Spring Bean Things

mojo?

2010-01-09T09:17:00.004-05:00

I've lost my sewing, blogging, crafting, knitting, photo mojo. A few months ago while hosting a sewing weekend by hands swelled up and hurt like the dickens. Within a few days, nearly all my joints started to hurt. I was exhausted beyond anything I'd ever felt. Saw the doc, sent me to another doc...turns out it's Rheumatoid Arthritis. Thankfully, I have a forward thinking Rheumatologist that is willing to treat aggressively which is the best way to prevent permanent joint damage. Unfortunately, it looks like I already have damage in my right hand from just 3 months of inflammation. I start some heavy duty drugs next week to get this in remission. I'm optimistic drug treatment will work.

To keep crafty I've started the 365 project. A photo a day for the whole year. My flickr set HERE

My favorite photo so far... a what's on my desk today

my funniest photo...

Jedi signed his "artwork" on the basement floor...not very swift buddy boy!

NWA deals giveaway

2009-12-18T21:10:00.000-05:00

Keurig coffe maker giveaway! Click here to enter

2009-12-18T21:00:00.001-05:00

Check out Real Holiday Helpings for a chance to win a $25 American Express giftcard!

Check this out!

2009-12-18T09:28:00.002-05:00

A Nut in a Nutshell is hosting a giveaway for a Darda Racetrack. There are many ways to get extra entries but it ends tonight so don't wait!

Click Here to enter!

Overheard

2009-11-06T07:48:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago I had several ladies and girls over for some sewing time. Farmgirl and 2 other girls aged 11 to 13 were watching Pride and Prejudice when this was overheard...

"Wow, he's drop dead gorgeous!"

"Yeah, he looks just like Molly."

They weren't speaking of Mr. Darcy...they were talking about the horses! Gotta love girls who obsess over horses and not boys. ;-)

Crisp

2009-09-27T14:28:00.015-04:00

Autumn is here. Usually, I welcome it with open arms and excitement. I must be getting old because I wasn't too thrilled this year. I could have used an extra couple months of summer after that especially loooong winter and cool summer. There is one thing that makes it more bearable... Honeycrisp apples! We picked up a half bushel yesterday. Mmmm...mm...m! The kids and I decided to try baking a pie. I'm ashamed to say it's been probably years since I've baked a pie. The kids loved the peeling part. Farmgirl did most the work including tossing the apples with sugar. Baby made herself a mini pie with leftover crust and a half eaten apple. She ate it before I could snap a picture of the finished product. We're off to the ice skating rink and will return to some warm pie and ice cream. Hoping your Autumn comes just as sweetly for you.

Rockin' a Smock

2009-09-15T13:14:00.003-04:00

A few new listing in my Etsy store! Hoping to get some aprons listed this weekend. (click images to take you to listing)

Millie

2009-09-11T10:07:00.003-04:00

Swing over to Handmaden and enter her drawing for an adorable handcrafted doll, Millie. If you don't happen to win, check out her other fantastic waldorf dolls at her Etsy store.

Jack-tastic

2009-09-10T22:16:00.003-04:00

Made by Rae is offering up this adorable toddler backpack in a free giveaway on Grosgrain! Check it out.

a place for Grandma

2009-09-10T16:48:00.005-04:00

I have mentioned my mother-in-law, Nancy, in past posts. She was officially diagnosed with Frontal Variant Alzheimer's at the age of 63 about a year ago. She exhibited symptoms for several years before her sons could get her doctor to acknowledge something was going on. She's been living in a facility near her home town for the last year. Unfortunately, the care wasn't all we had hoped for so last month we moved her closer to us.

She seems to be settling in okay and the kids are loving getting to visit Grandma a couple times a week. Ken visits her M,W,F for lunch, the kids and I visit on Thursdays plus we go as a family on the weekends. The kids have been SO great about going with the flow. They happily answer the same question repeatedly for Nancy without showing frustration. They give her multiple hugs and kisses when she insists they haven't greeted her yet. They don't correct her or give her weird looks when she clearly has her information mixed up. They love her, it's that simple. I am beyond blessed with the kind hearts of my children.

above ~ Jedi sends Grandma back to START

below ~ Grandma and Farmgirl get a giggle at sending me back to Start

A Cute Case

2009-08-31T00:38:00.001-04:00

Swing by Twiddletails for a chance to win an adorable case! She's celebrating her 500th post...Congrats!

snap

2009-08-30T21:57:00.004-04:00

Frost warnings have prompted me to get busy on new jammies for Baby. I had a nightgown like this when I was little. I'll be making version 2, long sleeved gown. Don't you just love the bluebird fabric? I've had it for about 6 months waiting for cozy p.j. time. I think I'll make up a baby blanket with the leftover flannel.

A Spark

2009-07-27T20:51:00.004-04:00

My cousin Brittany was married at my mom's house this weekend. The ceremony was small but beautiful. My mom's gardens were gorgeous. The rain held off for the exchanging of vows but didn't hold back during the reception. Luckily, there was a tent. The bride and groom make a quick dash in the rain above. Unfortunately, a raindrop fell right into a crack on my camera... bzzzzt and a whiff of ozone. It hasn't been working right since. I'll have to start camera shopping, oh darn ;-)

currently working on a back to school set to list on ebay.

Want vs Need

2009-07-20T13:35:00.003-04:00

I WANT to sew up a cool shirt design I have floatin' about in my noggin with this adorable red/pink polka dot fabric...

but I NEED to lengthen the sleeves on Farmgirl's western shirt for 4h photos tomorrow. Luckily, I have extra cuff fabric otherwise I'd have to sew a whole new shirt.

I also NEEd to embroider up 9 more bridle bags that the 4h equestrian coach has generously donated to the Achievement Day Show. Tomorrow is my day and I'm going to do what I WANT ;-)

Winona part 2

2009-07-18T18:13:00.002-04:00

finished up Winona...they turned out super cute. The perfect play pant. Lots of room to move, comfort waistband and a roomy apron/pocket to store treasures! I used some of my Japanese fabric scraps, Baby picked to panda fabric for the apron/pocket and used some great vintage ric rac for the pockets (Thanks Lo!) I didn't get a good picture of the back but it is a curved two piece back leg. It is very flattering. I think I'll be doing these up in the Heather Ross mermaid fabrics next.

Winona...I think I love you

2009-07-18T11:36:00.002-04:00

I was up late, late, late working on the Winona pattern for Baby. I think we'll be making many of these. They are turning out A to the Dorable!

1955 part 2

2009-07-17T17:15:00.004-04:00

Finished McCall's 2033 sz 4. It was fairly easy to assemble. I was surprised to find it ran big. Vintage patterns generally run smaller than today's counterparts. I had to take in the waistband several inches to fit Baby. She is pleased with her "cock-a-doodle-do" outfit. The split pant cuff was very easy to do and I will be adding that touch to more patterns. Next up on my sewing agenda are the Winona pants!

Pledge!

2009-07-09T11:30:00.003-04:00

The Pledge
I ____Missy______________ pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of "new" manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 2 months. I pledge that i shall refashion, renovate, recycle preloved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract. I pledge that I will share the love and post a photo of my refashioned, renovoted, recycled, crafted or created item of clothing on the Wardrobe Refashion blog, so that others may share the joy that thy thriftiness brings! Signed__Melissa Milne________________.

Click here to be inspired by others pledging to refashion!

1955

2009-07-07T12:04:00.002-04:00

my mom was 5. I imagine she wore something like this.

Isn't it adorable? The little details on vintage patterns just delight me.

sideseam pockets...darted front

lined, turn up cuff

Rooster applique!

I can't wait to start on the smock. I can just envision a little girl collecting eggs in those pockets.

giveaway aprons packaged and shipping this afternoon.

12 hrs later...

2009-06-28T23:43:00.003-04:00

and my sewing room is still very messy BUT my fabric closet is getting close to completion! Now, that doesn't mean all my fabric is put away...it just means my closet is full. I'll have to store the less worthy fabrics in tubs. I found some delicious fabrics I'd forgotten about like this...

and this delightful fruit children print...

and is that some oilily I spy???

Tomorrow will likely be another 12 hour day. The handy man is coming to attach my L shaped desk to the wall at 6. I'd better have that area cleaned up. I'm determined to have everything done by Tuesday afternoon so I can sew Tuesday night.

Focus?

2009-06-28T11:37:00.003-04:00

where are you??? My sewing room is in desperate need of organization. I have half of it pulled into the living room. The other half is crammed on one side of the sewing room so Hubs could put in some mammoth cabinets...thanks Babe! Hubs even took the kids boating and fishing today so I could work on getting everything back in the room. Sigh, here I sit without focus. I think I'm overwhelmed with the 16 gigantic tubs of fabric, the 3 equally enormous tubs of patterns, yarn, scrap booking stuffs, trims, zippers, etc.

I'm itching to do the Winona sew-along Nancy has started on Fledge. Those goodies above are earmarked for some funky Winonas for Baby.

okay, okay....getting off my duff to actually start. Happy Sunday everybody.

You have to kiss a lot of toads...

2009-06-26T16:06:00.004-04:00

before you find your Prince.

Baby is working her way through every toad within 100 yards of our house...that's quite a few princely prospects. Anytime she's outside this is what she has in her hands...

Hmmm....this one's a bit puny

but, what the heck?

Nearly Done

2009-06-23T10:15:00.005-04:00

Giveaway aprons are 2 steps from being completed. :-) Sorry for the delay...we've had a busy couple weeks with 3 horse shows.

Waitin' for the next class on her trusty Mare, Molly.

I have to say, English is my favorite to watch. It's a much faster pace and the horses really move out.

I was SO proud of Farmgirl. She entered 20 events and brought home 20 ribbons, including 3 firsts, 6 seconds, and 2 thirds. It was so fun to see her win. She was clearly a crowd favorite as a huge cheer would go up every time she placed. I think it's because she's the littlest rider by 3 years for her class. She's the middle rider below. She also got High Point Reserve for her class. That means she received the 2nd highest total points for the weekend shows.

Thank you for the kind compliments on the baby blanket for my new niece. Several people asked where I acquired the patterns. Most of them were from Needlecrafter. Some were enlargements from a Japanese embroidery book I purchased on Ebay. As for the simple piecing pattern, I just made it up. If anybody is interested, send me a message and I'd be happy to tell you the piece measurements.

Essence

2009-06-22T13:55:00.003-04:00

I had a significant amount of time today to just think while I scrubbed the entire carpet of Jedi's room...that'll be another post titled "Free Chocolate Lab."

I pondered my many blessings, including my family but mostly I thought about my eldest...Abi Rose. Perhaps, I focused on her because we spent the last two days together at her horse shows.

Every child is special in so many ways. Parents cherish each of their children for different reasons...not one less or more, just differently. I think many of us forget to tell our children exactly what makes them special. Abi Rose is one of those children who is loved by all, a shining example of sweet, good natured , wholesome beauty. I don't mean physical beauty, although I think she's gorgeous, I mean her very essence. The part of her that never speaks ill of people (little brothers excluded), her persistent nature to do better, her kindness, her thankfulness, her giving nature. She's the child that thanks me for cooking every meal even if it's dreaded brussel sprouts. She's the one who writes special poems about the ones she loves. She's the child that includes everybody (again, pesty little brother excluded.) She's the first to offer help. I cherish these things about her. I pray I can uphold Gods trust in me with this special gift that is Abi Rose.

Pieced

2009-06-12T15:55:00.003-04:00

Well, I finished piecing the baby blanket for my newest niece but now I need to decide whether to tie or hand quilt. I've never hand quilted so I'm a tad nervous about messing it up. I think these two chicken scratch blocks are my favorites.

but then again, this bay colt is a doll...

and don't get me started on this acorn totin' squirrel

Refashioning

2009-06-10T10:49:00.003-04:00

Wardrobe Refashion is one of my favorite sites to visit. I love all the creative ideas people have. My refashion wasn't so much fashion as necessity. Farmgirl needed a velvet helmet for her English riding. Well THIS was one of the least expensive. Um, yeah....no. So I took an old velvet skirt I no longer wear. Snip, snip, snip...sew, sew, sew and voila!

A velvet helmet cover for the price of nothing! My very favorite.

Old Mother Hubbard

2009-06-08T17:50:00.004-04:00

While working on this...

I looked up to see it was 5 o'clock, my cupboards were nearly bare and I didn't have time to run to the store. Here in Northern Michigan, a trip to the store involves a 20 minute drive to town. Time to scavenge the fridge and pantry.

One chicken (too frozen to use for last nights dinner), half an onion, 2 floppy celery stalks, 1/2 bag of nearly bad carrots, last couple sprigs of rosemary and my last 3 potatoes... voila, dinner! It's cooking now...woohoo. Best part, it's a one dish dinner so cleanup will be quick. More time for me to work on that adorable baby blanket.

overheard...

2009-06-07T13:24:00.002-04:00

at lunch today.

Jedi, "I know why it's called girl cheese."

Baby, "why?"

Jedi, "because they make it out of girls."

Baby, "noooooo!"

Jedi insisted I make him "boy cheeses" up until about a year ago. I still can't get him to believe they are gRill cheese sandwiches.

drum roll please...

2009-06-04T20:09:00.002-04:00

and the winners of custom aprons sewn by yours truly are post numbers...

21 (annemarie)
Random numbers generated Jun 4 2009 at 20:8:46 by www.psychicscience.org.Free educational resources for parapsychology, psychical research & mind magic.

and...

7 (Naturally Frugal Mom)
Random numbers generated Jun 4 2009 at 20:10:44 by www.psychicscience.org.Free educational resources for parapsychology, psychical research & mind magic.

I will email you ladies shortly to get your apron preferences :-) Thanks for playing everybody!

let's review

2009-05-28T17:13:00.012-04:00

Baby does a lot of dancing this month...

Baby dances her heart out to "Tomorrow"

Dancing with the Stars

tea party and dancing with a princess...check

brunch with Pooh and Friends

Emperor Zerg defeated!

Jump Farmgirl, JUMP! I think she's found her passion...even if it makes my heart skip a beat in sheer terror!

Farmgirl attends her first horse show and wins 11 1st place ribbons, 2 2nds, a 4th and a 6th. She did a phenomenal job at the show. Not to mention I finished that pesky huntseat coat! Today is one year to the day that she started taking regular lessons. She's really come a long way.

Farmgirl chillin' on her trusty mare, Molly.

Jedi checks to see if Baby measures up.

We've had a fun filled month and a half. Very busy but fun. I'm looking forward to cleaning out my sewing room and working on some clothes for the kids next month.

150 GIVEAWAY! (okay 151)

2009-05-28T12:06:00.004-04:00

Dear sweet blogger Natalie from Chicken Blog recently blogged about an apron I sent her. I admit, I have a love of aprons. I want to convert every person I know. Aprons are beautiful and useful. They let us work faster and more efficiently without getting dirty. I am giving away an apron in honor of my apron love. Simply leave me a comment mentioning aprons...how you love them, hate them, need one, your favorite memory of one...anything as long as the word apron is typed. I will draw a name one week from today and custom make you a special apron.

today my apron helped me clean the living room, kitchen and wipe tears of a 4 yr old girl

Comments Closed ~ I'll be doing the drawing this evening

See ya real soon!

2009-04-30T13:28:00.003-04:00

We've been in Orlando this last week and are heading home tomorrow. We've had a whirlwind vacation and seen just about everything. We've had to forego the last two days of scheduled activities due to one sick little girl...Baby. She's caught a wicked flu bug (we contacted her pediatrician and she doesn't suspect swine flu) so we've stayed in our room yesterday and today. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we don't have two more sickies for the drive back to Michigan.

*I will be hosting my giveaway next post! (sorry, it's one post late)

in the ribbons

2009-04-19T13:54:00.004-04:00

It's official...horses rule our lives now. I hardly sew. I rarely see my husband. Clean the house? um...yeah, no. (much to Ken's disappointment) Yesterday, Farmgirl participated in her first show. It was just a winter warm up...no points but they did get ribbons. I was so proud of Farmgirl. She worked really hard and held her own with the older, more experienced girls. She is 10 and rides in the 10 to 13 yr old group. There were about 15 girls in her class this time. She took a 2nd in halter, 5th in English Equitation and 6th in English Pleasure. This is my 149th post...I'll be posting a giveaway next time!

Roll Inn

2009-04-05T11:31:00.003-04:00

Last spring we had our gravel drive paved. I'm so glad we did. The fun the kids had yesterday, alone, was worth it. They spent the whole day rollin' good time even though it was only 35

degrees. Even Sparky got in on the driveway fun...running down and back w/ the kids.

sweet

2009-04-04T10:40:00.003-04:00

My nephew, baby D tries to eat his own hand. num, num, num. I love that frantic newborn

search for sustenance. Coco, Derrick and baby D came over for an early dinner yesterday and I got a few shots of D. He's filling out into a plumb little cutie pie. Ken was very disappointed he couldn't be here for the visit. We're all meeting at my mom's for dinner on Sunday. Ken has given me strict instructions to warn everybody that he's going to be a baby hog and keep Baby D to himself. I don't know what's gotten into the man, he is smitten with this baby.

Ken and baby D a week or so ago...Ken held him all through dinner so Coco and Derrick could get a hot meal. I don't think Ken minded in the least.

*this is also my 147 th post, post 150 will be a giveaway!*

Ballet Hair

2009-04-02T15:16:00.003-04:00

Baby gets a fancy hair-do today for ballet thanks to a wonderful tutorial by one of my favorite fabric designers, Heather Bailey.

Dillon...soon to mine :-)

Senior

2009-03-27T18:18:00.002-04:00

Farmgirl is required to ride one handed in shows due to Molly being over 5 yrs old...she's considered a senior. Farmgirl has been working really hard to get it right. Still have a ways to go but she's getting there.

Abi(10) on Molly(10) from Melissa Milne on Vimeo.

Slow, slow, quick, quick

2009-03-26T10:17:00.003-04:00

Ken and I have been taking ballroom dance lessons every Thursday for the last month. Surprisingly, he was the one that signed us up. I have to say, I was resistant to the idea. I love to dance but I just didn't have the desire to take lessons. I'm so glad he insisted we do it. We are having a great time. Needing new shoes and dresses was just a bonus! The pattern is Vogue 1086 by Tracy Reese. This was a test run of the pattern. I'll need to make some adjustments to the next one. Raise the neckline for one...wowee...it is super low! I have it pinned in the photo below and will tack it before I wear it out. Plus, I think it runs on the large side. I'll need to take it down at least one size, possibly two. The fabric was from Joann's and was on sale for 40% off. The total for this dress was about $16 in supplies. Not too shabby. I think I'll wear it with a sweater tonight to Dance. We're learning single time swing tonight.

Shakin' in my boots

2009-03-25T22:38:00.004-04:00

It isn't often that a pattern gets the best of me but darnit this one has thrown me for a loop!

Farmgirl needs a huntseat coat for her upcoming equestrian shows. I had visions of a gorgeous teal lined charcoal coat. Luckily, I decided to do a test coat in this inexpensive fabric first.

This is as far as I've come...to the collar. sigh. linings, welted pockets, multiple layers of stabilizer...it's a nightmare. I'm hoping I get my sewing mojo back soon and can tackle her real show coat soon.

XY

2009-03-09T16:19:00.002-04:00

Please welcome my new nephew, Baby D! He arrived safely on March 8th weighing in at 7 lbs 6 3/4 oz and 20" long. Colette, my baby sis', did a fantastic job and Derrick was an A1 coach. We are so blessed to have him here.

Congratulations Colette and Derrick!

ummmm...no good excuse

2009-02-21T12:36:00.006-05:00

for not posting lately...just life... a sick horse (on the mend now) and some sewing. We're eagerly anticipating the arrival of a new niece or nephew. I haven't been able to sew anything because we don't know if it's a boy or girl and it's driving me crazy. I'm glad Colette didn't find out but it would have made my sewing life easier ;-) Hugs Coco...we can hardly wait to hold that little bundle!

Blessings

2008-12-26T12:15:00.003-05:00

Happy Holidays friends. I hope you are all safe and happy. We had an awesome Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve at my sister, Loral's, house. The food was delicious, the children well behaved, lots of laughs and the house was decorated so beautifully. She has been saving up vintagey christmas items from garage sales and thrift stores. I forgot to get pictures but they were very sweet. oooh...there was also plenty of delicious spiked eggnog! Thanks Lo!!!

I purchased a strobe lighting setup with gift money from my mom. Below are photos I took of the kids. The girls are wearing silk regency era gowns I made. We rag rolled their hair to get those gorgeous spirals. I still have a long way to go in learning the studio lighting. You can see the black fabric on the monitor but the background is black in prints.

Future Red Wing

2008-11-24T22:01:00.004-05:00

We've been having a blast watching Jedi play MiniMite hockey. He's been working hard and we're very proud of him. He's gone from not being able to skate at all to being able to hit the puck. WTG Jedi! (He's the one w/ the black helmet in the red/blue #2)

Getting to know Molly

"C'mon Mom, I can see her!"

"I love you, Molly."

"I love you too, Farmgirl...do you mind if I rest my head on your shoulder?"

"Just a little longer, pleeeaaaase."

"I'll be back in a couple of days, girl. I promise."

We've got a lot of work ahead of us. While Molly is very sweet, she isn't used to a noisy barn with falling snow. She's a bit on edge with all the new equipment in there too. We worked the whole lesson on desensitizing her to barrels, blocks, poles, etc. Farmgirl kept her seat even though Molly spooked pretty bad. Luckily, she didn't bolt...just jumped and planted her feet. My heart sure skipped a beat though.

We're hosting Thanksgiving at our home this year. So, tomorrow it's cleaning, shopping and prepping. Keeping it simple but plentiful. Sending well wishes to all this Thursday.

Call me crazy

2008-11-19T18:31:00.003-05:00

but we couldn't resist surprising Farmgirl with her early Christmas present... a 15.3 hand Bay QH. She's very pretty and super sweet. She's very calm and has a beautiful extended trot. We're still working on horse names...Apple, Fern, Molly, Blossom....are in the running. I liked Petal but Farmgirl vetoed that one. Feel free to leave name ideas in the comments for Farmgirl to consider.

Boutique Angels Charity Auctions

2008-11-04T10:44:00.001-05:00

The Boutique Charity Angels have chosen to donate proceeds from auctions to Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund. Click here to see all the wonderful listings. I have the above set listed...99 cents starting, no reserve and FREE shipping!

Click, click, click

2008-11-02T10:18:00.002-05:00

October riding from Spring Bean on Vimeo.

Been busy with kids activities, birthdays, halloween, etc. Tomorrow The Boutique Angels are hosting their 4th quarter charity auction. I'll post specifics and links tomorrow.

Double Digits

2008-10-18T23:44:00.003-04:00

Our sweet girl has reached a major milestone...10 years old. That's double digits people. We are so very blessed to have Farmgirl as our daughter. This is not just a mother's pride talking...she is funny, smart, kind hearted, generous and very sweet. Here she was at 10 months, my big blue eyed happy baby. The joy of my heart.

Fancy Farmgirl

2008-09-28T12:11:00.005-04:00

Rag Rolled Farmgirl...we had to double the length of the strips and add about 10 more to fit all her hair!

She loved it. I have a hard time getting her to wear her hair down. She ALWAYS wants it in two braids. Now, she's always going to want it in curls. Baby woke up the day after her curly hair day crushed that her curls were crushed...she wanted me to "fix dem" right away.

Our favorite little orchard was open this weekend and they had Honey Crisps! Oh sweet juicy honey crisp apples, how I await your harvest every year. I bought a whole peck! I'm doling them out sparingly. I doubt they'll have any left come next weekend.

I also splurged and purchased the peeler, spiral slicer. The kids were entranced.

Of course, we couldn't leave the orchard without our pumpkins. I have one rule at the pumpkin patch... I will buy whatever you can carry out. Jedi couldn't quite get this one off the ground...but he sure did try!

Baby found herself the perfect "punkin."

I can always count on Farmgirl to get a hefty one. She even helped Jedi so he wouldn't have to get a puny pumpkin.

The meany mom that I am, I even make them haul it back to the shed to be weighed. Here, Farmgirl was saying, "But, it's uphill. Why are you laughing?"

I'm laughing because I love autumn, seeing my children laugh, hefty pumpkins and in anticipation of a whole peck of Honey Crisp delight. I'm also laughing because I don't have to haul the cart this year! ;-)

Curly Top

2008-09-26T19:54:00.004-04:00

I often read Bowznstuff blog by Cree. She gives some great tutorials on hair styles that she tries on her adorable little one. Baby and I decided to try the rag rolling...WOW! It's fantastic. Just take a look-see at my curly top.

Baby's before hair shot. Yes, I know, she has the pointy end of a rat tail comb in her mouth while on a bed. The horror and absolute recklessness!

Rolls in...took about an hour to get them all in. She fell asleep about 20 minutes in which made it difficult.

But look at these spirals! I'm doing up Farmgirls hair tonight. I'll post pics of hers tomorrow. I think I'm going to make the girls matching Regency dresses in blue silk and ecru lace for Christmas, do their hair in rolls and weave ribbon in it. I have a tan/blue wool plaid I can use to make Jedi a kilt to match. I need to get right on that. wink wink.

Apron Sale

2008-09-25T17:39:00.001-04:00

50% off aprons at my Etsy store!
(t-shirt dresses are next at a SUPER low price)

Bibs

2008-09-25T12:03:00.002-04:00

Hop on over to my Etsy store to get an awesome deal on these adorable bibs!

Life or Death

2008-09-24T21:28:00.003-04:00

I can't decide! Farmgirl and I debated it after discovering these two on our windshield while driving to riding lessons. Luckily, I had my trusty camera. What do you think? love? hate?

Doesn't "love" usually happen in a hive or something? Talk about not practicing safe sex... procreating on a moving vehicle (I had to pull over while driving to take this shot) doesn't seem too safe to me.

Fig-tastic!

2008-09-24T20:58:00.005-04:00

I whipped up samples for my first class, a bib and burp cloth. I think they turned out pretty good. We're gearing the first few classes towards novice sewers so I needed to keep it simple, yet pretty. We're also trying to keep classes affordable so I needed something that didn't require the class to purchase a pattern. No pattern means I needed to figure all the measurements for the strips, etc. I used fabrics from the Fig and Plum line by Fig Tree Quilts for Moda. I took pictures throughout the process. If I get positive feedback from the class I'll post a tutorial.

In other news...we are thrilled to have Todd, my bil, back home. We give thanks that his job transfer went smoothly and he's here to stay...Yay! We'll have to start up our every other week dinner and games night again. :-) Of course, Loral and I will have to kick our husbands' butts. But at least we'll all be together.

Hall Pass

2008-09-23T10:01:00.002-04:00

Wow, nearly a month later. Sheesh, I won't be getting any consistency awards ;-)

Exciting news around here. Loral and I will be teaching some sewing classes at a newly opened fabric store in town. We are thrilled about the store because the only other option for fabric is WalMart. I will be teaching a patchwork bib, t-shirt dress and decoupage denim class.

We're getting back into full swing of home school. We're using the Konos Obedience box. I really like the program. We are just supplementing phonics,spelling and math. Farmgirl is using Modern Curriculum Press for math and Spectrum(G4) for spelling and phonics. Jedi and I are working through Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons by Engelmann, Haddox and Bruner. Jedi was elated when he read his first word - me. Baby is just along for the ride. I give her a mini reading from Jedi's book.

Off to finish school.

Yahoo!

2008-08-28T00:47:00.004-04:00

A big HELLO blogland. I've been meaning to catch up on all my favorite blogs...sigh...but Ken works from home now and is on "my" computer with my Favorites.

I've been keeping myself busy with the kids. We're having a busy summer and I don't see it easing up anytime soon. I squeezed in a few hours to make Farmgirl this western shirt (Suitability #3230)for riding lessons. It was a cinch to sew up and turned out quite nice. This is the practice one with boring fabric. I'm going to make it up in some nice euro funky colors for her too. I have some gorgeous Oilily with huge red cabbage roses on teal. That horse is Keeto... he was like a huge puppy. I swear he would've climbed into Farmgirl's lap and snuggled her if he could!

Butch and Jedi had their last soccer game today. It was a fun season but I can't say I'm not glad I won't have to drive that extra day. Here they are with their bobble head trophies.

Jedi ended the season with a goal. Here he is so proud!

The next two weekends I'll be busy with craftshows, my last two of the season. I'll be stocking my etsy store soon with a bunch of aprons after that. I'll be offering a discount to my blog friends too!

A little apron love...

2008-08-16T21:14:00.001-04:00

if you're a vintage apron lover then check out Bellapamella. Very cute!

job change

2008-08-14T10:53:00.000-04:00

I didn't realize being a driver for 3 children could be so tiring. We're already gone 3 nights a week and we're only in soccor and riding currently. We'll be adding hockey and dance in a few weeks. That's with Farmgirl and Jedi in 2 events each and Baby in 1. I think next season we'll be limiting it to one activity each.

We received our Konos Obedience unit book yesterday. Konos looks like it's going to be really fun for the kids. We've been doing a little school throughout the summer so hopefully it won't be too hard to get back into full swing.

Why you shouldn't (ver.6)

2008-07-27T10:07:00.003-04:00

get a dog the same color as your carpet...they get stepped on A LOT! It's great camo for him when he's doing something naughty though.

mmm...mmmmm...mmmm....delicious!

2008-07-25T09:28:00.003-04:00

My lifelong friend, Jennifer (she's the blond), recently took a trip to China and Japan. Lucky duck. I'm a lucky duck in that I benefited from her trip in the form of delicious fabric. Isn't she the bestest?!? Just look at my loot...

A ton of fat quarters and some Kawaii buttons...

Yards of adorable fabric plus 4 yards of the cherry print destined to be a skirt and handbag for me! It's a gorgeous twill.

and this adorable Hello Kitty crochet purse kit. Baby loves it and keeps saying, "you gonna make it for me, right??? huh, right? RIGHT?"

I purchased these Japanese pattern books about a month ago in the hopes of making Baby some new outfits. Now that I have the perfect fabric I'm going to get planning and stitching. I'll keep you posted on what I make.

Now, I'm off to get ready for the Boyer clan to arrive. Krista, one of my bff's, is bringing her 5 for the weekend. Just a lazy weekend to chat, laugh and have a few margaritas.

so little time...so many things

2008-07-23T21:17:00.005-04:00

Hi blogworld. Sorry to be gone so long. Summer is flying by and I can hardly catch my breath. Here's a review of the last two weeks in pictures...

Jumps attempted...

cookies eaten...

craft show items sewn...

Cousin Camp '08 accomplished and children returned to families...

cantering accomplished...

beaches combed w/ Grandma...

Soccer balls chased...

and recovered...

trail rides taken...

Plus colts, puppies and kittens to be adored!

Hoping things will slow down a bit by fall so I can pick up blogging regularly. I have much fabric to share (some awesome stuff direct from Japan via one very considerate lifelong friend...Thanks Jen!)

Why you shouldn't... (ver. 5)

2008-07-01T01:20:00.003-04:00

let children under 5 take long early evening naps in your bed ---- sometimes they pee in them and you're up at 1:20 waiting on the linens in the dryer AND having to entertain an unsleepy? non-sleepy? awake child.

ahhh...the wonderful beeping of the dryer. A sound I usually dread because it means unmatched socks, clothes that need homes and things I should iron but usually just toss back into a pile that eventually gets thrown on the floor, covered in dog hair, washed again, tossed again...you get the picture.

"Pinkies Out"

2008-06-28T09:26:00.003-04:00

is the new slogan for the most daring adventurers, I believe.

Jedi and Cardman had a fabulous time "adventuring" like Indie at the Ranch last Weds. They found an old bit of twine and they were set for 2 hours.

Best pals.

My children are very cautious about EVERYTHING. Their every action is deliberate and s-l-o-w. Their infant nicknames reflected this...Jedi was formerly Turtle and Baby was Slugbaby. This timidness is something I don't understand. I was always ready to try something daring, move fast and never, ever give up as a child. While I'm glad they're cautious before crossing a street or making sure their belts are buckled I want to scream, "RUN!", when they are faced with an open field of grass or "JUMP" when they reach the end of the dock. So, I can't tell you how proud I was when I turned around and caught this shot of Jedi jumping off of a 5 foot embankment.

Farmgirl also surprised me a couple weeks ago when she was nearly bucked off a very upset horse. She was back up there the next week and worked extremely hard at her technique...a great improvement and a much needed boost to her confidence.

Cairn he get any cuter???

2008-06-25T23:39:00.002-04:00

Please meet our newest family member...Finn. Isn't he toto-ally adorable??? He's so scruffy and funny. I've been having a blast watching him just walk around like he's the king of the castle.

Farmgirl has been the absolute best about taking Finn on his many many, MANY potty breaks. did I mention he takes a ton of potty breaks? like every 15 minutes, potty breaks. She's the best kid ever!

Ken acts as if he isn't totally in love but I catch him giggling at Finn every couple hours...if they're not snoozing together that is.

He's doing beautifully with his crate training. He's sleeping through the night...woo hoo. It took me 12 months to get my children to do that! Took Finn one night. All in all a pretty good start to his home here. I'm sure there will be flowers dug up, shoes chewed to bits, a favorite book shredded...a small price to pay for that cute little scruff of a dog.

Tea Time

2008-06-19T09:47:00.004-04:00

My sweet little cousin is getting married in August. We are so very excited for her. Last weekend her bridal shower was held at a local bed and breakfast. We had such a wonderful time. It was a formal tea, which meant dresses and hats! Above are my mom and girls. That black thing Baby is clutching...her beloved Datty (kitty). It goes EVERYWHERE with her. Below is my niece, Tumbles. She is wearing a gorgeous dress made by my sis from vintage voile. She looks so darling.

and here is the bride to be...Kristin. Loved her hat and retro shoes!

My Aunt Bonnie did a fabulous job on the shower. Here she is taking tea orders for tea and punch. Baby adores her Great Aunt Bonnie.

The Cat Whisperer

2008-06-11T22:24:00.003-04:00

We had a wonderful afternoon at the riding stables. Here my nephew, Cardman, uses his super powers to lure in all the barn cats. They followed him all afternoon! I think he had tuna in his pocket. We also saw the 4 day old kittens...cute.

Farmgirl thoroughly enjoyed her lessons. She got to try cantering today...quite bouncy, I think. She also rode bareback for 1/2 hr or so. She loved that. Next week all the cousins get to go for a mini lesson. The boys are especially excited.

Could it be...

2008-06-04T13:08:00.002-04:00

that Spring has finally come to Northern Michigan? Just in time for Summer! We had a beautiful day on Monday so we headed to our favorite park to meet up with the cousins. We brought some lunch and had a picnic. It has been a pretty crummy spring this year as far as weather goes. I'm hoping summer kicks it up a notch and we can spend a lot of time on the boat.

I've been busy trying to get ready for a craft show on the 14th. Nothing like waiting till the last minute to turn out a bunch of product ;-) Simplicity is going to be the key this summer to craft shows. I'm going to eliminate the bells and whistles to keep cost down. Hopefully, that will boost the sales.

We're off to riding lessons. We LOVE the new instructor. She is fabulous with Farmgirl and runs a clean stable. I'm hoping to get some good shots today to share.

Never Forget

2008-05-31T20:10:00.004-04:00

Today we went to visit the traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall. I underestimated how emotional it would be....all those names, the pictures, the tears, the vets passing out flags. There was also a memorial area for the soldiers lost in Iraq. It was heartbreakingly large.

While I think my oldest was able to understand the importance of the memorial, the littles were more interested in their flags and the trucks. Jedi did enjoy hearing about the veterans in our family including both of Ken's grandfathers, his Uncle and my Uncle. We will be forever indebted to the men and women who serve our country.

Fight the Frump Friday (skin care)

2008-05-30T09:55:00.009-04:00

Nothing makes me feel so frumpy as a giant pimple...OK, maybe ratty paint splattered sweats, but it's close! How can I feel confident and non frumpy after I don my thigh deodorant and skirt then look in the mirror to see Mt. Pustius smack dab in the middle of my forehead?!? The answer for me was Acnefree, the Wa! Mart equivalent to Pro Activ. Within 3 days of use I had an extreme improvement to my skin. My dh actually said, "wow! your skin is so beautiful...it's glowing!" The cost is $19.22 for a month supply. I've found the toner and lotion last longer than the wash. Good news though, you can buy a bottle of the wash separately.

A little something to make your kitchen less frumpy...

I recently purchased these adorable magnets from Julie of Red Hen Studios. They're recycled dominoes. She has some really adorable ones of Cinderella and more in her Etsy store. Definitely worth a look see.

Good news on Jedi...came back clear for the test. They just want us to keep an eye on him for further symptoms. He did have to get his tetanus shot though...ouch. Poor little guy was pretty upset.

W.I.P. ~ living room

2008-05-28T12:37:00.005-04:00

I recently received my order of Drawing Room fabric by Anna Maria Horner. STUNNING. It is her new home dec. line. I am in love with it. I originally thought I'd make a skirt with the bird print but I decided my living room needed some bright colors so I put some on a 3'x4' canvas... voila! It is rather busy but my living room is fairly large...20' x 28' with cathedral ceilings and a huge barn shaped wall that is painted, yep you guessed it, barn red! I've been thinking that might not have been the best color for the wall. Every picture I take in that room has a pink tone. Live and learn.

Other news: Farmgirl starts riding lessons with a new instructor today. We're super excited. New lessons are less than half what last summers were and in a better facility...downside, it's 45 minutes away. Driving long distances is pretty much the norm up here in the sticks. Jedi has a check up tomorrow. He's been exhibited some symptoms of Type1 diabetes so he'll be tested for that. I'm really optimistic that it'll be negative but please lift him in prayer if you are so inclined.

Why you shouldn't... (ver. 4)

2008-05-27T17:14:00.002-04:00

sit across from my husband if he's had more than 2 glasses of wine. Imagine a table filled with 16 of Ken's co-workers and their spouses. Everybody is enjoying their wine, imported specialty cheeses, candied nuts and fruit. Ken is laughing uproariously, throws his arms up and SPLOOSH...his entire glass of wine splashes across my chest and face like arterial blood in a bad horror movie. You should have heard all the women suck in their breath for an "ooooooohhhhh!"

Poor Ken felt horrible. Luckily, I was prepared with a lovely cardigan to throw over it. It's nothing a little Oxi couldn't handle!

Fight the Frump Friday

2008-05-23T01:09:00.002-04:00

I happen to be a fluffy gal (plus sized) and had been so discouraged that I gave up trying to look nice. My uniform...sweats and tees. Over the past year I have made a concentrated effort to be presentable. One of my best weapons to fight the frump is to wear a skirt or dress nearly everyday. Even if you wear a tee shirt with a skirt you can't help but look better than if you're wearing sweats or jeans.

"Why hadn't I worn skirts before this? What was I thinking?"

Two days into my new skirty uniform...it hit me why I hadn't worn skirts...chafing. Ugh! While long underwear do work to eliminate chafing, I found they were rather hot to wear in the summer. Then I received the best tip ever...stick deodorant. (not gel or spray) My preference is the old fashioned Secret...strong enough for a man AND my fluffy thighs.

Grab a stick, sport a skirt and Fight The Frump Ladies!

The Drive-In

2008-05-22T13:23:00.000-04:00

A driveway and a show! The kids and I love it when we have things done around the house. There's a project done PLUS we get entertainment. We've been wanting a paved driveway for the longest time. The kids have been daydreaming of rollerskating, skateboarding and chalking since we told them we were having the drive done a few weeks ago. Here, Jedi and Farmgirl (dd9) were breathing in the pungent odor of asphalt like it was sweet nectar.

This little machine was my favorite to watch...it reminded me of a Zamboni (sp?) zipping all over the place.

The kids were fascinated by the hand signals the crew used to communicate. The man giving the "thumbs up" is head of this gang. He is a man who loves his job. He exclaimed, "boy, sure does change the whole house, this drive," with a huge grin as he surveyed his handiwork for several moments upon completion. I agree, it is beautiful!

It provided the perfect background color to take a picture of my favorite flower... the gerbera daisy. No other flower cheers me up quite so much as a sunny gerbera.

Vacation Pictures...groan

2008-05-14T07:48:00.000-04:00

I know you are all just dying to see 2 weeks worth of vacation pictures....yay! I'm only going to post about 15 of the 450 I took. ;-)

We had a fantastic time on our vacation. We stopped in Atlanta on our way to Ft. Myers to visit the aquarium. We saw beluga whales, whale sharks (super cool), pet stingrays and D9 tried to reach the little sharks but they wouldn't come close enough. Definitely worth the stop.

We spent all our time either at the beach or the pool while in Ft. Myers. There were shells to be collected...

oops...almost missed that shell

skimming to be tried...Jedi definitely has a surfer lurking inside. While the girls mostly played on the beach, Jedi spent all his time in the water.

We saw so many neat animals while in Florida. Gators, huge fish in the ocean, an otter and of course dolphins every morning at the beach. This one kept circling a group of swimmers. Off to the the side a couple of young ladies were screaming hysterically and running for shore. I don't think they realized it was a dolphin. Not that you should necessarily swim with wild dolphins anyway, but it was kind of funny.

One of my favorite things that happened was this...

wait for it....

wait...

Yep...that is Baby's Polly pocket!

We were about 100 yds from our chairs and beach toys looking for shells when D9 said, "I think that seagull has some food for his babies." Nope, it had stolen Baby's Polly from our bucket up shore. He flew over to us and unbelievable dropped the Polly by D9!

One other great thing that came from our vacation was Scuba Ken has decided we definitely need to take more vacations...next stop...cruise to Alaska!

Drum roll please...

2008-05-12T18:00:00.000-04:00

Jedi prepares to pick a name...

This looks like a good one...

It's Jess! You win your choice of an apron, vintage styled dress or a custom sized childrens boutique outfit! I'll send you an email too.

YaYaOrchid will be winning a little surprise package too...because Jedi likes holding paper to his noggin and I love giving surprises.

Thanks for entering everybody! If you feel lucky you should head on over to my sister's blog where she's giving away an adorable apron for Wear your Apron Day!

Happy Birthday Sis!

2008-05-12T08:48:00.000-04:00

Growing up I disliked having my birthday be one day apart from my sister's birthday. We always shared a cake, party and even received the same presents (also on Christmas) It's a running joke that we have to open our presents at the same time so we don't ruin the surprise for the other sister.

As an adult, I love having our birthdays so close. It's special. We're special.

My sister, Loral, always has sound advice, a soft shoulder and a kind word (not to mention delicious baked goods.) I love my sis very much and hope her day is filled with the things she loves most.

p.s. I will be holding the drawing this afternoon...sorry for the delay...we got home from vacation a day later than I anticipated.

100!

2008-04-25T00:27:00.001-04:00

To celebrate my birthday and my 100th post I will be giving the lucky winner their choice of one of the following...a custom apron, a custom sized vintage womans dress (I can make up to a modern size 22/24 womans) or a childs custom sized boutique outfit.

To be entered in the drawing simply email your name with "100 post" in the subject to me at springbean(dot)missy@yahoo(dot)com.

I will be holding the drawing May 11th, so plenty of time to get entered.

Really...what's it all about?

2008-04-24T10:34:00.000-04:00

The SHOES of course! How could I resist these adorable vintagey styled shoes? Even better...I bought them for an amazing $30! Okay...so they're not exactly everyday comfy shoes but they are perfect for wow factor on a special date with hubby. I call them my "kitten" shoes. They needed their own wardrobe so I've been busily sewing away.

Polka dot circle skirt. I'm thinking this blouse to go with it.

I have been affectionately calling these dresses my "fruit salad dresses." I am looking for more fruit fabrics so I can have a collection. These are made up in cotton...drats...I detest ironing. So, I am searching for a poly/cotton fruit fabric. Not easy to find nice prints in poly/cotton. I will explain where I got this adorable vintage plus size pattern in an upcoming post.

Well, this is my 99th post and my next post will be for the giveaway. I am going to be away from my computer for the next couple of weeks. I will try to get the post done tonight and will do the drawing on May 11th...my 36th birthday and Mother's Day.

Only in Michigan!

2008-04-15T11:19:00.000-04:00

Wait 10 minutes and the weather is totally changed :-) Okay, not totally...it's about 50. I'll take 50 over 17 (yesterday morning) anyday.

p.s. This is the 98th post!

Let It Snow, Let It...

2008-04-12T09:36:00.000-04:00

Screeeeeeech! Hold the press; isn't it April 12th?!? I awoke to this lovely sight. Don't get me wrong, I love snow. But, come on already! Enough is enough. We finally got our snow piles down to a manageable 3 feet and now this.

Ken is taking mil and kiddos to the movies this afternoon so I am free to sew. Yippee! I am in the middle of making a super sweet cherry dresss. I hope to finish tonight and post pics.

Keep on keepin' on

2008-04-11T16:55:00.000-04:00

I had such good intentions about getting back on track with my blogging and sewing. Alas, life makes other plans for you. My mil, Nancy, is back with us for a few weeks. We took her to do a Mental Status Exam about 10 days ago and the results were not good. The neuropsychiatrist pulled Ken and my bil aside to say it was pretty bad and she needs 24 hour supervision and will probably need 24hr skilled care soon. He and the neurologist are thinking it is a rare condition of Frontal-variant Alzheimers. She is only 62 so this would be considered early onset alzheimers.

While I expected "bad" news I was shocked to tears to hear how bad it was. She is unaware of what is going on. She exclaimed, "I totally aced that test" upon coming into the waiting area. The neuropsych and neurologist are going to tell Nancy, mil, a diagnosis on at her next appointment. The 25th. It's like this big huge countdown to ground zero...catastrophe...the sh#* hitting the fan...her devastation. She'll never be able to be independent, drive a car, have her grandchildren stay the night. It is weighing heavily on my heart and nerves.

I am wearing thin. I have to be on guard constantly as her behavior is dangerous for the kids. (Trying to give Baby an overload of vitamins) We've already had several "incidents" and I am having to farm the kids out to family members as often as possible.

Luckily I have the most awesome supportive family you could wish for. God bless them...I would literally be lost without my mom and sis. Even though Nancy has treated my family with ugliness, contempt and rudeness for most of my marriage, my family has been nothing short of kind, respectful and compassionate to her. This is a blessing to me beyond words.

I am cooking up a super awesome 100th post give away...think custom made vintage...feminine and sweet!

How do I love thee?

2008-03-26T23:21:00.000-04:00

let me count the rows... a 1, a 2 and a 3! 3 gorgeous topstitching rows, that is how much I love thee oh beautiful coverlocking dream machine! Using this machine for the first time was akin to the first time you cut fabric with Gingher scissors...just like butta.

Baby's House

2008-03-20T12:27:00.000-04:00

Baby loved my mushroom pin cushion and insisted I make her a "froom" house. So this is Baby's spring mushroom house. I was finishing it up about 1:30 in the morning last night when she sneaked out of bed. She woke up Jedi w/ her squealing over how "tute" her "froom" house was.
She kept saying, "thank you, Mumma!" and insisting on hugging me. ahhh, it feels so nice to be appreciated!

Taking a deep breath...

2008-03-19T12:12:00.000-04:00

I've heard they're free. Okay...so, I know my blog entries tend to be like me...fluffy. Not a lot of grit, no insightful comments, no real controversy. I'm not a leader, risk taker or particularly witty kind of gal. Basically, I like being part of the herd...baaaaa...just call me sheep. These last couple of months I've had to step up and "take charge" in my personal life. A couple posts back I mentioned my mil had been staying with us. She lives 300 miles away from us and we needed to keep an eye on her. She's the one I needed to be in charge of. It is very hard to get a 62 yr old woman to do what's "good for her" when she has no reasoning capabilities. God help me, it was the longest 6 weeks of my life! Praise to longterm caregivers of loved ones with dementia. It is the most frustrating heartwrenching thing to watch.

We took her to a neurologist appt. last week and were once again told we had to wait another 6 weeks to get further testing. 6 weeks makes a huge difference in my mil's mental abilities. It was decided she would stay at her home, alone, with my bil checking in on her and us calling several times a day.

We return home. A couple nights later, Ken and I go out on our first evening alone in 2 months. We were like high school kids, just giggly happy to be ALONE! We received 5 phone calls in one hour from mil looking for Ken's dad (who passed away 5 years ago.) She also informs us she has given herself a prescribed shot she wasn't supposed to administer for another 3 weeks. (don't even get me started on why the neurologist would trust her to administer her own shots!) Drama, drama and more drama. I was selfishly annoyed that my evening was ruined with phone tag and "dealing with the situation." Thankfully, my brother in law stepped up and has her staying with him. I have spent the last two days on the phone arranging appts and getting my mil bumped to STAT status on her testing. I speak with her several times a day explaining the same things over and over and over. She keeps saying she would like to come back. I feel ashamed and guilty for not being ready to do another stint with her. It looks like this is going to be a very long journey for us and I'm praying I have the stamina. I'm also praying for a fast diagnosis so we can get the ball rolling with keeping her and others safe..ie having the state take her drivers license. We haven't let her drive over the last two months but if she isn't diagnosed with something I don't know what legal actions we could take to keep her off the roads.

On a brighter note...don't you love my new decorative pins?!? I got them yesterday from GigiMinor. I had to make up a cute little home for them...this mushroom house bottlecap pincushion. Baby got a kick out of the smoke from the chimney. I think I need to do a spring themed one with flowers and a birds nest on the roof.

Thanks for listening to my pity party and letting me vent.

A little sewing

2008-03-03T11:01:00.001-05:00

Ahhh...I was able to fit in a little sewing this weekend. A spring skirt for me. My favorite part is the waistband lining in a cute Kaufman print. The pattern is Burda 7906. I think it runs a tad big in the waist but other than that it's a great pattern.
I also made up a set for Baby. I tried out the new Antonia pattern. Super cute and easy to do as long as you don't mind German instructions. I also embroidered some cute German designs on her shirt and pants. The pants are just a simple wide legged self drafted pattern with knit cuffs. I like the knit cuffs because it makes it easy to stuff in winter boots.

I have been trying to get Jedi to stop doing this Jack Nicholson The Shining face. It gives me the creeps everytime! He won't believe it's not a flattering look for him.

Knit Scraps...

2008-02-27T16:58:00.000-05:00

to underpants. What to do with all those knit scraps?!? Why, make underpants! Loral let me borrow her Jalie pattern for underwear...I am so hooked. Don't the boxers sew up cute? I made up about 5 pair for Jedi. Baby received some too...I just eliminated the crotch piece of the boys pattern. Now, I am just in NEED of a Coverpro 1000CP so I can put a professional touch on all the new underpants I'm going to sew!

I spent about 3 hours hiding out in my sewing room today. God help me if I have to answer the same question for the 100th time today. My poor mil is having some memory issues and has been staying with us the last 5 weeks and will be here until we can get her in to see a specialist. If you're of the praying kind please pray that my heart will remain compassionate and I'll have the fortitude to do my duty. OK...pity party done. I have tons of great designs swimming around in my noggin that I'm itching to sew up. I'm hoping to get some summer sets done for the kids this weekend. Blessings to you all.

brrrrr...

2008-02-18T10:53:00.000-05:00

We've been pretty much homebound because of the bad weather this last week. It is bitterly cold here in Northern Michingan and the kids were getting a bit stir crazy. So, I let them brave the 15 degree weather for a bit...

D9 and Sparky... The kids conquer our snowplow mound...

Baby is Princess of the Hill...

When Daddy is in charge...

I know I've been a total blogger slacker but I do have a good excuse...my mil has been staying with us and will be here until March 9th. I promise to be up and blogging again then. I'm coming up on my 100th post and that means another drawing!

A Priceless Gift

2008-02-03T12:47:00.001-05:00

Nancy, my mil, handed me this unassuming box and said, "I thought you might like this." Before I opened it I thought it might be an old movie projector or something. Imagine my delighted surprise when I saw this...

and this...

Holy Smokes! It's a 1934 Singer 221 featherweight!

look at the "egyptian scrollwork" pattern!

I eagerly plugged it it and held my breath as I flipped the switch...a whiff of ozone and voila it was humming away in no time. What a sweet little machine. It was owned by Nancy's mil, Violet Isabella Reid Milne. She must have bought it when she was pregnant with Ken's father in 1938. I wasn't fortunate enough to have known her as she passed away just before Ken and I began to date but she's sounded like an amazing woman. She came from a farming family of 13 children. I believe she was the oldest. She worked and put herself through college in the 20's, went on many adventures like flying in a biplane, attended a party in Detroit that was busted up during an opiate raid...that is where she met her husband! Had children at the unheard of age (at the time) of 37 and lived a fruitful full life till she passed at the age of 94 in 1994. Look at her delightful fingerwaves!

My Hero

2008-01-27T08:59:00.000-05:00

Ken gave us all a kiss and nervously stepped up to the security counter at our little local airport. He was on his way to get his mother to stay with us for 5 weeks. He isn't a "bad" flyer, he just gets a bit anxious. He can't board for another 20 minutes so the kids and I try to wave at him one more time through the security glass but he doesn't see us.

This next part is what Ken calls and tells me after he lands.

Ken boarded the plane and took his seat towards the rear. He got settled in and started to feel a little better about the flight. The attendents went through their preparations, did the exit speech, etc, etc...All of a sudden 3 men came rushing down the aisle.

One of them pointed and yelled at Ken, "YOU!"

Of course all heads turned to look at my 6'1" 260 lb husband.

"You need to come with us."

Ken gathered his things and followed the men.

"You were throwing off the balance of the plane, we need you to sit next to the wing." said the guy in a not so private voice.

I'm sure all the passengers let out a big sigh of relief that it wasn't a hijacker...just a fat guy! Okay, he's not really fat, just big. He was pretty embarrassed though. Trying to be a glass half full kind of gal I said, "Look at it this way, you saved every life on board. You're a hero!" I don't think he bought it.

Manners...

2008-01-26T09:30:00.000-05:00

most people have them but some don't! I can usually let bad manners by strangers in public roll off my back but last night I came this (imagine me holding up my fingers a centimetre apart) close to letting some lady have a piece of my mind. The kids and I were having dinner with Ken at the airport before his flight took off (oooh, I have a funny story about that to post tomorrow.) The restaurant isn't a fancy deal, they serve a lot of pizza and such. The hostess brought a middle aged couple to sit at a table 3 feet from us. The woman looked at our table made the universal sound of disgust, you know - the phlegmy back of the throat one, and said, "I am not sitting next to THOSE children!"

Now, why couldn't she say, "We'd prefer a table by the window" or "We'd like something away from the door"?

I'm also proud to say my children are really well behaved in public. We've worked very hard to ensure a pleasant dining experience. There isn't loud talking, walking about, messes, crying or complaining. They say please, thank you and yes Ma'am. They use their manners. Miss Crabbypants should have taken notes.

Thanks for "listening" to my gripe, I'll try to let it go now.

Now Open!

2008-01-25T14:33:00.000-05:00

We are currently stocking our store with beautiful new items! Like this amazing button attached to a gorgeous tote made by Loral...

Perhaps you're in the market for a sweet Easter apron...then this Hens and Chicks one is for you!

Of course you can't ever go wrong with mushrooms and hedgehogs!

We also have clothespin holders, journals, heirloom dresses and soap (coming soon)!

Magical 5

2008-01-22T19:58:00.000-05:00

Boy was I shocked to hear, "It's a boy!", five years ago. I believe my first words were, "Are you sure?!?" Mac had a sweet round face and a full head of black hair. We named him after Ken's dad, Malcolm, who was battling leukemia. He was perfect...then he flashed me his dimple...yep, he was even more perfect! Little did we know as we stared in awe at our beautiful little man that we would have a very rough first year with him.

Poor Jedi cried nearly every waking moment the first year. It wasn't just fussing cry...he was in terrible pain. Repeated trips to the Pediatrician brought us, "he's just fussy, he's just a needy baby and it's only gas." We finally found a Dr. who took us seriously. His pain was relieved. He began to smile and melt hearts with his big blues.

He's my middle child and my "sensitive" one. He's a Star Wars junkie, a lover of babies, a quiet trouble seeker, a little Scotsman, a hand holder, a thumb sucker, a protector of ladies, a door opener for "the ladies", a star wisher, a mamma's shadow and my son.

May you always find your wishing star. I love you!

journey

2008-01-16T16:06:00.000-05:00

Ken's grandfather passed away on the 12th. We are so thankful Grandpa Goodfellow's wife and children were able to be with him. We are also thankful we had a delightful afternoon with him and Grandma Goodfellow in October. He made over the kids in his rumbly deep voice and tried to convince them he had 6 middle names. He was a strong man...surviving multiple heart attacks and numerous strokes throughout his 84 years. He and Mrs. Goodfellow married young, 18 and 16. He left shortly after to serve on a naval ship in WWII. He returned and made a busy life with Irene and their 4 children. He loved his wife, country, children and God. We'll miss you Rusty.

Thrifty Goodness

2008-01-16T09:27:00.000-05:00

Cindy hosted this awesome Virtual Thrift party. Be sure to check out everybody's thrifty treasures. I'm posting late due to a funeral but I did find a spare hour to hit our local thrifts and pick up a few goodies...

1. a pack of doll clothes patterns .75

2. some mini cross stitch packs for dd9 to learn on $2.50

3. some bits of crafting items and a little hoop for dd9's above project $1.00

4. an awesome pair of heeled bowling shoes that fit dd9 perfectly. I'll have to make her up a funky bowling shirt to wear with them :-) $1.50

5. patterns in Baby's size. .10 each

6. and the best find...a present for my sister Loral. A Kodak duaflex to take ttv pictures! shhh...don't tell her...it's a surprise. Hopefully she won't read this until I can give it to her in an hour. I dismantled it and gave it a sprucing up. This was my biggest splurge at $3.00

oh yes, I also got that sweet red/white dot fabric for .50

total spent $9.75

5 o'clock battle

2008-01-13T15:59:00.000-05:00

I believe we need to reinstate naps for Baby. Come 5 everyday the house gets extra quiet and I go looking for Baby. Sometimes I find Sleeping Beauty...

other times Super Girl is overcome by Kryptonite...

sometimes she falls asleep listening for approaching horses...

On occassion she has made it to the table for supper but she can't fight the tryptophan in her milk.

Yep, back to napping for Baby!

Opening Soon

2008-01-11T13:28:00.000-05:00

Loral and I are embarking on a joint adventure. A place to get all your vintage charms like handmade soap, aprons, totes, a sprinkling of Kawaii, modest children's attire and vintage patterns. I'll post a link when we're up and running.

Because, gosh darnit'... (ver2)

2008-01-09T19:41:00.000-05:00

...she's special and I love her!

My sister has taken up a new hobby, soapmaking. I thought she could use a more industrial apron so she wouldn't have to worry about lye ruining her good ones. I made it in my favorite style with a full pocket (hand embroidered soap) and out of a twill type fabric.

Her soaps are absolutely fabulous... I wish you had smellivison. The Ginger Citrus is my favorite. Not pictured is a shampoo bar that is totally amazing. I don't have to use conditioner, it brings out the natural wave in my hair and makes it feel twice as thick.

although, I'm beginning to wonder if she has an agenda...I seem to be getting a ton of soap. Do I offend??? oh, I forgot, your smellivision isn't working!

Eat your vegetables!

2008-01-07T16:55:00.001-05:00

Finely shredded carrots and chopped fresh spinach are well hidden in spaghetti sauce. Fools 'em every time! I have a bunch of starch loving kids. They simply don't enjoy eating vegetables. Many a time Jedi, 4, has been brought to tears simply for having to eat a whole green bean. Rules are Rules...you must take two bites of everything on your plate before being excused. I know, I am a mean mama. ;-)

I, on the other hand, am allowed to indulge in one of these whether I eat my veggies or not! A delicious Chambord milkshake with fresh raspberries. Yummy! Tonight, I might have a Chambord Martini. Oh, I know, a Chambord Margarita since we're having huevos rancheros. Yes, better to stay with a theme.

because, gosh darnit, I'm worth it!

2008-01-06T13:36:00.000-05:00

The kitchen's a mess and I'm fresh out of clean aprons! So instead of doing laundry I just sew up a...

new apron for me! I love this fabric, so bright and warm looking.

made up in my favorite apron pattern...drafted by my sis from a vintage apron. It is so comfortable with this style back. I prefer this because there isn't a neckband biting into the back of my neck.

Some polka dotted ribbon and vintage ric rac to make it extra special because, gosh darnit, I'm special and I love me ;-) Now I don't have an excuse for not cleaning the kitchen. Well, I do need some towels to match my fresh new apron. That should keep me out of the kitchen for a few hours!

Ringing in 2008

2008-01-02T12:33:00.000-05:00

D9 helps Baby "tie one on" so they can help me in the kitchen for our New Years Eve party. We were so lucky to have my sister Loral, her dh Todd and their rascals over to ring in the new year with us. I made chicken cordon bleu, curried broccoli/cauliflower, baked potatoes, several appetizers and for dessert...lemon meringue pie and sour cream chocolate torte. Loral brought some delicious chicken wrap apps and yummy cheese fondue.

Baby's resolution...to try new things, starting with shrimp...

is that a stray leg???

hmmmm.....

maybe in 2009 she'll give it another try!

10 minutes before the countdown and she's just couldn't hang on any longer.

The kids had fun with the streamers and party horns (thanks Mom.)

The grown ups played a rousing game of trivial pursuit. Men vs. Women.

While Loral and I got off to a great start quickly earning several pies...

The guys thunk real hard and whooped our butts! Dangit! That's okay because I can post embarrassing photos on my blog like this...

That's Ken with a giant egg stuck on his noggin! My favorite photo of Ken. It took us awhile to get that off. Makes you think perhaps the guys won because Todd is the smart one. ;-)

Invisible Ink

2007-12-28T15:05:00.000-05:00

I have been heroically avoiding holiday clean up. I don't want to avoid it but my slacky nature has won and I've been filling my time with Wii, knitting and D9's new science kit. Today we made invisible ink. Very simple and fun. All you need is 1/2 lemon, off white paper, paint brush (q-tips work great too) and a flame. oh yes, and adult supervision of course.

1. gather supplies

2. juice 1/2 lemon

3. think of a top secret message

4. lightly paint message with lemon juice. Allow message to dry...about 5 minutes.

5. Have an adult do this part. Use a heat source (flame, hair dryer, embossing heat gun) to make message appear. I used tongs and the stove burner. You need to keep moving the paper so it doesn't ignite.

Voila! D9's message. She rocks!

She didn't like my message so much...