See Ya Tuesday

Christmas

2011-12-30T09:10:00.000-08:00

So it is a little lat but MERRY CHRISTMAS and A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SALT LAKE CITY

2011-08-21T20:32:00.000-07:00

standing in the obervitory

standing in front of the doers of the temple

I love this temple.

COUSINS

2011-08-21T20:25:00.000-07:00

I loved to be with my cousins in AZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

young womens camp

2011-06-30T17:32:00.001-07:00

It is my first time going to young womens camp and I am nervous. I knit my very first wash cloth and now I am working on a bag that you can take in to the shower. It will hold my shampoo, conditioner, soap and my face cleaner.

I've Been Hacked...

2011-06-11T18:27:00.002-07:00

Okay, by my daughter. I have decided to let Emma post on the blog. Stay tuned for more!

hi

2011-06-11T16:36:00.000-07:00

Both railie and emma are in SF with there grandma. There baby cozen.

hay

2011-04-17T14:09:00.002-07:00

It has been a year now hasn't it

I Think I am Still Alive...

2010-04-13T11:50:00.000-07:00

My, it has been a while, hasn't it. So sorry for that, life just gets in the way of the Blog World sometimes and you just have to do what you have to do.

The girl's had a two-week spring break in March! We drove home to Idaho and stayed with Grandma and the Papa's and visited with some friends that we dearly miss. While there we celebrated EVERYTHING!! It has been hard since we moved back to AZ and don't have my parental units close by to celebrate, so we did it in one fell swoop. It was great!

We celebrated Halloween with pumpkin carving,

meet Jack, complete with the ultra scary heart nose,

spooky,

jack-o-lantern cheeseburgers,

and costumes.

Bee Block Report: February!

2010-03-03T08:56:00.000-08:00

For the Bee-Stitched group, Sarah decided she was going for clean line improv blocks, focusing on Erin Michael's "Lush" fabric. Those are the pieces with the color dots and the paint by number look to them. Her inspiration came from this quilt by Tallgrass Prairie Studio. I am hoping they will be well received.

Next up are Rene's blocks for the 1 Year, 12 Quilts group. She wanted crosses, as she collects them and wanted a quilt for her family to snuggle under. She let us have free rein with only two rules: 1. Red, which we could enhance with our stash, and cream, only what was generously provided. 2. Had to look like a cross, not a plus sign. Fun! The first cross is made of half square triangles with a simple red border. And yes, it is slightly askew. Hopefully, it is not too wonky.

This second cross is a paper pieced braid that I designed. It was a LOT of fun to make! I actually did most of it while watching Vertigo, which made for a rather entertaining night!

And this is my quilt for the Doll Quilt Swap over on flickr. I hope my stalkee partner likes it. And no, that is not a black square. Well it is, but it is actually a huge magnet covering up the part that would totally give away whom I have been stalking watching.

Happy Birthday, To You!

2010-02-06T09:47:00.000-08:00

Railie's sixth birthday, in pictures...

Barbie clothes, I love her reaction!

Strawberry cake with chocolate frosting.

Making a wish and blowing!

January Block Swaps

2010-01-27T10:22:00.000-08:00

This was my first time paper piecing. I am totally hooked now! Loved it and it was so much easier than I had originally thought. Whoot!!!

This block is called Twirling Star and is block #26 in the Quiltmaker 100 Block publication. Holy cow that thing is full of cool stuff! This is the block that Donna at Allz I'm Sewing is... chose this month.

And who doesn't love geese? I love their simplicity of the pattern and the complex prints and soothing solid Heidi chose here.

It is the Dutchman's Puzzle from Modify Tradition. That Heidi chose for her January block.

These were both a ton of fun to piece. Can't wait for February!

A Quilter's Blessing

2010-01-13T08:19:00.000-08:00

May your bobbins always be full
Your batting always be plenty

May your pins stay off the floor
So not to drive the cat nutty

May your seams be the perfect quarter
Your points a pretty penny

(I am not sure where I found this, it is written on an envelope I found the other day, and it seems to be missing a line.)

I wish you much quilty happiness in the new year!

Cloudy Day Sunset

2009-12-07T07:36:00.003-08:00

Just a pretty sunset I captured while taking photos of my Sis-in-Law's family.

CREATE

2009-11-24T12:01:00.000-08:00

More Free Fabric!!

2009-11-10T21:53:00.000-08:00

This new fabric store is having a super fun giveaway! They have awesome fabric and great prices! Go enter and order some new fabric, already!!

Pay it Forward

2009-11-09T14:02:00.005-08:00

Have you seen these going around the blog world? I am so excited to have signed up over at Donna's blog. It sounds super-de-dooper fun! So what are you waiting for?? Hurry it up already! I want to make som goodies!!!!

1. I will make a little something for the first THREE people who comment on this post with PIF in their comments. It will be a surprise and it will arrive on your doorstep when you least expect it!

2. I will have 365 days to do it in. What’s the catch? To get a handmade present from me, you have to play too. This means YOU pledge to send a little handmade something to THREE readers of your blog. It doesn’t have to be quilty – just handmade.

3. You must have a blog. Or your wife's blog. Or the dog's. Just a blog that you can put the badge on.

4. Once you comment here, you must post about your Pay It Forward on your blog to keep the fun going, with the Pay It Forward badge.

Block Party GIveaway Fat Quarters

2009-11-02T14:42:00.002-08:00

Block Party GIveaway Fat Quarters, originally uploaded by handmadebyalissa.

You could win this fabric!! Yee-Wow!! I want me some pretty, pretty goodness!!

(Go HERE to find out how!)

Halloween

2009-11-01T12:44:00.004-08:00

This year, I only got to make two costumes. Very sad! Emma found hers at JoAnn's for 60% off and I frankly could not have made it for that.

Emma the Ice Princess

Snow White Railie

Ian the Spider - I know, not the world's greatest photo, but you get to see his legs in action!

Kaitlyn's Quilt

2009-10-10T12:10:00.004-07:00

My latest finished quilt, and my first foray into free motion quilting. By no means is it professional, but I LOVE the results! I made this quilt for one of my best friend's new baby girl. It based on a pattern by k.p. kids and co. Super fun to make, though totally out of my comfort zone. I actually had to build up the brights in my stash in order to make it...

I am participating in the online quilt festival hosted by Amy at Park City Girl. So much fun! Click on the link up there above my quilt and follow the post to drool at over 300 homemade quilts.

Border and binding.

My favorite bug. I had a blast picking the colors for this one.

Ar ar ar!

2009-06-23T09:16:00.002-07:00

The day we went to Santa Cruz was foggy and chilly, but later beautiful. While we were there chatting and building sand castles, this guy - or gal, came to visit. He was less than eight feet from the beach and just kept talking to us. He never came out of the water, just played in the rolling surf and watched and barked. He eventually grew tired of us and swam away. It was pretty fun to get to see him!

Yummy Shopping in California

2009-06-11T13:12:00.003-07:00

We went to a Farmer's Market and really cool Grocery store in Berkeley. I was amazed at the gorgeous produce available and the variety! Really amazing!

Blue in Her Hair

2009-06-04T23:42:00.003-07:00

For Jennifer's funeral... (the petersons go public!: jennifer is dead)

Thanks Uncle Mike, Grandpa Jack and Grandpa Clint!

2009-05-25T12:09:00.002-07:00

Eleven!!

2009-05-23T12:53:00.002-07:00

Eleven years ago today. WOW!! Who would have thought I could be loved for that long. (And Happy Birthday to Grandma Stowell!)

Ten!

2009-05-22T10:24:00.002-07:00

Where has all the time gone? My beautiful girly is ten. 10!! Happy birthday, Lou!

How to Hand Color Your Photos

2009-05-20T23:04:00.003-07:00

Here is my original image, fresh from sleeping in my camera. You first need to pick your image. This one is pretty good in full color, except for that rascally little bud right under the cute one. He isn't so cute, or in focus, for that matter.

Open your image in your photo editing software. My preference is PhotoShop Elements (PSE). It is less expensive than the full version of Photoshop AND if you download it from the HP website, you get a free 30 day trial AND a discount! Score!! Enhance your image to your little heart's desire. On this one, I did nothing. I just kind of like the raw (not RAW) image that I took.

After you have edited, you may want to turn up the saturation level on your photo. Look at the part of the image you want to be in color when all is said and done and see if it is vibrant enough for you. You may decide to turn it down, too.

After all your tweaking is complete, you need to make a duplicate of your image. My photo was number 13, so the duplicate's name was 13 copy. In PSE, in the image drop-down menu, there is a selection titled mode. This is where you want to go. There are many selection referring to color. Choose greyscale. Poof...you now have two identical images, one in full color and one in greyscale.

Now comes the trickiest part of this whole transformation. Drag your greyscale image onto your color image, making a stack. In PSE, they will sort of automatically "snap to grid", meaning they will pretty much line up on their own. Again, you may have to tweak this a bit.

Now for the fun. Find your eraser tool. In PSE, it looks like a pink eraser. Click it. On top of the image screen, you will have the option of choosing which brush to use, thickness, opacity and a couple other toys. Put your mouse on your photo and erase away.

I really love this new fun application I learned and hopefully you will find it fun and easy to do!! If you have any questions, let me know. You can link to your fun images so I can see what you have done, too. I love that!!

I {heart} Photoshop!

2009-05-19T07:25:00.002-07:00

I have been taking a class on-line through my local Community College, well, three actually, but the one I am really loving is Digital Photography. I love learning all the fun things I can do with my photoshop software - which I really recommend for all of your photo needs. This last week I learned how to add color back to a black and white image. It really does sound daunting, but it is surprisingly simple and REALLY fun to do!

Happy Mom's Day... Oops, a Bit Late!

2009-05-17T01:25:00.001-07:00

To all of my Momma's and to all my Momma friends, I hope you had a very blessed Mother's Day and that you know how much you are loved! (And Happy Birthday Gramma Bunny!!)

The Simple Things

2009-04-06T01:01:00.003-07:00

Railie ordered these pancakes at a crazy busy restaurant in Scottsdale before we left Arizona. She loved that they were Mickey shaped and had strawberry's and peaches. It reminds me of pancakes as a little girl. My mom, though it may have been my dad, used to make initial pancakes. Having tried shaped and letters a few times now, I am really amazed that they pulled it off. It is much harder than you think as a little kid. I remember my dad making egg burritos on the weekends, always wrapped with a paper towel. More than once I took a huge bite and inevitably bit right into the towel. I think he usually made them on Sunday mornings before church, right before the glasses cleaning ritual. Dad used to stand at the kitchen sink, squinting out at the yard, while he washed his glasses. When he was done with his, he would wash Micah's and then mine (she got hers before I did, so she was always first) once mom got her glasses, she joined us in the early morning ritual. Crazy what memories cute little pancakes bring back...

Happy Day Little Dude!

2009-03-13T14:12:00.002-08:00

030, originally uploaded by kristan.ellsworth.

I can't believe he is two already. He still seems like my little itty-bitty guy. Now he is my little buddy, who follows me around and hang on to my leg at the most obtrusive times. Here he is, lining up his cars, which is his new favorite thing to do.

Nummy in my Tummy

2009-02-25T10:25:00.003-08:00

Taco Ring, originally uploaded by kristan.ellsworth.

Looks odd, doesn't it. I know. And it needed salsa or sour cream or enchilada sauce something to make it a wee bit more...wet.

I saw the recipe for this in a scrapbooking book. Becky Higgins had made a recipe album including quick and easy fixes.

For this beautiful thing of goodness, you need three simple things:
Cresent rolls (in a can in the fridge section...)
Ground meat
Taco seasoning
(I also added a can of pinto beans)

The rest is easy-peasy:
Cook your ground meat, add your taco seasoning according to its directions. Open you rolls, I used two can thingys. Lay your wedges out on a baking stone or cookie sheet in a circle, make sure there is an empty space in the middle. Put taco meat on your rolls, and wrap them around. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes.

What is your favorite easy-peasy recipe?

Genetics...

2009-02-17T12:12:00.002-08:00

originally uploaded by kristan.ellsworth.

In my family we have this somewhat odd genetic...thing. We walk on our toes. Not all of us, but I do. And my dad sometimes. And my grandma Berenice. And her mom Grandma Bertha, and most of Bertha's sisters, the Eberhart Girls. And my children. Well, at least one of my children. The one on the left - Railie. She wears dirty socks, too.

It isn't like I actually WALK on my toes, I sort of bounce. It makes my ponytail sway like Poe's pendulum. It was really hard to overcome this odd way of walking when I was in marching band and had to: 1) ROLL my feet, 2) make my feet point forward - my knees don't even point the right way and 3) keep my upper body STILL as I moved forward. It was really funny the first few times I tried it. And man, was I sore!

I have had some really great nicknames over the years, too. Everything from "Tippy" (thanks Kellie!) to "ducky" (I don't really remember WHO said it, but I remember it being said). But my greatest achievement was winning the Best Legs award for three years in a row in marching band. That was fun, and a complete shock the first time. I have always tried to hide my legs and my cows (WAY too big to be calves...) but it seems I didn't do so well at that.

So, I guess my children will have to endure the wrath of the Eberhart legs, and embrace them. They are great weapons to use in the event of a tickling match gone bad...

Railie's Birthday Party

2009-02-10T09:40:00.003-08:00

So, me, being the great mom that I am, remembered to get Rai the cupcakes she wanted, make her the right new blanket and TOTALLY forgot birthday candles. What, NO FIRE ON MY CUPCAKES????? Oops. Thankfully, Railie isn't too concerned about where the fire comes from, so long as she could blow it out, again and again and again...

She is really funny and has a flair for drama. Her facial expression says it all here. And yes, she was saying, "AH AH AH!"

Followed by, "This is what I always wanted! How did they KNOW?"

She told Grandma Lynn and Papa Charlie that she wanted something to build with. This is her castle that she built on her own, right out of the box.

Worth the Time to Watch!

2009-02-07T11:48:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday, Railie and Karlee!

2009-02-05T12:45:00.005-08:00

Today, Railie is five. Hard to believe my little girlie-girl is getting so big. She is an AMAZING sister (she tries really hard to be) and a good friend. She is very polite, making sure she says please and thank you, and excuse me. She is the most compasionate little creature I know. If someone is sad or hurt, she is usually the first one there, trying to help out. What an amazing child! I love you, Rai! (That is Railie's partner in crime, Grace. They are currently fighting over a play phone and talking to Grace's boyfriend on it!)

This is Karlee. Today is her 16th birthday. She is currently in Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City. Her family was the first we met when we came to Emmett. Her dad was Railie's first visitor after we brought her home. Her family means the world to me, they have NO idea! I am amazed by their strength. I had the pleasure of teaching Karlee in Sunday School a few years ago. The poor thing was the only girl in a class of 14 year old boys. She is small, but one look from her packs a mean punch! She is a fighter, which is good. She needs to be right now. I know that some of you lurking aren't "churchy" types, but this sweet girl needs your thoughts and prayers. You can go here to learn more.

Itty Bitty Cuteness

2009-02-03T08:16:00.003-08:00

Aren't they sweet? I made these for my friend, the Stamp Guru. She is having a baby - a boy, can you tell? Hopefully these will fit his little newborn chicken feet.

Ch-ch-ch-changes...

2009-02-01T21:45:00.002-08:00

There is going to be some construction going on here over the next few days. Just so you know. If you like something - let me know. If you want to throw up or you get really dizzy - let me know that too. And yes, I know, the pinks just don't work with the green. I'm not really sure the green works, either.

Jennifer's Bird Leg

2009-01-31T18:03:00.003-08:00

Emma and I played with this silly piece of wood after reading Jennifer's post about the birds of Idaho this year. Jennifer is my only follower! See over there on the right side? You can be my follower, too, if you have a blogger profile and can remember my URL long enough to put it in the little box.

Anywhoo - back to the bird wood. Emma and I both thought that it looked like a bird foot, so we put it up on the wood stove and took a picture so we could show Jennifer that we caught a big bird poo offender.

Then we got a wee bit silly, and painted its toes, or talons, or whatever they have.

Then Emma decided that Jennifer needed to see a happy disected bird leg.

So maybe we were a little bit bored. And needed less chocolate and more sleep.

Maybe....

My Creativity Defined...

2009-01-27T13:39:00.001-08:00

I know, twice in one day. No one pass out.
So I took this fun quiz about my creativity. You should take it. It is really fast. Here are my results.
Discuss.

Love

2009-01-27T11:53:00.002-08:00

This is what we are going to make Saturday at an impromptu craft day at church. I just free handed this on red home dec dupioni and added buttons. All back stitch as my stem stitch, which is evidently the "correct" stitch, looks like too ripe bananas. Bad.
We are also going to make a little mini scrapbook, but I am not sure I want to post pictures of that. We'll see.

Valentine Mix

2009-01-13T10:00:00.002-08:00

Ian's hand in the chocolate. Surprise, surprise. Did you know that you can buy entire bags of green M&M's now? Weird.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-27T20:44:00.003-08:00

My little cutie girl! She looks much older than nine. She gets grumpy and then, if I am lucky, I can get out the camera and make her smile. She's been like that since she could recognize a camera. Probably why I have a TON of pictures of her. She is beautiful, inside and out. I am so lucky that she is mine. Love you, Lou!

Woo Hoo!

2008-08-30T21:57:00.002-07:00

I've been cleaning and organizing for the past three days and I found this picture. How cute is this? Emma's got Papa Ron right where he belongs. (Hee hee hee.)

I promise to post again later this week. First day of school pictures for BOTH girls.

The Fair

2008-08-07T10:06:00.001-07:00

Emma and her quilt. Blue Ribbon.

Can you guess what this barn is?

Lou showing her bunny Hershey.

Happy 4th!!

2008-07-05T08:59:00.002-07:00

Okay, I know, it is the 5th. Sorry. Day late, dollar short. I am currently at my parental units home in sunny Council, ID. We enjoyed a wonderful pancake breakfast in the park and the fun 4th Parade yesterday. We took in the quilt show, but skipped the porcupine race this year. When I get home, I will put up some photos of all the hoopla.

Hami is my Co-Pilot

2008-06-16T22:01:00.002-07:00

Meet Hami.

He's cute, huh? He is one of our recent Littlest Pet Shop adoptees. (He's really a Guinea pig, but don't tell Emma.) I had to take him away from Ian the other day in the car, and he ended up sitting right there on the dash looking all cute at me. This way, Ian can see him, but can't taste him. We are all quite protective of our Hami. Wes even had to search for him the other day after he rolled off the dash.

This is Max.

He is our very real hood ornament. Actually, he is on the Dresen's Burb in this pic. He is odd and likes to lie on his tummy all stretched out.

I'm Not Dead...

2008-06-16T18:19:00.003-07:00

Just hot. And tired. And my computer thinks it is being funny, but it isn't. Not. At. All.

I want to import photos so I can show you all the fun we had at the Cherry Festival.

It says, "No!"

I say, "Come on, just let me try....? Please?"

"HA HA HA HA HA. No."

"I would warm up your keys with my editing..."

"Fine, but don't expect much more."

So me and Mr. USB Upload Cord, finally got it together. I, as promised, edited to my heart's content. I even sent off a Happy Birthday/Father's Day to my G'Pa. (A day late, sorry.) And now, NOW, what do you think Blogger has to say about all this??????

"NO."

I'll try again tomorrow. Maybe. (Stupid sassy-pants blogger...)

Kirkbride Buildings

2008-06-06T10:25:00.002-07:00

I somehow found this website about the beautiful Insane Asylums based on Dr. Kirkbride's direction. These fortresses are still part of many US cities and towns. They are so amazing and gorgeous. Just part of America's forgotten architecture.

Nine years...

2008-05-21T22:07:00.003-07:00

It has been 9 years since I gave birth to this little glow-worm. She was only five days late when my water finally broke, but we had to wait another 27 before she decided to show her squishy little face.

She was so very cute, and a little on the demanding side. She had her days and nights really messed up. (I SO want to look like that again!)
She really enjoyed sleeping on our tummies. She ate every two hours for an hour.
I wouldn't trade any of it. She is my big girl, her daddy's squeaky. My little Lou. I love you. Happy nineth birthday!

TROUBLE

2008-05-19T21:13:00.002-07:00

This girl!! She decided to bite her big sister tonight, and left a huge blood blister thing. (Mom, shush!) So she got put in bed and told not to move. So did Emma. Emma may have actually deserved it by the sound of the fighting. Emma came down stairs because she forgot to take her medicine, so of course, Railie followed. She was told not to cross the gate at the end of the stairs and to go back to bed. Yeah, right. "But I want a drink of water!" So I got her some water and gave her the teddy bear, which she snuggled and went to sleep. Right on the pile of laundry waiting to be sorted at the bottom of the stairs.

Why can't they be this sweet all the time?

Look at ME!

2008-05-18T13:43:00.002-07:00

These are the most recent pictures of the kids. They were taken for G'ma Bunny's birthday on May 5th. Trying to gut these three to look in the same direction was interesting to say the least.

This is Where I Belong...

2008-05-14T07:41:00.004-07:00

I have always wanted to live in New York. I love the hustle and bustle. And the energy. Love it. I don't think I've ever been to Soho, but I want to go visit now... (I'm sure I have technically been south of Houston, but you know.)

You Belong in Soho

Although you may not be a professional artist, you do dabble in one form of art or another.

And you indie culture of all kinds - from little boutiques to art house films.

Where Should Your Inner New Yorker Live?

Sooo....

2008-05-02T15:07:00.001-07:00

Good blog changes or bad blog changes?

My NEW Floor

2008-04-28T08:20:00.003-07:00

Here is my new floor... Wes and I put it in the weekend. When I say put it in, I mean snapped it together. This stuff is awesome! It is laminate and hopefully Railie proof. We did already have an incident with some red paint, but it just washed right off. Love it!! Home Depot is the coolest.

My best Craig's List find so far...
This is the under the stairs storage door, draped in my fabric for my window coverings.
The moulding around my windows is very similar.
I'm thinking Romans, anybody (Jennifer) have any other great ideas?

Or there is this fabric that I like, too. And the color matches. The reddish-cinnamon one.

Fun at Our House...

2008-04-23T15:01:00.002-07:00

When it starts to warm up, Railie LOVES to go out and play on the front porch. We have some stacked bricks for our walkway that she really enjoys.

Today, she made an oven.
We also like to encourage yard care. Here Emma is teaching Jack to mow the lawn.

See how great he does? Yeah. The Town of Emmett is re-paving the street in front of our house. They spent all last week digging up the road. The man driving the front loader said that as long as we didn't tell anyone where the dirt came from, we could have some. So our story still stands that we have REALLY big gophers. Named Hal. Emma has been making tunnels and faces in the dirt ever since we got it. Railie keeps cooking it. I didn't ask.

Dressing the Dragon

2008-04-11T12:02:00.002-07:00

We call this series of photos Lessons in Patience, as it is sometimes an exercise of will to get Ian's clothes on. It took Papa Ron to do it this time, at Easter. You can just tell by that little smirk on Ian's face what kind of a kid he can be sometimes. (Really, it's only when you have to dress him, he's a great child!!)

Missing the City

2008-04-02T08:51:00.003-08:00

I LOVE San Francisco! I have always loved big cities. The noise, the people, the energy, the history, the smells, the food! When my sister moved to San Francisco, I got to go once a year. The she moved to San Jose and Wes and Emma got to go visit because the Dr. said I was too pregnant to go. Now she is living in Finland and will be there for another 18 months or so. I am missing the City today.

This is walking down Fillmore Street toward the bay. I love to just take off with my camera and go exploring.

This is a shot of Market Street from Twin Peaks. If you look to the right, you can see the Bay Bridge. Love this city.

Railie

2008-03-26T12:47:00.002-08:00

For some unknown reason, we had the HARDEST time trying to get Railie to look at the camera on Easter morning. These are some of our crazy out-takes.

This one cracks me up. She is trying to wink. Love the screwed up mouth. She will have absolutely no trouble putting on mascara.

Easter

2008-03-25T20:47:00.002-08:00

We went to my parents house in Council for Easter. My mom made the cute dresses she and the girls are wearing.

Emma, hunting for eggs. The snow she is standing on is between 18" - 36", depending where you are.
Railie on the same snow bank.
Gramma, Railie, Ian and Emma.
My own little tradition. I always write the year on an egg with a white crayon before we dye them.
I hope everyone had a great Easter!!

Winter Crazies

2008-03-20T10:52:00.002-08:00

Here is what I did to my poor old bookcase. It is about 10 years old, purchased at Sam's club right after Wes and I got married. I used to be oak-ish. They I went nuts and painted it black. Then I pealed off the paint, sanded it and painted it again. Yeah. I decoupaged a book onto the back. I felt really bad tearing apart a book, and a hardback at that, but I had two of them and I think I won't be struck by lightening or anything. I hope. It turned out fairly nifty. Sorry for the bad photo. And for no after shots, maybe later.

Daddy's Helper

2008-03-19T07:02:00.003-08:00

We are thinking SPRING around here finally!! We have been trying to get the last of our cabinets installed correctly in the kitchen, and Ian was trying to be daddy's helper.

My son, the inmate...

This is the "Hey look I found food!" face.

Brownies

2008-03-09T20:46:00.003-08:00

These are the three girls in Emma's Brownie troop. She is in the middle. The photo was taken at the Service Unit International Dinner night. The girls chose China, so I made the brocade aprons and we cooked some Chinese food and had fun.

Fabric Goodies

2008-02-29T22:33:00.001-08:00

This is the quilt I made for the quilt shop from Jelly Rolls.
I made this dress with two charm packs and some red fabric. Railie insists that we go visit it a couple times a week.

Potato People

2008-02-26T20:38:00.003-08:00

This is Railie, shortly after her 4th birthday. She is a cutie-patootie turd-bird. (Yeah, I know, not a great nickname, yet oh, so fitting...) (The small writing is my tribute to Jennifer P. who is too sick to do it)

This is Railie's version of our family. We are all holding something in our hands. It's on paper!! I wrote our initial by each potato, er, person, so in 50 years, I would know who is who.
Kid art is so much fun. Maybe we'll have to start taking pictures of the walls before we bleach them. Yeah.

Bunny and Jack E.

2008-02-24T20:58:00.004-08:00

When Emma started talking, she called my grandma Berenice "Bunny" and my grandpa Jack "Jackie". She wanted to start 4-H this year and do rabbits, so our friends gave us their cute bunny, named Jack. So now we have a bunny named Jack E.
Close up of Jack's face.
Jack has the hugest (leave me alone, it's my word) feet I have EVER seen.

Blessings

2008-02-19T11:20:00.003-08:00

This is literally three houses away from me. Thankfully, the mom is in Arizona and the Dad and kids were at his parents house. If there had been school on Monday, he would have been home on Sunday night. They lost a lot. The dad is about 6'8", just like Wes, but has a bit more meat on him. He has to order his shirts to fit. Mom is an artist. She paints beautiful pictures. Thankfully, they had been cleaning out her art room, so some of her finished pieces and the family photos were in the shop. Dad builds the most beautiful things out of wood. The deck he built still sits, untouched by the fire, at the back of the house near the roses he painstakingly grows. The children are 4 and 7. They don't understand where there toys are. They are all thankfull that no one was home.

FUN!

2008-02-15T07:33:00.002-08:00

When it is far too cold to go outside and play, you have to come up with something fun to do inside, all by yourself. I thought that we should pick up toys and put them back in the laundry basket they call home. Railie thought it would be more fun to put little brother in, instead. And mom had to take pictures. Duh.

Railie and Ian in the basket, together.

Ian strangly likes his new habitat.

This was seconds after the first picture I took. Ian is attracted to the camera like any normal(??) child of mine. "Oooh, flash. I'm not crying look at my smile. See, smiling, smiling..." We used to keep Emma smiling by taking her picture. That's before digital. That's why her picture box weighs 30 pounds. And I still have undeveloped pictures of her.

Squeeze and...

2008-02-11T17:42:00.000-08:00

Sneeze. Yup, you heard me right. I'm not sure why I want to talk about this, but it is one of those things that you think only mature (read: old) women have to worry about. Until you have children. Then you suddenly understand ALL TOO WELL!

My great aunt Mary was telling my sister and I about a time when she heard a story and laughed so hard she wet her pants. Then she was re-telling the story, and did it all over again.

I always assumed that this was due to her advanced years, until I had Emma. You see, Aunt Mary had six kids. I know you all said, "Ahhhhh!" just now. Yeah, didn't realize what joyful gift those little dearies leave behind. It's not enough that you have to change their pants, but now you have to make sure you get that squeeze in there before you sneeze, or you're changing yours too.

Just a little happiness for your day.

I'll go now.

And the Winner is:

2008-02-04T12:05:00.000-08:00

I guess technically, the winners are:

Oh my goodness--can you see us jumping up and down..this is one of the most fabulous prizes...right up our alley...Ooooh- pick me, pick my sister, pick me & my sister!! Love it!!!!blessings, kari & kijsa

These two sisters have an incredible blog that I am sure you will recognize: http://kariandkijsa.blogspot.com/

You must go there and stay for a while...(ever).

Now if you are really sad that you didn't win, I could be persuaded to make some for.... Just contact me and we will chat!!

I HATE not having spell check. You think blogger knows that they are depriving my viewers of quality entertainment???

Snow is Fun??? (Or Frustrated, Who's Frustrated?)

2008-02-01T08:11:00.000-08:00

I grew up in Arizona. They aren't really sure what snow is. You see it in a book, or on the news, but what is this crazy frozen water stuff?

I always thought it would be fun to have a snow day, and shared that thought with my children. Until I realized that I don't get a snow day. I'm too old for that frivality. They think it is really fun. Turkeys.
But, none the less, they are fairly cute. Ian likes to eat pizza. He looks like a bird. Not in this photo, but in real life. Only when he eats.
PS: Mom, be glad I didn't stick stamps on their heads and send them to you.

Bloggy Goodness!

2008-01-29T13:58:00.000-08:00

Comments are now closed so I can pick the lucky winner!!!

Okay, everybody else is doing it, why shouldn't I?

So you ask...What is it? I will customize a Family Tree Quilt with the names of your choosing on the cute little leaves. Yes, I know it doesn't have any leaves yet, but they are going to be really cute! (Sorry you can't see them yet, this is the only thing I could think to give away, and I just decided about 4 minutes ago...) So, please comment until 10pm CST on Feb 2 and I will announce a random winner on Sunday!
Please, US and Canada only, sorry. Also, if you don't have a blog, please leave me your e-mail address! (Painter's tape is not included;)

LOAD

2008-01-28T12:04:00.000-08:00

Emma's New Hair

2008-01-26T09:26:00.000-08:00

Emma has been bugging me to cut her some bangs for forever now, so Sunday before church, we did it. I fixed them for her and taught her how to use a curling iron. I told her that she didn't need hairspray (because I didn't want to have to clean up the mess -bad mom). I took her picture, with goofy eyes.....

Then I tried to get a picture with normal eyes...and she did this. I think maybe my kids are kinda weird.

On another note, this is a quilt I am designing for the local Quilt Shop. They gave me the jelly rolls and told me to make something.
Yes, I see the diaper peeking out from under the couch. It is clean. No, I don't know what the rest of the stuff is - please don't ask. (Mom)

2008-01-24T18:55:00.000-08:00

Railie's birthday is coming soon, so I asked her what she wanted for her birthday. Her response? A Gingerbread House and a Gingerbread Man. Silly girl. Oh, and cake with hearts and sprinkles.

Emma made a lunch for school tomorrow (she usually does school lunch), then it started snowing. She said, "Great! Now watch and we'll have a snow day." How do you explain Murphy's Law to an eight year old?

More LOAD for your viewing pleasure:

Ice-Tickles and Tails

2008-01-23T10:51:00.000-08:00

"Mom, look outside, the house has an ice-tickle!"
"What are you saying?"
"Mom, mom, look, an ice-tickle!"
"I still don't know what you are talking about."
"Mom. Come on. Go outside."
"Ah, an ice-tickle. Gotcha."

"Mom, that one is HUGE. It sorta looks like a tail."
Just the tree by the canal bank. And the snow. And the ice that the city so kindly left for us to drive on. Only two blocks of ice on our street. Right in front of our house.

2008-01-22T08:47:00.000-08:00

Last night Railie and I had an interesting conversation about her new favorite TV show. She had taken a late nap, so I knew that her going to bed at a reasonable time was my fantasy, not so much hers. Our talk went like this...
Mom: Time for bed Rai.
Railie: I want to watch my show.
Mom: Your shows are over it's dark outside.
Railie: No it's not there's moonshine.
Mom: Nice try. Bed time.
Railie: I want to snuggle and watch Marfla.
Mom: (Cracking up) Fine, we can watch a bit of Martha.
Railie: Mom, I want to tell you a question.
Mom: Okay???
Railie: Do you think Marfla would be my friend?

What kind of crazy monster am I creating? The kid LOVES Martha Stewart. Maybe I am actually influencing her life for good. Or not.

On a cold winter's day...

2008-01-19T09:49:00.000-08:00

Railie found the scraps of rubber from the stamps I was mounting and asked if she could make magic with them. I said (hesitantly, this IS Railie we are talking about), "Sure.?." This is how she came to see me a little later....evidently this is magic to a three year old. Who am I to argue?

Then, she applied her magic to her sister.
I did get some really fun shots of the two of them loving on each other. Goofy little girlies!

Alive and Kickin' and stuff

2008-01-17T18:33:00.000-08:00

Here he is Kim, actually, he is talking to you on the phone in this photo. With the girls climbing all over him.

This is Emma's scrapbook page that she did the other day. I was sick and went to bed, and she created this beauty. It says Fourth of July. In eight year spelling.

2008-01-17T07:58:00.000-08:00

The journaling on That's MY Jacob says:

Mom: Who is this with you Railie?
Railie: Jacob. That's MY Jacob!
Mom: What are you doing here?
Railie: Smiling together with our chins.

Not just their chins, they have the same lips, too.
We drove in a 12 passenger van from AZ to NM. Ty & Wendy and their 7 and Wes & I and our 3.
Papa Charlie's parents.

More, more LOAD

2008-01-15T21:27:00.000-08:00

This LO is okay.

This one is so-so.

This one pretty much sucks. Bad. Sorry if I am burning your corneas. I had a fever, and I got the dumb thing done.

It's a sick...house

2008-01-14T08:32:00.000-08:00

You might get the title if you are a huge fan of 80's music. So, everyone is sick at my house except Miss Emma. Brat. I mean, lucky child. And to make life more fun, my garbage disposal, which is almost a year old, only works when Wes flips the dumb switch. I hate that. Anyway. Happy Monday.

More LOAD

2008-01-12T09:08:00.000-08:00

Here are some more of what I have been doing.

To Kim

2008-01-11T09:55:00.000-08:00

I have been participating in LayOut A Day (LOAD) over at Big Picture Scrapbooking and have really enjoyed getting a LO done every day. I got a new printer/scanner combo (Thanks, Mom) for Christmas and have been printing great photos every day. Here are the first two LOs. I am scrapping my favorite photos in a simple 9x9 format. (Sorry I've been such a slacker, Kim.)

I Made This

2007-09-12T23:31:00.000-07:00

Can you believe that two packages of Kool-Aid (Black Cherry and Blue Somethingerother) and a quart jar can make beautiful plum-ish yarn? Better than in the kids tummies, or on the floor(almost forgot about Railie) as paint. I dyed this forever ago. Okay months. Emma was helping me to wrap the skein around some chairs to make a big skein and accidentally dropped it creating a lovely nest of moth bait. I just picked the whole thing up, let it soak, and shoved it in a jar. After a three minute trip in the microwave I had some really fun sock yarn!

Good and Bad

2007-09-11T21:04:00.001-07:00

The good news is that my "h" is working much better now.

The bad is that Railie was up barfing most of the night. We dropped Emma off at school today, after I curled her hair for picture day, and headed to the doctor. She confirmed, Railie has puppies in her right ear. So...I spent the rest of the day holding Rai and doing puke laundry. How fun for me!

Monday

2007-09-10T21:42:00.000-07:00

Anybody else having a Monday today? Yeah. So this blog has been sitting ready to go for about two months and I am finally posting. Not to good, eh?

So today as I was in the kitchen, doing kitcheny type stuff, Miss Railie decided that playing with the computer would be fun. (I know, I can hear the groaning now.) One would assume that a three year old couldn't break a computer. Ha. Double Ha!! I am now missing four keys (backspace, u, v, and the space bar) and my "h" is not working so well. I can live with all of this, but do you know how often the "h" is used in computer land?

Really, what should I expect from a girl who likes to climb into boxes?

Argh!