Talkin' 'bout my Hobby

Do you remember this sneak peek pic from way back in September? Believe it or not, I did not "file 13" this project! I finally finished my part of making these outfits (cutting out all the pieces & the appliques) around Christmas time before I gave them to my mom to sew (I might add that she finished her half quite promptly). I can be such a procrastinator - I had originally intended for these to be fall outfits! (Ok, but seriously my husband usually works 80 hours a week, so that makes me a very busy FULL time mom!) Here they are - finally finished! They are reversible corduroy A-line jumpers with a print and initial patch on one side, and a funky owl on the other. Thankfully they ended up being a little bit big, so I'm hoping they will still fit next fall. I do think the owls will be really sweet for Valentine's Day. Oh yeah, and the ribbon you see in the top picture was used to have coordinating hair bows (for the owl side) made by my friend Angie. The girls already wore the printed side to Hollywood Studios back in December, here are a few pictures I snapped of Annie "modeling"... Awe, see how much she loves her dress ;) Now that I know how long it takes for me to make my projects happen, I'm starting early on the Summer outfits I want to make! Here is a sneak peek of the fabric I've picked for a couple of different outfits. I also have a few other ideas in the works, but I'm trying not to get too far ahead of myself! After I design the outfits and cut out the pieces, my mom either oversees or does most of the sewing. I still don't have the confidence to do it all on my own, she's just so good at it and I'm too much of a perfectionist to be happy with my own "stitchery" just yet ;) Now, when I say "I design the outfits", I don't so much mean that all this stuff just comes off the top of my head. I usually have already seen a picture that inspires me. For example, I ordered this precious hat for Evie from Sparkleberry Crafts on Etsy, but I also loved this pink gingham peasant dress (with vintage ribbon!) seen in the photo. So I have plans to make my own version of it using this Sandi Henderson pattern and some vintage ribbon that I "swiped" from my mom's collection, I actually think mine will end up being cuter ;) I found this sister set on The Cherry Tree 123 blog and I totally love it! My mom found the same patch work madras plaid fabric at Hobby Lobby - great find! Then I picked out some green seersucker to coordinate with it, so I plan to mix it up just a bit. I just need to stay focused and make these projects happen - I can do it - I hope! If you want some children's clothes design inspiration too (or if you just want to save your sanity and buy stuff) here are some of my other favorite sites for stealing ideas...

Julianne Originals

Shabby Baby

Shrimp & Grits Kids

Red Beans

Sweet Caroline
Brinkley's Berries

Hannah Kate

Kelly's Kids

Blessed be the Name

Girly Girl Designs

and of course Etsy Kids!!!

The Weekend

What we did this weekend:

We're very low-key "weekenders" around here, but that's exactly the way I like it! For the past several Saturdays though, I've had really nice "lady parties" to attend, from Britt's shower last weekend to Julie's Blessed be the Name party this weekend. I LOVE to do girly stuff like that! I took a few pictures from Julie's on Saturday to share with you, the BBTN clothes were so unbelievably cute, plus this way you can get a peek at Julie's lovely home ;)I loved everything, and it was so hard to decide what to buy! I eventually went back to my first choice though, and chose the outfit that I loved first from the catalog. This party was right up my alley, I left inspired to go home and do some designing and embroidery of my own!Meanwhile, Emily was baby sitting for the girls back at our house. Evie had been to watch Emily cheer lead at a basketball game earlier in the day, so by the time I got home she had developed a new fascination with all things "cheerleader" - that is a post all it's own though, I'll have to take some pictures and put them up soon!In the evening, I started our "get ready for church routine", which I typically start as early as I can on Saturday. Getting us to church Sunday morning takes a lot of planning on my part - bath time, ironing dresses, digging for nice socks, picking hair bows, packing diaper bags, packing breakfast for the car - and that's all just for the girl's! Whew! I snapped a few pics of Annie during bath time - she's so sweet! I finally finished all of the church prep, put the girlies to bed, and had just sat down to watch a little TV when... Evie woke up sick. Coughing, sneezing, crying - yikes! We just cannot get well around here lately! Needless to say, we didn't make it to church Sunday morning. So Ben and I ended up using most of Sunday to attempt to FINISH OUR KITCHEN! A project we started about a year ago... it never ends! I've been collecting furniture for the kitchen since this summer, so here is a little sneak peek pic taken one morning after breakfast - I'll share better pics and details with you in the "grand reveal", if we ever finish that is! There is not much left to do , just little stuff really - paint trim, put in new outlets, hang lighting - it just takes forever with Evie and Anabelle underfoot all the time! Ben spent most of yesterday afternoon nailing down quarter round, but we of course took a break to watch the Super Bowl! My parents came over and my mom made lots of great "football food", it was a great wrap to a nice weekend. Shopping, projects, and football - not too shabby of a weekend if you ask me, I just wish Evie was not sick! I hope all of you had a nice weekend too, and by the way... Happy Monday!

Good Things from Julie!

My friend Julie a) Is having a great giveaway on her blog that you all should register for by midnight tonight! b) Just became a rep for Blessed Be The Name children's clothing company! She is having her first trunk show open house this Saturday from 1:00 to 4:00 and she said I can bring a few "dates", let me know if you want to come with me! Also, visit BBTN's blog, it's good stuff!

Flower Girl Stuff & Other Chit Chat

Evie has been asked (honored) to be the flower girl in her aunt Brittany's wedding coming up at the end of this month! Brittany and her family are longtime (lifelong for me) friends of my family. We couldn't be happier that Brittany found Rob, and we're looking forward to celebrating with them soon! This past Saturday, Evie, Mom, and I attended Britt's bridal shower at my Aunt Nicole's, it was a wonderful and girly afternoon. Brittany and Nicole treated Evie like a total princess, they were so generous and sweet - Ev was in heaven!Evie loved the chocolate fountain - and all of the treat options they had for dipping!Brittany let Evie help open ALL of the gifts - so not necessary, but really sweet.The flower girl with Mommy (me). She was given a "Flower Girl" sash and purse with make-up, the kid was so happy!

We had such a nice time and we're really excited about the wedding! I just found Evie's dress a few weeks ago, it was a total score! It's a perfect match for the wedding and I got it at Marshall's for... $15.00!!! I was so excited! I seriously prayed about getting the right dress at a good price, finding it was such a blessing!

In other life news, I am still sick! I never really recovered from the "plague" that struck our house over Christmas and New Years, I went to the doctor today and found out that it has turned into an ear infection - bummer! I have not had an ear infection since I was little! At least I'm on some good meds now and I'll hopefully be over it soon.

I'm spending most of this week going through the girl's clothes and sorting them into one of 6 piles... 1) Put in Evie and Annie's memory boxes 2) Save for a potential future daughter 3) Save for future cousins 4) Consign at Round Robin 5) Consign at Wee Trade Boutique Sale 6) Give to Goodwill... whew! Sometimes I feel like managing the girl's wardrobe is full time job. I'm not complaining though, I know I've made it that way: planning, buying, matching, and making their clothes is probably my favorite hobby! It's actually really hard and emotional for me to go through and get rid of their clothes, but it just makes so much sense to consign what they've outgrown to help offset the cost of what I want to buy for the future (like this summer!) It just feels like letting go of memories! I keep telling myself, "I have lots of pictures, and I still have the girls who wore them"! Am I totally weird? It's boutique sale time of year again, so I think that will help to "ease my pain". Oh brother - listen to me! If you're in North Florida and want to hit some awesome kid's shopping, check out these 2 upcoming sales...

http://warehousesalejacksonville.com/ (new with tags - great for matching siblings!)

http://www.weetradekids.com/ (new and gently used - great place for shoes!)

I can't wait to shop!!! I'm also planning on making (along with lots of help from my mom) several summer outfits for Evie and Anabelle too, but that's a post all it's own - coming soon!

I hope all of you are doing well and staying healthy. "Blog world" has been really slow lately, as far as posts and comments go, to me that says either everyone is under the weather, or out partying ;) I hope it's the later!

Oh, one more thing! I found these adorable loafers for Anabelle at Target tonight! And they are actually Trumpettes! They did a special line for Target called "TrumpetteToo" and it's significantly cheaper ($12.00!) than their stuff sold in boutiques - I'm thrilled! I'd been feeling low about the seemingly small selection of sweet toddler accesories and then I found these! They have precious stockings and socks too. I can't wait for Annie to wear them!

Visit from Baby Bro

My little brother, Reed, was in town visiting for the past two weeks! He just left to go back to Germany (where he lives and serves in the US Air Force) yesterday :( It was a really great visit though, and I LOVED being able to spend so much time with him! This week we will be trying to adjust back to our lives as usual, plus I have some serious blog catching up to do, but I wanted to go ahead and share a few pics and memories from our visit with Uncle Reed.

Here is Evie dreamily awaiting Reed's arrival at the airportMy mom and Evie rushing in for that first hug! (I felt like the paparazzi snapping pics)We ate out a lot the first week at Reed's favorite American restaurants (I call this look of Anabelle's "the real slim baby" - haha)

The second week, Ben and I convinced Reed that no trip home to Florida is complete without a trip to Disney! Reed and my parents had never been to Disney's Hollywood Studios before, so we decided to spend the day there. We also squeezed in some movie nights, Wii time, shopping, trips to Starbucks, and a couple of sports bar nights! The whole 2 weeks was a lot of fun, I miss him already and I can't wait until his next visit!

Evie's 4th Birthday Party!

Happy Blog Award

My friend Julie gave me a "Happy Blog Award" because (she says) my blog makes her happy. Thanks Julie, it just so happens that your blog makes me happy too! Anyway, when you get a "Happy Blog Award", you are supposed to list 10 things that make you happy and then pass the award on to others! So here goes...

What makes me happy:

1) My family! My husband and little girls are just the best, plus my parents and siblings are fab!

2) "Making stuff" - it's just so satisfying!

3) Decorating! That feeling when everything starts coming together - you can't beat it. I'm such a home body, so I love it when my house feels right!

4) Shopping, especially for kid's clothes! Nothing makes me happier than finding a deal on some matching smocked dresses.

5) Fall! I love the crisp air, school supplies, football games, the coming holidays, etc.! It's just so promising!

6) A day in Disney World - enough said.

7) Watching History Channel all day. I don't talk about this side of me much on the blog, but I have a very deep love of history.

8) Etsy - seriously!

9) Looking through a design magazine with my mom or a friend - always leads to good conversation and brain storming!

10) Lunch dates and boutique-ing - I don't do this often enough!

(Do I have to stop at 10? I can think of so many more things... babies, weddings, kittens, cookies, clean sheets, chick flicks, long showers, pedicures, and on and on....!)

Wow - thanks God for giving me so many happy things in my life! And now for my "Happy Blog Award" nominees...

I choose all the girls on my blog roll:
Alina, Allison, Katie, Kelly, Kristy, Mom, and Molly

Now go post some happy stuff ladies!

Cup of Joe for a Joe

Have you heard about this charity, Cup of Joe for a Joe? I found them on Facebook tonight and quickly clicked over to their main site where you can, with just a few clicks of your mouse, buy a cup of coffee for a soldier serving overseas. Plus you can include a personal "thank you" message to be served with the coffee. I seriously cried. I don't want to make this out to be grander gesture than it is, but if you were right there and had the chance, wouldn't you want to treat them to something?!!! I chose the $6.00 option tonight, and sent along just a little "thanks so much for everything", it was that or a very long and mushy tear filled letter! I cannot tell you how often I think about our men and women in the armed forces, I am just so grateful for them! I want to challenge you (and myself) to think about buying a cup of coffee for a soldier a) instead of your Starbucks several times a week, or b) each time you buy yourself a Starbucks - whatever best fits your budget. I feel like it's such a small sacrifice for all of us, and such an easy way to send a handshake to the other side of the world!
P.S. If you use PayPal, which most of us do, this literally takes seconds to do!

All the Little Party Details

The party that inspired Evie's party! Actually for Evie, the inspiration is more from the Tea Cup ride in Disney World - one of her favorites!The table, all ready for guests!

Paper Lanterns: From my dollar store. I spruced them up with some ribbon of course! Tea Pot: On sale at Target after Christmas, I just added ribbon (pink and green!) and a "Drink Me" tag - so appropriate! Invitations: From Hobby Lobby and designed by Anna Griffin (my fave!). I printed them myself and added the "4" to the top using my printer, some scrapbook paper, and my Martha Stewart scalloped circle punch from Michael's.
Cupcakes: From my local Super Target bakery.Favors: Marshmallow lollies from the Valentines section at Walmart (so cute - NOT so tasty!) but they were only a dollar! This was a great time of year to have an Alice in Wonderland party because all of the Valentines stuff is out, and fits in well with "The Queen of Hearts" character from the story. I decorated each lolly with ribbon and a mini playing card (I bought a set from "The One Spot" at Target) and used some Martha Stewart glitter to bling them up a bit. I punched a hole in 2 corners of the mini cards and slid them onto the lolly stick - cute! Treats: I filled cupcake wrappers with Wonderland inspired treats and placed one at each little girl's place. Treats include: Gummy Raspberries and "Choccorooms" from World Market, and mini white Marshmallows. I made the "Eat Me" tags using my scallop punch again and some alphabet stamps.Tea Cups: Lovingly collected from garage sales by none other than Nina.

I put SOOOOO much into this party, but I'm really happy with the way it turned out. I'm going to share pics from the actual party (like of kids and such) in a few days, and probably the menu as well!

Dear Evie Grace

Dear Evie Grace,

I had a baby girl four years ago from last Friday. She was an itty bitty preemie, so precious, but just a little too new. As soon as she was born, her doctor took her to the NICU (that is a special part of the hospital for very tiny babies) so I did not get to hold her. I cried, I cried so much. As soon as my doctor allowed me, I visited her EVERY moment that I could, and when I would hold her (finally!) all of my loneliness for her would disappear. For the next week, I spent every day at the hospital with my sweet baby. I filled her little room with pink, and I dressed her in pink from head to toe! I cried when she was sick, and I prayed for her to be well enough to go home! Do you know, My Sweet Evie, who that baby girl was? She was you! You were that beautiful, wonderful, preemie baby girl! After a week in the hospital you were well enough to go home, and that was the happiest day of my life! We wouldn't be apart anymore, I could take you home, and you could finally be ALL mine! Evie, I quickly learned that taking care of you was very hard. You were so small with so many huge needs and struggles. I soon felt that I was not strong enough to be a mommy, I just refused to be ok with God over the way your life began. What I knew at first was mostly frustration, and disappointment in God's plan for me and you. I'm not sure that I knew how to be a good grown up then, or that I knew much of being selfless, but God slowly used you to change everything about me. God gave you to me to help me grow. Being your mommy has not always been an easy job, but it has always been a most joyful job! YOU are a blessing to me! I praise God for the 1,460 days of your precious life so far!

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord..."

Jeremiah 28:15"The Lord has done great things for us; We are glad"!

Psalm 126:3"... I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly"!

John 10:10

"I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well." Psalm 139 :14

Evie, I love you! I LOVE YOU forever and ever! You are my daughter, my girl, and my friend!

Love Always,
Mommy

Picnick

Hey! Just wanted to check in on the blog real fast. I've been super busy this week getting ready for Evie's birthday on Friday. I finally finished being sick on Monday, so I've been rushing to catch up in every aspect of life, plus pull off the perfect 4 year old "Mad Tea Party" birthday that I've been visualizing for nearly a year! I'm still not sure I'll be able to meet all of my expectations, but after visiting with a good friend earlier tonight, I realized that they're not necessarily Evie's expectations - they're mine. So, I'm going to try to take myself down a notch and enjoy my girl on her special day.
I did want to share this real quick (just for fun) while I was sick, I spent some time playing around with Picnik, a fun free online photo editor. I majorly "sappy-fied" this picture of Annie, but I was just having so much fun, and she's just so darn cute! I can tell that Picnik and I are going to be friends though, so stay tuned for a lot more where that came from!
You'll be hearing more from me once I make it through the b-day party, plus I'm working on a birthday letter for Evie to share too. I hope all of you are having a good week, catch ya' later!!!

Still Sick, But Making Resolutions

Since I've been so sick (yes, I am stiiiilllll sick!) the beginning of 2010 has not felt like much of a fresh start for me. I'm not usually one to go "all out" with resolutions anyway, but I actually do have one this year. I want to be more intentional. Intentional?
in-ten-tion-al -adjective done with purpose; intended
Yes, instead of waiting for convenient opportunities to present themselves, I want to do more on my own, to purposefully give extra in several areas of my life. As a wife, a mom, a cleaner, a cooker, a prayer, a nurturer, etc. For example: I want to try harder to be someone who says "I'll pray about that for you", and actually mean it - I want everything that I do to be backed by a heart full of intention! I've been following this blog, by Angie Smith, for the past few weeks, and I love her idea about praying for your children 7 times a day. Maybe a lot of you are already good at this, but I'm not, I want to be more intentional about praying for my children. I've printed (ok, and decorated) the verses she suggests and placed them around our house. Each verse is appropriate for one of 7 daily activities that your children do everyday. I hope to memorize and meditate on the verses, teach them to the girls, and to use them to help guide me through praying for the girls. Angie wrote the verses themselves as prayers, which is so sweet and beautiful, but for fear that I will gravitate towards just reciting, I think I'll display and memorize the original verses so that I can pray for Evie and Annie the way my heart is lead each time...

When they wake:
Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul.
Psalm 143:8

When they get dressed:
Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Colossians 3:12-14

While they eat:
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:12-13

When they leave the house:
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:2

While they take a bath:
He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol, or swear by what is false, he will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior.
Psalm 24:4-5

When they go to Bed:
The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17

When they are sleeping:
Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.
Philippians 2:14-16

I really love this idea. I'll let you know how I'm doing in a few weeks ;)

On a whole new topic, Ben and I have a double date with some friends tonight, but I'm still coughing like a person with TB! I soooooo do not want to cancel, even though my face is swollen and puffy - so not date worthy! Please say a little prayer for me, I'm on day 8 of this bug and it's still goin' strong!

I'm linking up with Kelly's Korner "Show Us How You Live" Friday party. Check it out!

For Worse!

Oh Me, Oh My, we have been sick over here! For almost 2 weeks! This cough and sniffle bug has made its way through all of us girls, starting with Sweet Little Evie on Christmas Eve, and quickly spreading to Baby Annie :( After lovin' on my girls for a week, the bug finally got to me on the morning of the 1st, and I've been sick as a dog ever since! I would not post a picture of myself right now for a million bucks! I look like a witch, seriously. I will however, post a picture of this lovely little lady, "Mrs. Poppin", dressed in a lovely combination of PJs and Mommy's clothes. Something to make me laugh in the midst of all the coughing!Ben was able to stay home with us for the past five days to hold down the fort, it was sooooo nice! When it comes to "for better, or for worse", this was a "for worse" sort of week - I love you Ben! I'm rarely so sick that I can't function, but this one got me! Right before getting sick though, I scored a major deal on one of my "wish list" items, this Le Creuset pot from Tuesday Morning. A new pot + sickness = time to make some comfort food!My Aunt Julie's Roasted Vegetable Soup that is! Delicious! It's a little time consuming, but not hard. I know a lot of people are sick right now, and this soup is just so lovely, that I want to share it with you. It's not an "exact" sort of recipe, almost none of the recipes I ever use are, but the great thing about this one is that you can modify it with the seasons! So, here goes...
You will need:
- A selection of fresh produce (my favorite combo is: 2 reg potatoes, 1 sweet potato, 1 white onion, 1 package brussles sprouts, 3 yellow squash, 1 package baby bella mushrooms)
- Olive Oil
- Season Salt
- 1 Box Chicken Broth (or your own home made stock)
- Milk (optional)

Directions:

Chop all of your veggies, spread on baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with season salt. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 min (time is different depending on amount of veggies). Once roasted, put all of your veggies in a large pot and use an immersion blender to make a sort of puree (you can put them into a regular blender). Once "smashed" to your liking, begin stirring in chicken broth over medium heat until you reach desired "soupy-ness". I sometimes add about a cup of milk too, if I want it to be creamy. Let simmer for just a bit, and viola! I really love to eat this soup with a Sister Shubert's yeast roll, it can't get any easier than that! I sometimes pick up a Publix rotisserie chicken to go with it too, but when you're not feeling so hot, soup and a roll is usually all you need! I certainly hope all of you are fairing better than we are in this first week of 2010! Happy New Year -Sheeeesh! ;)

Welcome 2010!

We closed out 2009, and the decade, with a little backyard family party. We had all of the winter party essentials... sparklers, streamers, s'mores, a bouncy house, and covered dishes, but the best were our family and friends who came to spend the evening with us. The night was very chill and relaxed - just the way I like things!
I can't believe that the first 10 years of the 2000's is already over, but looking back, I started this decade as a Freshman in high school! I would show a picture, but I'm not sure I'm ready for the comments you'll be driven to make about my bangs! My how things have changed! I'm not sure I could have crammed more life into 10 years if I'd tried, having grand kids and dying is about all I left out! In the "2000's" I survived 3.5 years of high school, I got married, I wallowed through 2 different full time jobs, I spent 2 years in college, we bought our first house, we had our first baby, we sold our first house, we bought our second house, we had our second baby, and we bought and sold enumerable cars throughout it all! I think my very favorite thing about the past 10 years is that I went from being an "I" to being a "we", did you notice that as you read my list? Never a dull or lonely moment!
While I have really fond memories of the decade, I will say that 2009 may have been the most challenging year of my life, so it's with a bitter sweet sadness that I bid it farewell. I started out the year deeply immersed in my second round of post pardom depression (I'm doing great now so don't worry, but if any of you ever face it, please know that I'd love to be there for you). Then, as many of you know or have read, we spent the rest of the year grieving the loss of several dear people, and of course our family faced its biggest hurts over Henry. As far as years go, 2009 will hold a really tender place in my heart.
At the end of the decade (especially these past 365 days), the ONLY thing I still know for sure is that my Jesus is the same - yesterday... and today... and will be tomorrow! May you take Him with you in 2010 and in all your years to come! Praise God from Whom ALL blessings flow! Happy New Year!

Thank you Alina for taking pics at our party!