inspired by jenna

WIWW

2011-05-18T08:12:00.000-07:00

i can't believe i really am doing a WIWW post! holy cow! only 2 outfits this time, short & sweet.

this is what elliana and i wore to church on sunday.

on elliana:

top: penny's

skinny jeans: old navy

boots: target

on me:

top: lulu's

tank: old navy

belt: F21

skinny's: F21

flats: target

necklace: target

on toby:

long sleeve onesie: GAP

camo pants: sprockets by mervyn's (i miss mervyn's...*tear*)

shoes: robeez from when elliana was a baby. :)

another church outfit (read: i've been slacking every other day of the week)

top:

sweater: Kohl's

skirt: Old Navy

bow flats: target

necklace: Mommy Necklace
i'm linking up to Lindsey at the Pleated Poppy

so that's it. kinda boring. i started a new workout program this week and i am walking like Frankenstein today. i am going to reward myself with a mini shopping spree when its over in 8 weeks. yay! love a little retail motivation! plus the thought of wearing a bikini this summer after 3 kids? oh yeah! bring it!

toby is 7 months!

2011-05-05T00:56:00.000-07:00

i know i'm a bad blogger, and i don't blame you if you stop following me. i would too. i just wanted to mention that mr. tobykins is 7 months old. can you believe it? i can't. and he is such a good stinking baby. he's been eating solids better. it took him some getting used it, but i kept persisting and now he eats a steady diet of homemade butternut squash, carrots, peas, pears, bananas and applesauce. he's still sort of getting the hang of it, but he loves eating lunch and dinner (sometimes both, sometimes just one meal a day). hasn't quite got the sippy cup down yet, but were working on it.

toby is also sitting up really well and loves being in his jumpy. he hasn't shown any signs he's wanting to crawl, and that is a-ok with mama. tucker crawled at 7 months and i'm perfectly fine with toby staying in one spot just a bit longer. :) he has started mimicking us when we shake our head to say "no", toby shakes his head too. its so cute. or when he's done eating, he shakes his head "no". or when tucker has been smothering him with kisses, he shakes his head "no." not sure he actually knows what it means, but it so darn cute. still no teeth. he's been sticking his tongue out and playing with his tongue a lot. we just figured out some sleep issues and now he only wakes up once during the night, instead of every 2 hours. when i got to bed at 12, i feed him and then he wakes up again around 4 and then again at 8. or something like that. nothing ever stays the same with babies, but for now, that's our routine. he loves being in the ergo carrier and everyday when i pick up elliana and tucker from school i put him in it. he wuvs his mama. ;) he is just so sweet. and mellow. i think he'll be like his daddy. wait, i said that about tucker too. and tucker is too. well, i can't wait to see what he's like, because i already love everything about him. including his toothless grin!!

we got a puppy!

2011-04-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

here he is! our little puppy! we got him 2 weeks ago and boy has he put our family in a whirlwind. mostly he's thrown my sense of balance off. we got him during an entire week of rain and wind, making our backyard a sloppy wet mud pit. not so good when you are trying to house train a puppy. and tame a wild 3 year old, and nurse a thrushy 6 month old. *sigh* it was a crazy week.

but isn't he cute? yes, his paws are that giant. he's actually a very mellow puppy. i mean, he's a puppy. but he's not hyper and wired. he's nipped the kids a few times and of course wants to chew on everything he can get his teeth into, (including little toes, pant lets, and stuffed animals). tucker is a little scared of him and his "shark teeth" but we are trying to help him push the puppy's head away when he is in his playful mode.

we've had a bit of trouble naming him. it seems we can't all decide on a single name. so he's been quite a few different names. the only real way to find a good name is try it out right? like a pair of shoes. (sort of). so he's been jake (too common, but still cute), rocky or rocket( cute, but didn't quite fit), we liked buster (buster posey is the giants catcher, justing REALLY wanted this name) tucker voted for megatron, brucewayne (batman), and finally as we approached his 2 week homecoming anniversary (we didn't really celebrate it was just a mental deadline to find his name) we settled on lazer. i didn't want a common dog name. it had to be unique to fit our family.

we came up with lazer because my husband is a big softball junkie. he plays on 2 teams at a time, and is always playing tournaments and stuff. he's know for hitting homeruns and it quite the power hitter, i must say. i'm so proud of him. he's a rockstar 3rd baseman and short stop. one of his nicknames when he gets up to bat is "LAZER" because, well, he hits lazers. :) and since lazer will be a hunting dog in training, we thought this would be perfect. and plus, he's a little lazy. we have to pick up him to go anywhere, he's not leash trained yet so we end up dragging him. lazy lazer. ;)

he's a pretty smart pup so far. we've bell trained him. which means, when he wants to outside to go potty he hits his nose on a bell we have hanging from the door and we let him out. after one week he was doing this. we've still had a few accidents indoors but he's been doing really good outside.

i'll admit, i've enjoyed my late night puppy snuggles (like i used to do with chessa). he hasn't replaced her, but has been fun to have another set of paws to get to know. i thought i was going to go crazy the first week, the mud, the potty accidents. my whole world was in disarray. getting a puppy is NOT easy. but like children, i know if we put the hardwork in now, it will be worth it in the end.

happy 1/2 birthday toby!

2011-04-04T08:38:00.000-07:00

seriously, where has the time gone? i cannot believe my little tobykins is 6 months old already! toby, you are such a precious gift from god. you exude joy without even trying. your happy smiles, big wide eyes, and content heart are noticed by everyone who meets you. you adore your mama, (i mean really, who wouldn't right? ;) and you love it when i set you on my hip and carry you around to see your world. sometimes mama needs her hands, ahem, so i must strap you in the ergo baby carrier and you are equally happy.

you love to jump! when i am sewing in my studio or getting ready in the bathroom, we put you in the jumparoo that hangs in the doorway and you jump like crazy! you even love a good cheer: "go toby! go toby! go, go, go toby! it's your (1/2) birthday, go toby!" and it makes you jump harder when we sing this to you.

you roll over all the time from back to tummy and back again. you haven't tried to crawl yet and i am absolutely fine with this. your brother was crawling right around now and i wouldn't mind you staying in one place for just a bit longer. you like to sit up and bang on your music drum. i prop the boppy up behind you just in case you fall backwards. you can sit with your hands holding you up, but sometimes you topple right over and we shout, "TIMBER!" its funny the things i said with elliana and tucker, and now they are saying with you.

and speaking of your siblings, boy do they love you. you light up when they are in the room. you love it when we pick up elliana from school and she sits next to you in the car. your brother is constantly kissing you, and touching you, and playing with you. he's still learning about giving you space and being gentle. i have to remind him that you are not a toy, but a real live baby. silly bubba.

you are getting interested in sitting at the table when we eat, but you aren't enjoying eating solids yet. we've tried rice cereal, applesauce and squash and i usually end up with most of it sprayed out on me. you aren't quite sleeping through the night, although i'd love it if you did. we've been battling thrush for the past 4 months and it just won't stay away! sometimes the thrush makes you a little fussy and i don't blame you.

your bald spot is finally growing in. :) you love your binky and your camo blankie. it was actually your brother's blankie and he doesn't mind sharing at all. i know he can't wait until the day the two of you can play, wrestle, run and jump together. you are such a happy baby. i couldn't ask for a happier, peaceful, easy going baby. we were truly blessed when god gave us you. happy 1/2 birthday tobykins, tobes, toby roby, toby won kanobe, tobester, tobinator, chuppa chup. love mommy

WIWW (what i wore wednesdays)

2011-03-09T08:08:00.000-08:00

this was what i wore on date night:

black shirt: old navy

gray sweater: old navy

date night purse: made by me

jeans: calvin klein

shoes: SO from Kohl's

and my little tobykins waiting to go to nana's house.

this is what i really wore during the week. it was cold and rainy.

sweatshirt: coast guard boot camp graduation sweatshirt

skinny jeans: F21

fuggs: old navy

and my little monster child with his mischievious little smile.

i wore this to a baby shower:

black sweater: kohl's

green top: old navy

damask skirt: kohl's

flower hair clip: made by me

bird necklace: lisa leonard designs

purple ruffle flats: target

i put my full length mirror i used to take my WIWW pics with up in my kids room, so i have no big mirror anymore. when my hubs was there i asked him to take my pic. otherwise i did the tripod. maybe i'll try to take some pics outside next time. how can you feel less cheesy posing for these? maybe i'll try and NOT pose, and stand like a manequin next round. ;)

i'm linking up to the pleated poppy.

the little people in my life

2011-02-25T09:15:00.000-08:00

sometimes i step back from my life and think, "do i really have 3 beautiful, healthy, amazing children? when did this happen?" i am so blessed by these 3 little people.

elliana is so smart, and silly and has a genuine heart. i see the girl she is growing into and i am so proud of her. tucker is my daily entertainment. he keeps everyone in stitches,he is the life of the party, and keeps me on my toes. his sweet heart and special tender moments with him melt my heart.

and my little tobykins. *sigh* i mean just look at those cheeks! i ADORE him. he brings so much joy and love and happiness, as only a tiny little *unspeaking, untempertantruming, unarguing* baby can do. he is SUCH a happy guy. he plays, he coos, he smiles at everyone. he is so content just being there. i love this. i needed this. he is god's gift to us, when we were broken. he was just what our family needed.

each of my children are so unique, so special, so important, they are chosen, and so loved.

"You’re enough for who your children are. You are exactly the mother God chose for them."

on those days when i don't feel like i'm enough, i remind myself about this quote.

and i am so blessed. :)

WIWW

2011-02-23T09:10:00.000-08:00

so i decided to give WIWW a try again. but let me tell you, i feel MUCH cuter in my previous prego editions of WIWW than i do post partum. (can I still use the term post partum when my little guy is 4 1/2 months?) oh well, here it goes.....

i just picked one outfit this week. we went to church and this is what i wore:

jeans: calvin klein (costco special, but seriously my favs for my short legs)

top: target (lots of ruffles to hide the post partumness)

sweater: forever 21 clearance rack ($7 baby!)

ruffly purse: made by me (new purses i'm making and will be selling here so be on the lookout!)

scroll down to check out my post on the purses.

every girl needs a pair of sparkly purple shoes. i happen to have 3 pair of purple flats, one with ruffles, one with daisies, and my new sparkles. *these are NOT walking shoes. these are walk to your destination and sit, walk back to your car and go home. comfortable, not so much. cute? oh yeah.

these are my favorite nesty jewelry pieces. the nest ring is made by Starry Designs. i bought this like 3 years ago. she was great to work with and I asked for a custom color for my eggs and she was so nice. gorgeous stuff. recently i bought this nest necklace from MD Sparks. Again she was wonderful to work with. my favorite thing about buying from etsy is that you are supporting an artisan, someone who is supporting their family, maybe working at home, and supporting handmade. plus more times than not you can ask for something custom; a certain color, an added touch to make it uniquely yours.;) i love etsy!

trying to pose and not look lame or embarrased. fail.

here was another partial outfit.

top: target maternity (so embarassing. i need to go shopping)

sweater: wet seal clearance yeaaaarrrrs ago.

necklace: target.

i vow to try and post at least one outfit a week. i will not commit to a daily outfit log, but at least one outfit. and....i'm on day #2 of jillian's 30 day shred, and i can barely walk. but if i lose a few more inches i told myself i would buy a pair of designer jeans (i don't think costco counts does it?) and a new outfit. as soon as i get rid of my muffin top. or as my sister's friend likes it call it: her leftovers. :)

i'm linking up to Lindsey's WIWW!

what i've been up to....

2011-02-15T08:37:00.000-08:00

i know i've sort of neglected my little bloggy for a while. well, basically since toby was born. i won't make any excuses. but i'll leave you with some new purses i've been working on. enjoy.

this ruffly goodness is my baby. i like to call her: *the hot mama* 5 layers of ruffles on both sides. metal o rings on the handles. so comfortable to wear.

2 large slip pockets and 1 pen slip pocket. magnetic snap closure. one of my biggest complaints about purses is that they are cute on the outside, and lame on the inside. black. or maybe shiny black? or black with a black pattern. bo-ring. so all my new purses have fun insides. because lets face it, were all fun on the inside right? even if we don't scream it, were fun.

measures: 13" wide x 12" tall. 26" long purse strap, and a 12" drop (from top of strap to top of bag). its really the perfect size. i will be listing these in one of my shops soon. ;)

and this one is called *the date night* purse. lavish ruffles resemble a giant bow. centered with a removable flower pin. one single 2 1/2" strap measures 20" long and has a 10" drop. So it fits snug under your arm.

magnetic snap, measures 15" across the bottom and 8" tall at center.

i like that the flower is removable. i will be listing this one too. right now i'm working on orders i've gotten from facebook. navy, gray, mustard, red, some super yummy colors.

if you're interested in any these *right now* and want to pre-order one, shoot me an email thenestedpearl(at)hotmail(dot)com

so now i'm just trying to come up with the perfect business name for my purses. any ideas?

first (and 2nd) tooth

2011-02-15T08:02:00.000-08:00

last month elliana lost her first tooth. she's the youngest in her class (november birthday) and ev.ry.body else in the entire 1st grade had lost a tooth. so THIS was a BIIG deal. it had been fairly loose for a while. she always had her fingers in her mouth, playing with that darn tooth! we kept teasing we'd just rip it out for her. until one day she pulled it and pushed it until it was super loose. i mean suuuuper loose where it makes your stomach woosy. i was almost afraid she was gonna swallow it at dinner or in her sleep.

one night we were eating dinner and she was messing with her tooth. i went to change toby's diaper and she came running back saying she'd pulled out her tooth! what? i didn't even get to see her do it! she was SO proud. it didn't bleed one bit, it was ready. so that night she put her first little tooth next to her pillow and the tooth fairy brought her a single gold coin, and some fairy dust for good measure. it was definitely bittersweet for me. her teeth were the last thing keeping her little.

a few weeks ago we lost #2 and now she's toothless in front. she loves it. this time she just ripped it out at bedtime. it bled a bit more, but now she's a pro at the whole loose tooth thing. and i need to stock up on some gold coins. ;)

Tobykins is 4 months old

2011-02-01T19:42:00.000-08:00

this has been the fastest 4 months ever! i am the luckiest mama in the world. this sweet little guy is magical. he's a magical little chuppa chup who loves his mama the most. (daddy doesn't read my blog so he can't argue)

lately toby has been full of squeals, giggles, coos and of course smiles for all. he is so easy going and mellow. i earned this guy, or deserved him. one or the other. he's so sweet and cuddly. days will go by without him even crying. (sorry to those of you who have a crier. i had a crier too, so i've been there. don't hate.) he falls asleep on his own and never fusses (tucker always cried himself to sleep) and he wakes up with smiles for mama. he melts my heart. *swoon*

he's almost rolling over now. he loves tummy time and being in the exersaucer. he even loves being in the jumpy (johnny jump up). i kinda wish we had a jumperoo that we could move anywhere like the exersaucer because the jumpy can only be mounted in doorways. but he still loves it.

he loves laying under his jungle gym and playing with the chimes and toys. even if big brother comes and smothers him with kisses, he's still a happy baby.

i truly am so blessed by this little guy. he's made having 3 kids a piece of cake. i still say it was hardest going from no kids to having a fussy, colicky, tempermental, anti-social baby. going from 1 to 2 was easier than expected because tucker was a "real baby" and only cried when he actually needed something.

and this guy is just so good. sometimes i forget he's there and i'll walk over to his crib and he's awoken himself up from his nap and is just happily playing. so thankful for his peacefulness, lord knows i need it around here. :)

see, he's magical i tell you.

3 months already?

2011-01-06T08:18:00.000-08:00

its kinda hard to believe he's already 3 months old. because its flown by in the blink of an eye. i *LOVE* this age. the snuggles, the falling asleep on my chest, the smiles, the NOTTALKINGBACK part. i mean, just look at this guy! how can you not melt right?

he is SUCH a happy baby! definitely my chillaxed one. he loves to play under his jungle gym, or in his crib and watch his musical mobile. he loves the swing, even if tucker gives him an under doggy. *tuckerrrrr*

he is enjoying tummy time more (before he would just lay his head down) and is strengthening his neck and back. he's almost rolling over, he rolls to his side now. he discovered his voice and is cooing and singing like crazy! after his naps i'll go into my room (his crib is in there) and he's just talking away. and then gives me big smiles when he's sees me. *ilovehim*

he's sleeping 6-7 hour stretches at night like a good boy. he's just so easy. i'm not sure if its because he's #3, but i think he kind of has to be. and honestly, sometimes i forget he's there. is that awful? its kinda nice really. because let me tell you, i've paid my dues. i earned this baby. elliana was collicky and super fussy for like the first year of her life, although i don't tell her that. she always asks if she was a good baby like toby and i say, "of course, you were mama's firstborn, i loved you first."

tucker just adores his baby brother. he loves him loud and rough and fast, just like tucker. and crazy enough, toby loves it. he lights up when tucker is around. its adorable. i know these two are probably gonna give me a run for my money in a year or two. so i'm super enjoying the non-mobility (so far) and quietness of my little tobykins. toby roby. *lookatthosecheeks*

elliana was begging me to feed toby a bottle. she has been such a good helper. she'll come home from school and say, "can i hold toby? i haven't seen him ALL DAY!" both the kids come up to constantly and kiss him on the head. little toby is so very loved. and its so easy to love him. my easiest, mellowist, happiest baby by far. i've been reading my past journal and blog posts about when tucker was this age, and he was pretty happy too. i guess that's how it is, mellow happy babies=wild and crazy toddlers? hmmmm, i see how it is.

so i will enjoy this moment. even if the dishes are piled up, laundry is piled up, toys are piled up. because my heart is piled up with love for this little guy.

wuv you tobykins. <3

Hap---py New Year!

2011-01-05T08:32:00.000-08:00

well THAT was a nice long bloggy break! i didn't think that adding a little munchkin to the bunch would slow down my blogging that much. i know i'm gonna look back and be sad i didn't blog more during toby's first 3 months. but he's so easy and so happy, there's not a whole lot to blog about! lol. i'm going to try and catch up my life on here, for my own records.

its just so christmassy

2010-12-16T23:04:00.000-08:00

lots of wonderful christmas festivities going on over here, just not a lot of blogging about it. i'll have to share my advent activity calendar, its been super fun for the kids to open up a present each day and read the activity and then do it. we went to watch the nutcracker ballet, visited santa and actually took our first picture with the big guy, and went up in the mountains and played in the snow.

we even opend our christmas jammies early! we all love this time of year. the kids are loving it, lighting up our tree each morning, decorating cookies and gingerbread houses, shopping for gifts for our angel tree children, and making lots of lists for santa. i've been a busy little beaver making christmas pillows and little christmas trees for my etsy shop, local friends and for 2 local boutiques. now my hands and fingers are cramping. and i still have a giant sewing to do list for my own gifts. lots of late nights ahead of me!

what's your favorite thing about christmastime?

oops

2010-11-11T08:58:00.000-08:00

i'm not purposely ignoring my blog. i'm just busy snuggling, and nursing, and mommying over here. i'm happy to say i have the sweetest, calmest, most laid back little baby ever! tomorrow toby will be 6 weeks old. i can't believe how fast its gone by already. and i'm not a crazy sleep deprived mama, he's been a good boy. quick update:
1.toby is 1 month old and i've decided i always want a little baby in our house.
2. tucker is learning about "quiet" and "gentle" love.
3. in one week (two days actually) tucker cut up one of my handmade clutches found in my diaper bag with scissors and then took stamp ink pads and inked both hands and feet and stamped the carpet. (someone is still adjusting to baby brother)
4. we had to put down my sweet old dog of 15 years Chessa last week, 1 week after her 15th bday. it was the hardest thing we've had to do. my husband buried her in my parents backyard. i really miss her. like, a lot.
5. elliana turned 6 and we had a small party of girls only who's faces were painted by moi, nails and toes polished, bracelets made and tattoos adorned. it was fun, and mellow, and perfect.
6. i love being a mama. i love the newness of a baby, the small breathes and squeaks he makes. he doesn't really cry, he sort of meows like baby jaguar. it feels so natural to have a baby in the house. i don't want him to grow anymore. well, maybe just enough so he smiles all the time, were almost there.
7. i have a list of about a gazillion projects i want to make for christmas.
8. i'm putting up christmas decorations and bypassing fall. mostly since i never put up my fall stuff.
thats whats been happening over here.

Halloween

2010-11-02T23:11:00.000-07:00

we celebrated halloween as the superhero family!

SuperDaddy, SpiderWomanMommy, Baby Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman!

my little baby batman. you can't really see his ears on his hat, but its super cute.

wonder woman and superman. they both got the stance down.

i was spiderwoman, or something like that. i had fun putting my face on though. had to throw in some sparkles. i was wearing some really cool sparkly eye lashes.

still recovering from the candy/cookies/treats hangovers.

probably will be for the next week at least.

2 weeks

2010-10-18T20:33:00.000-07:00

toby roby. my little tobykins. you are so snuggly and squishy. you are such a good little baby. you love to snuggle with mama, you love sissy and brother. and you look so tiny snuggled in a little ball upon daddy's chest. when you breathe on my neck, my heart just melts. i love you so much. i've only known you for a short time and already i'm filled to the brim with love bubbles for you.

love,

mama

he's here!

2010-10-05T00:29:00.000-07:00

Toby Alan arrived on Friday October 1st at 7:29 pm

he was 9 lbs 4 oz. and 21 1/2 in. long

we are so blessed.

birth story and more pics to come soon.

today is my due date.

2010-09-29T14:34:00.000-07:00

so today my baby is due. see that little ticker on the side bar. 0 days left. my baby is still in my belly. my dr. stripped my membranes last thursday, and then nothing. this morning he called to see if i wanted him to do it again. uh yeah?! lets get this party started! i've been having lots of tightness, pressure, contracty-ness but nothing consistent or progressive to call it labor. i am 3cm and 50% effaced. i'm so ready. hoping this baby comes today. or tomorrow. elliana was born on her due date, tucker the day before his due date (after stripping my membranes twice), and wouldn't it be funny is this baby was born the day after? such obedient little babies aren't they? i mean, i HAVE been praying contentment and peace over this child, maybe he's just chilaxin. my laid back one. i need a laid back child. for reals.

so positive baby-get-out thoughts. k?

i just can't wait to hold him!!!

the baby corner

2010-09-24T09:05:00.000-07:00

so yesterday i had my 39 week appointment and i was 2-3 cm dilated 50% effaced, and he stripped my membranes. we did this with tucker (twice) and it put me into labor after walking 3 miles in the park. my water broke with him. THIS time it did nothing. *sigh*. tucker and i came home from the appointment and walked about a mile and a half around our neighborhood, he rode his bike. lots of contractions, nothing strong or consistent (story of my last few weeks!)

i took tucker to preschool, made elliana a BIG SISTER shirt and then my mom and i walked another 3 miles or so in the park after she got off work, hoping to move these irregular contractions into labor. my dr. told me to come down to the hospital if my contractions were 5 minutes apart for about an hour and then he would break my waters. which was fine by me. after our walk i had lots of contractions, tightening, pressure, uncomfortableness, but nothing consistent. until the 9 oclock hour. they were 8 minutes apart, i could tell the beginning and end of them, i thought it was it. then 10:30 came around and they stopped. nothing. *sigh* elliana was born on her due date, tucker the day before. i'm guessing this baby is like his siblings and won't arrive til next week. so i'm giving up at encouraging this baby out. like i said before, the only thing my kids really obey about is staying in my belly til their due dates!

and this is our baby corner in our bedroom. i'm so happy with how it turned out. i used the all star fabric by riley blake and i love it. this is the same crib that elliana and tucker used. but after tucker we found tons of gnaw marks all around the top of the crib. that little beaver!

on the teal shelf is a picture i painted of chessa (my dog) in college, a painting elliana made for tucker for his birthday and a wooden tractor gramms gave tucker for his 2nd bday. i wish had some cute vintagey toys to display. that will be something fun to collect later. :) i also made the Sweet Dreams banner out of scrapbook paper and yarn. easy peasy and i LOVE how it turned out. i made another one in our living room. i want to make one for every room!

this canopy i bought at IKEA for $9.99. and added a few triangles of fabric along the upper edge. so easy and totally pulled the whole corner together.

i bought a clearanced crib bumper for $4.27 at target and made a slipcover out of the riley blake all star stripes and brown minky dot fabric. i added a pocket in the middle so baby can put his toys, binky, books or whatever when gets a little older.

the crib skirt i totally cheated and only put fabric on the front side, and the right side. what's the point if we always have it the corner and no one can see it right? waste of fabric i say!( i followed THIS tutorial to make it.) and i made the crib sheet (using THIS tutorial) out of the top sheet from our bed set and its the perfect green and very sateeny(that's a word) and super soft. i also made the changing pad cover out of the same green sheet. i just modified the crib sheet tutorial for that.

all in all i'm super happy with it so far. what i have left to do, before baby comes which obviously isn't anytime soon! is make a quilt/blankie out of these fabrics. just squares sewn together backed with brown minky dot fabric, and a boppy cover. i feel like its a good base, lots of stuff i want to add once we get to know him. :)

we've always just had a "baby corner" to decorate, never an entire nursery. with elliana we lived in a 2 bedroom and i shared my scrapbooking space with her crib in a tiny little room and with tucker we lived here, which is a 3 bedroom but i selfishly (but totally justified) have the 3rd bedroom for my sewing studio. the kids both want the baby to move into their room when he gets big enough. will i feel guilty about cramming 3 kids, a bunk bed and a crib into one room? nah. creating memories right? ;)

so there it is. now i'm off to sew.

WIWW 39 weeks prego edition

2010-09-23T08:25:00.000-07:00

hopefully this is my LAST week of WIWW (on thursday) prego edition. hopefully. :)

so the wardrobe is down to:

motherhood maternity tank top

old navy skirt (non-maternity)

flip flops

*if you haven't noticed, this is my staple, prego or not. cali girl at heart. <3

old navy maternity tank

old navy skirt

flip flops

old navy maternity tank top

skirt from macy's clearance rack non-maternity. elastic waist skirts ROCK!

these two pics were on monday, i had false labor and thought i was having the baby. so i sort of freaked out and wanted more pics of my belly and my kids before we went to the hospital.

i thought my water had broke during after school pick up. with both of my kids my water leaked out, we went to the hospital for a pH test and it sure enough it had and then we proceeded with labor. so this time i come home, felt more leak out and thought, ok, this is it. started getting contractions, nothing major, but still they were something i hadn't had before. i waited for them to be stronger, regular, and they sort of started a pattern. we had just gotten our carpets cleaned that day (hallelujah!) so we put our house back together, packed our bags, did the dishes, final loads of laundry, dropped off the kids and waited. of course the 49er game was on so we literally waited until the game was over. my friend is a labor & delivery nurse at our hospital and said she'd be my personal nurse during labor. so i called her and she told me if my membranes have ruptured, you don't want to wait too long and risk infection. but i wanted to labor at home this time and not be stuck in the hospital and get pitocin. so we waited about 6 hours after what i thought was the rupture, and my contractions were 4-8 minutes apart. not hard or strong, but a pattern. so we go in, excited, elated, only to find my membranes hadn't ruptured, my contractions petered out and i wasn't going into labor, 9 days early. :( boo. i told the nurse that was helping us, "but i put it on facebook! its official!" talk about a walk of shame on fb.

the next day my dad calls me and says, " so you're water didn't break?" "nope" (which i'm not really sure why he asked because i called my mom from the hospital and i know she tells him everything, but anyways.) and then he says, "so what'd ya do, pee your pants?" "uh, yeah, i guess so." thanks dad, for putting into perspective for me. :) gotta have a good false labor story right?

WIWW 38 weeks prego edition

2010-09-16T08:59:00.000-07:00

i wasn't so good at taking pictures of all my outfits, but dresses seem to be the only thing that actually cover my belly these days. i'm 38 weeks pregnant with #3 and my belly is waaay out there. i can actually rest my phone on my belly when i'm talking on speakerphone in my car. not that i talk and drive, but ya know, if i HAD to. ;)

brown linen dress: old navy maternity

flip flop wedges: mervyn's (boo. i miss mervyn's)

i think i've outgrown my little full length mirror. i could hardly fit my belly AND me in it. so on to nasty bathroom pics. next time i'll clean the mirror first.

green necklace: probably target

plaid smocked dress: ross (i added straps)

flower hair clip: me

necklace: lisa leonard designs

i need to take a picture of tucker and my belly. he is just so obsessed with kissing it, talking to it, singing baby lullabies, giving it zerberts(i think that's what the Cosby's used to call those wet noisy kisses), and just always wanting to touch my belly. i have the cutest picture of my belly and elliana kissing it that my SIL took last pregnancy. so precious. i want one of tucker too. :)

so only two outfits this week. like i said, my outfits have been limited and reworn. i literally have like 3 tank tops that actually cover my belly, shorts are out of the question. the baby has dropped so my belly is even bigger it seems.

on the baby front, no contractions, just uncomfortableness, extreme waddling, sore tendons/ligaments and hips, and painful movements from the kung fu fighter in there. i have an OB appt tomorrow morning and then we are having a sonogram in the afternoon to check and see how big baby is. i typically measure small bellywise but have big babies (9.8lb and 8.8) for my 5'4" frame. so doctor wants to see what's going on with baby. last time, i had a sonogram late in my pregnancy and i had low amniotic fluid levels and he monitored me every other day it seemed with non-stress tests just to make sure baby was ok. i even went into the hospital one day last time because i didn't feel baby move all day, which was obvious because tucker was such a rolly polly like this guy is. so i'll be sure to update after the appt. tommorrow. lots of last minute baby stuff to take care of. ill post pics of our "baby corner" this weekend!

my birthday weekend

2010-09-10T06:58:00.000-07:00

last sunday was my birthday. :) i LOVE my birthday. in fact, i celebrate all week. and celebrate i did...with cake. and cupcakes, and cheesecake. it was yummy.

on saturday i went shopping with my mama. ikea, bare escentuals (which i did NOT get any new eye shadows BTW and i'm very proud of myself). they have some awesome new face lotion and eye cream that i love and got that instead. ;) we ate lunch at cheesecake factory and got the reese's peanut butter cup cheesecake (OMG) and then got pedicures. it was a marvelous day. :)

on sunday we went to church, got a new family photo, this one with my dog chessa in it. i'll have to do a post all on her. she's my baby. before i had babies. she'll be 15 next month. she's "olden". she had a tumor removed a month or two ago, and its grown back faster, and its not looking great for her. she's been super healthy (for a 14 year old lab/shepherd) and i know she's hanging on for me. she's my baby. tucker always says, "i'm gonna miss chessa when she's in heaven." yeah, bubs, me too. :(

anyways...on to the cupcakes!

these are the hostess cupcakes my girlfriend, (actually my best friend in kindergarten with whom i've reconnected through facebook) made for me and they were DE.licious. exactly what i wanted. perfectly chocolatey, creamy and dreamy.

of course my mom had to take a belly shot. my dad took a picture of me floating in the pool but it was less than flattering so i obviously didn't post it. because that was all i wanted to do on my birthday, was float (because in the pool i feel weightless and nothing aches or hurts) and eat my cupcakes. and that's what i did!

we had a small bbq to celebrate and a relaxing labor day to top it all off.

its great to be.....33? yikes.

doesn't that sound old?

i don't feel old. well, i feel like a fat old lady these days, waddling all around, getting up and down at snail pace and noisy, making 3 point turns to roll over in bed. but all in all i feel amazing, for having a full term human living in my belly. :)

36 weeks

2010-09-03T12:31:00.000-07:00

here we are at 36 weeks. i'm trucking along. counting the days. i am seeing my OB weekly and this week i was 1cm. i was sort of hoping to be further along to get me motivated to finish up everything to be ready for baby, but heck i was 1 cm. for weeks with both of my pregnancies. but i guess at least its something right? i don't anticipate being early since elliana was born ON her due date, and tucker the day before. and probably baby will be between 8 and 10 lbs., historically speaking. (elliana was 9.8lbs, and tucker was 8.8lbs.) so.....we are having a sonogram on the 17th to measure baby, check amniotic fluid levels, i was low with tucker. and hopefully have a little talk with the boy to tell him mama wants him out. ;)

here comes the complaining (for my records, and partially to vent). my hips have been killing me, the tendon near my groin gives out every so often, so walking hurts. my feet really aren't swollen looking, but they are swollen hot and tingly and i can barely stand on them some days. usually in the evenings. which rules out any sort of sewing/crafting/mama time. i'm doing what i can and when i can and trying not to put too much pressure on myself. the house gets clean when it can, i'm trying not to spend all my energy on doing chores and things that get "undone" by the end of the day. because THAT is super discouraging for me. i'm kinda cranky, short tempered, don't get me hot and overheated or i'll probably bite your head off kind of attitude most days. i know everybody is ready for this baby to come out. my dear, dear husband has been more than amazing. cooking and taking over with the kids when i'm just done. and seriously, that's most days.

i haven't had much of an appetite, eating ice has been heaven, which is weird to me. no real pregnancy cravings this time around. food is just...eh? i've gained a total of 24lbs so far. with elliana i gained 57lbs, and with tucker i gained 35lbs total, so i feel like i'm doing good. although my disclaimer is that i did start out 10lbs heavier this time than when i got pregnant with tucker. double disclaimer* i had just had a miscarriage, so the 10lbs doesn't count right?

anyways. other than all THAT, things are wonderful!! ;)

4 weeks to go.

my birthday weekend

2010-09-03T09:58:00.000-07:00

wow. didn't mean to take a blogging break for that long. this weekend is my birthday. :) my plans are to float in my parents pool and eat lots of these:

i ordered hostess cupcakes from a friend who is a baker and i've seriously been dreaming about them for months. MONTHS!

been totally lagging in the blogging dept., and i do have lots to share. this pregnancy has just been wiping me out BIG time. 36 weeks now and i'm done. i want my body back. i want to hold my little baby in my arms, not my belly. a few more weeks. *sigh*

hope you have fun plans for this gorgeous weekend!

tucker's going to preschool!

2010-08-19T11:08:00.000-07:00

taking this little guy to his first day of preschool this afternoon.

feeling super emotional about it.

i know he will be fine and do amazing.

every 10 minutes he keeps asking me if its time yet.

i'm not sure i'm ready yet.

i really hope i won't cry.

he's my baby.

my widdle wubkins.

but he's super excited to be at school with sissy. (the preschool is at her school)

photo shoot and 1st day of preschool post to come.

big week for this basket of emotions mama.

*sniff sniff*

what i wore wednesday prego edition: 33 weeks

2010-08-18T10:16:00.000-07:00

ok, so my wardrobe is getting limited. this is my WIWW for last week. and lets be honest, i'm miserable and so done being pregnant. 6 weeks to go. oye.

purple maternity tank: motherhood maternity

shorts: liz lange maternity at target

headband: me

i took tucker to his "preschool open house" where all the kids come and play and check out their new classroom. he is super excited to have his own school. its actually a part of elliana's school, so she'll be able to say hi to him during her recess. yesterday was her first day of school and tomorrow is tucker's. i'm working on that post. it was an "interesting" day.

i am not comfortable in jean shorts anymore, so the moment i get home, i put on comfy shorts.

shirt: mossimo shirt given to me (non-preggo)

skirt: macy's sale rack (non-preggo)

necklace & earrings: lisa leonard

tank top: old navy maternity

skirt: gap (non-preggo)

headband: me

necklace: cute little local boutique

my inlaws took both kids overnight and i had an entire free day to myself. i met my parents for lunch, ran some errands, decided on some fabrics for the crib bedding i'm making, and sewed. i felt like a million bucks! and the house stayed clean all. day. long. it was a christmas miracle!

so i've listed some of my headbands in my new etsy shop The Nested Pearl. go check it out! i do custom orders too!

tank top: old navy clearance (non-preggo)

shorts: motherhood maternity

we didn't go to church because i was feeling crappy. so we lounged by my parents pool and i was loving feeling so weightless. by the time i got out of the pool i was pruney and tanned. a margarita would've been heaven, but i settled for some iced tea and it hit the spot.

so that's it for now. i've been super tired and exhausted. so i didn't take pics all week. all my tops are getting short, i'm waddling like a giant duck, and my feet feel like hoagie sandwiches. its lovely. ;)

oh the joys of pregnancy!

mmmm...

2010-08-15T10:30:00.000-07:00

MUST. make. apple. fritters.

recipe & photo cred here

what i wore wednesday prego edition: 32 weeks

2010-08-11T09:26:00.000-07:00

another prego edition of WIWW: me at 32 weeks!

dress: clearance at target $6 baby!

flip flops: old navy

necklace: MD Sparks (i have to get a good close up of it, its adorable. mine is a little different than the link. i got the crazy nest without the bird and puprple pearls. she is so great to work with and has beautiful jewelry.)

headband: made by me :) LOVING these & selling them soon in a new little etsy shop!

tank top: old navy clearance: not maternity

shorts: liz lange maternity at target

black flip flops: old navy

same necklace and matching earrings

although i'm usually wearing this or this that has my kids names on it, and i can't wait to add another heart...once we figure out what we're naming this kid!

this is my new Mommy Bag i made for my SF trip a few weeks ago and i LOVE it. i've never actually had one of my bags, just the practice ones. it really is an awesome bag! i'm loving the fabric!

another headband, seriously addicted. i got a new haircut that i'm not "loving" and the headbands sort of help me still feel somewhat cute.

i wore this to church on sunday:

top: forever 21 really cute fabric flowers on the front, terrible picture

skirt: old navy: not maternity, just streeeetttccchhyy.

black flip flops: old navy

headband: me

v-neck: old navy maternity

shorts: liz lange maternity at target

flip flops: old navy

i only wear flip flops when i'm pregnant. unless i'm walking in the park, then its running shoes. its how i roll. i went into labor with tucker after walking 3 miles in the park IN MY FLIP FLOPS. that's right.

so that's my WIWW prego edition: 32 weeks!

7 weeks to go for this mama (i'm actually 33 weeks today)

hopefully i'll get to do a few more WIWW before baby comes!

check out my friend Morgan's WIWW, she's adorable!!

7 years

2010-08-09T12:07:00.000-07:00

and it still feels like yesterday.

my heart still skips a beat when he comes home after work.

his hands can heal anything when they touch me.

i feel the safest in his arms.

i am so thankful for our love.

*******

"Now you're my whole life now you're my whole world

I just can't believe the way I feel about you girl

We'll look back some day at this moment that were in
And I'll look at you and say

                                                             and I thought I loved you then."
                                                                          -Brad Paisley

weekend in SF & Renegade Craft Fair!

2010-08-03T12:41:00.000-07:00

we had such a fun time in SF! the weather was gorgeous in the mid 60's (so much cooler than the 95* temps we've been having at home), we had a great comfy hotel and we had a blast together!

i didn't take very many pictures at Renegade but i did take a picture of this amazing artist who freehand embroidered shirts and patches and stuff. it was kind of crazy to watch him sew/draw/create right in front of our eyes. i love artists like that. this is his craft, no one else does it, and i love that he had his machine and was doing it there at the show.

and of the course the biggest highlight for me was meeting elsie! she has been SUCH an inspiration to me for soo long and she was so sweet to take a picture with me. elsie and her sister emma had the cutest little booth and i was so distracted about meeting elsie, i didn't even get to really get to look through their stuff. :( but i've taken her autumn craft class and the indie biz 2.0 class and have been so inspired in my own crafting and business ventures. elsie is amazing! definitely one of my favorite parts of the weekend!

after renegade, we went to chinatown to find some fun stuff for the kids. i found a few fans for those preggo hotflashes i keep getting, some rice candy, and justin wanted pork buns but we didn't find a bakery. i was kind of glad because i think they smell, or at least gross me out.

we went out to dinner at a cute little italian restaurant in south SF and then back to our hotel for some rest after a long day of walking! then on sunday we headed to pier 39 for lunch and to get a few little things for the kids. it was cool to drive right under the bay bridge. we tried to find a few fabric stores but they were all a bust. lame, and small. kind of a bummer, but since i was so successful our last SF fabric store trip its ok. we did find a cool baby store and tried out a bunch of strollers.

it was kind of funny to be so excited to get away and reconnect, and the entire time we talked about our kids, and how much fun they would have going on the trolley, or a ferry boat, or watching the sea lions. we do actually go to SF often, so we've already planned a trip after the baby with the kids too. it was a great weekend. so nice to be with my husband of almost 7 years! (monday is our actual anniversary!)

weekend getaway!

2010-07-30T08:06:00.000-07:00

tomorrow my main squeeze and i are heading to the city to visit the Renegade Craft Fair. we are celebrating our 7th anniversary, which actually isn't until the 9th of august, but this was the only weekend that worked for us to getaway without kids! i cannot wait to meet Elsie. i've seriously been a fan of hers for years, like way back when she was first published in Creating Keepsakes scrapbooking magazine. i remember thinking, "you mean you can put fabric AND paint in your scrapbooks?" she broke all the rules for me in scrapbooking and its been so fun to follow her creative journey through her amazing blog and watch her dreams being fulfilled. she is SUCH an inspiration to me and i know i'm totally gonna geek it out when i meet her.

it will be so nice to head to the cooler weather, to relax and enjoy my amazing husband, and have some time alone together before baby comes in just 2 months! hopefully we'll hit some new fabric stores, make some plans for our future (i love our talks on long drives), and reconnect. hopefully we'll meet up with morgan who is also going. i hope i find some super cute stuff at renegade!

i LOVE weekend getaways!

the countdown has begun

2010-07-27T08:50:00.000-07:00

i haven't been real great at taking pictures of this pregnancy like i was last time around. but here's me at 28.5 weeks (i feel silly counting half a week, but oh well. ;) i've been feeling mostly good. tired, worn out, busy. third time around is definitely a lot harder on your body. i'm busier taking care of 2 and trying to maintain my household as well as multitasking in my business adventures. one tired mama. :) maybe that explains the lack of pictures this pregnancy.

elliana has been wanting to learn how to sew this summer and so she decided to make a little quilt for baby brother. she choose out all her favorite fabrics, i cut the squares, and she sewed them all together. she was so cute and super excited to be sewing on my machine! she was even humming and singing as she sewed.

she was so proud when she finished the quilt top. it went together pretty fast. then i sewed it to a brown minky fabric and topstitched it. and voila. i forgot to take a picture of the finished product, but she is so stinkin proud of it. she can't wait to make another one!

here's another one of me at 30 weeks. in my experience, once you hit 30 weeks, the rest flies by. i have nothing ready for baby. NO_THING_READY. *sigh* we had a HUGE yard sale last weekend and got rid of sooo much stuff and made a nice chunk of money. we bought one of those memory foam mattress toppers from coscto and seriously why did we wait so long? i haven't slept so good in months! heaven in a box i say! i also sold my stroller and infant carrier so i'm now on the hunt for a new stroller and carrier. i finally feel like i can breathe and think about getting ready for baby.

move the crib inside, make the bedskirt, crib bumper and decorate his little corner of our room. wash clothes, make my diaper bag(s), nursing covers, burpies, etc. i think i'm going to take a maternity leave from my shop and the local shop i have my baby things in. i need the break, and i'm having a hard time finding the time AND energy to sew lately. i really to sew a few more maternity skirts and tops. i'm mostly wearing regular clothes with the exception of good ol' old navy tanks and target maternity shorts. but i love wearing skirts more. :) and hopefully this week i'll get a new sassy hairdo. i get so bored with my hair. ciao.

got back from a weekend of this:

2010-07-20T09:17:00.000-07:00

a little fishing.

a little relaxing.

a little digging.

a little splashing and swimming.

enjoying life.

and ending it with the messiest ice cream cones ever!

we had a great weekend camping in the mountains with my family, only to come home to 103* weather!

Tucker is 3!

2010-07-13T09:26:00.000-07:00

this little guy turned 3 yesterday! 3!! and i can't even believe it. after finishing his scrapbook album of "tucker at 3", i enjoyed reflecting on my little wubkins. in 3 short years he's brought so much love and joy and silliness and craziness into our lives. i remember holding him in the hospital and thinking, "i wonder what he's going to be like?" he's such a big boy now and even thinks his middle name is "BIG BOY". we had such a fun time at his birthday party on saturday. i'll post pictures soon.

it just goes by so fast.

its been a full week

2010-07-08T23:45:00.000-07:00

a lot has been going on. and i'm 28 weeks pregnant. so that means i'm tired a lot. and overwhelmed easily and can't cross things off fast enough from my to-do list. but i'm tired of complaining about it. the end.

this weekend is tucker's 3rd birthday! hello? he's 3? holy cow time is flying by me faster than i can get up off the couch! tonite we gave him his big present: a "twad" that he's been wanting. our neighbor has one just like it and a few weeks ago tucker rode on it and LOVED it. we were actually impressed at how well he could maneuver it. our friends came across a used quad without a battery so we took it, bought a battery and crossed our fingers that it worked. *thankfully* it worked great and tucker is a stoked little BIG guy.

this saturday we are celebrating his birthday with a swim party at my parents house. swimming, slip-n-slide, water balloons, pinata, bbq. some good ol' summer fun! my to-do list is growing by the minute. including finishing up his "Tucker at 3" scrapbook album, bake & decorate cupcakes, clean the house (the inlaws are coming), and grocery shop. pray that this mama can do it all tomorrow!

happy father's day ( a little late)

2010-07-02T08:18:00.000-07:00

for father's day weekend we headed up north to Sunriver, OR with my parents and rented a house with another family. it was nice to getaway, escape the heat, and rest. i got to visit my best friend from college who is also pregnant which was so great to catch up. it was a long drive there and back, but so wonderful to have a change of scenery and a breathe of fresh of air.

i know i'm kinda late on the father's day post but i have to say that our daddy is the best ever. he works so hard every single day for us. he is so gentle and loving and strong and rough. he always always puts our family first. i am so thankful for the hard worker he is, the strong heart he has, and the loving hands he has.

its summertime!

2010-06-15T07:41:00.000-07:00

its finally summer! warm weather, laying by the pool, bathing suits, popsicles, sprinklers and slip-n-slides. part of weeky ritual is having sunday dinners at my parents house. they have an awesome backyard and a seasonal pool. last sunday we went over early to hangout and celebrate my dad and sister's birthdays.

here's me with with kids doin the pose: 25 weeks.

the kids had stayed the night at my parents house the night before so i could have *craftymama night* without two little munchkins running around. and my dad surprised me by cutting both elliana and tucker's hair. (he used to be a hair stylist and owned a salon for like 20 years before getting his credential and becoming an elementary school teacher. we actually went to the same college together and graduated on the same day. there was a whole little write up about us in the local newspaper. it was pretty cool. i was so proud of my dad.

normally tucker only lets me cut his hair. so thankful he let my dad cut it, he's obviously MUCH better than i am. and all of a sudden he looks like a big boy too. crazy.

she had been begging me to cut her hair short. i wanted to wait until we got our family portraits done, but with the heat coming on, i knew it had to be chopped soon. i LOVE how she looks. can you tell she does too? such a big first grader now!

its funny how it always seems to take a few weeks for the kids to feel comfortable swimming again. at the end of the season last year they were both swimming under water really well. tucker just 'refigured' out the goggles and that he could see under water. elliana is still a bit hesitant, but in a few weeks she'll be a little fishy too! tucker says he's a shark. ;)

he also has this ritual where everytime, EVERYtime, he gets out of the pool, he thinks he gets a popsicle. even if he goes in and out like 5 times. for the most part 1 or 2 are ok with me. we found some 100% fruit juice otter pops at costco a while back which are nice. not too much popsicle and easy to store.

last weekend i bought this baseball helmet at a yard sale for .25 cents. and i swear, it was the best .25 cents i've ever spent on the kid. he LOVES it. he wears it everywhere, he doesn't take it off. he feels official. its so cute!

after a day of swimming, baseball, and slip-n-sliding (so bummed i didnt' take pics but i was lounging in the pool with my mom), he took a cat nap on the swing next to daddy with his goggles on. so funny, i tried to lift the goggle up onto his head, but in his sleep he put them back on his eyes. ;)

we love summertime.

guess who's riding without training wheels?

2010-06-10T22:24:00.000-07:00

tucker is!!! i can't even believe it but last night we took off his training wheels and he hasn't looked back.

we got him a balance bike last year to help him learn how to balance before riding a 2 wheeler. plus he loves to "scoot" on all his bikes anyways. and i was noticing how fast he was going on his balance bike, and doing so good on it. i told justin, "i bet if we take of his training wheels, he'd just take off" so we did. and he did!

it didn't take him long to get the hang of it.

but not without a few grassy landings. ;)

"no, daddy, you're too big!"

such determination.

yep, he's golden. even on his sissy's purple Jewels & Pearls bike. he's secure in his manhood. but daddy DID promise him that if he learned to ride without his training wheels, he'd buy him a big BOY bike. so......

tonite we went out and got him his own bike. he made sure it was just right.

it even had tractors on it! how perfect is that for tucker?

this little *big* guy is so proud. and so are we. i mean, he IS only 2. ok, 3 next month, but still. boys are just a different breed. elliana just learned last month! and she's 5 1/2! he'll be riding motorcycles by 5 1/2!

just some exciting news for our little household!

what i wore wednesday: prego edition

2010-06-09T08:20:00.000-07:00

this was my WIWW from a few weeks ago:

in these pics i was 20 weeks pregnant (with #3, always have to justify the bump).

shirt: quicksilver (non-maternity) from macy's

skirt: macy's clearance $14 oh yeah.

flip flops: target/old navy can't remember

tank: motherhood from a few years ago (but i can't stand it because its not long enough)

skirt: old navy black knit fold over skirt (i have this one in brown too and i live in these skirts, prego or not. i'm working on a tutorial to make your own knit skirt and its super easy!)

flip flops: target

tank: old navy maternity

skirt: macy's clearance rank again. score.

flip flops: target

(are you sensing a theme here?)

tank: old navy maternity (not the same one, i have several in each color/size)

skirt: santa cruz thrift store

flip flops: target (i have them in black and brown, $2.99 and i wear them every day. although i'm thinking about getting another pair of teva flip flops $24 with the MUSH soles because they are super comfortable. i got these ones last year (without MUSH soles, and they weren't as comfortable as the target $2.99's) my rundown on the teva flip flops. the end.

church on sunday
dress: clearance rack at burlington coat factory $10 and its obviously NOT a maternity dress because the front nearly goes up to my crotch. i figured i had to wear it before it was too bad. super comfortable lycra dress that i only wear prego.

hair flower: made by me

flip flops: wedges from ? these are one of my "dressy" flip flops, ya know, cuz it has a wedge heel.

after i did this last WIWW, i realized how boring my maternity wardrobe is. i wear the same things over and over. i'm now 24 weeks, 6 months and i'm feeling huge. nothing is fitting. and with my last pregnancy, i was smaller, i exercised more, i only had one toddler. and now i just eat and take pictures of what i wear. ;)

i'll try and do it again and be more creative. REALLY trying to NOT buy anything and refashion a few XXL old navy clearance items into maternity clothes.

so there you have it.

kindergarten graduation

2010-06-05T08:49:00.000-07:00

she did it! we made it through graduation, not without tears, but we made it. so many mixed emotions for me. what a sweet ceremony for such a great accomplishment. each kid was just beaming with pride. they sang cute songs, recited poems and had a nice slide show.

miss nye asked each child to stand up on stage and she spoke about what each child has taught her over the past year. i was so proud, beaming actually. she got a life skill award for courage and effort. she was one of the only kids in her class who didn't move up from the preschool, she entered all by herself since she stayed at home with me. she made a ton of friends. i remember at the beginning of the school year she asked me, "mommy, am i the new kid?" everybody had formed their friendships from preschool, but she did a great job at making new friends. AND she is an excellent reader. one of the few in her class. its like the light just went on and she can read anything and everything. no sounding out, she's just knows. plus she's the youngest one in her class. again, so proud. :)

but now she's a big first grader! sniff sniff. so glad its summer vacation though! can't wait to sleep in ( i mean not have anywhere to go. tucker wakes up with the sun.) we have fun summer planned already! and at summer's end, we'll have a baby brother!!! yay!

happy saturday!

today my baby graduates kindergarten

2010-06-01T07:39:00.000-07:00

i'm having so many mixed emotions. on one hand i'm so proud of her and how much she has grown this past year. she is confident, brave, friendly, silly, smart, creative, thoughtful, sensitive, detailed and atheletic.

but on the other hand, she's my firstborn, my baby. and it feels like just yesterday she was a squishy cheeked little 2 year old giggling at home with me. *sigh*

this year has just flown by. it seems like just yesterday it was the first day of school and i was letting go of the days of staying at home in our jammies, doing whatever we wanted and trading it in for school drop off, homework and packing lunches.

i'm looking forward to this summer. doing stuff as a family, being creative, crafty and learning about new things. preparing her for first grade, and little tucker for his preschool class. (another big *sigh*)

my babies are growing up.

for some reason it feels like kindergarten is the last part of her being a "little girl". and my lovingandsensitive husband reminded me, "you already said that last year". but it still feels like i'm letting go. i don't want her to grow up so fast. some days i wish she would grow OUT of certain stages, but i just know i'm going to miss these days. and these pregnant hormones aren't helping any.

so this morning as i watch my baby girl graduate from her kindergarten class Miss Nye's Butterflies, i know it will feel like i'm walking her down the aisle of her wedding. i'm so so so proud of her. this was a wonderful year, she had an AMAZING teacher and made some great friends. it was so wonderful for both her and i as our first school experience.

i'm totally bringing extra tissue.

the anatomy of a family photo shoot with a self timer.

2010-05-26T09:08:00.000-07:00

1. take a test photo for placement, lighting, etc. i had my camera set up on my tripod on our front yard. for some reason the front porch swing has amazing lighting and we've taken the best pictures there. so on mother's day, of course, we did it again.

2. jump in and smile. but try not to look constipated. do over.

3. ok, everybody make a silly face!!! (gets the wiggles out, and overly cheesy smiles)

4. ok, everybody make a scared face! (more wiggles)

5. ok everybody smile! cheese!

6. ahhh. perfect. if i didn't have a tripod (and a very willing family) i'd never be in any of my pictures. another family shot for another year. the last one we took was on my last mother's day post, and it was my fav for a long time.

cheese!

i'm back!

2010-05-22T07:54:00.000-07:00

i'm back. my computer died. i bought an external hard drive (finally) and backed up all things precious (photos) most of them up til june of last year are on discs anyways, but still. and we deconstructed our computer, and restored back to factory settings. and it working finally. it felt like my arm was cut off. thankfully i can do lots of stuff on my phone, but its just not the same. sooo much has happened it feels like. i will try and upload some pics today. the hubs is working, so it feels like tuesday instead of saturday. i'm thinking of forgoing all chores and just sewing. here's a quick recap:
-elliana's ear drum fiasco is healing up nicely. we will be seeing an ENT (ear, nose and throat specialist; the same doctor who put the tubes in her ears) and discussing options on monday.
-kindergarten graduation is a little over a week away and i'm freaking out. a fellow mom handmade each students grad invites and when she handed me elliana's i cried. there was a picture of her in cap and gown, and i lost it. *sigh*
-yesterday we took my 14 year old dog in for surgery to remove a huge growth/tumor on her chest the size of a large orange. it was all oozy and nasty and we kept an old tshirt on her so it wouldn't drip everywhere. and i guess i thought that the surgery would fix it, and it did. the growth is gone. but now she has a huge sheet wrapped around her wound, can hardly walk, has 2 "drains" sticking out of her chest to let the blood/fluid leak out: on my floor. i feel like she's in pain. she seems so old now. she didn't before surgery. i know it hasn't even been 24 hours but its still hard to watch her. we are giving her antibiotics, pain meds, and herbs. i'm totally getting my carpets cleaned like BIG time after she's all healed up.
-i've been crazily sewing up a new line of goodies; wedding accessories. i'm hoping to open up my etsy shop very soon. not having my computer last week really slowed that part down, but hopefully things will be up and running shortly. super excited!
-elliana learned to ride her bike without training wheels!! and tucker has been riding her old "jewels and pearls" pink and purple 12" bike with training wheels like a bmx-er. he never was into pedaling, which is why we got him a balance bike which he LOVES. and all of sudden it clicked for him how to pedal. finally. and for elliana too. AND she wants to cut her hair to her chain, with bangs. wha?
-my children are growing way too fast.
-i'm 21 weeks along already and its just flying by.
-there just isn't enough hours in the day.
-happy saturday.

mother's day, the belly, and ear drums

2010-05-11T21:29:00.000-07:00

i had a wonderful mother's day. church, lunch at our favorite little mexican dive el patio, shopping with with my daughter, dinner at my parent's house and topped off with a little cheesecake. my dad gave my sister and i, and my mom corsages to wear to church. and my orchid wouldn't stay on my shirt (actually i had no clue how to pin it on!) so on the drive to church i macgyvered it into a hair clip. i had nothing in my car, no bobby pin, clip, claw. nothing. so i took elliana's fabric hair flower and ripped off the clip and stuck it through the stem and clipped it on. i got tons of compliments. funny. and it smelled so good! i felt like the ultimate craftymama. (total sidenote: did any of you ever watch that craft challenge show where a self-proclaimed "crafty" would compete to make something with given materials and each finished item was judged by a panel and the winner competed again a "professional crafter". it was like the food networks "chopped" show, but with craft supplies. i totally would've rocked that show. like big time. the announcer used to always start off the show by saying, "let's kick some craft!")

here is my sister, her daughter maddie, tucker, my mom and elliana and me in our annual pose in the parking lot of el patio. classy. but tradition. ;)

and me at 19 1/2 weeks. ok, dr. is calculating me at the beginning of my weeks on wednesday. and its really bugging me. because last time with tucker i changed weeks on sunday and it made for picture taking more logical. so this was taken on sunday, technically 191/2 weeks, but i'm calling 20 weeks. so whatever.

and we find out what we're having THIS FRIDAY!!! EEEK!!!

so excited!

and elliana's ear drum ruptured last night. poor thing was in so much pain, crying inconsollably for hours last night. developed a fever of 102, was dizzy. all while i was playing bunko. (i know, good mom right?) but once the ear drum ruptured the pain subsided and she slept fine. we brought her in to the dr's this morning and they had to irrigate her ear because so much fluid was coming out. but elliana was freaking out, and was scared and crying. when they finally flushed out her ear (we had to basically hold her down as she was screaming) one of the tubes that was in her ear came out too. which was kinda cool to see. its like a little purple bead. i thought it would distract her, but it didn't. still crying. lots of fluid and blood came out too. they said her ear drum was very red and inflamed. she was miserable and scared, but so very brave. i can't even imagine the pain she was in. i felt so helpless. so they gave us some antibiotic/pain drops and said it should heal nicely. which brings me to....and then what? we put tubes in her ears because she had fluid behind her ear drums (this one must have trapped more fluid and then ruptured from the pressure) and caused a hearing deficit. we didn't put tubes in her ears because of multiple ear infections. i think she's had like a total of 3 her entire life. so apparantly this tube fell out a few weeks ago, she got an ear infection and it possbily didn't heal. trapping the fluid, rupturing, etc. so do we put another tube in? another surgery? we are seeing an ENT and her audiologist for follow up. its been a year this month since she had the tubes put in. and we did determine through all of the testing before that she does have hearing loss in both ears, one is better than the other. and that's the ear with the ruptured ear drum. its not super noticeable, the hearing loss. most people are shocked when they find out. so we will probably do another round of testing and see what's next. poor thing. so that was our night/day. hoping for less drama for the rest of the week!

Happy Mommy's Day!

2010-05-09T09:01:00.000-07:00

i hope your mother's day is filled with love and no whining!

with all the complaining i do, at the end of the day, i wouldn't trade it for anything. i know that its fleeting, that they are growing so fast, and that i will miss every bit of my life right now. even when it seems like i can't stand it anymore. i am so so so thankful that god blessed me with elliana hope, and tucker justin and our little punkin in the oven. i am such a lucky mama and i love my family more anything else in this world.

have a wonderful mama's day!

i LOVE makeup!

2010-04-21T08:17:00.000-07:00

i {big puffy heart} makeup! right out of highschool i went through a crunchy natural "i won't put any products on my body that have animal testing or animal by-products in them" phase but in the end, sparkly eye shadows won. thank goodness. ;) and so, i give you....my make up box:

a few years ago when my sister in law kate got married, she took some of us in the bridal party to a bare escentuals boutique to try out their mineral makeup. i never have liked wearing liquid foundation. it feels heavy and thick and i always break out. so i would sometimes wear powder and that's it. until i tried the bare escentuals mineral foundation. its natural, its light, it covers and you can't even feel it. and no i'm not being paid to endorse their product, although i totally should because i LOVE the stuff!

and that's just the foundation, the eyeshadows are what really sold me. they are a loose powder and come in every color imaginable and in awesome names like "sex kitten" and "grace" and "freedom" and "joy". my biggest pet peave was buying eye shadows from the drug store (do they still call it that? i really mean target, i don't know why i didn't just write it. anyways) and the color is awful. you can't try them out. and then you throw them out. but if you go to a BE boutique, you can try them out. they will give you "make-under" and put all the colors that good on you. and then they'll write down all the colors/tools/etc. used on you so you can purchase them. now, i will say its a bit of an investment. you can definitely get the started foundation kit online cheaper than in the stores, and somtimes on ebay. but you have to go in their so they can match your color foundation. they eyeshadows aren't cheap, but they seriously last forever.

i admit, i have an eye shadow addiction. i LOVE sparkly eye shadows, and sometimes just getting that new shade does the trick. by now i have so many of the colors i just go in and ask, "what would go good with devotion?" (one of my favs=purple!) thank goodness my husband doesn't know how much each of those little pots o'gold cost, but like i said, its an "investment". they last forever. (i can give a few more justifications if you need them. just sayin.)

i've actually even used the md formulation skin care and really like that too. i'm kinda weird in the sense that i like to buy the whole line. like if our tv is a sony, i want a sony dvd player, and a sony home theatre. its like they're made for eachother. same with makeup. i think they work together. skin care + makeup. makes sense right? i do love their lip gloss, the buxom lips are pretty neat they make your lips tingle and feel all plumped, i don't love their mascara, and they have a powder called gossamer (they have other ones too, this is just the one i have) that is like dusting on a super fine glitter powder all over your body. i LOVE it. except when i wear it my husband always says, "why do you have glitter everywhere?" as if he's all bothered. silly boys. don't they know girls like to sparkle??

so anyways. this weekend my friend danna who moved to nebraska last fall is coming out to visit us and she and i are having a girls weekend and getting bare escentuals make-unders, pedicures, shopping, and will enjoy hanging out and sharing our pregnancy woes. we were both pregnant with our boys at the same time and now were prego again. she's having a girl and is 28 weeks along. i'm sooo excited for this weekend! i'm actually going to try some MAC makeup too. i'm not cheating on bare escentuals, i'm just testing the waters. i LOVE kandee the makeup artist and she has really great makeup tutorial videos on her blog. she uses a lot of MAC makeup and so i'm dying to try it. you seriously have to check out her videos. the other day i did her katy perry/lady gaga makeup and i felt like a rockstar. she's so sweet. anyways.

yay! now go put on some sparkly eyeshadow!

what i wore last week...

2010-04-19T08:49:00.000-07:00

so here's my week in outfits. kinda wished i would've started with a different monday, but that's ok. just throwin in out there. this is basically what i wore "out of the house" last week. and yes, i'm almost 17 weeks pregnant, there is a little pooch, and i know i'm still in that "questionable" stage. nobody has really asked me if i'm pregnant yet, so i just look like i can pack down the brewskis. i'm showing a lot fast than the last time, baby is low and i can't wear anything tight around my belly. dang, i have a long ways to go. anyways, here ya go.

monday: it was wet and rainy and i didn't fix my hair. lovely. brown hat from target, chico state sweatshirt (go wildcats!) old navy maternity jeans.

monday afternoon: i took a shower to go to girl scouts and ladies bunko. LOVE my HOLLA shirt! and old navy maternity jeans. i have 2 pairs of maternity jeans. i can't wait to wear skirts. i lived in them my last pregnancy with tucker. warm weather hurry up!

tuesday: old navy shirt i embellished, and old navy maternity jeans.

tuesday afternoon: these are my jammies. this is what i am always in. motherhood maternity velour sweat suit. i bought these when i was prego with tucker and haven't stopped wearing them. even when i wasn't prego. they are THAT comfortable. lately i've been wearing my gaucho bottoms too. are they still in? i don't care. i'm pregnant and they are coooommmmfffyyyy.

wednesday: old navy tshirt, kohl's sweater, old navy maternity jeans (did i mention i have only 2 pairs?) and my favorite target flats.

that's right, $12 @ target.

the kids were getting in on the fun. love that sass.

thursday: non maternity top, old navy capris. (changin it up)

friday: date night! purple top: ross, handmade hair flower, ON jeans. (yes i do laundry during the week)

saturday: getting ready to go to chuckin cheese. "cmon mom!" roxy shirt and old navy skirt. i have one in brown too and i live in these skirts in the summer. pregnant or not. i LOVE skirts! and old navy, obviously.

sunday: ahem, old navy brown shirt, and dress i turned into a skirt (chopped off at the waist and added fold over elastic (FOE) around top edge and BAM its my favorite skirt!

so there it is. and i had to find this mirror out in the garage because we purposely don't have a full length mirror in the house. can't wait to see what ya'll wear! let me know if you do it too!

jenna

mommy bags for sale!

2010-04-16T13:18:00.000-07:00

here are a few pics of a past custom order i did that i LOVE. it's a chocolate brown damask, with a blue stripe accent. the gift set was a snuggle blankie with a white minkie, a diaper clutch and a nursing cover.

glad i still have more of this fabric!

they kind of all blend in together.

still in my shop is this little beauty.

and this brown and green goodness.

and this fully lined aqua leaves and corduroy tote.

happy friday!

mind space

2010-04-12T12:44:00.000-07:00

i don't really have any cohesive thoughts right now. so you can stop reading if you don't feeling like following my spaghetti waves of words. (that didn't even make sense). this is a space that helps me process, so here we go.
i've been processing a lot. my business, my family, my children, my life, my direction and purpose. and i came to the conclusion that i'm not in control. "in his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." Proverbs 16:9 (wow i totally just opened up my bible to find that verse and it opened up right to it. i love it when that happens!) so when i had my miscarriage just days before christmas last year, i think it affected me more than i thought. i wasn't even prepared to be pregnant let alone another baby. i was rushed and felt very overwhelmed. and when had a miscarriage i was so sad, i felt like another plan had gone down the drain and i had just wrapped my brain around baby #3. and there i was again plotting another course. i've learned that planning is how i process, it gives me something to strive for. which isn't bad. unless it keeps you too busy to heal. and so i felt like maybe having the miscarriage gave me a second chance to do what i always wanted with my business. so i bought the big mama sewing machine, researched growing my business, dreamed up a new line.
one day i felt a little nautious so i took a test and it was positive. pregnant again! while my husband was super excited, and my daughters daily prayers of jesus "put another baby in my mommy's tummy" were answered, mine were not. i was ready to embrace my business. i was ok with 2 kids. (i know this sounds horribly selfish and there are plenty of women who have struggled to conceive for years and would give anything to be pregnant, and i'm dealing with it. i'm processing, be patient with me). there's something about being a mother that requires you to be UNselfish. its part of the job requirement. so once again i feel that i've had to push my dreams aside for just a bit longer. and in the midst of that, have begun to question what my dreams really are. i am a stay at home mom so i can be there with my children. and somewhere along the way sewing became more important. and i feel horribly guilty. letting my children down, my husband down, my poor neglected messy house. one day i stood in my studio, feeling unthankful and guilty that i had let all that my studio represents, become greater than my role as a mother. and even now, i still struggle because i want that part of my identity to be "successful". i don't want to feel like a failure at that too.
yesterday i took some time alone and went to my old favorite coffee shop in college (my entire college years were processed and journaled at those tables and drinking that coffee) and just sat and listened to what god was trying to tell me. and i realized that i don't ever SIT AND LISTEN TO WHAT GOD IS TRYING TO TELL ME. my days are so filled with kids, and chores, and school, and sewing, and computering that i haven't made that a priority. and no wonder everything is messy and unhemmed.
i've been putting a lot of pressure on myself about my business. i have this vision, that is just not happening. not right now. and i'm feeling the need to let it go. i can't hold onto to something that's holding me back from everything else in my life. i know this might not make sense to anybody else, and that's ok. (these pregnancy hormones are totally messing with me like BIG TIME. i don't remember this the last 2 times.)
when you are a stay at home mom you do not get feedback like a normal job. there's no evaluation, bonuses, recognition for good or innovative ideas. nobody is patting me on the back for coming up with a great sticker chart, or for organizing toys well, or for doing the dishes, laundry AND cleaning the bathrooms all in one day. the only feedback we get is our children. their behaviors. and lately my kids behaviors have been less than stellar. again adding to the guilt and humongous sense of failure. sewing is what i do. creating is what i do. one of my favorite quotes is "i was a perfect mom before i had kids" and i was. i was a child development major, i knew theories, behavior modification techniques and all-inclusive curriculum and how to develop a well rounded child. not sure where this is going except i'm feeling the weight of everything being lifted off as i type. i may not even post this.
anyways. i'm feeling very overwhelmed by circumstances lately, and allowing them to determine my perspective instead of relying on jesus, his path for my life, his truth, and who i am in him.
do you ever just get paralyzed in the face of so many changes that need to made/done that nothing gets changed/done? that's where i've been. i have the best of intentions to blog (and i can't stand it when bloggers apologize for NOT blogging, and i've done that too) but my life has been so...uneventful and boring. do you really want to hear about the temper tantrum the boy had about his hard boiled egg being split in half? or the entire box of grape juice that was sprayed all over my carpet? didn't think so.
i will post some belly pics soon. cuz its poppin out! almost 16 weeks along now!
i'll try and be more shiny and happy on here. again, these hormones are rockin me. can anybody relate? am i all alone here? anyone? bueller? i'm gonna go eat a cupcake. and sew. ciao.

be present...

2010-03-30T12:50:00.000-07:00

i recently came across this blog no. 17 Cherry Tree Lane and found this poem that just stopped me in my tracks:

"I was sitting on a bench
while in a nearby mall,

When I noticed a young mother

with two children who were small.

The youngest one was whining,

Pick me up," I heard him beg

but the mother's face grew angry

as the child clung to her leg.

"Don't hang on to me," she shouted

as she pushed his hands away,

I wish I'd had the courage

to go up to her and say...

"The time will come too quickly

when those little arms that tug,

Won't ask for you to hold them

or won't freely give a hug.

"The day will sneak up subtly

just as it did with me,

When you can't recall the last time

that your child sat on your knee.

"Like those sacred, pre-dawn feedings

when we cherished time alone

Our babies grow and leave behind

those special times we've known.

"So when your child comes to you

with a book that you can share,

Or asks that you would tuck him in

and help him say his prayer...

"When he comes to sit and chat

or would like to take a walk,

Before you answer that you can't

'cause there's no time to talk

"Remember what all parents learn

so many times too late,

That years go by too quickly

and that childhood doesn't wait.

"Take every opportunity,

if one should slip away

Reach hard to get it back again,

don't wait another day."

I watched that mother walk away

her children followed near,

I hope she'll pick them up

before her chances disappear.
-unknown.

wipe the tears away okay? jeez. but its such a great reminder, it won't be like this for long, as the song goes. and when i'm at the end of my rope, there will be a time when they won't want me anymore. when i'm not the one they come to when they need help. i wish i could keep this perspective every moment of every day instead of getting frustrated. please lord, help me to have your eyes when i see my children. and to not get wrapped up in my own vision, but to keep yours.

saturday we went to the citaye!

2010-03-28T22:19:00.000-07:00

so i've been complaining about the craft supplies and fabric selection available to me in my small town. i'm bored. i want new stuff, new inspiration. and don't get me wrong i LOVE searching for new supplies online, but it gives me a crick in my neck, and i tend to snack too much when i'm the computer. and i love to touch and feel and handle stuff. so late friday night my husband said, "let's go to the city tomorrow and head to the fabric stores" what?? did HE just SUGGEST we travel 3 hours to go fabric shopping?? um YEAHHH? so i arranged for my parents to watch the kids and we headed out early saturday morning to go to San Francisco. LOVE LOVE LOVE the city. (okay, i wouldn't want to live there, but i love visiting there, and then come home and appreciate out my small town ) we were on a time crunch so i mapped out the 3 stores i really wanted to hit. the first one was Britex Fabrics just browse that website and look at the pictures of each floor. there's 4 floors total and one entire floor is dedicated to trims, ribbons, buttons and notions! that was where i spent most of my time. the fabric is a little pricey and i knew i could get the fabric i was looking for cheaper. i was completely overwhelmed on the notions floor. i actually had to leave and go across the street to the bathroom (pregnant bladder) and then come back. it was so nice to be in a fabric store with workers who actually know about fabric? sounds novel i know, but they actually take the time to measure, cut precisely, and were so helpful in helping me brainstorm ideas and even gave me suggestions for what i was working on. it would oh so dangerous if i lived any closer. but nice that its just a day trip away.

then we went to Discount Fabrics which was ok, but a lot of costumey and upholstry fabrics. its funny to see fabric on rolls instead of the flat bolts we see in local fabric stores. i didn't find much here, and probably wouldn't go back unless i needed upholstry stuff. they did have this awesome glittered vinyl that i reaaaally wanted. but i'll save that for another time.;)

my husband was seriously such a trooper. i was rather surprised he actually wanted to go with me. he even gave valid input and was such a great supporter. there were a lot of um, men who "knew their fabric" in one shop and justin had just about had it. and a tiny part of me wished he had that kind of artistic input, but without the waving hands and lipgloss. ;)
i wish i would've taken more pictures but everywhere we went we parked at a meter and it was expensive compared to my little town, so we were in a hurry. and britex wouldn't let you take pictures.
so the last place we went was Fabric Outlet and it just so happened it was the store's birthday so everthing in the store was 40% off that day. cha-ching! i went cra-zay! and i had a big burly hubby to carry my bolts (tubes) of fabric for me to be cut.
it was such a beautiful day in the city, and nice to getaway from the kids for a bit (day like 18 of somebody in our house being sick, i needed a break) and perfect to spend the day with my main squeeze.
i got a lot of great supplies for a new business venture and i can't wait to share more! i was super inspired by our trip and it feels so good!!!

tonite is craftymama night!

2010-03-20T09:06:00.000-07:00

and i think i'm gonna work on this freezer paper stencil from MADE:

(i want to make an easter shirt for elliana to go with the cute Liberty of London skirt i got her at target):

and this gadget/phone case pattern i got from Keyka Lou for my new phone:

(i've bought several patterns from Keyka Lou and they are awesome! great pictures, easy to follow instructions, and they are sooo cute! check them out!)

and this skirt for elliana for spring:

we already picked out cute fabrics a while ago but mama hasn't had the time (or energy) to sew for my girl. so hopefully at *craftymama night* tonite i'll get all my crafting ADD projects done! wish me luck!

*craftymama night* is a gathering i started where all us crafty mama's get together about once a month and work on "stuff". whether it be sewing, scrapbooking, yarning (elliana calls knitting and crocheting yarning ;), clipping coupons (i almost didn't allow this one, but she DID use crafting scissors), anything crafty. and we usually end up chatting, but its so much fun to talk, have girl time, drink wine (or chocolate milk for me) and get inspired by one another. LOVE LOVE LOVE craftymama night! and hopefully if i can perfect the freezer paper stencil project, i can make us all *craftymama shirts*! craftymamas UNITE!

have a great weekend!

and happy first day of spring!

i have a little secret......

2010-03-16T12:14:00.000-07:00

i'm pregnant!!!

we are pretty excited and a little shocked after what happened before and still a little nervous. but mostly excited! we are expecting baby #3 late september!

i am past (but sort of still feel like i'm the middle of) the first trimester blahs. i'm thankful for the spurts of energy and a very understanding husband. ;)

and yes, i'm starting show....if you look really close.

i got a new do!

2010-03-12T08:05:00.000-08:00

i haven't had my hair cut since the beginning of november. and i have a lot of overgrown thick hair. it felt like ronald mcdonald hair. although, i actually had a good hair day (which is rare lately) when i got my hair cut.

the before:

and after:

its all stacked in the back. i can't wait to fix it today myself. cuz i can never get it as straight and sleek as the hair girls do. i sort of let her decide. i'm not too attached to my hair. being a hairdressers daughter will do that to ya. my dad has been retired for 5 years from cutting hair and i realize now i was terribly spoiled. cuts and color whenever i wanted. free hair product right off the shelf. he always tried the newest techniques on me that he learned at hair shows. ahhhh. the glory days. now i have to pay for it all! but i found a great new girl.

ANNNNNDDDDDD....

i came across the blog of kandee the makeup artist yesterday (via twitter) and she is amazing! inspiring, beautiful, and if you watch her youtube video streams, she gives you make up how-to's. she's a makeup artist to famous people. so yesterday, feeling frumpy and blah, read her blog and watched a few of her videos. i was all inspired and put on my own katie perry *rockstar makeup* and i seriously felt like a million bucks yesterday! PLUS i got my hair cut. its amazing how awesome makeup and a new cut can make you feel like a new girl. woman. i'm a woman. (i feel like a girl) but i'm a woman. ;)

i kind of want to go red now.

and repierce my nose. can you do that? in the same hole? can i do it myself? anybody done that? looks like a *creative escape* adventure kate!

yay for friday! lots of sewing this weekend!

i got a new phone!

2010-03-10T10:26:00.000-08:00

the droid eris.

i love it. i'm addicted already. i can tweet on the couch people! while my husband is on the computer. life is sweet. (sad i know.) and of course i already want to make a super cute case/cozy thingie to keep it in!

so i've been MIA. bad blogger. lots of things brewing and changing in my life right now. processing LOTS.

the indie biz 2.0 class has started and i'm super excited already. i can't wait to see where it will take me and my business.

i've been working on lots of custom orders. finally recovered from a sinus infection, colds all around, my daughter had pinkeye, and our dog got fleas. sheesh. when it rains it pours around here. so i'm back in the studio (FINALLY!) and ready to get my sew on!

next week is spring break for the girl. what eveh shall we do?

and st. patty's day. my husband and i met st. patty's weekend which is a HUGE holiday in our little college town. but that's a post all its own <3

happy wednesday!

hope now

2010-03-03T10:36:00.000-08:00

Addison Road - Hope Now music video from Jay Rogers on Vimeo.

sometimes a song is just what i need to hear.

the sniffles

2010-03-02T08:43:00.000-08:00

this is how i've been feeling lately.

sinus infection, headache, on top of feeling "blah" is so lovely.

thankfully my husband had been taking care of me, and my son who has it too. sometimes i watch him and i think how lucky i am to have a husband who cooks, and cleans, and mommy's, and picks up toys while i lay on the couch like a big blob. thanks babe. last night i asked him, "do you feel like me?" after he was picking up the toys after numerous times asking the kids to put their toys away. he calls these my "rants". or "here she goes again."

i'm sick of being sick. for the past 2 weeks. lord, please let me be better so i can be me again. this mama NEEDS to sew!

Elliana's valentine's

2010-02-24T19:37:00.000-08:00

i know i'm a little late on posting, heck i haven't been posting a lot lately anyways. BUT i wanted to share the valentine's we made for elliana's class. i found this super cute download and printed it out.

elliana cut all the butterflies out by herself. then i cut a bunch of heart punches out and elliana glued them on each butterfly. her kindergarten class is called Miss Nye's Butterflies, so these were completely appropriate. plus we LOVE butterflies in our house!

we also made rice crispy treat kisses. we just made a batch of rice crispy treats using pink marshmallows of course, and shaped them into "kiss" shapes. then i printed out "Happy Valentine's Day Love Elliana" and cut them in strips and wrapped the "kiss" in tinfoil. easy peasy, and super cute!

elliana wrote each of her classmates names and signed her name on the back.

she got so many cute valentine's from her friend too. one of our favorites was an ice cream cone filled with pink cotton candy and wrapped in cellophane. so cute.

Indie Business 2.0

2010-02-22T09:07:00.000-08:00

i'm super excited to be taking the Indie Business class 2.0 from elsie, leigh-ann, and jill starting next month!

i'm at a bit of a transition with my business right now and i'm hoping that these girls will have some fresh ideas and new perspectives to help me succeed with the upcoming changes to my business.

can't wait to be inspired once again by these lovely ladies!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T08:21:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

Heart pancakes, and boxes of chocolates and hugs and kisses!

xoxoxoxox

7 years ago today......

2010-02-13T20:49:00.000-08:00

my prince asked me to marry him.

read the whole story here.

hope your weekend is full of loooooove.

i know mine will be!

super cheap bed canopy

2010-02-08T09:06:00.000-08:00

i scored a set of purple full size sheets for $5 like over a year ago and been keeping them for the fabric. i love using flat sheets for the backs of jean leg blankets, as curtains, or for FORTS! so i took the flat sheet and cut it down the middle longways and hemmed up the raw edges.

then i took an old wooden embroidery hoop that i had scored at a thrift store for like seriously under a buck. i think it was $1.75 and then 50% off or something crazy. the hoop is a good 21/2 feet across. crazy good deal. i actually bought 2 of them. so anways....i opened up the hoop and folded the sheet over the inner hoop and then secured it with the little twisty thing. then we tied ribbon through the outer hoop and pulled all 4 ribbons up to the top and hung it from a hook in the ceiling we anchored in a stud. cuz ya never know.

i also made another heart garland with my leftover valentine garland. i'm pretty happy with how it turned out. it still needs some snazzin up, i want to hot glue tulle, and flowers on the outer hoop. and sew/glue butterflies on the inside of the canopy. she LOVES it. so does tucker. i kinda wish i had another panel, or had used a sheet bigger than a full size. but its perfect. cheap, easy. perfect.

i want to do a similar version over tucker's bed like a teepee (sewing 4 triangles up to a point and hanging it from a hook in the ceiling also. goes along with our "neverland" theme.

this is a quilt that justin's grandma made for my baby shower with tucker. she is an amazing applique artist and i love it whenever she gifts us with one of her works. i hadn't displayed this quilt and i knew i didn't want the kids to use it since i know she hand appliqued each letter and number. so i finally brought it out and put it up on the wall. its the perfect mix of all the colors we are doing in the room.

funny sidenote: the numbers are DRIVING ELLIANA NUTS! can you see why? this is my daughter. notices the tiniest details. can you say artist? every night for at least a week after i put it up, she would say to me at bedtime, "mommy, doesn't gramms know how to count?" "this really bothers you doesn't it?" "yes mommy." my poor perfectionista. i have no clue where she gets it......

crafty goodness

2010-02-05T10:55:00.000-08:00

i thought i'd post some of my valentine crafts i did this year.

this was a super easy wreath i made at *craftymama night* last weekend. i used a styrofoam heart wreath from joanns, 2" fabric squares cut with pinking shears and mod podge. i wrapped the fabric squares around a pencil tip and dipped it into the mod podge, and then poked it into the wreath. i used this tutorial with better pictures. its super easy!

and then i made the easiest felt heart garland evah. seriously. and it was addicting. i used light pink, hot pink,red, purple and brown felt that i had. and literally just stitched all the hearts together in a line. and then hung it up. the longest part was cutting out all the hearts.

i got so crazy i made one for my bedroom to match my wonderland quilt. i even made one for elliana's new canopy over her bed (i'll post those pictures this weekend, the canopy was made using an extra large embroidery hoop and a sheet!)

we both LOVE how the blanket turned out. i sewed it onto a super soft mircrofleece blanket (instead of using batting) and its oh so snuggly. i think i'm going to use the tie method for quilting my blanket instead of stitching it. that way it will add little pops of color to the solid squares (with the yarn/embroidery thread ties) and will keep the blanket together.

and i won a photo shoot from tres bebe photography and all i could think about was doing a family shot on our bed. like this one.

or this one.

but i've been so unhappy with the state of my bedroom. but i'm determined to "take back the bedroom". i so want to be able to capture our "family time". our kids love it. WE love it. this is family time: somebody will yell "faaaamily tiiiiime!" and we will all run and chase eachother onto our bed. some of us will hide under the blankets, and the last one in is the "be-bi-bo-fummer" (term coined by elliana when she was just 2) and then we stomp and tromp until we get into the bedroom and flip open the blankets to find the rest of the family hiding in anticipation. then we all are captured under the blankets and we laugh and giggle and tickle eachother until someone gets hurts. which is usually how its been ending these days....we are so rough! we LOVE family time.

so i'm ecstatic that i have my colorful wonderland quilt and heart garland as the backdrop. ;)

she's here!!!!

2010-02-04T00:00:00.000-08:00

meet my juki. (watch me swing my arm Oh so vanna-like)

*big sigh*

ohhh, i'm head over heels in love.

i finished up my quilt and she sews like a dream. A DREAM. and super fast. i folded over 9 layers of cotton duck canvas and she sewed through it like buttah. BUTTAH! super strong.

i think this is the beginning of a beatiful relationship.

*sigh*

nite juki......see you tomorrow.

no YOU hang up. no YOU hang up. no YOU!

and the winner is!

2010-02-02T21:26:00.000-08:00

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

9

Timestamp: 2010-02-03 05:21:52 UTC

comment #9 was Alissa! congratulations alissa! you won a zippered pouch and fabric hair flower! email me your address and i'll send your goodies in the mail!

crafty goodness

2010-01-28T09:16:00.000-08:00

last weekend i got this coat rack from ikea. our couch in our entrance way had become a horrible coat rack. AND a horrible couch. so this is solving several problems. coats, hats, scarves and purses. (my purses are out of reach of tuckers sneaky little hands that love to find gum, mints, and hand sanitizer. oh that little stinker). there's even hooks half way down for elliana and tucker to hang up thier own coats and backpacks. next on the agenda: the shoe problem, as you can see.

i made a new ironing board cover out of this super cute vintagey sewing machine and iron fabric i got at a mega quilt shop sale. everything was 40% off! i remember seeing this fabric in the quilt shop and thinking it would make an adorable craft apron or ironing board cover, but i certainly was not paying $14/yd. but i'd pay 40% of that! and there's still enough to make a little apron. so cute.and here is the quilt top to my new quilt. i am sooo loving it. the colors, the patterns, its just so me. and i got the hubs approval. some things he's so opinionated on, its funny. but this quilt gets the thumbs up. yay!

i'm going to cheat and sew it onto a microfleece snuggle blankie in chocolate brown, and top stitch along the quilt blocks. i'm waiting for my new machine to finish it. its really big. i've never sewn a king size anything. but using 12" blocks made it go really fast.

i made up a few felt heart garlands in the colors of the quilt and hung it above our bed. i'm addicted to that felt heart garland. its super easy and fast and adds a nice punch of color. i'll post pics when i'm done.

*this is part of my new goal: operation "reclaiming my room". i'm scratching exercise everyday off my list of goals for 2010 because that one isn't really working out for me. ;)

AND i've never had a bedroom that was peaceful. in college all of my art supplies, clothes, books, and CRAP was all crammed in one room. when we got married our bedroom was an upstairs storage. our next house it was just blah. the house after that our room was storagey. and this bedroom has become our catch all. my stomach gets all in knots because of all the clutter. i've always told myself there is creativity in chaos. and there is. until you show it someone else, and then its just clutter. i'm embarassed to show people my bedroom. its bad. so i'm reclaiming my space. getting rid of the clutter, making it a room of peace and relaxation. and making this quilt that i've been wanting to make forever is phase1. i want to make a headboard too, but the heart garland will do for now. and new dressers and night stands.

it feels better just talking about it. i have a plan. :)

i've been refashioning lots of shirts and zippies too, i should show you. super easy and cute. i bought a bunch of clothes at old navy on clearance for like $2 to use the fabric to cut up and make elliana dresses or embellish shirts or whatever. i've been inspired by dana at MADE (i'm totally making one of those nut wreaths) and made by lex (used to be My Mama Made It) she does awesome refashion tutorials. check out those blogs, they are super inspiring. i've noticed i've been saying *super* a lot. (ok so i only said it two times on this post, but still ) maybe its tucker and his *super* cape he wears every day. ;)

anyways.

happy thursday night tv! (my new thing is to not watch tv on the tv, and watch it the next night on hulu.com while sewing in my room. and there's no commericals!)

i go hunting mommy!

2010-01-26T08:53:00.000-08:00

the boy and his "pull-pop"

he went to see Monster Jams monster trucks last weekend with daddy and our friends who have 3 boys and tucker was in hog heaven. i asked my husband to make sure and take pictures. this is the first big event i'm not there for with tucker, i was a little sad. so when they got back i asked him, "did you take pictures?" and he kinda smiled. "yeah." ok. "did you take pictures of TUCKER?" would you believe he took pictures of THE TRUCKS! are you kidding me? i don't care about the trucks! i wanted to see tucker's reaction to the trucks! *sigh* i did take a picture of all 4 boys in the car with their new monster trucks and grave digger hats on and our friend took a picture of the boys in the stands. they were at the very tippy top of arco arena.

i got to go to IKEA, so it was worth it. man i love that place. elliana even went in the playplace and LOVED it. she didn't even say goodbye to me when she went inside! my friend was shocked because this is not the elliana she knows. i said, "this is the 5 year old elliana." indeed.

great weekend. piecing together a king size quilt for my bedroom in some yummy momo wonderland fabrics i've been stashing. i'm going to back it with a microfleece cuddle blankie instead of quilting it with batting. also anxiously awaiting for my juki to arrive, hopefully this week.

*craftymama night* this weekend. each time our group is growing and its sooo exciting! we are working on valentine crafts this time.

like this one. i've already started cutting out my felt hearts for this one.

or this one. i have a foam heart instead of wire, and no burlap. i'll make it work.

that's about it.

you can still enter the giveaway for a zippered pouch and flower hair clip if you scroll down and leave a comment!

400th post and a giveaway

2010-01-21T09:20:00.000-08:00

i just saw that my last post was my 400th post! wowzers. so in honor of all my blabbering, i'm going to giveaway a little sumpin sumpin to all my peeps.

but first i want to share some awesome pictures my SIL kate took of my sweet baby stuff over the weekend.

we went thrifting and scrored his awesome chair and used books.

*this is a sneak peak of one of my new pleated purses.

this is a matching zippered pouch. i love how the little butterfly keeps popping up.

i'm super excited to be working on a website, a line of handbags, and i ordered my juki!!!

so since i've hit 400 posts i thought i'd give this cute little zippered pouch and matching fabric hair flower to one lucky reader. all you have to do is make a comment on this post telling me your favorite band or song right now. i need some new music inspiration!

for additional entries you can follow my blog, follow me on twitter, or become a facebook fan and let me know with separate comments which ones you do. i will pick a winner on sunday night january 31st.

its hard to believe i've been blogging for so long. and i never thought the blogging community would be so full of inspiration, kindness, friendships and amazing people. so glad i got over myself and started blogging. thanks morgan!

Craft Hope for Haiti

2010-01-19T17:26:00.000-08:00

Have you heard of Craft Hope for Haiti? they have set up an etsy shop full of all sorts of handmade items donated by some very talented and crafty people. the proceeds from the sales will go to Doctors Without Borders for their work in Haiti.

You can find these burpies listed in the Craft Hope etsy shop (price includes shipping)

i feel so far away from everything going on over there. my heart aches for all the loss and sickness and devastation. i wanted to do something, as little as it is.

Mommy Bag Giveaway!!!!

2010-01-11T23:40:00.000-08:00

I'm hosting giveaway this week over at Tip Junkie on the TJ Community! Go over there and make a comment on the giveaway post for a chance to win a Sweet Baby Mommy Bag!! Winners will be chosen on Friday at noon CST and can choose one of the three bags shown here: Mocca, City Girl Pink, or Gothic Rose.

you have to sign in or start a new account in order to make a comment, but a little extra work is worth it right? go make a comment now! you could be the winner!

And please tweet about, blog about it, tell your friends about it! there's a special discount for Tip Junkie readers too for the entire month of January, so check it out!

If you don't want to wait for the winner to be announced and you just want to buy stuff, you can visit my shop and I will still honor my sale from a few posts ago. (scroll down and check it out! ;) cuz i like ya.

its craftymama night !

2010-01-09T15:32:00.000-08:00

getting ready for *craftymama night* tonite! i'm so excited for how this idea has come into fruition. i've always dreamt about having a night for girls to get together and craft. munchies, wine, music, and friends. i'll take some pictures tonite and post them. this time we are starting out with dinner at 5:30 and then gettin our craft on at 7pm. and i totally know that this is never a hugely productive night of crafting for me. but more of a night of girls hangin and chattin and inspiring one another. i even got little buttons for all of us that say *crafty mama*.

so much fun!

now if i could just figure out what i'm going to work on? i have like 5 different projects set out. my mom is even coming over tonite too! she's gonna do some beading and make earrings. i want to do that too. i also have a baby beanie to crochet for an order, so i'll do that. and then maybe finish the fancy hair flowers and headbands that i started last month but turned out crappy. 2nd times a charm. and then there's finishing up the cute purse i started last night, but i have to concentrate to do that, so maybe i'll put that aside. i have a button sorting project elliana started today. i dumped out all the old nasty spices from our spice jars that we got for our WEDDING and filling them up with buttons, sorted by color. its not really crafty, but at least i can do that and talk and drink wine. hopefully. ;) and make an ironing board cover with super cute fabric i got a the big quilt shop sale last weekend. hmmmm. decisions decisions....

wish ya'll could join us tonite!

CRAFTYMAMAS UNITE!

dreaming of this......

2010-01-08T15:48:00.000-08:00

but i need a little more of this....

wanna help me out?

go visit my shop and find something cute and get 15% when you purchase something this weekend! in the notes to seller write "sewing machine fund" and i'll give you a refund via paypal.

the sewing machine fund sale ends sunday the 10th at midnight PST.

go ahead, start shopping!

goals for 2010

2010-01-05T08:29:00.000-08:00

*taken straight from my journal. with a few added in for good measure.
1. read my bible everyday.
2. follow a budget.
3. open a new handbag shop on etsy
4. make time for journaling.
5. start a family project (a painting, a bench, or a mosaic.)
6. house rules project like this one.
7. redo kids room in *Neverland* theme: finish painting Neverland canvas, make quilt and curtains.
8. exercise more. lose the mama pooch.
9. get a new tattoo. (my husband says this isn't a goal, but i say it is!)
10. play more. be more present.
11. be on the computer less and use my time better.
12. declutter my entire house and garage.

and my one little word for 2010 is r e s t. last year it was trust and right up to the end of the year, god was still teaching me that. this year, inspite of all the physical things that have happened to me (the miscarriage, waking up in the middle of the night and twisting BOTH of my ankles, developing carpal tunnel in my left hand, and then hitting my right hand the other night on our bathroom counter resulting in me not being able to squeeze or hold or sew anything. so both ankles, both hands.....you think someone is telling me to rest? i do. and so that's my word. rest.
"be still and know that i am god."
"my sould finds rest in god alone."
"he who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty."

for christmas my mom gave me the book "Taking care of the Me in Mommy" by Lisa Welchel (Blair from Facts of Life) and so far it has been right where i am at, exactly what i need to hear. i totally recommend it to any other mommies who are exhausted and busy and need to recharge and rest.

so far this year has lots of promise. a clean slate. new beginnings. a chance to change stuff. lists always help me. there is so much inspiration all around and welling up inside. lots of journaling for me!
i hope your new year proves to be promising too!

back on my feet again. literally.

2009-12-29T22:02:00.000-08:00

thanks for all the well wishes and thoughts. last week sucked. this week i'm doing better. and last week the day before christmas eve, i woke up in the middle of the night (i think i was asleep) and sprained both my ankles. both of them. i was a mess. and i couldn't walk and keep myself busy. today was the first day i wasn't completely hobbling around. i feel back to normal. and it feels good.

i told my husband i was hoping we have a christmas redo. since i feel like i wasn't all there last week. i think it would be fun. hot cocoa and christmas light touring (before they're all down), filling eachother stockings with stuff around the house, writing santa a thank you card. i'm gonna do it. :)

i've been thinking alot about a lotta stuff.

business, sewing, children, my life, direction, relationships, god's plan.

i'm ready to get back on track.

processing

2009-12-26T20:34:00.000-08:00

every day that passes i think that i'm getting better. that i'm strong, that i'm getting past it. but everytime i go to the bathroom, i realize its a process. you don't just have a miscarriage. its a process. its not a single day, and you're done. your body take time to process what has happened. so your mind and soul can do the same. i'm healing, but i still cry. and sometimes i don't even know why. i never heard the heartbeat. we didn't have names. we knew we didn't want to find out the sex this time. but it was still part of our family. it was part of me. i'm not even sure how long it was in me. the dr. called it "debris" left inside, not even a baby. as if it had "happened" a while ago. i still felt pregnant. i was still hopeful. like last time when i was spotting from the placenta previa (where your placenta lies near or on your cervix). and i am amazed at the support, the friendships, the prayers and "i know exactly how you feel"'s and its so comforting. because its hard to explain, how you feel. when you've lost something that isn't yours. something you've never known, but is gone. and you still feel like something is taken from you. i absolutely trust that god has a plan. that is wasn't time. and i'm thankful he is in control. but i am still allowing myself to grieve. to be sad when it hurts. because i've never felt this before. i know we still want another baby, if that's what god chooses to give us. our family is ready. that doesn't mean its his will. and that's ok. i'll totally buy my big ol' sewing machine and call it good. (a little retail therapy never hurt anyone). but in my heart i know there's room for one more babe. my family feels it. and either that kid will change the world, or will make me change the world. and for some strange reason this whole thing has made me love my kids more. as i tuck them in at night, both sleeping snug next to eachother on the bottom bunk (totally took a picture last night too) i am so thankful for them. so thankful.

so i just had to share. its therapeutic for me to write my thoughts. to get them out. either on paper, or online. most of my world still doesn't know about the miscarriage. its hard to throw it out there. since i just semi-announced we were expecting. but that's part of it. and i'm carrying on.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T21:54:00.000-08:00

from our family to yours.

happy birthday jesus!

nothing has changed, but everything has changed.

2009-12-23T22:10:00.000-08:00

we found out yesterday that i had a miscarriage. i was only 7 weeks along. i had been spotting and i thought it was due to placenta previa like i had with tucker. but after having a sonogram yesterday morning, we found out that there was no baby.

when i came home from the dr. appointment elliana asked me,

"mommy, is it a boy or a girl?"

"honey, there's not a baby in mommy's tummy anymore."

"where did it go?"

"well, god said it wasn't time yet."

"is it gonna come back?"

"maybe if he says its time."

and later that day as we were coloring together i asked her if she thought we should think about asking jesus for another baby.

and she said, "let's pray right now." and she set her marker down, grabbed my hands, closed her eyes and started to pray, "dear jesus, please put a baby in my mommy's tummy. amen."

i'm doing better. yesterday pretty much sucked, but i could feel the prayers and comfort of my friends and family surrounding me. i cried on the phone with friends and an aunt who had been there before. and it was healing.

and today i painted a picture (not the one above) for my niece and pushing the paint around on the canvas was also healing for my soul.

and tonite as we said prayers elliana added, "and please jesus put a baby girl back in my mommy's tummy. amen."

thankfully, god's timing and his plan is always perfect. and my hope is in him. i am not alone. and when it hurts, i cry, and my husband will hold me. and sometimes it just sucks. but i'm getting better. this is part of my story now.

so thank you for your well wishes and prayers.

i have a cute kids christmas craft for tomorrow....to lighten the mood. ;)

Christmas Boutique

2009-12-21T08:04:00.000-08:00

I know i've been so behind on blogging this month, well, last month too. i'll try and catch up these next weeks since i'm pretty much on the couch nursing my hurt back. here are some pictures from the Christmas Boutique we had a few weeks ago. my friend kristin's Charli'z products.
part of my table with camera strap slip covers, zippered pouches, onesies, diaper clutches and reusable snack bags.

Charli'z sofit'z and taggi'z, tutu'z, onesie'z, and bib'z.

more Charli'z: tooth fairy pillow'z, crayon and pen tote'z

fairy wands, christmas onesies and bib'z, eye pillow'z, the cutest felt food and boo boo pillows.

some of my toddler shirts and mommy bags and totes and purses.

more mommy bags. the three of these bags are listed in my shop and ready to ship!

designer burpies, key fobs, anddfabric hair flowers.

fabric hair flowers, crochet baby beanies and nursing covers.

we had so much fun having our 2nd annual christmas boutique and are thinking about a spring boutique too!

well....

2009-12-14T19:24:00.000-08:00

that's right. i'm pregnant! #3. 3 kids? really? wow. so thankful god has a plan for my life. we are so excited and still getting used the idea of 3 kids.

now if i could just peel myself off the couch and find some energy to sew it would be just wonderful!

crafty inspiration:

2009-12-10T11:54:00.000-08:00

i cannot wait to make one of these! learn how from this finger knitting tutorial.
i want to hang my christmas cards from it.
now which color do i choose?
perfect project for *craftymama night*!

Christmas Boutique!

2009-12-10T08:54:00.000-08:00

here are some pictures from our christmas boutique last weekend. kristin and i had so much fun hanging out and talking with our friends and customers and drinking yummy cider and eating too many cookies!

some bags and toddler shirts.

key fobs, fabric hair flowers, and crochet baby beanies (my new obsession!)

kristin's Charli'z products. super cute tooth fairy pillows, crayon and pen totes, onesies, eye pillows, felt food, and bibs.

and more Charli'z products: bibs, tutu's, taggi'z and sofit'z.

i'm getting ready for another craft fair this weekend! i'm so behind with all my posts. i'll catch up soon. life has been pretty good, and crafty, and blessed.

Christimas Boutique!

2009-12-04T23:23:00.000-08:00

I'm having a Christmas Boutique at my house this weekend! Saturday from 12-6 and Sunday from 10-4. Come by and see some new stuff from Sweet Baby Creations and Charli'z and enjoy hot cider and yummy cookies!

FREE SHIPPING!!!

2009-11-26T11:45:00.000-08:00

visit my shop http://www.inspiredbyjenna.etsy.com/ and get FREE SHIPPING on all orders Thanksgving weekend! Black Friday to Cyber Monday!!!! Shop early and get your orders by Christmas!

Custom orders are always welcome!

jenna <3

Happy Thanksgiving! I have so much to be thankful for.....

soooo

2009-11-21T12:04:00.000-08:00

i think i thew my back out this morning folding clothes? i've been flat on my back all morning on the couch. i had to cancel my *craftymama night* tonight and i'm super bummed. i wanted to make some felt christmas trees and fancy hair clips for my upcoming christmas shows. the first weekend in december we are having our 2nd annual Christmas Boutique at my house again. and the next weekend i'm doing a christmas fair at church. super excited, but now not so excited with the whole "can't move and in pain on the couch" thing.

hopefully today instead of cleaning my house (which it sooo needs) i will catch up on blogs since google reader tells me i've got about 750 blog posts to read. better than last weeks 1000+ posts. thankful for the heating pad which totally needs a super cute fabric cover. *add that to project list.

and if i'm here longer than like another hour i'm gonna have to find a craft or something to do. i don't sit and do nothing well. thankful for my laptop. and my husband who is making me lunch.

i really will try and post all the latest happenings....disneyland, elliana's 5th birthday soiree, etc. bad blogger. busy mama. ciao.

Handmade Holidays

2009-11-12T21:22:00.000-08:00

need some christmas inspiration? check out the Sew Mama Sew Handmade Holidays every day this month. i can't believe i forgot about it until now. i'm 1000+ on my google reader. oops. but check it out for the entire month of November for great handmade inspiration!

we're goin to disneyland!!!

2009-11-04T22:00:00.000-08:00

off to see the mouse and his best gal!

be back next week!

elliana turns 5 on saturday and i promise it will be the best birthday yet!

anticipating filling up my 8gb memory card on this one!

oh toodles!

a trip to the "pumpin patch"

2009-10-27T09:40:00.000-07:00

lots of going ons this week, this weekend, and next week, and weekend. and the next weekend.

it will be scarce around here, but lots of pictures will be taken. trust me.

a school harvest fair, halloween, saying goodbye to good friends, baby shower for my twin nieces, preparing to go to disneyland for 4 days for elliana's 5th birthday next weekend (which means making matching shirts for us all to wear, back to school for 3 days then parent conferences, get ready for elliana's fancy nancy tea party soiree (to which we've invited 20 little girls. yes 20 girls. this is my version of a "low key" birthday party), make her *Elliana at 5* scrapbook album. and this is just the personal stuff. not the business stuff.

i have such wonderful customers and i'm so thankful for all the orders i've been getting. there's nothing better than getting an email from a customer letting me know how much they LOVE their stuff. so thankful i get to sew and stay at home with my kids.

have a wonderful week!

my new studio!

2009-10-18T10:09:00.000-07:00

i love love love my new sewing studio! its not totally done yet, i still have some finishing decorative touches and a few more organizational things to do (fabric scraps are coming out of my ears!) and then it will be finished! but i am lOOOVVVIngg itttt!

here is the view as you walk in. i purchased a big IKEA expedit shelf and seriously this was the best purchase like ever! i would get one for every room in our house! for sure a smaller one for the kids room. awesome. and my cutting table and inspiration board. it always feels good when you take all your old inspirations down and leave room for new inspirations. i'm going to put a few more fabric hoops over the board. i ordered a huge lot of 10 off ebay a few weeks ago. don't you love my view out the window of my husbands scaffolding and corner bead. love looking at drywall stuff. its so inspiring. ;)

i got this little kitchen organizer thing at ikea too, that i knew would be perfect for all my cutting table tools. my old space i had a basket and a tin cup like that to hold all my stuff and it was too crowding. so this is great to get it all off the table and give me space. this is a painting i'm working on. still in progress. the grand shelves. still needs a few finishing touches. i really wanted to get cute baskets/boxes but i was tapped out of funds after the shelf and the new desk. i spray painted a few old baskets i had. i'm still moving stuff around. the shelf is awesome. sidenote: when we got home, cleared out my room (everything went in our bedroom) and he started bringing in the shelf pieces they were this birch color, and not white. NOT WHITE! the desk was white. my cutting table is white. the shelf was supposed to white. IT WASN'T WHITE! don't panic, breathe. ikea is only an hour and a half away. be creative. be flexible. so we built the shelf. and took back the desk. that night. it was a little impromptu date with the hubs if you will. thankfully he knows me. and knows i wouldn't be able to live like that. an unmatched when matching was the purpose. when i have my mind set on something, that's it. so we exchanged the desk for the birch color and you know what? i like it better. the desk is awesome. its the IKEA Jonas desk with a slide out side extension table. it slides all the way in, but i knew i wouldn't slide it in. originally i thought it would be perfect for elliana or tucker to do stuff, but its like my last set up, and they were all up in my space. but its the perfect spot for my serger. love it! and i have my scrapbook paper in a roller cart under the desk all tucked away nicely. no more under table clutter. drove me nuts. still waiting to put the perfect items up on my shelf. the rest of my "craft supplies" are in my bedroom still. disaster. but at least my sewing room is organized right? pick your battles. as long as my husband doesn't mind tripping over baskets of crap in the middle of the night. its temporary. at least i keep telling him that.

this is one of my favorite layouts from the circle journal project i did almost 3 years ago. wow. there were about 10 of us all over the US and we each started a theme for a journal. we created a sign in page and did a layout for the theme, and then shipped it along to the next person in the "circle". andrea did an awesome job of organizing and heading it up. so every couple weeks you would get a new journal with a different theme and you would add a layout. themes were favorite quotes, happiness is, favorite music, favorite recipes,etc. mine was love is. and at the end of the circle, you had a filled journal. what a fun experience. i would love to do it again.

my fabric all neatly piled up. the big pieces anyways. i have two giant totes full of scraps. and my bolts are in the closet. in redoing the room, i wanted it to be a sewing studio, and have all my craft supplies in the closet. before my fabric was in the closet, and my craft stuff was, well, everywhere. i was getting claustrophobic. this is one of my first studio redos. i'm not sure i took pictures of how my studio was before i just redid it. but anyways. trust me, its better. my creative juices are all cluttered up anymore. i can breathe. and walk. and spread out on the floor!

and this is the IKEA end table for $7.99! and little stools we already had. its the perfect spot for the kids to do stuff and not be up in my bizness. there's a little rolley cart with all their art supplies, stamps, paper, scissors, stickers. etc. and there's even enough room to move it in the middle if i wanted. there is so much room!!!
one of my favorite elsie prints.

more of the shelves. up top i have two big bins, one for blank onesies and toddler shirts. and other is for blank burpies. i also have my janome sew mini machine. i mostly use it for paper crafting, but elliana is itching to sew on it too. and next to it is the fisher price sew easy machine. i bought it on ebay for 99cents! (paid $9 shipping) but you put a marker in it (the needle) and it puts ink on a stamp roller (bobbin) and when you press down the button, it "sews" a stamp roller print on paper. the kids love it. tucker is all into now. best purchase ever on ebay. wish they still made it. i'm starting to collect sewing machines i think.

so that's my new studio in a nutshell. here's a list of what i still want to do.

1. new curtains

2. more fabric hoops

3. cover ironing board in cute fabric instead of ruler fabric

4. paint letters or cover with fabric

5. hang up clip boards

6. put a shelf up inside the closet for my shipping supplies.

7. oh and find a home for all the stuff that doesn't have a home. (this is the bigger project)

just a glimpse...

2009-10-16T11:54:00.000-07:00

more studio pics coming! (it was raining the day i took the pictures, so i'm gonna try and take a few more while the sun is shining outside)

speaking of the sun shining outside.....we have 2 new sickies, the boys. luckily elliana and i are recovered, her cough is lingering. but now tucker and justin have it. and its nasty.

lots of sewing/crafting/painting/creating to do this weekend!

been doing a lot of this:

2009-10-11T08:09:00.000-07:00

the sickies have come for a visit in our house. very uninvited, might i add. started with elliana, fever (104.4) and a cough. swine flu broke out at her school, and i was a little worried. poor thing slept in our bed, hubby on the couch and then mama got it. achey and stuffy, no fever. and let me tell you, its NOT fun taking care of two littles when you feel like crap. then last night elliana's fever came back, not as high, but still there. with a cough and sneezy. will it ever end? and next week she's "Butterfly of the Week" in her class. which means "you get to hold the pointer and you do what the teacher does, the calendar, the weather, the days of the week. and you get to be the line leader EVERYWHERE!" so she's super excited about that, i just hope she's better by then. she didn't go to school wednesday and thursday of last week because of her high fever, but went on friday with a little cough.

so besides being pinned to the couch, not a lotta crafty going on here. which is torture. i did a few grannies, but it was too much effort. *sigh* i hate being sick. it just doens't work for me. kinda cramps my style ya know? so i'm just gonna make another list of all the things i have to do this month. this is for me, not you, so you don't have to read this part:

1. make elliana's minnie costume. its already cut out, just needs to be assembled.

2. make a tool belt for tucker's Bob the Builder costume.

3. sponge squares on tucker's Bob the Builder shirt. (because bob's shirt is red and yellow SQUARES not plaid. i'm all particular like that)

4. finish custom purse for kristin. (the embroidery is so cute kristin!)

5. mega diaper bag for christy

6. gift set (Mommy bag, nursing cover and snuggle blankie) order from the weekend

7. elliana's birthday party invitations. the theme is: Elliana's Pinkalicious Baking Party! i have to get these out this week.

8. make a halloween costume for me around the sparkly fake eyelashes i bought. i have no clue what i'm going to be, but i just want to wear these monster lashes. i'm thinking prom dress, glitter, and a ratted out wig? sometimes big ol' makeup is too fun!

9. figure out what justin is going to be. i was thinking Joe Dirt. gotta find the wig.

10. start thinking about elliana's "Elliana at 5" scrapbook album.

11. we are going to disneyland for her actual birthday (nov 7) for 4 days. we are soooo excited!!! i really want to make matching shirts for all of us. us, my sister and her daughter, and my parents.

12. my new sewing studio is AWEEEESSoooome! i'll have to post pictures soon. a few more finishing touches. the sicknesses last week put it all to a hault, and craft supplies are still in every room of the house. must finish that hugantic project!!!

13. and still on the list: quilts for the kids, curtains, and redo their bedroom. (somehow that one's feeling like a january project.) i bought the cutest fabric like in may when kate and i went on our craftastic voyage to santa cruz. remember that kate? oh that was fun. we need a winter escape before you go. (her husband, justins brother, is joining the coast guard. and boot camp is in new jersey, and they will probably be stationed somewhere far away :(

14. baby shower gifts for the twinsies, Wendy and Wyatt.

15. wow.

16. its doable right?

17. off to tackle some projects, while pretending to not be stuffy, and taking care of my other sicky.

wednesdays mindspace:

2009-10-07T16:09:00.000-07:00

1. craftymama night was a success! there was gluing, and grannyin', and cutting and painting! i'm so excited to dedicate some crafty time with other mamas!
2. i went shopping to IKEA with danna and we were extremely successful. (as in spent a whole lotta money.) but its an investment (justification #1), and a write-off (justification #2) and since i returned my sewing machine.....(semi-justification#3)
3. reorganizing my studio into a sewing studio instead of a craftapalooza has been a huge job. its turned into a fall declutter (which is good, just time consuming). seriously, just by getting a few key pieces has made a world of difference. oh, and the fact that half of my room is still sitting in my bedroom waiting to be purged, organized, and put away.
4. i can't wait to add the finishing touches (like i said its a loooong process) and then i will post pictures. except i didn't take the "before" shot. i know. we took half the stuff out and i said to my husband, "awww, i forgot to take pictures......lets move it all back" totally joking, and he said, "you would too." oh i totally would.
5. today i worked in my studio for the first time with the new set up and its dreamy. there's space, i can walk around. almost too far. i'm kinda tired actually. ;) i LOVE it! and i set up a little creation station for the kiddos to work next to me, and not in my space like before. seriously, what took me so long to do this?
6. elliana stayed home from school today with a 103.3 fever and a cough. praying this is all, and no other symptoms follow, and that none of us get it. 50 of the 500+ students at her school were out yesterday and many of them with the swine flu. lord please protect my babies.
7. my bestie, my bff, my best friend is moving to nebraska! (we've never actually called eachother those things, but she is. totally.) i'm so sad. at the end of the month they're leaving. just like that they came into our life, and just like that they are moving. our little guys (and our big guys) are best buddies too. we are happy for them and this great opportunity, but so sad for all us here. boo.
8. i am making halloween costumes. actually, i'm thinking about making them. elliana is going to be minnie mouse and tucker will be bob the builder. better get crackin! we always have a party at our house, and i have no clue what justin and i will be. i really want to wear glittery fake eye lashes, so i guess i have to plan a costume around that?
9. you can win a diaper clutch over at the armywife.com! until october 18. the army wife is a great website with lots of great giveaways, product reviews, and baby tips!
10. my sicky wants some snuggles so i better go. ciao.;)

i signed up for another class!

2009-10-01T08:15:00.000-07:00

mysteries of me.....ooooh, sounds exciting doesn't it?

liz kartchner has amazing style. not only in her scrapbooking (creating keepsakes column Ask Lizzy) and her clothing (seriously adorable). i can't wait to take this class. it starts October 15th so there's still time to sign up. you can get all the class supplies or use your own, i'm using my own because its cheaper. the class is only $15. and its all about me, all hidden in a vintage book. doensn't that sound fun? like i need a new somthing right? but i do.

i'm loving elsie and rachel's class, but i'm slacking like big time. i haven't done any of the some 10 projects already posted. lame, i know. but there are journaling prompts and i'm loving that. i won't tell you how much THAT class cost, but trust me, i should be doing the projects. i think i would love just a journaling prompts online class from elsie. i requested it. as if i have some opinion in her classes right? i miss doodling. and the new journal i started is doodley and yummy.

i finally did something i've been wanting to do for seriously years. years! i'm starting a *CraftyMama night* group. and tomorrow night is our first crafty gathering! i invited all of my crafty friends to just come over and make stuff. and some of my non crafties to learn new crafts! i'm having stuff for girls to reconstruct t-shirts, or to learn how to crochet grannies to make a blanket. i'm excited to see how it goes. a few yummy munchies, some wine, tunes and crafty goodness! i can't wait!

i'm hoping to get a group of girls who we can rotate houses, so i can get out too! i told elliana she could do a craft with me until its bedtime. i know she can't wait until she can be a real part of it. she loves crafting with mommy anyways. i figure, i need to dedicate a night for myself, and i chose friday nights. and whynot craft with other girls right? so excited for *craftymama night*!

gonna go see this guy tonite.....

2009-09-26T08:06:00.002-07:00

i'll be the one dancing in the aisles kay?

can't wait!

fall clutter clean up

2009-09-24T08:34:00.000-07:00

the change of fall (more so on the calendar and NOT so much in the weather, its still 100* over here in cali) always makes me want to impose my own changes. i've been thinking about redoing my studio. making it more of a sewing space instead of a crafty space. we are taking a trip to IKEA next weekend and i need to make a list of all the things i want to get. its so easy to get side tracked in that store.

i'm feeling the need to clean up the clutter. last weekend we overhauled our garage. THAT felt good. and now i keep staring at our little piles of clutter all over our house. i'll be the first to admit that it's all me. but we don't really have an office or place for the clutter. (meaning bills, mail, lost toys, general miscellaneous items, etc). and i dont' really have a great "system" for managing the clutter.

*any ideas or blogs links are greatly appreciated!

what do you do with the clutter? baskets? a desk? drawers? i always end up having a basket or container on our counter that collects the most random stuff. and then sometimes i put all the little items away, sometimes they just don't have a home. so i put all those items in another bin in my bedroom. i won't even talk about my bedroom. seriously every room has a random bin/basket/box of clutter. i hate clutter. its suffocating me.

any ideas? i need help. when i start to talk about it, my husband says, "here we go. mommy's going on a rampage again."

am i alone here or does anybody else battle this. especially *ESPECIALY* with littles who like to strew things all. over. the. house.

so maybe i'll take some before and after pictures of my studio redo. i'll bear the you the sight of my clutter piles. but i'm planning on coming home from IKEA broke and on a mission. and my oh so practical husband says at my IKEA shopping list, "wouldn't that money make great spending money in disneyland?" *BIG SIGH* yessssssSSSSS. (we are going to disneyland for elliana's birthday the beginning of november!!!!)

oh and also my twin nieces were born on tuesday! TWINS! my SIL already had 3 girls and now she has 5. 5? wow. i can hardly manage 2 somedays. we are so happy that our family is growing!!! (not "OUR" family as in me, but "our" family as in extended family. always have to clarify. ;)

ok, enough randomness.

attacking clutter, and sewing today.

it's how god made me.

2009-09-22T23:49:00.001-07:00

few blogs have moved me to tears. sometimes you read the right words at the right time. a little pearl just for your heart. and the tears fall. i've always thought of it like this: tears are heart water. and when the tears fall, it means something is speaking to your heart. could be happy, could be sad. i'm still trying to describe this one to elliana because she thinks mommy's aren't supposed to cry. this one does. when i'm happy, when i'm hurting, when i'm upset, when i'm proud. when my emotions get bigger than me and i can't contain them, i cry. and whenver i ask elliana why she does something (anything, could be asking so many questions, or likes to color, or has brown hair) she'll say, "it's how god made me."
right. its how god made me. she has it.
so the other night i was catching up on nienie's blog. if you don't know her story, she is a mother of 4 and was in a near fatal plane crash just over a year ago with her husband. they both survived but with burns covering most of her body and parts of his. it was heart wrenching to read about it. her sister cjane basically raised her 4 children for her and continued to blog about her, and share her story while she was recovering. it was amazing. the way the blogging community came together to support and comfort this family. a-mazing. as she came out of her coma, got skin grafts, learned to walk again. i had to stop reading it. it was too hard. my heart was too invested. i would cry as i would read the posts updating her condition because i couldn't imagine going through that. her poor children. too invested.
so the other night another blog i love(i can't remember which one) linked to nienie and i was curious how she was doing. so i caught up. she is doing awesome! she is such an amazing writer. the way she looks at life. the tiny moments she finds amidst the humdrum life. remarkable. i really have no words. you must read her story.
and then i came upon this post. and i couldn't stop crying. i had had a rough day with elliana. i was beat. my emotions were worn out. and i cried. read it and tell me you didn't cry.
and then i came upon this post and my heart melted. not out of sorrow, but to see how their love has grown. how connected they have become out of this tragedy. he cleared her path. ugh. oh how i sobbed.
so then i went to bed and snuggled a little closer with my soul mate. so thankful. so in love. so blessed. its how god made me.

craftin like its 1999

2009-09-18T13:42:00.000-07:00

ok, i'm seriously addicted to granny squares. like BIG time. every chance i get, grannyin. all i ever say is "ok, just let me finish this square" "ok, one more square" "ok, last one." i choose yummy fall colors that match my pillows in my living room and i can't wait to snuggle up with it when its a blankie. i followed this video tutorial and was inspired by this post by rachelin sewing news....

this is my new fall purse. i'm loving gray and purple right now.

this bag is a version of *the perfect tote* bag but with a zipper which i LOVE.

it's not as small as the Mini Mommy and not as big as the regular MOmmy bag.

it has two pockets in the outside and two pockets on the inside and a loop of elastic to hold a water bottle or sippy cup (for us mommies). it really is a great size. i'm hoping to list it in the shop this weekend. i really want to be able to add a zipper to any mommy bag as an added option. custom orders are always welcome!

i finally decided to start up a craftymama group on friday nights for all the crafty mama's i know. i've been wanting to create a crafting group for a while but never have, and so i just kinda threw it out there and hopefully all the craftymama's and soon-to-be craftymamas (morgan;) will join me in making some fun stuff!

first craftymama club is friday october 2nd. whoohoo.

*hoping to finish up a custom bag for nicolette this weekend. (it's looking so cute nic! great fabric choices!)

*more grannies, of course.

*make a new tote for all my yarn. when i crochet elliana calls it "yarning". so this will be my yarning tote.

fall is in the air isn't it? even though its still 100*here. bleh. i always get in my crafting groove during the fall. i bought a harvest spice candle from pier 1 the other day and its heaven. ready to put out the fall decorations! summer, i'm done with you. hello fall!

ooh, and i got a new journal for my autumn is love class with elsie &rachel. love love love this class! cute ideas, journaling prompts, online chats. super creative girls!

now go kick some craft!

what i've been up to

2009-09-14T09:26:00.000-07:00

making some new bags:

City Girl Blue Stripes

a custom mega diaper bag for danna:

(in which i realized i must return my new sewing machine *tears* because it doesn't do what i need it to. so i will wait until i can afford a big ol' industrial sewing machine and have retired the mega bags until then. boo.)

camping with family in lake tahoe on my birthday weekend (labor day). a total of 8 kids!

it was fun and the weather was beautiful!

playing at the beach.

last weekend i threw my husband a surprise 30th birthday party! he looks thrilled doesn't he? our plans were go wine tasting with friends and drop of the kids at my parents house for the evening. but when we went to drop the kids off, the surprise was there! it was awesome!

we decided we were actually bummed we didn't really go wine tasting, so we are going to go next weekend!

i had the theme "still the MVP after 30 years" since he just recently was voted the MVP of one of the tournaments he was in. he's also been playing softball like crazy. tournaments on the weekends, 2 teams during the week. it was only fitting. so we had a home run derby for "lazer" (his nickname in the tourneys) and way in the back all the kids held up "the fence"

i made a collage of all his baseball/softball pics through the years, and everybody signed the "game ball".

i love this man. i am so proud of everything he is, and everything he has done. he is an amazing husband and father. i couldn't ask for anything more. i am so blessed and thankful to call him my husband. the next 30 years will be our best!

i'm out.

2009-09-03T22:24:00.000-07:00

hoping to do lots of this: gone camping at the lake.

the big birthday is on saturday.

celebrating my husbands 30th with his fam (his actual bday is next week)

i was actually born on labor day, or i guess my mom was in labor, on labor day.

or actually, everybody get a holiday weekend because of moi! ;)

peace out.

take advantage of my birthday discount in the shop!

birthday sale in the shop!

2009-09-02T08:01:00.000-07:00

After taking the month of August off, the shop is up and running again! so come visit Sweet Baby Creations!

City Blooms Nursing Cover

Corduroy Olive Kashmir Surpreme Gift set

Kaycee Diaper Clutch

Green Polka Dots Cotton Burpies

The Perfect Tote Bag (Olive Kashmir)

i'll be adding more stuff all week long!

maybe we should have a birthday sale since i turn the be 32 on saturday huh?

so in honor of me entering this world on september 5, it was actually on labor day that year, you can enter in the discount code: SEPT5 in the notes to seller for 15% off your entire purchase.

(I will refund your discount through paypal after you have purchased your items.)

this birthday sale will go through the weekend and end on Monday September 7 at midnight PST.

so go visit Sweet Baby Creations and shop away!

Custom orders are always welcome!

monday's mindspace:

2009-08-31T22:09:00.000-07:00

i have no direction in this post, just merely getting out all the words and thoughts that are consuming my brain.....feel free to move on if you like. its kinda messy.
1. i'll make a list so its more structured.
a. this makes me feel productive and organized
2. this month has been very interesting. i "took a vacation" from my shop, but clearly did not vacay. i did feel a bit of release in that i was not up late every evening, which was nice, but i still did stuff, stayed up late, i just didn't feel the guilt if i chose to go to bed early. so that was nice.
3. elliana started kindergarten and she has done amazingly well. we have all adjusted to our new schedule nicely. lots of driving now. but she is loving it, making new friends, learning new things, being away from mommy. its all good stuff there.
4. tucker is totally potty trained. we put a pull-up on him at night but its usually dry in the morning, and he'll wake up if he has to go potty in the middle of the night. crazy huh? lately he's been waiting till the very last minute to go potty and has had a few little accidents, but finishes going in the potty. its actually been super easy with him. come to think of it, it was pretty easy with elliana too. i didn't push it with either of them, i just waited for the cues that they were ready, and went with it. i've spent a lot of time in the bathroom lately. so much that i now do either wall squats while i read tucker a book, or squats. but squats make tucker want to do it, so he gets off the potty. we have a seat that goes on our toilet because the little potty took up too much room in our bathroom. so nice to finally be diaper free for the first time in 5 years!!
5. i'm sending back my new sewing machine. i know! i love sewing with it, its so nice, but it doesn't do what i need it to do. and i didn't realize it until now, but i really do need an industrial sewing machine. one that is powerful enough to plow through the layers of my new bags and not give me trouble. i am so bummed. so i decided i will not make my new super mega diaper bags anymore ( i've made a few for friends) until i get an industrial. but i have to save up for it because the one i want is $1500! but i know once i get that machine, my business will change. and i know its not that time yet. so i sort of have to take a step back.
6. which is sort of what i've done this month. take a step back and look at my life. where i'm at. what i'm doing. what's important. and i've realized that where i am, and where i want to be, are worlds apart. i have all these ideas, sketches, dreams and desires for my business. but i feel like god keeps telling me its not time yet. i have all these ideas of what i want my business to be, and i'm here, and its there. way over there. i know its not the right time. maybe when the kids are in school full time. so for now i'll stay where god has me.
7. i have an extremely strong desire to make a baby. i'm sure its the sweet gentle prayers of my daughter asking for a baby sister every night that have slowly tugged on my heart. or seeing my son hold a friends baby girl and stroke her hair and pat her belly and not want to let her go. sooooo sweet. *tug tug* elliana really wants a girl, but i secretly want a boy. don't tell her. ;) (no i am NOT pregnant. i always feel the need to clarify. NOT PREGNANT...yet. ;)
8. i am turning 32 this weekend. 32!!*sigh*that's all i have to say about that.
9. we are going camping at lake tahoe this weekend with my husbands fam and i'm getting excited! this will be our last camping trip of the year. it will be fun. my birthday is on saturday and hopefully we will have a rootin' tootin' good ol' time round the campfire! actually, i just want a few hours of peace and quiet so that i can craft, read magazines, and enjoy a few adult beverages with my SIL and i'll be a happy camper!
10. my shop opens up tomorrow, so come on by and check it out! i have a really cute new bag for fall i'm working on with super cute slate corduroy and plum fabrics! i'm keeping this one, but they will listed in the shop too! and it has a zipper!
11. i've decided i'm going against every bone in my body and NOT doing a handmade chistmas. that's right, i said it, NOT DOING IT! i will be getting my venti iced coffee with extra milk and extra vanilla and going to safeway with their gift card kiosk and purchasing gift cards for everyone on my list and by the time my coffee is done, my christmas shopping will be done. how THAT for letting yourself off the hook!
12. that felt good. damn good. although i might just make a few things for a few special people, BUT THAT'S IT!
13. is that being a sell out? i'm really trying to not be all crafty, but its in my blood people! oh forget it. once i start elsie and rachel's autumn craft class i'll be all crafty this and crafty that and "oooh i can make this for that person" and "this would be perfect for her!" and get myself in a crafty tizzy stress ball like i do every christmas. what's new right?
14. i bought my birthday present(s) today. this is what i do. i buy my presents, because this way everybody wins. he doesn't have to shop the night before, and i get what i want. end of story. i do this for mother's day too. last year for my birthday i got a lisa leonard designs necklace that i LOVE. oh wait, maybe i should've gotten a new necklace? the vintage pearl has some super cute ones now. hmmmm. well, anways, i bought a super cute pair of jeans from costco no less, and they actually fit! like really good. and jeans are so hard for me to find. i hate it when you bend over and business shows. these don't show the biz. aaaaand i found some mascara (at costco again!) a 2 pack of stila mascara for $14! on sephora a single tube costs $22! score!
15. its kind of amazing how when you let go of things, give them to god, he just takes care of you.

*inspired* by jenna

WIWW

toby is 7 months!

we got a puppy!

happy 1/2 birthday toby!

WIWW (what i wore wednesdays)

the little people in my life

WIWW

what i've been up to....

first (and 2nd) tooth

Tobykins is 4 months old

3 months already?

Hap---py New Year!

its just so christmassy

oops

Halloween

2 weeks

he's here!

today is my due date.

the baby corner

WIWW 39 weeks prego edition

WIWW 38 weeks prego edition

my birthday weekend

36 weeks

my birthday weekend

tucker's going to preschool!

what i wore wednesday prego edition: 33 weeks

mmmm...

what i wore wednesday prego edition: 32 weeks

7 years

weekend in SF & Renegade Craft Fair!

weekend getaway!

the countdown has begun

got back from a weekend of this:

Tucker is 3!

its been a full week

happy father's day ( a little late)

its summertime!

guess who's riding without training wheels?

what i wore wednesday: prego edition

kindergarten graduation

today my baby graduates kindergarten

the anatomy of a family photo shoot with a self timer.

i'm back!

mother's day, the belly, and ear drums

Happy Mommy's Day!

i LOVE makeup!

what i wore last week...

mommy bags for sale!

mind space

be present...

saturday we went to the citaye!

tonite is *craftymama night*!

i have a little secret......

i got a new do!

i got a new phone!

hope now

the sniffles

Elliana's valentine's

Indie Business 2.0

Happy Valentine's Day!

7 years ago today......

super cheap bed canopy

crafty goodness

she's here!!!!

and the winner is!

crafty goodness

i go hunting mommy!

400th post and a giveaway

Craft Hope for Haiti

Mommy Bag Giveaway!!!!

its *craftymama night* !

dreaming of this......

goals for 2010

back on my feet again. literally.

processing

Merry Christmas!

nothing has changed, but everything has changed.

Christmas Boutique

well....

inspired by jenna

tonite is craftymama night!

its craftymama night !