Done and Done!

I have been working like a mad woman to finish up projects. I've come to the conclusion... it's so much more fun to start something than it is to do the tedious little things to finish something... I know, that's not something new to you, but I just never thought of myself as a "non-completer" of projects. But alas, I am! So, I've tried to finish things so I can move on to another project without having the feeling that something is hanging over my shoulder, waiting to be completed. So, in light of these new thoughts, I finished my house quilt and I made a baby quilt for my friend Jamie who is due any day now (or quite possibly has already had the baby!!). I love how both of them turned out. The stripey back on the house quilt is actually a thrifted duvet cover that I found at a hole in the wall thrift store. It's a Tommy Hillfiger or Ralph Lauren product... can't remember which, but MAN it sure was difficult to hand sew the binding on because of the high thread content. My fingers were bruised by the end of it! But, I LOVE IT! And Jamie didn't know that I was making the quilt for her... when I gave it to her, she LOVED it. That made my day... You know.. when you make something for someone you just never know how it will be appreciated and when it IS appreciated, all the work and love that went into making it is even more fabulous.

I'm now working on Kayden's birthday present, her birthday dress, and her birthday hat. I don't know where she got the idea about a birthday hat, but that's all she talks about. "Burfday ha, Mama, burfday ha!" Can't wait to show you the picutures of all this fun stuff!! Hopefully soon...

Easter Blessings and Crafty Goodness!

Happy Easter to you all! We had a crazy day, but it was beautiful and wonderful. My sister in law and her family and my mother in law came up on Friday night. All the cousins had so much fun playing together! Dress up was the most fun I would have to say... We all decorated eggs and just had an overall fabulous time. Kaelin... oh, Kaelin... She had one egg the whole night and by the time we were done she had cracked the egg so many times that the dye got inside... and a neon yellow egg was the result! Gross! Easter Sunday was a blessing. We took the girls to church and then over to Papa Paul's house to hunt for eggs. We had a great brunch and lots of fun.

I made the little chick to put in Kaelin's Easter basket. I was going to make one for each girl, but of course, my time management skills were not the best. Oh, Well! Maybe next year... I also finished a quilt that I have been working on since, um... Georgia! Yep, that's right... 6 years in the making! But... at least it's done, right?? And... last but not least... I made the girls their Easter dresses this year! Kaelin's was a breeze compared to Kayden's! Even with the zipper on Kaelin's it didn't compare to the ruffles and all the gathering on Kayden's. But... it was worth it to see them all dressed-up and beautiful for Easter!

Our day ended with Kaelin, Kayden, Susan (Yeadon's mom) and I sitting on the couch watching the Vegetales movie about Easter. It brought tears to my eyes as I realized just how amazing it is to be a mom and to be able to share the true meaning of Easter with my girls. To be able to freely talk about Jesus and His love for us. It truly made the whole day for me!

Auntie Pam

My fabulous Aunt Pam was in town a couple of weeks ago. She is a nun at Mount Saint Mary's Abbey in Massachusetts. We don't get to see her often so it was a real treat to have her here. She and the girls hit it off almost immediately. Of course, it took them some time to be 100% comfortable with her... but as you can see in the pictures, she soon became a fast friend.


I bet you never thought you'd be on the ground playing horsey with my girls, huh Aunt Pam?? We loved having you here and can't wait to see you again!

Swirly, Twirly, Girlies

So I finally made Kaelin her swirly skirt... She loved it! I was able to get this sweet picture of Kayden twirling aroung and Kaelin... Trying to twirl! Hope your week is going as well as ours!

Stress Relief

One of the things I do for stress relief is sew. You all probably know that, but I thought I just reiterate the fact... I love to sew! I have only been sewing for about 6 years, but I can't imagine not doing it... It relaxes me, almost like reading a book. So, since the beginning of the year, I've tried to get some sewing done here and there. I made the skirt for Kayden, my pin cushion, and here are some other things...




This is my notetaker... I made 7 of these babies for Christmas gifts this year and I never got around to making myself one. I needed something to hold my work calendar and business cards, so I made myself this beauty. I love it! The colors and prints are SO me!

I have also been working on this quilt top for a YEAR! I finally finished the top yesterday and had to show you. It's great, huh?? The girls just HAD to sit on it before I could snap some more photos... Their so cute, aren't they?!?

Already?!?

This cannot be my baby!! How did she grow up so fast?? She has gotten in the habit of taking her diaper off AFTER she's already done her business and then she goes to the potty... Geez! Kayden was so easy to potty train. She doesn't like to be dirty so going potty was just an easy thing for her. Kaelin, on the other hand... She's just a goofball and when she's ready, she'll get it. As for the pacifer... I know, I KNOW! I'm done with it too! Hopefully by her second birthday she'll be weaned and life can go on without the paci.... One can only hope...

FINALLY!!! Back, Again!

Can I just say that the last few months of our lives have been nuts? The holidays threw us for a loop, especially with Yeadon's crazy schedule. On top of making almost all the gifts this year, making Christmas dinner, singing for Christmas Eve, and just the general hubbub of the holiday season, all of us seemed to be sick at some point. I have known my husband for almost 13 years and he has NEVER been as sick as he has been in the last few months. Some say it's because we now have kiddos, but he's pretty sure it's because of the choas that has been his work schedule for the last 4 months. He is currently getting over some nasty crud that seems to be lingering... Such is life, right? So without further ado... I give you a variety of pictures taken over the last few months. We have a little bit of Christmas, some projects that I completed, and a couple of recent pics of my beautiful girlies (taken today!). I hope you enjoy!



Yeadon and I celebrated our family Christmas with just the girls before the Christmas Eve service at church, hence the dressy clothes of the girls.

I made both of the girls special PJ's for Christmas. When I was a little girl, my mom would always get me new PJ's and I would get to open them Christmas Eve. I made Kayden a nightgown, which she LOVES, and Kaelin a matching top and bottom set. I LOVE this flannel print. The yellow is just perfect for Kayden, and Kaelin's is a red with pink apples.

I just made this pin cushion... and I love it! It's huge and fabulous.

I made this stripwork skirt for Kayden. She picked out the black print with yellow butterflies and I picked out the rest. The moment she saw it done she wanted to wear it... so I let her. Didn't get a picture of her in it though... she wouldn't stop twirling around and dancing like a princess. Suffice it to say, she loves it and I love that she loves it.

And these last pictures were taken today. It feels like I just haven't had the time to get down on the ground and play with my girls, so today I canceled everything and spent one on one time with two of the most important people in my life. It was great! We played blocks, we made houses, we knocked houses down... When Yeadon got up we all loaded up in the car, got a pockeful of quarters and headed to the mall to ride the kiddy rides. It was fun. It felt like an eternity had passed us by since the last time we just stopped all the busyness and spent time together. It's not for a lack of love or want, it's just life. Yeadon's schedule is crazy nuts until he is done with his training. I have four home studies on my plate (which is WAY too many with two kiddos), I hosted my BUNCO group last night (11 other women whom I fed and entertained), and to top it off, I have a nasty case of hives (I know, too much info!) I wanted today to be mine, with my girls and my hunny, and that's what I got. We needed it desperately! I have recently been told (not for the first time, mind you) that I take on too much and I never ask for help. It's true, and I know it. I just don't want to burden others with things that I feel I should be able to take care of and do for myself. But, alas, my body has said otherwise... Hives! Goodness! Even though the doc at the Urgent care said they were probably not caused by stress, there's nothing else in my life that I think could have caused them. I don't really know what to do about the stress, but I do know that I have to take time for my family and put all the other stuff on the sidelines for a time. Once my four home studies are done, I'm taking a little break. Thank goodness I only have to host my BUNCO group once a year... it would probably kill me to do it more often! Ok... I know... Enough about the inner thoughts of Jenn's head... I hope you guys like the update, and I really do want to try and keep this blog a little more updated!