My New Favorite Website

I don't even remember how exactly I found this website, and after visiting it for a month or so, it seems I am the last person on earth who hasn't heard of it. But in case you haven't either, let me introduce you to

The Pioneer Woman

When I first found the website, I intended to visit it only for recipes. It wasn't until I started poking around that I found it's author, Ree, blogs about life on a ranch, photography, homeschooling and decorating/gardening! If only she quilted, this might be the only blog I would ever need to visit! So take some time to peruse the site and I guarantee you'll find something you like.

And when you are completely addicted, as I now am, you can send me presents to show your appreciation . . . I'll be patiently waiting!

Weekend Update

As my previous post might lead you to believe, we had a crazy, busy, sickening week. The kids were better in time for their grandparents to visit for an early birthday party for Elijah, but Dan suffered most of the weekend with his own, albeit less explosionary, sickness. Even so, we had a nice, quiet visit that even allowed my mom-in-law, who is an excellent seamstress, to help me with a project that had been rattling around in my head for a few weeks now.

We have this wicker/rattan type box in the living room that I use to store the toys. It's a little more "decorator-friendly" than a typical toy box. It came with a brown fabric lining, that was held on by an elastic top. Well, over the 4 years we've had this toy box, the elastic has been stretched and stretched until it wouldn't stay in it's place anymore. So I had been trying to figure out the best way to replace it, without having to buy a ton of fabric that would just be hidden under toys, or just replacing the elastic, which would be utilitarian and economical, but boring. Since one of my new year's resolutions was to add a little more color into our life, I decided to add fabric on the outside of the box, covering about half of the wicker/rattan exterior. And I just happened to have enough of Heather Bailey's Pop Garden fabric to finish the job. So my wonderfully talented mom-in-law figured out how exactly to do it and then took over and finished it herself. Thanks mom!

Here is the final product:

Fun, huh? I love it and it only inspires me to do more with fabric in my house! Stay tuned for pics of my memo boards . . . another way to incorporate some delicious fabric into your decor!

Oh, and I must not forget to share the most exciting, exhilarating part of our weekend. Anyone who knows me should know that my game-playing skills are lacking, to say the least. I play games because I can lose and still have a good time, which is a good trait for one who loses as often as I do. But this weekend . . . this glorious weekend . . .while playing games with my husband and in-laws . . . I won in THREE different games. I won in a 4 round game of Blokus (first time I've used all my pieces!), Rook, and in Rage. I went to bed glowing, and told Dan that this weekend alone would be enough to carry me through a 6 month streak of losses, although I think I'm on a roll . . . :)

Hope your day is great!

Only a mom knows about this . . .

How is it that EVERY time my daughter throws up, it is within 24 hours of her eating corn and mandarin oranges? And just trust me when I tell you that this information was easily discerned. I'll leave it at that and let your mind do the rest . . .

Have a happy day!

Handmade Christmas, part 3

Somehow I missed getting some pictures of a couple of gifts, so I'll have to show you these and tell you about the others.

These gifts were for Dan's side of the family, with whom we didn't celebrate Christmas with until New Years, so it gave me a bit longer to finish. I made these reversible cloth napkins for my mother-in-law, in the colors of her kitchen. We apparently have similar tastes, because these would match my kitchen and dining room, too! My trendy sister-in-law, Noelle, picked out this fabric from Anna Maria Horner as a favorite on a recent trip to the quilt shop, so I made a mental note and went back and bought enough to make 4 coasters . . .

. . . and 2 hot pads. Both were easy to make, so I might have to make some for myself this year!

I also made 2 more fabric footballs for our nephews and gave my sister-in-law Jennifer an "On the Town Diaper Pack" that holds a small package of wipes and 4 diapers. I've made a lot of those and one day, when I finally get around to opening an Etsy store, I'll list those for sale.

Well friends, this ends the 3-part series on my Handmade Christmas. Hope you liked it. I really enjoyed making all these gifts, but I resolve in 2009 to start a bit earlier! Maybe next month???

New Year, Same Resolutions

We've had a wonderful few weeks of celebrating Christmas with both our families, although that always involves a bit of travel. I'm winding down and looking forward to a few weeks with nothing big planned, and a chance to really think about my goals for the new year. Here are a few that I've come up with so far:

1. Resolved to stay in touch with my siblings more often - even if just through Facebook.
(side note to Erik and Kevin - the phone connection works both ways!)

2. Resolved to read through the Bible in one year - Dan helped me with this resolution by suggesting we do it together. I don't know if that will make it easier or more difficult. We see each other (awake, that is) only a few hours a day.

3. Resolved to sew for fun, but to not let it take over my life and finances! Along with that resolution comes mine and Dan's desire to add a bit more color into our lives.

4. And the biggest resolution I have made is to strive to find the balance between serving in the body of Christ and knowing when to step back before I get so stressed that I have heart palpitations! That's an on-going struggle that I don't expect to fully solve - it's going to be a constant battle, but one that I'm hopefully more prepared for.

Well, that's my list so far. I'm sure I should add exercise and less sugar consumption, but I'm afraid if I write it down, someone will actually keep me accountable for it.

Stay tuned for my last installment of "Handmade Christmas" and some of my favorites of 2008!
Happy New Year Everyone!