Quilting Fan

Thirteen years ago, I worked on my very first quilt. The one-year anniversary gift is paper/cloth. I used this as an opportunity to make a quilt for Josh for our first anniversary. I did the whole thing in secret. I only worked on it when he was gone and used mys sister-in-law's machine to quilt it. She had done a few quilts and helped me out. When it was all said and done, I'd bled way too many times (stupid straight pins) and messed up more times than I wanted to admit to. Once it was done, I vowed then and there that I would never again make a quilt. Well...oops. Turns out that I shouldn't have said "never". You know what they say. Never say never.

When Alex was about to go into his big-boy bed, I decided that I would try my hand at another quilt. The reason for this was his horrible problems with polyester. It caused really bad eczema and itching so I wanted him to have something cotton to cover up with. After it was done, I decided that I kind of enjoyed it. Then I went on to make my third quilt for miss Abby, a fourth quilt for my niece Greta, and just recently finished my fifth quilt for miss Evie. My grandma (mom's side) is a huge quilter. Turns out that she's passed this love on to me. Who knew? It's very relaxing and rewarding at the same time. I'll be starting my sixth quilt in January for my mom. It will be my very first t-shirt quilt of all my dad's old shirts. I hope it turns out good. I'm excited to start it. After that, I plan on starting new quilts for each kid. They've sort of outgrown the themes that they have on their beds and Abby's is showing significant wear and tear. Onward I go!

Thanksgiving 2015

 

 Long gone are the days when massive Thanksgiving dinners with many, many family members are there to enjoy the bounties of food. It seems like the older I get, the less time I spend with my extended family. Part of it is Alex's food allergies. When huge numbers of people are responsible for all the different foods that are served, it's impossible to guarantee food safety for him. Actually, it's impossible to feed the kid in those situations unless I bring all of his food from home...that I had to make myself. So making all the food myself is...well...easier. Part of it is also that my dad somehow made things much more enjoyable when it comes to family. When he passed away, going to see his side of the family (which was our place to go for Thanksgiving), seems almost empty. Sure, I still love my family. But this little Thanksgiving at home with just us and my mom was perfect for us. This is the second time I've made the whole dinner and it turned out lovely and quite tasty. Oh, and as for the beautiful house you see in the background? It is in the process of being upgraded. Lots and lots of mudding, sanding, and painting. Oh...and the entire house was turned upside down in the process. It was kind of crazy, but my mom helped me out and now I have a beautifully painted house. It was a nice Thanksgiving with good food.

Breaking the wishbone.

Abby's Big Day

So, first Alex has his big moment in the spotlight with a poster contest, then Abby goes on to win a contest of her own as well. It's crazy! What are the odds of two kids from the same family winning pretty big contests in the same year? Apparently, art is running strong in the family. I am pretty proud of miss Abby. She entered a coloring contest for the town Christmas festival. It was kind of crazy, but as much work and detail she put into it, I was kind of thinking she had a good chance to win. The winner receives a $25 cash prize, a plaque with their name on it, title of junior Mayor for the day, and to ride in the parade with the mayor and Santa Claus.

When I went to pick her up from school the day of the judging, she nonchalantly walked up to me and said, "I won the coloring contest, mommy." There was no excitement in her voice...just stated as though common knowledge. At first I thought she was joking, but then found out quickly that she was, indeed, the winner. Woo-hoo! Go Abby! She was nervous because she had to have the whole elementary watch her accept the certificate from the Mayor that day.

When the parade time came, she was a little nervous, but otherwise excited. It was funny, because when she sat down in the convertible, she practically disappeared because she's so small. I told her that she had to throw some chocolate to me when she drove past. She promised she would and threw some right at me...several times. After the parade, she stood up on stage with the mayor and the 5th grader who won the essay contest, and then accepted her award. It was a pretty awesome experience for a seven-year-old and we were super proud of her. What a day and what an honor!

Watching for sissy in the parade with her b-day present.

Abby with the Mayor

Evie's 3rd Birthday

I have a three-year-old! (again). This is the third and final time I will ever have a three-year-old birthday party. It's bitter-sweet, really. Evie has become quite the little girl. She's officially in the full-potty training swing and has really starting making progress. I've told her she can't go to school until she's a big girl and big girls use the potty. I think it might be working. It's her first birthday in underwear! I can see the diapers fading into the past, now.

We went extremely low-key this birthday. We had a very busy day planned because of the town Christmas event and Abby's ride in the big parade (but that's for another post). This year's cake choice was tough. Evie kept changing her mind. One minute it was "another Olaf cake" and the next minute it was simply "a pink cake". Finally, she decided on a lady bug cake. I think she really liked it.

It was just us, my mom (Grandma), and Aunt Mandy and her gang. Evie got some nice gifts and she enjoyed a house full of balloons. Then we went and watched the parade, caught some candy, and went out to eat at McDonalds. As for what Evie is up to these days, she's quite a pistol! She loves to play games during the days when the kids are at school and really enjoys being with them when they get home. We spend our days doing a lot of pretend play, walking to the post office/library, and going out to lunch on Thursday shopping days. She has a lot of spunk and can keep up with her siblings like crazy. She's super sweet, telling me how much she loves me more times than I can count in a day. I get kisses and hugs constantly and she always wants to help me with whatever she can. Having her with me during the day is wonderful. Sometimes I feel a bit stretched, but when she gives me that hug and kiss while saying, "I love you, mommy," all that stress just melts away.

Don't get me wrong, she had some whopper sized temper tantrums still, but that's okay. They really are getting fewer and far between. She knows all her colors and shapes, can say her ABC's and count two twenty (and above most days), and is starting to write her name. What a smart girl she is. So Happy 3rd birthday Evie! We love you so, so much!

Her actual birthday was midweek and she had super waffles for dinner. (all sugar)

Her balloon throne. Look how big she is!

She loves her big brother and big sister.

Grandma got the winner gift this year! Rainbow unicorn!

She loves Aunt Mandy.

Halloween 2015

Boy do I love Halloween! One of my favorite things to do is decorate the house all spooky and dress up as something that is not me. And I've passed on this love to my kids. They've loved dressing up as things since tiny little tots. This year, I opted for what my kids call "Nanastein". I got the idea from one of the kids' favorite shows, "Home Improvement". The main character dresses up as...well...basically it's Frankenstein's mother-in-law. Alex wanted to go as a New York Jets football player. Abby was a mermaid. And of course, Evie wanted to be a fairy princess. Josh, as it seems to be the norm, had to work and doesn't like dressing up. My mom went trick-or-treating with us and brought Milo to tag along on the lengthy trek around the neighborhood.We also did our annual pumpkin carving. Four of them!

We were blessed with a very clear and warm(ish) night. Jackets were plenty and I even remembered to bring hats and gloves just in case it got chilly. They came in handy as the night wore on. Back in the day, my dad would stay at the house and hand out candy. With all my effort in decorating, I can't just leave without offering some candy to wayward trick-or-treaters. So I left my bowls out on a hay bale with some creepy music playing. It was cleaned out by the time we got home.

The kids made out like bandits! Their buckets were overflowing with goodies. We found a great area last year that nearly every house hands out goodies. And the decorations are awesome as well. Once we walk the area, I take the kids back and let them free-roam the van while we drive around our own area where the lights are much fewer and far between. They jump out and run to the houses and jump back in the van. Actually, I think they love this most because I don't make them buckle up. (Shhhh! Don't tell.) It was a fantastic night and we all had a blast. I already have plans in the works for next year's costume. Happy Halloween!

Big Winner

Alex won a major prize! Him and Abby wanted to participate in a contest that they heard about at the state fair for the state's Department of Transportation. They were to design a poster promoting the Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day in a hopes to stop distracted driving (AKA - cell phones and the like). They were each in their own age division and one day I came home to a big surprise waiting for me on the answering machine. Alex won his age division in the south central region of our state. Awesome! He won a new bike, bike helmet, giant poster of his drawing, and an assembly that would present it to him at school. And guess what I found out a day later? Abby was runner up in her division! My kids have some mad art skills, apparently. So proud of both of them. I wish I had copies of both of their designs, but the odds of winning this were so small that I didn't think to take a picture of them. Bad mama! Oh well. Live and learn. I'm still one proud mom! Sadly, he can't ride the bike due to his injured foot. The office said, "He didn't injure it from biking, did he?" Ha!

Alex's 9th Birthday

My oldest kiddo just turned nine years old today! That means, that he is officially at his half-way point until college years. What the heck?! I was trying the other day to picture nine years ago. If I close my eyes and concentrate, I can picture it clearly. He was a big baby boy, and super sweet and innocent. Fast forward a year and he's toddling around the house getting ready for his baby sister to come along. Time started flying the second he was born. Now he's nine and probably just a few years from outgrowing me. He's only got about 10 inches to go! Heck, we already have the same foot size.

For his birthday this year, he wanted a New York Jets football cake. Once again, I was happy to oblige. Not the hardest cake I've ever made but he was super excited about it. He wanted to have a bunch of kids over, but he was happy to just have a couple of friends. We had a fun time with some of the cousins and then had cake, ice cream (soy for the bday boy) and, of course, presents. I'd love to say that he gets harder to shop for the older he gets, but that would not be true. He has so many interests and obsessions that it's nearly impossible to get him something he doesn't love. He finished his monster collection with The Bride of Frankenstein and The Phantom of the Opera and got a nice castle to play with them in. He also got a couple of those neat hover toys that take some crazy practice to fly. All in all, it was a fun day.

As for Alex now, he's a fun one. He's a heavy reader, staying up way past his bedtime regularly just to get a few more pages in. He's bright kid with a big imagination and great art skills (hereditary?) that he uses often. He will play every sport possible and is excelling at them these days, making more and more goals/scores. He's got a big heart and it breaks easily. He's all boy, but I've seen him break at the slightest things. Which, naturally, hurts my own heart. When he gets in trouble (not as often as I feel like it is), then he is very good at punishing himself before I even get the chance. He's a great kid and I'm so proud and blessed to be his mom. It's been an amazing nine years and I love watching this kid grow up. Happy Birthday, Alex! We love you so, so much!