowers on her sweet little head, but what better way is there to show America how much you love her than dressing up your kid in Americana fashion?

Have a safe and happy weekend. I am just so excited to be going somewhere.

:: I HAVE NOT PERFECTED TIME MANAGEMENT ::


I just can't fit it all in anymore. I'm putting this HORRIBLE picture of myself up so I'll find the time to blog and push it toward the bottom of the page. This picture was taken at the Mule Deer Foundation Dinner just 2 weeks before Piper graced us with her presence. I won a vest this year... not a gun. Take a look at my wrist. YIKES! The swelling makes it look like I am wearing a rubberband. I have a few more things to do before I can download all 1 billion pics from my camera and edit them. I'll get back on the ball. NO ONE wants to look at this photo very long.

:: A GIFT FOR HOLLY ::

When my family moved to St. Anthony, Idaho, in 1988 I met two girls in my neighborhood right away. Holly and Annie introduced me to a whole new world of Barbies and making movies. Fun times. The best part about our friendship is, we're still friends. We lose touch for a few years, but then we pick up just like no time has lapsed at all. Don't you just love friends like that? Anyway, Holly is having her first baby at the end of July, and I was able to attend her shower last month while she was in town.


I bought this Michael Miller/Robert Kauffman (I can't remember which) fabric when FabricBliss.com was closing out. I held on to it for a little while not wanting to cut into any of those precious little birds (you all have a piece), but when I heard Holly was having a girl, I knew this would be a perfect quilt for her. I was so tempted to keep it for myself. It is so cute and I wish I had more. Does anyone know where I could find it? Does it look familiar to you?

My latest crafting obsession is making barrettes for little girls. I wish Piper had more hair. Right now I am just clipping them to her headbands. I'm sure they look silly to others, but I think they are darling on her round little head. I'm not really into the giant satellite dish flowers on little babies, but I love the little ones.

I also threw in a few flannel burp cloths because you can never EVER have too many of those laying around. I do a load of burp cloths, bibs, and blankets every other day because Piper is a spitter/drooler. I thought Cohen was a slobber monster, but Piper wins hands down.