What have we been up to lately?

Sorry it has been so very long. The winter blahs really got a hold of me! School has been intense with many special projects and portfolios due. People have been many kinds of sick around here too.

Ready for spring!

So, what have we been up to?

Well.....

Abbe had a birthday.

Abbe played basketball. (It was crazy hair day.)

Made a spring wreath (from Pinterest) hoping that it would make spring come. Huh. Did not happen!

Abbe had a friend over. As you can see, she fits right in. Sometimes, people ask if she and Abbe are sisters.

Blogger quit letting me put pictures on. :/
Just going to post this. So, another post should be coming soon.

God works in funny and mysterious ways!

God definitely works in funny and mysterious ways.

I have been saying that I am going to sell my one of a kind, handmade handbags for YEARS. Years, people, years. But life, motherhood, procrastination and now homeschooling have always gotten in the way.

Well, I love to knit and felt what I have knitted. So, had around 15 or so bags ready to be finished. As in they needed lined and handled and finishing touches. I really kept thinking, "I need to get those finished and put on Etsy." But.....

Anyway, so this November, I am looking through my email when I start laughing out loud. Jason looks at me?????? I had an email from Rhoads owner, Carly. Our mutual friend, Brooke, told her that I made some great handbags and they were having a craft fair and would I want to come and an application was attached.

I guess God was tired of me saying that I was going to finish the handbags and start selling them. So, HE SENDS ME AN APPLICATION! Made me laugh out loud.

I know that it sounds kind of crazy. But I have been hearing God tell me that this is what I am supposed to be doing for years. Why handbags? I don't know. I love making them and sharing them and making people happy. (Have been giving them as gifts for years.) Also, this is another way that I can tithe and share God's word with people.

God also sent my friend Linda to help me. If it wasn't for Linda, I would never have been ready. She helped me make tags for the purses, came up with all the ideas for display, kept pulling bags out of my bag of bags, and most of all provided emotional and motivational support.

Also, a big thank you goes out to my wonderful husband and my parents for watching the kids so that I could get all of this accomplished in two and a half weeks.

Fall fun .... a little work too.

We finally spotted another praying mantis. So glad they are back!

Ruth is allowed to play with playdough during her Live Lessons. It helps her concentrate. Don't ask....it just does. (Just like me knitting helps me to be able to stay focused during sermons.) Well, this is what she makes.

We have a new pet. His name is Oscar. He is a woolly worm that Ruth and I 'rescued' from the middle of the road. They eat the leaves of violets and lambs quarter. Learn something new every day around here!

Jason canned some peppers using my Grandma's recipe. He is also going to make me some hot pepper jelly. At least, I hope he is. Then, he saved some of the seeds for next year. These were heirloom peppers which means the seeds should grow next year. If your peppers are a hybrid, they may not grow from seed.

We made the gallon jug ghosts that I saw on Pinterest. We used sharpies and bic pens for the jugs. I cut a small hole in the back, and we put in those little battery operated candle lights. The ones on Pinterest used Christmas lights, but I want to be able to move them around easily from the front porch to the back deck to where ever I feel like it. Jason took the middle picture. Looks pretty good, huh?

Ruth and I found the wooden masks on sale at JoAnns. For around a dollar. The kids used the poster markers (they have wide tips) to color in their masks. Then, they used puffy paint to outline different areas. Last, I let the use GLITTER! Glitter always makes my mom cringe - she used to work with preschoolers. Glitter and preschoolers do not always mix well. :-)

These two projects were pretty much free. I had to buy the candle lights and the masks. Yes, I had all the sharpies, bic pens, poster markers, puffy paint and glitter. Usually what I do, whenever I see something like that on clearance, or on sale, or I have an excellent coupon, I will snatch it up. Then, all I have to do is go to Momma's magic craft cabinet box and pull something out.

I really need to get the kids craft stuff organized. Anyone have any good, next to free, ideas??

Autumn at our House

Abbe helped me redo the front porch for the fall. Or rather I did what Abbe told me to.

She was very specific on how she wanted things to look. She didn't have a lot to work with so I think she did an awesome job!

On an autumn baking note, first pumpkin pie of the season! Almost couldn't wait for it to finish baking.

And, yes, it was very, very good!

Dad brought us eggs on Wednesday. Before he left, Jason gave him a piece of pie and a cup of coffee. Jason also tried to take credit for the pie, but Abbe immediately set him straight.

Making tin containers look cute!

I went on a kick last winter and was drinking about 2 or 3 cups of this stuff everyday.

Then, the recycler/reuser in me was like "What can I do with these besides recycle them?"

So, I started using them for all the little extras I have been saving for.... well, I just might use them sometime. ;-)

Well, I kept saying I was going to paint them, or something, to make them look better. Then, I got the idea to use the cool scrapbooking papers that I got for the kids, and some miracle liquid - AKA, Modgepodge.

Then, I just used some regular address labels to write what is in the can. Voila! They are the perfect size for many different little things that you just HAVE to keep because you never know!

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(Just went to import the pictures for this and I had 428!!!! on my camera. Now I need to sort all of these out too. Bleh.)

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Of course, I cannot do a craft by myself. The kids decided to get the playdough out.
(Jason took all of the following photographs.)

Abbe with mustache.

Abbe with mustache and goatee.

Eian with nose-stache (?) and goatee. For some reason he kept putting his mustache on his nose.

Eian's ... ????? Well, Eian being Eian. ;-) 

Notice Abbe in the background.

My goofy, goofy kids.

Wreath for the front door

I usually get a big live wreath from the tree farm where we get our tree. But due to illness, common theme this year, I didn't go help cut the tree. Sooooo...decided to make one of the ornament ones that are all over blogland.

I was at the dollar store last night with Abbe and she helped me pick the bulbs out.

Here are the supplies:

Sarafina and Riley decided they wanted to help:

The kids helped too but they kind of came and went. They, all three, have really been wound up lately. Eian actually helped the most. He liked twirling them past the top part the best. He picked what one went on when.

Here it is with all the bulbs before the bow.

I am NOT a bow master like some people. I know I don't do it anywhere near the way you are supposed to. But all I care about it getting it how I want and that it will stay.

See my helpers in the door?

I think I turned out pretty well. What do you think?

I usually leave my wreath up til spring. So, I try to make it fit for winter, not just Christmas.

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No word from yesterday's doctor. I had a chest x-ray and blood culture taken today about my continuous cough, etc. No word from that doctor either. Frustrating key word today for doctors! (And yes, Mom, I called them.)

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Weather here today was around 50 F here today. Ruth is very worried that we won't have snow for Christmas!

Christmas Wreath

Saw a Christmas wreath on Alisa Burke's blog that we had to try.

This is our finished product.

Ours may not be as beautiful as hers but I think we did pretty well. Ruth, Abbe and Eian took most of the photos. (I wrapped the wreath with ribbon to cover any 'naked' spots. Also, used pipe cleaners to put the flowers and leaves on instead of hot glue.)

I had it on the front door but then I moved it to the door in the laundry room where I can see it every day. It makes me smile.

I still need to go get my big, live wreath for the front door before they sell out.

So, what have you made special for this year's holidays?

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Just so you know.... Yes, I am STILL sick. Went to the doctor AGAIN today and she gave me a bunch of stuff to take and gave me a lecture on getting rest and taking enough fluids. I just want to get better so I can enjoy the holidays with my family!

Hopefully, the meds she gave me today will start kicking this illness's butt so I can go back to crafting, sewing, knitting, etc...... Really can't do much right now because this illness has my brain in a fog and makes me really tired if I try to do too much.

Sigh. Really tired of listening to my pathetic self cough and moan about being sick! Whatever this is, I hope all y'all don't get it!

Today

Today:

Is my baby brother's 30th birthday! I can remember the day he was born. We got to stay home from school (I was in the 5th grade) at Grandma's house. I was sooooo excited. I wanted a baby brother since I already had a little (annoying to me at the time) sister. My Eian reminds me of my baby brother A LOT! Happy Birthday Baby Brother!

I got to go to Winterfair with Linda! Sans children!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fun, fun, fun. I finished some of my Christmas shopping. Most of what I have left is stuff for children and stuff to finish making. Winterfair is AWESOME!!! I had never gone before. Seeing all of the creativity there was very inspiring to get my stuff going. Was showing Abbe some of the stuff online and now she really wants to go: Steven Meadows, Andrea Anderson, Sandra Lang & Walter Weil, and Kim & Katherine McClelland were some of my favorites. Linda and I only covered about half of the place! Abbe and I want to go back on Sunday. The North Market is having their craft fair this weekend too. Went to it last year - was very good!

Am feeling somewhat better but still very tired. Still am not getting a good night's sleep due to coughing. Huh. Irritating.

Want to make this:



But have to find a book that I would want to tear up first. Very hard thing for me to find! Think this would be a great thing for kids to do with me.

Eian lost his first tooth.

This morning Eian lost is first tooth teeth. He had a cleaning appt. this morning at 8 am.

Why I made an appt for that early on a not school morning is beyond me. I must not have been thinking correctly. Hmmm... how is that any different from normal? Anyway.

I still feel like crap and Abbe asked why we didn't just reschedule. Well, Eian, following in his sisters' footsteps, had a new tooth coming in behind his baby teeth. The baby teeth were pretty loose so I really just wanted to get it done.

Ms. Sara cleans his teeth and puts some numbing stuff on the loose tooth. The dentist comes in,  checks his teeth, and then WHAM! out come not one but two teeth! Eian was kind of in shock. :-)

So now my baby big boy has also lost his first teeth. Good thing I got his tooth pillow finished!