Sewing Machine's first challenge

My life has changed since Christmas 2010.  Yes, the hubby gave me this little number before we went home for Christmas and after I shed tears and emitted all sorts of girlie screams while jumping up & down, he added, "I consider this the best investment I've ever made."  Amen babe, Amen.  

Already I've mended and sewed and patched and fixed numerous things around the house in the last 4 months (kind of a glamorous Cinderella Dream, I know).  Needless to say, it has already paid for itself.  And there wasn't much of a learning curve.  It's my favorite toy in the house.

Here is the first project that I decided to inaugurate the Sewing Machine and novice sewing skills on.  This sweet Cabbage Patch doll that my honey got for her first birthday came with clothes that were unsightly - a real let down. 

So, I found a tutorial at The Polka Dot Chair for a Twirly Dolly Skirt and was inspired to say the least.  I made the top just by looking at the said unsightly onesie already donned by the doll - I think it accents the twirly skirt nicely.

(what's best is that I used things I already had here at home - can't beat $Free.99)

This doll was always a favorite of my honey but now, it's a beautifully-dressed-favorite.  Just today, I saw her stroking her fingers along the trim and saying, "oooh" - my work is done.

Kids say the darndest things!

Just as I'm typing this post I'm laughing out loud(I couldn't even give it the acronym of lol because it's that funny to me) at the darndest things my boys are saying lately!

The Hubby and I just constantly crack up at what grown-up things they say and their expressed views of what goes on in life. So here is the top phrase from each of them that I think you might get a laugh out of too.

After hitting the baseball across the backyard (and, yeah, at age 3 I'm jealous of his hand-eye coordination) I cheer and clap and make a big deal (like all moms do) and Chub Deuce yells to me in the most excited and proud voice, "Mom! I watched the ball with my eyes!"

I'm sure The Hubby has told him time and again to "Keep your eye on the ball." I could almost see the light bulb going on above Chub Deuce's head when he realized what happens when he follows such counsel. Kills me.

Picture this: getting pajamas on my Chub and asking him what his favorite part of the day was. He recalled when we went to the park to ride our bikes, asked the sun to come out and warm up our bodies while we ate a picnic, and chased mommies and brothers down the twisty slide.
To this he added, "Yeah, that was so much funny."
Kills me. I die. Even now. It will live down in infamy.

My Honeys

I am LOVING my desktop background on my PC as of late and I'm sure you can see why...

The only problem was that I had a hard time choosing between the two.

Top picture in this post was today's winner, but I may just alternate them to savor this delicious Daddy-daughter moment!

I Just Can't Get Enough...

...of this little Cherry Bomb!

Seriously? Who can resist that face, those cheeks, that little button nose, those kankles, that "little Cindy Lou Hoo" 'do(which The Chub calls 'The Fountain')?! And the list will go on. I'm just dying at the cuteness that spills out of her...gosh I'm a lucky mom to snuggle my little girl and enjoy this life with such a wonderful spirit! She is captivating and uplifting and...DELICIOUS!!!

Summer Nourishment

The way to my memory bank is through my stomach. And the following illustrates exactly what I mean. It just isn't truly Summer without...

...a little of this...

...a little of that...

...and a whole lot of THIS!
(three different occasions, three different locations, but they all illustrate some of the best foods of Summer)

How I spell "Love at Home"

When you are faced with leaving the home you've known for awhile (in our case, almost 6 years) the things you may have disliked about it soon become your favorite characteristics. We've been discussing the things we will miss and the list is now innumerable: the squeaky floor boards, the old school white tile in the bathroom, the orange wallpaper in the laundry room (that we just can't seem tear down), and the list goes on.

So as an homage to the things I thought I disliked about my home but will forever be treasures now...I started a project. But this time I actually finished it! Yeah, I was shocked (and quite proud of myself for a few days) too. The following photos have been printed, matted, and framed so no matter where we move, I'll always be able to take my first home with me.

L-O-V-E
to our home
(see you in a few years - we hope)
L...is for the bottle cap windows that frame our entry door.

O...is for the chain link fence remnants that still remain.

V...is for the lilac bush that wafts sweet scents in early Spring.

E...is for the reddish brick that has been with the house since infancy.

Try it once...

For some good family fun...you really DO have to try it once:
The Utah Renaissance Festival and Faire in Ogden, Utah
After dressing up (borrowed costumes, I'm not skilled in the sewing department) and driving about 45 minutes, we ended up in a dirt parking lot and hoofed it to our "adventure."

Every time we go somewhere or try something new, even no matter how "educated" and prepared we think we are, we always have what we call and "adventure." It happens every time. Like getting lost along the way, finding out our destination is closed for the season, or testing our children's patience in the car.

We sure did a LOT of this! If you're up for people watching, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that you will find THE MOST interesting people to watch at this event/location. Trust me. Why do you think the last two pictures are of us staring? If you go there, you will know.

In between all the "people watching" we did, I sure couldn't get enough of the costumes our family was dressed in. Especially Chubette. It was as if this little princess (pushed around in her chariot, of course) was being served by her 4 servants (or 1 Lady in waiting and 3 Knights in Shining Armor). She was so much fun and it was her first appearance as a real princess. Loved it!

What would Renaissance be without a Pirate Ship? You'd be surprised. But the boys sure LOVED it (even though they couldn't go in it - we weren't sure how structurally sound it was). First on our Adventure Log Book. Check.

And...I was pretty excited(as always) that I got them to smile for the camera.
My delicious boys.

Second in our Adventure Log Book...Become officially Knighted. They swore an oath never to use their swords on family members(hmmm..let's see if they remember that), and even signed the decree with a thumb print. Hey, you can't beat $Free.99 right? And, just the other day, The Chub reminded me that he was "a real Knight."

Third entry in our Adventure Log Book...Petting some....everyday animals? The Chickens and Baby Goats were apparently not as familiar so we stuck to being brave at picking up a puppy. I'm totally fine with this.

Fourth entry...Real. Life. Jousting! The highlight of the experience, but with all of the hoopla before the actual Jousting itself, the kids were not all that impressed. I just felt bad for these men who hurt themselves for the thrill of the sport. Not only do they train for this, but they were filming a Reality TV Show about their experiences (yeah, just a hint of the kinds of things that went on there that day).

Well, that's it for our fun family adventure. And, as I said, we tried it once and that's about it. I mean, sure it wasn't Disneyland, but it was 100% worth trying it once.

Side note: Aren't my kids amazing? Yeah, only cool people have one boy that wears princess jewels while the other picks his nose. I'm a good mom.

Can you believe I was there? I will now and forever make sure I take one picture of myself. Not because I'm vain, but because I want to remember that I was actually a part of all these memories. Wow, I'm so glad I found my Knight and got to spend time with him and our miniature knights and princess. Hazah!