Winter...

With the season change, it is time to get warm clothing. Gone are the shorts and short sleeve t-shirts. As I changed clothing over to warm clothes, I noticed that Kaydee didn't have much to wear at all. So I quickly made up a few pairs of warm pants. I made them out of flannel. Who doesn't like to wear flannel to keep warm? This pattern is Anna Maria Horner's Quick Change Trousers. They are just adorable. So comfy too.

I love pictures of my family. I always think that it is so fun and I love to decorate my house with pictures of my boys! They are growing so fast. Pictures freeze time for a moment. Time is so fleeting. Daniel will enter his freshmen year this Monday. Could it possibly be High School so soon? Oh, I know that he is ready and excited for the coming years. Nathan will enter 7th grade, and Qualan will be in 4th! I know. Growing up so fast! Chiron will also be in school, every day for half day. He will be 3 tomorrow. We are still working on potty training. Why oh why is that so hard to learn? So it will be Kaydee and me for half the day then Chiron will join us and then the rest of the boys will stagger in. Everyone of my boys will be at a different school this year. 4 boys in school and 4 schools coming and going at different times. Because you know- schools don't start and stop at the same time. Wow! What a year this will be!

Piano....

I have wanted a nice piano my whole life. A few years after Richard and I were married and still in college, someone gave us a piano. It was in bad shape-terrible shape. The veneer was all bubbled, keys cracked, some didn't even work. It was awful, but it was free and I needed one. We kept that piano for 15 years. Yes, 15 years. When we moved Richard gave my piano away--for free. Just like it was given to us. So I have been with out a piano for over a year and sorely missing playing. So I finally gathered my pennies together and started to look for one. I came across several that I liked. But I wanted a piano that called out to me. I came across this Nordiska. I emailed and asked if the piano was still available. Leslie, the owner assured me it was still available. So when Richard came home and dinner was over, we ran down to Dallas to look at it. Leslie and her husband were so kind and gracious. They have two little dogs that Kaydee loved. Oh, they were cute! But the piano was beautiful. It played nice and sounded beautiful! I hated to leave it. I knew that this was it. This was the piano I had been searching for and longing for. How beautiful it is. The next morning, I emailed her and said that I wanted to buy it. They so graciously accepted my offer. The next day I went and paid for it. Friday, it was delivered to my home. We have absolutely enjoyed it. It is a player piano. It is so nice to put a CD in and listen to it. It sounds wonderful. It does need a little tuning and that will be done next Monday. I also need to find a bench. I am in love with this piano. I have waited so many many years.

Skirts...

One thing for sure--I love to wear a skirt in the summer! This past month I have made myself 3 skirts. I love love love making skirts. They are simple and fast and easy to wear. One of my favorite skirts is this one. I used pattern 4461 from Butterick. I changed it up a bit. I moved the zipper from the back to the side and add the double ruffles. I also lined the skirt so I don't have to worry about wearing a slip. Super fun. I will post a few more pictures of my other skirts. Also crafterhours is having a contest on skirts. I think I will enter this one, if I can figure out how to.

Easter...

As usual, we stayed home for Easter. We decided on red ties for Daniel, Nathan, and Qualan. Chiron wore a red sweater vest. I made Kaydee's dress and sweater and hair bows and bracelet. She was adorable and had a lot of compliments at church. I love how everyone looked. It was a good color choice--maybe not a real Easter color, but the colors in the store were black and white and red, so I went with that color scheme. I love having everyone coordinate like this--all different ties, yet they all matched. Fun!






I think that it takes real talent to get a picture with absolutely no one looking. And yes this is as good as I could get on Easter Sunday after church with candy calling their names.

Food Storage...

Since we moved, I need to replenish my pantry. Last week I went to the church store house and bought bulk items. These items I plan on using now, but I didn't have enough buckets. I went to the Firehouse Sub here in Frisco and bought their pickle buckets because I know that they are food grade buckets. They just smell of pickles. But for $2 a piece, you can't beat that,I say. We brought them home and washed them. Boy, was that fun! Not the warmest of days. If you look close you can see goosebumps on Chiron.







We rinsed them out really good and then filled them with water and added 1 cup of baking soda to each bucket. Vinegar is an acid and baking soda is a base. It will help neutralize the vinegar in the buckets and help the smell to go away.





We set them in the sun for a few days. I washed them out again and let them air dry. I added the food and placed them in my pantry. I am in the process of reorganizing my pantry. I will show pictures when I am done.



Now all I need to do is order the gamma lids!:)

Chiron...

I made Chiron this little overalls. It is a burda pattern. He loves it and always wants to wear this. I love how it looks on him. I wanted to take photos of him poising, but it was really cold and this is about all he would do. I will definitely make this again for him and one for Kaydee.

And One More...

This dress is made from Chiron's shirt. It is a 12 month size. I cut the front from the back. I took off the pocket and cut the sleeves out. I thread elastic through the hem of the sleeve and turned under the cut part. I sewed the front to the back and add the little ruffle. I also made a diaper cover out of yellow. It is so much fun to re-purpose clothes. I love this little dress. I have one more shirt of Chiron's that I need to re-purpose. I have something in mind. I can't wait to share it with you.




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A new Dress

I made this dress for Kaydee. It is a jumper with a zipper going down the back. I love the simplicity of this dress. There is a little ruffle in the front. The white shrug is made from a t-shirt. I cut off the bottom and gathered it together and sewed it to the bottom. Easy and cute. The dress also comes with a diaper cover and hat. Fun!

One More Sweater

One more summer sweater! I have some material to make a dress that will match this sweater. This made up really fast. Doesn't she look cute?

Better Pictures

Sweater...

I recently made Kaydee this sweet summer sweater. I love it. It made up super fast and was super easy and.... it looks super cute on her. What can I say... I am in love with it. I know that these are not the best pictures. It is raining outside, so it is dark in my house and I didn't want a flash, so I sat her next to a window.



I love the fabric covered button. It adds such a nice touch to the sweater.

The Goings....

So much has been going on around this place. There is much yet to be done. But at the same time, it is so much fun. I made Kaydee the cutest little dress. She is a little little girl, so most things her size are big on her.



Of course I had to make her a flower for her hair!


And shoes too!



For Christmas I made these slippers. I didn't have a pattern. I just traced their feet and add a few inches and cut it out and sewed them together. So many people have commented on Kaydee's because she wears them everywhere and they are super cute!! It keeps their feet warm.

Daniel Camping...

Last weekend January 28-29 Daniel went camping with the scouts. They went repelling and rock wall climbing. It was a little bit daunting to step off a cliff that was straight down. Once he reached the bottom he exclaimed "I did something. I did it!" He had so much fun! The weather was beautiful in the 70's Friday and Saturday. It could not have been a better camp out for him. I am so glad for these positive experiences in his life.

Lovely....

There are so many lovely things in life. As I type I am listening to George Winston December cd. Lovely.

I am also amazed at the blog world. So many amazing blogs. So many talented people with lovely things on them. I want to make them all!!

Most of all, my perceptions have changed a bit, or may I call it a paradigm shift? I think that simple things are the most lovely of things. A simple smile from my baby, laughter from my boys, or just watching them interact with one another. Lovely memories. Why does time march on so? Can I just stop and pause as I soak it all in? I rocked my two year old to sleep today. Just yesterday he was a wee on in my arms. I was up all night with him, feeling fatigued as ever. Now he sleeps, or runs around. Not much time for rocking and gazing into his blue blue eyes. That could be said of all my boys. Time marches on....

I am grateful for the lovely things in my life. A simple life. For moments I will cherish and miss one day. I am trying to soak it all in as time is marching on.

Hats....

Having a baby girl, has given opportunity to explore some hidden talents of mine. One is crocheting. I found a pattern in the blog community, a little beanie hat. I said to myself that I was going to try to make it. I know some basic stitches of crochet. So off I went to make it. It turned out super cute.


So I decided to make another hat to go with a sweater that I bought and a skirt and shoes that I made. That turned out beautifully! I also made a flowers to put on her skirt and the top of her shoes. The photo doesn't show it.



Then I came across one more pattern that I liked. So I had to try it.



She wore this little white hat Sunday to church with a white dress, white stocking and slippers. She was adorable!! I need to take pictures of her in her dresses.

Christmas Break...

This is our first Christmas in our new house. As the decorations were found, I found myself wondering where everything would be placed. As I arranged and then rearranged trying to find the perfect fit to create the perfect Christmas cheer. Where would our try be placed? After much discussion, we decided to place it in our front entry. Decorations were up, school winding down, and a chill in the air helped to fester the holiday spirit. I am ever aware that Christmas's with my boys are fleeting. Time seems to move ever faster the older I get.

Daniel turned 14 on December 23. He was able to attend the New Year's Eve dance. He had a great time. Although, I know that he wished that Nathan could be their with him.
Richard took Daniel, Nathan, and Qualan to see the movie Tron for his birthday. It's not something we do alot and so it was a special treat for them.

It was nice to have Richard home for the holidays. He cleaned and cleaned and cleaned. Oh yes! He cleaned the pantry out and rearranged it. He cleaned all the boys room, draws and closets. We also rearranged the game room. He cleaned our closed and bedroom and did some rearranging. He also cleaned the garage, a must needed place to be cleaned I must say! He also fixed broken toys for Chiron. Oh yes, he was very productive. He also was able to read. I much needed outlet for him.

I cooked. I made fudge and cookies, peppermint bark and oh so much more. I assure you that my waist can tell that everything taste good! Never mind the endless soup and bread recipes. Oh, winter season is time for some delicious soups.

This Christmas was a well needed break for our family. A time to create some fun memories to fill this new home of ours. Richard took Daniel and Nathan and Qualan to play laser tag. What fun they had. They enjoyed themselves!

Everyone is back to school and Richard is back to work. Back to the normal rhythm of our lives.