I'm Quilting...Hooray!!!

I was actually able to quilt this week!!!  Hooray.  Of course, it was only AFTER Makenzie was through...and boy, it was HARD to be a patient Mom!!!

And Saturday...Spencer spent the entire day adding shelves to my quilt closet!!!  So now I can unpack all the boxes and find my stuff!!!

I am one HAPPY MOMMY!!!!!!!!!

My various quilts...in various stages = heaven!!!

I'm stretching WAY outside my comfort zone and making an art quilt for the Jacksonville Quilt Show.  I liked their challenge theme and fabrics, had an image in my mind of the quilt I would do instantly, and bought a packet.  Now that I have my quilt space, I started it. 

I did swoopy, loopy curves for the first time and they came out really cool.  WOW!!!

Well...that's pretty much our week...I'm going to go back and quilt a little more before bedtime!!!



Hailey the Flying Wonder

Spencer made a super-cool zip-line for the girls.  Need I say more???



Isaiah AKA The Kraken

In our home, we have lots of nick-names.  Several of Isaiah's are Mr. Man, Chunky Monkey, and most fittingly The Kraken.  You know...that monster that destroyed the city in Clash of the Titans.

Well, Isaiah has that wonderful knack of knowing when I am busy or destracted, and then destroying the house!!!

Here is his work from this week.  I got to sleep in one day (heaven!!!).  Then I opened my bedroom door and realized that he had emptied our desk drawer.  We had to rush to the library, so I didn't have time to clean.  After the library, Isaiah returned to finish his mess.  Taking out the pull-tabs was actually really good fine-motor-skill work, so I couldn't get too upset!!!

Then later in the week, I was working with Makenzie while she was quilting.  Isaiah decided he didn't look quite cool enough...so he emptied my bathroom drawer and decorated himself.

Sigh...it's a good thing he's just so darn CUTE!!!



Sunsets for Sunday...Wk 5

Finally Ready to QUILT!!!

If you know me, you know I LOVE TO QUILT.

In Spartanburg, I had my very own quilting room...which was heavenly for a mother of (then) 3.  I could quilt, stop whenever I was needed, and just walk away.  Close the door and the quilt could stay in limbo indefinately...hours, days, weeks, or even months.  Like I said, heavenly.  Sigh.

Well..we moved and I could not convince the movers to pack my sewing room.  I LOVE my new house.  Love the yard, love the pool, love the view, love the artsy-feel to the home.  BUT...it does not have a room that lends itself as a quilting room.

6 months and another child and I had reached my limit.  It was TIME to figure out how I could quilt...or I would just go INSANE. 

You see...quilting is my "sanity excercise".  I'm convinced that every stay-at-home parent needs one activity as a mental and emotional release.  Something to remind you what being an adult feels like.  Something to remind you that there is more to life than dishes and laundry and diapers and messes and meals.  You get my drift.

It doesn't have to be crafty.  It could be reading, photography, blogging, cooking, costuming, running, swimming, etc.

For me...it's quilting.  And I haven't had access.  And I am going insane.

SO...enough was enough.

Spencer helped (okay...Spencer DID and I helped) hang up my design wall.  Then we moved my quilting frame into position.  We discussed where to put the sewing table, and decided our room would be best.  It'll be the easiest to keep the kids away from and will give me a beautiful view to watch while quilting.

I had to clean out the wheels on the chair so that they wouldn't scratch our hard-wood floors.  There were 5 rollers.  The "mess" is from just 3...I had 2 more to go.  The 2 on the left are what the other 3 (including the one on the right) looked like before I removed contless years worth of stuff!

SIGH.  Now I have a cleaned and ready space for my quilting.  Next weeked, Spencer will tackle my quilting closet (adding shelving) so that I can unpack my fabric and stuff.  Then I can finally get back to quilting...and maybe regain some SANITY!!!



Sunsets for Sunday...Wk 4

I have been REALLY sick this week (cold turned into full-fledged sinus infection).  But...I was able to take some time and appreciate the end of another day.



Snakey Pizza/Calzone

This week has been filled with sickness in our house. 

I have had it the worse...but Hailey was pretty sick too.  Spencer and Makenzie got a diluted dose of the yuckies.  Luckily, Isaiah and Riley seem to have missed the fun! 

Friday night was pizza night...and Saturday was leftovers. 

Spencer had fun and made a snake calzone.



Sweet Sister!

Orange Rolls and Excercising

I tried making orange rolls again.  The filling and the icing are awesome...but the dough keeps turning out thin, rubbery, and just plain YUCKY!!!  Not sure what I'm doing wrong...and it sure is alot of work to keep getting gross results.  BUT, I'm determined to figure out how to make yummy, home-made rolls!

One of Spencer's New Year Resolutions is to excercise regularly and get back into shape.  He has the P90X program, and we've been waking up together.  So far, we've made it two weeks.  Whoo-Hoot!!!  On Saturday, we sleep in but work-out as soon as I get out of bed.  This Saturday, all the kids were awake and joined us off and on.  Isaiah was the cutest!  And, I learned why people go to a gym.  Anytime we stretched, either Isaiah or our dog Sirius crawled under us, laid on top of us, or knocked us over!





Sunsets for Sunday...Wk 3

Soooo....I only took 1 picture this week.  I managed to take a picture Monday.  Then the weather turned yucky and the sun set without me noticing.  And I had a massive headache all through the week.  Here is the lone picture from this week.



Sunsets for Sunday...Wk 2

Well, I've made it an entire week!  And boy, was it beautiful!!!

Picture-Perfect Sunday Afternoon

Canoeing With Grams and Grandpa...The Departure

Canoeing With Grams and Grandpa

Grams and Grandpa called us Friday night and asked if the girls wanted to go canoeing Saturday.  They said YES very enthusiastically. 

So...Grams and Grandpa took Makenzie and Hailey canoeing on the Lofton River in Yulee, FL. 

Hailey (the princess) wanted to wear a dress...so she if very fasionable dressed for a day on the river. 

They had a great time and no one fell in!!!  The didn't see any alligators or turtles, but they did see lots of birds. 

The most exciting part of the trip was going under 5 bridges!