I Wasn't Dreaming of a Sick Christmas ...

... but that's what we got.  Everyone was sick on Christmas.  And we ran the gamut of illnesses:  ear infections, roseola, tonsillitis, food poisoning and stomach bug.  All within three days.

Good thing about being sick on Christmas:  no one in the house felt like doing much, so we just lounged around as much as possible and watched television.  And since the kids didn't feel well, there was no fighting, arguing and bickering.  We made the most of it.  The kids loved their presents and we loved watching them open 'em up.  I got to talk to family on the phone.  Man, how I miss my mom and sister these days!

Jesse's on night shifts, but thankfully he was up and awake on Christmas morning to be with the kids while they opened presents.  I think of all the moms and dads out there deployed overseas who can't be with their little ones during the holidays, and I remember the year that Jesse missed Christmas.  He was in Iraq at the time.  Thankfully, we lived in Texas with Shug for that deployment, so we were surrounded by family while he was away.  I think it taught me to be even more thankful for the blessings.

Here are some December pictures to catch up a little.  And if you haven't joined the sister blog, Four Big Mouths, make sure you check it out.  It's the place I put all the funny things the kids say around the house.

Looking handsome in his new Snoopy outfit from Grandma

Riley being ... well, Riley.

All our kiddos playing together and not fighting.  It was a momentous occasion.

Cold!

Yeah, it's really that cold.

The Four Monsters

Took this picture today ... it's my new favorite!

Four Eyes

We had eye appointments for the girls the other night.  Turns out that Savvy needs reading glasses.  We are truly hoping that her headache problem is solved with the new addition.  Too bad that we have to wait a week to pick them up.

Riley also had a change in her eyes, and she needs a stronger prescription in the right eye.  Since insurance covered the exam, frames and lenses we got new frames for Riley as well.

Yeah, I know.  Not the most exciting news.  But hey.  That's what I've got today.  So far!

Book Review: Truly, Madly by Heather Webber

This is a great, lighthearted book.  Perfect for snuggling under blankets on a snowy day and reading the day away.  Only a day's read for me, but I'm a fast reader.  Lucy Valentine is a great protagonist and I can't wait to read the next one.  

Lucy Valentine is one of the Valentines.  Matchmakers extraordinaire who were blessed with the ability to see auras by none other than Cupid himself.  And while matching auras works 98% of the time in their matchmaking business, Cupid's Curse makes it impossible for any Valentine to find true love.  Add this to the fact that Lucy's inherited ability to read auras was shortcircuited -- literally -- by an electrical surge, and she no longer has the ability to read auras or carry on the family tradition.  Instead, she can find things.  Lost items to be specific, through a type of ESP, courtesy of the power surge.  But Lucy's life is turned upside down when her gift to find lost objects ends up helping her find a buried body with a missing engagement ring.  Enter into the mix the handsome PI that works upstairs and you've got a great story on your hands.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

New Blog!

I've started a separate blog for all the funny things the monsters say.  Also includes some artwork and funny stories.  Check it out and become a follower.

Four Big Mouths

Minnesota in Winter

Just thought I'd share some pretty pics of the Land of Ice and Snow.

Meet Gareth

Gareth Everett is a 2 1/2 year old little sweetie pie that I've only seen in pictures, but his momma is one of my great friends.  Annie, Ben, and their daughter Audrey came into our lives when we moved to Oceanside, California.  Meeting wonderful families is one of the best things of military life.

Gareth was born on April 22, 2008 and his parents knew before he was born that this little guy was going to have tough obstacles to overcome in his life.  He has cystic fibrosis.  CF is a disease that affects the entire body, with breathing difficulties at the top of the list.  Other symptoms of CF are chronic sinus infections, poor growth, diarrhea, infertility, internal scarring and cyst formations, especially in the pancreas.  CF patients lack the ability to regulate mucus, digestive juices, and sweat, thus leading to breathing and digestive difficulties.

Every day, Gareth undergoes multiple breathing treatments with a nebulizer and vest therapy.  Every day.  He has had numerous surgeries already to remove scar tissue and improve his chances of surviving this disease.  

I'm asking you to help.  All you have to do is vote on the Pepsi Refresh page for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's initiative to help children Breathe Easier.  A couple of clicks and two minutes of your time could help give $250,000 to CFF for research into hypertonic saline therapy, a promising new treatment. 

There is no cure for CF.  But you can help provide much needed research funding by supporting this cause through Pepsi Refresh.

Dagnabbit!

Our butter thief strikes again.  Such a strange child.  I hear she gets it from her mother.

Eating A Cupcake, Isaac-Style

It was so funny watching Isaac dig in to his birthday cupcake.  He didn't want to touch it with his hands at first.

Happy Birthday, Baby Boy!

Isaac, just born

Our little man is ONE year old today.  Isaac Sean has been a blessing and source of much laughter over the past year.  Wouldn't trade a minute of it!

Isaac enjoying his First Birthday cupcake

The First of Many ... Hopefully

Now that I own 7 18" doll clothing and accessories patterns, I decided it was time to get to work on making mini-things.  First ever doll project was this doll purse.  Took as long to make as altering Riley's pants as seen in the previous post.  But cute!

Fantastic Flares

I have been wanting to do this project for years!  Riley constantly wears holes in her jeans, and most of the time I just turn them into shorts.  But shorts are practical for northern Minnesota in November and she needs all the jeans she can keep.  So voila!  I turned the holey jeans into bell bottoms and added a little heart to match.  Not bad for 45 minutes work.

The next ones I'll do will be splitting the sides of Savvy's jeans up about 8 inches and adding side panels for a little flare feel.

Crafty, Crafty

Broke out the sewing machine a few days ago, and I've managed to get a few projects done.  Two, in fact, today.  One was a Christmas gift for my niece, Brenna.  The other was a bedside book holder for the top bunk.  I'll do another for the bottom bunk sometime this weekend.

So excited because I actually have a dedicated sewing area  now!  I'm such a neurotic mess.  :)

Winter is A'Knockin'

I can honestly say that I thought I was prepared for a Minnesota winter.  And I still think that.  But it got way colder much sooner than I thought it would.  November has seen about 6"-8" of snow accumulation so far, and we've already hit subzero lows at night.  How incredibly thankful was I that it was 22 degrees outside this morning!

Jesse got the snowblower running ... finally.  It was a gift from his dad, but we knew it wasn't in the best shape.  Two new tires, and a clean carburetor later, Jesse was able to clear the walkways without any big hitches.

Growing up in Texas, I never imagined that I would choose to spend my adult life living in the frozen tundra of northern Minnesota.  But I guess that's misleading.  It does get warm for a few months out of the year.  Most people up here are willing to accept a Texan and call her their own.  But I'm not sure that I will feel like a resident until I survive my first winter season.  I open my mouth and a small amount of my southern accent comes out, causing most of people up here to ask, "What did you say?"  And then say, "You're not from Minnesota, are you." 

Nope.  But my kids will be.  After all, they've never lived in a state longer than three years.  Two of them were born in Texas, one in California and one in Virginia.  It will be nice to put down roots.  Most likely my kids will say "flag" and it will rhyme with "beg".  Or they'll say "eh" a lot at the end of all their sentences.  You betcha.

Riley and Savvy are getting used to suiting up to go to school.  Hats, mittens, snowpants and a snow coat are standard gear.  They tote shoes to school in their backpacks and hang snowpants in lockers.  Wouldn't that have been a site to see in Pollok, Texas?

A white Christmas is almost a guarantee, but not quite.  The folks up here did have a brown Christmas a few years ago.  And it's hard to believe that Christmas is almost upon us again. Isaac will turn one year old on December 1, and Jesse has a birthday on the 16th.  Doesn't seem like a year has gone by since I had Isaac, but he is turning into a toddler already.  He say a few words:  Momma, Dadda, da-du (thank you) and elly (belly).  He's mischievous, rambunctious, whiny and into everything.  Climbing is his new accomplishment, so the ottoman, coffee table and footstool have been moved.  It will be interesting to see how he does with the Christmas tree.  That oughta be fun! 

Brooke ... well, Brooke is Brooke.  Naughty, hilarious, precarious Brooke.  Jokester extraordinaire who can be as sweet as sweet can be, and completely rotten two minutes later.  She loves swiping her sisters' things and dressing up.  Lately, she likes to put both of her feet into one leg of my pants and be a mermaid.

As chaotic as life has been lately, I wouldn't trade it for anything.  That said, a couple minutes peace and quiet would be wonderful!

"Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 

~1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18

How To Make An Apron

I love to sew, but I am only a basic seamstress.  This is an easy project for beginners.  You don't even need a pattern, just an approximate measurement.  This apron was one that I made for my sister for her birthday.  I've never written out a sewing how-to, so I hope it is coherent.  Have fun!

1.  Select your fabric.

First select your material.  I like contrasting fabrics that complement each other for aprons.  This reminding me of a 1950s housewife, and since the apron was to be used for holding clothespins I thought it was perfect!

 2.  Wash, dry, iron and cut the front panel in the main fabric.

The main part of the apron is just a rectangle, and a single layer.  Measure the wide across the front of the person the apron is for, and then double the width.  You will be gathering the waistline.  For this pattern I used 1/2 yard of fabric for the main piece.  That determined the length of the panel.  See the white part on the fabric in the pic above?  That's the selvage.  You want to make sure the selvage is running vertically.  These will be your sides of the apron panel.  

3.  Finish the side and bottom edges of the apron panel.

 

I don't like to use pins.  They fall on the floor and little hands insert them into little mouths.  So you may see a few pins but not a lot in this project.  I like to press my seams and then sew. To get a clean seam, fold over fabric about 1/4" and then do it again.  Press.  Add a little spray sizing (light starch) to help it stay.  In this step, you will finish the bottom edge and the side edges.  Leave the top part unfinished.  You will have a rectangle finished on three sides when finished with this step.

It really doesn't matter on the width of the seam.  I like to put the edge of the fabric on the outer edge of the sewing foot.  Just make sure that you use the same size consistently for a uniform look.

4.  Gather the top edge of the apron panel.

Set the length of your stitches on the longest setting.  Stitch a line across the top about 3/8" from the top of the fabric.  Grab the bobbin thread on both sides and gently pull.  This will gather the fabric.

Determine the width of the front panel.  Once you've gathered the fabric to that measurement, tie a know in the thread on both sides.  Then even out the gathering so that the ruffling is consistent.  Set aside the front panel for now.

5.  Make the pocket.

There is no specific measurement for the pocket.  I eyeball it.  In this case I used a larger pocket because my sister would be using it to hold clothespins.  After you choose a size, add a little to the length and width to account for the seams.  Finish all four edges of the pocket before pinning to the front panel.  On the top of the pocket, I like to use a zigzag stitch, just for fun.  I used the same roll and press technique as I did on the panel seams.  Because this fabric is white, I used two layers of fabric to make it more opaque.  Normally this would just be a single layer of fabric, like the apron panel. 

Finish the seams on all four sides before pinning to front apron panel.

6.  Pin the pocket to the panel.

Pin the pocket to the panel, remembering to leave the top edge OPEN.  Stitch around the three sides.  I like to add a backstitch at the top corners for reinforcement.

 7.  Make the waist tie.  In this case, the tie/waist binding is in three pieces; the waist binding is the smaller piece, with two long ties on each end.  This forms a very long length of fabric.

The simplest way to do this is use a very wide ribbon or blanket binding and then fold it in half.  Since I wanted to make the tie and the pocket out of the same fabric, I made the tie.  And because this was for an adult, it's pretty long.  Measure how long you think you'll need for a good tie in the back.  I made this tie in three pieces:  one to bind the apron front panel, and two for the ties.  You can see in the picture the folding and pressing that I've done.  For the width:  I wanted the tie to be about 1 1/2" wide.  So I doubled that (because it folds) and added an inch (for folded seams), making the total width 4".  Normally, you could stop at this measurement.  In this instance, I added another 1.5" because it's white, and I wanted a second fold to make it more opaque.

After the pressing for the seams is complete, I stitched the end ties to the waist binding, right sides together.  Remember:  in the picture one side of the binding is double folded to make it more opaque.  Depending on your fabric, it may just be folded in half, not thirds.  (I hope that's not confusing.)  After the sections are stitched together, fold and press.

And then I centered and pinned the binding/tie to the apron.  Make sure the gathered edge is fully enclosed.

8.  Stitch the tie, enclosing the front apron panel in the binding.

Beginning at one end, stitch the tie closed on the end.  Then, close the binding by stitched a narrow seam along the bottom edge.  This will enclose the apron panel when it gets there.  Stitch the binding/tie along the length.  Then, stitch closed the other end.

 9.  If needed, tack the top of the pocket with a stitch or two at the top center.

Because the pocket was so large, I tacked it in the center of the top.  This stitch does NOT run the length of the pocket.  It's only a small tacking to keep the pocket from puckering.

10.  Trim all the hanging threads, and try it on for size.  

Our Little Entertainer

Boy vs Bed

Isaac learned the hard way last night.  If you go head to head with a solid wood bed rail, the rail is going to win every time.  Poor Boy has a shiner on his right eye.  He's fine today, but last night he screamed loud enough to wake the dead at the diminutive funeral home down the street.

FIGHT!

Snowball fight, that is!  A couple of the best snowball fight pics I've taken.  Haven't gotten as much snow as the weather channel predicted, but we got a couple of inches stuck on the ground.  Enough to make the roads slushy and for kids to play in for about an hour without getting bored.

 

 

Servant

For the last few weeks I've been in a slump.  It seemed that all I ever did was clean up after everyone else and never spend any time on the things that I love to do.

And it was absolutely dragging me down into the pits of despair.

This morning, I feel that God showed me how wrong my attitude has been; and I've made a promise to Him to do better by my family and those with whom I come in contact.

The Bible says, "Serve the Lord with gladness, come before Him with joyful singing." (Psalm 100:2 NASV)  It occurred to me this morning that my whining and complaining were probably not the joyful singing that God likes to hear.  I have become like my children, always rebelling and voicing my disapproval in loud obnoxious terms.

God has given me this family -- my blessing.  And here I am complaining about it.  Shame on me!  The King of Kings came down from Glory to be a servant, so who am I to shun the duty?  Today I will gladly serve my family.  I will pick up random dirty socks on the floor 37 times a day, and laugh at the antics my toddler performs daily instead of being annoyed.  I will look for the joy in everything, and praise my children more than I correct them.

I hope.  That's the plan, and with God's help, I think I can do it.  I know I will have bad days and I will stumble.  I just have to trust that God will stand me up and dust me off, and not have to remind me with a spiritual spanking.

Boy in a Box

Or a basket or a foot stool ...