new pics...finally!

                                so i am finally figuring out how to upload on my hubby's computer....!!
                                          here's mr. wiggly hair, post haircut last week...it's even curlier!

emma's birthday cupcakes!

sam riding the car at Sand Island...

using the potty....not!

the finished paper mache pumpkin!  how cool is is?

little miss madison...

hanging around..

cheerios on the veranda in this mornings rainstorm...

sam and the dora umbrella, which emma was not happy about relinquising control of...

mix master sam and dj emma..

a paper mache door cone i crafted....

our scarecrow...

quilt beginnings crafted from leftover baby blankets...

i'll upload more as I go..i'm a little concerned my bathroom ceiling is going to come down today.  ;umm, lots of dripping with the heavy rain.  probably another project we'll have to do :(



mr. wiggly hair

photo collage

rain, funny quips and more rain...

its' a rainy day thanks to "nicole" spreading her tropical cheer over us :)  sat on the porch with the kids this morning, watching and listening to the rain..got Jacob off to school...he's the ***star*** today and so excited about it!  packed a pot roast into the crockpot with BIG chunks of veggies so it will smell delicious in here by suppertime...yummy!

finally got on FB to see Ayla pics...still haven't seen her in person :( gotta find some time between school runs and dr. appts!  jacob is going to his first ever boy scout meeting tonight..funfunfun!  emma decided to take a trek out into the backyard with sam while i was showering this morning...two very wet kids who got reprimanded for their adventure.  (ummm) 

funny quote of the week overheard while we were hanging out in the back yard (compliments of jacob)..."why does sam have wiggly hair?"

the rain has all but stopped at the moment, but there's more to come.  lots of wind scheduled for this afternoon.  already took my umbrella down. 

madi will be one next month...can't believe it!  and do you know what else that means?  that I will not have a child under the age of one in the house!  holy crow!  here's what she does so far...

has 6...no 7 teeth!
claps
plays "so big!"
stacks her toys
climbs the steps (naughty)
eats gravel out of the fireplace (not funny)
removes all shoes from the shoe bucket at the door
feeds herself cheerios and pretzels
working on liking milk, not formula
stands and furniture walks...first big steps are coming soon!

quilt status..did my embroidered panels..love how they turned out..very prim :) have maybe two more to do, then have to find backing for it.  I also want to add ribbons to the panel edges cause I love how this looks.

have a happy and dry day whereever you are!

family

My latest push is for less.  I mean less clutter, goods.  Quality vs Quantity.  How much excess stuff do you have lying around, unused?  I de-cluttered lots of stuff from my home, donating it.  Now I have come upon a great inspiration (found her book on a recent library trip) Amanda Blake Soule...soulemama.  Her books and blog are so inspiring.  She's about quality, learning from the world around her, using her kids at creative teachers.  Probably a bit more extreme than I could start with, but I hear what she is saying.  Re purposing.  Oh I love that.  So, I'm looking around here for ways to repurpose, instead of throw out and donate.  here's what I came up with so far...

I have tons of receiving blankets (and you never really use all of them anyway) so I quartered each of them and am making a quilt.  I finished sewing the front of it yesterday.  I am going to embroider my kids names on some muslin and add them to some of the squares.  Another great idea was instead of using batting inside, use an old beach towel.  And for the back side, I'm in search of a used chenille bedspread (keeping my eyes open at the thrift stores).  Won't this be a wonderful quilt?  Soft and cozy. 

I've mixed up a batch of grungy dye...smells delicious...all items from my pantry...nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon and vanilla to soak muslin in and make door hangers out of scrap fabric. 

I'm making my kids halloween treat bags out of felt and blanket stitched the edges.  I have store bought candies to fill them with.  I saw a great idea though to skewer those gummie candies..wouldn't that be cute? Will probably use that at the halloween party we are planning on the 24th.  that and a big jar of granola/m&m's and raisins scooped into cupcake bakers.  I have a plan for some old school party games that I think the kids will love....sorry, got off on a tangent there!

So i'm on the hunt for ways to use quality items, repurpose.  I just found a great article for using an old t shirt that can no longer be worn and making toddler pants out of it!  love that idea.  And to take only what I need.  God, I am probably the queen of the dollar store and excess!  so this is a big deal for me.  But I see all those expensive toys and what do my kids want to play with?  a box!  ha ha!  So i'll try; to incorporate this into our lives now.  My biggest issue is going to be with learning to say "ok" to a messy house, to creativity.  those of you who know me, know I'm a little neurotic about clutter (ha)  funny, cause i am creative, but i guess i am organized about it!  i'm going to try to add some pics...hopefully i'll have my new computer soon :)

;until then, check out amanda at her site...soulemama...you'll be hooked too!

sue

lost and found

umm...thought i was gone, didnt ya?  nope.  still here.  moving, shuffling stuff around.  still no computer.  on my hubbies at the moment.  new one in a few weeks.  hopefully less.  so where have  i been you ask? wellllllll...blog surfing for my newfound addiction to primitives.  primitive dolls, antique lace and doilies.  you know, all thinks old.  and paper mache.  i am addicted.  did three or four "involved" (for me) items for halloween.  and PURGED lots of stuff for the move.  had a yardsale, didn't sell much but my bike (ha).  so it all went to Goodwill and a daycare.  moved the kids toys into the attic for a winter playroom.  i wish i could post some pics, but alas i cannot.  and moved like ALL my craft stuff to the left side of the attic. let's just say i'm still organizing. 

so my new addiction is i want to sew.  like all kinds of little things and prim stuff.  problem is i have to have an outlet for my creations because if you know me, you know i am neurotic about clutter.  i can't keep everything i make right?  a few of my friends stopped by on their walk and noted that with 5 kids, there wasn't a toy on the floor.  and i explained.  it's because i'm neurotic about it.  laugh.  it's true though.  so now i have all this scrapbooking stuff, which i am not using, but i think i can convert it to use for my new crafty outlets.  i'm beginning to have a lust for rust.  rusty things like nails and wire.  and whimsical, Coraline like things.  (dont' you love that movie?)  Emma and I made a scarecrow today.  i sewed buttons on it's eyes.  just like coraline's other mother.  funny.  he's posted up in my front garden.  wearing nicks' clothes. kids love him.  we'll have to pick a name.  and wait to you see my rendition of Grumble, the pumpkin head.  still have to put his finishing touches on, but he is so cool. 

longing for our move.  can't believe we still have so many more months.  i just want to go.  run run run and bury my head in some secluded back woods town and just raise my silly kids.  every day i hate it here more and more.  i shouldn't say  hate.  i dislike it here.  there's no joy here for me anymore.  every day i see the fake-ness of the people here and long for a genuine person with morals and one to believe in.  not everyone really.  just some.  i guess i should have been born in the 30's or 40's because i can see me in some farm house baking bread and out feeding chickens.  the first pet i am getting when we move south is a chicken.  i miss the farm.  i loved growing up like that.  it will be good for Jacob.  he looks so distraught.  he cries every morning before school.  doesn't want to go.  i feel bad for him, but make him go anyway.  he has to.  poor guy.  just tears me up.  ok, sorry for the straying off there...

so hang in there with me.  i'm so excited for halloween.  i want to have a party for the kids at school and am vowing to get involved at the school...i just have to make the time.  so i will be seeing you....miss you all out there in blogger land..