Pumpkins!!!

Monday for family home evening we decided to take the kids to the pumpkin patch to get this year's pumpkins.  I know, I know....your thinking "only two days before Halloween!"  Well last year we weren't here so we didn't do pumpkins and the year before that we carved them and in four days had to throw them away because they molded.  So yes we waited.  Sarah was so excited.  So loves the pumpkin patch.

We didn't have to go far.  It is around the corner from us.  Here we go.

Sarah kept trying to pick up the really big pumpkins. 

Yana couldn't decide on which little pumpkin she wanted.  She kept trading them every chance she got.

Sarah loved helping clean out the inside.  She had a blast.

Yana kept rearranging the stickers on her pumpkin.

Here is the finished pumpkin.  It was pretty fun.  We just stuck a flashlight in it because we didn't have any candles on hand.

The girls had a blast.  It was fun to see Sarah play in the pumpkin.  I know grownups who wont stick their hands inside the pumpkin.

Tonight we will go trick or treating and have fun.  I'll take some pictures and share them with you tomorrow.

She slept through the night!

I almost forgot how much I like sleeping through the night.  I thought that I wouldn't have to start not sleeping all night once the new baby came in December but Yana decided to remind me over the last week or so.  She wouldn't take naps and then at night we would have to put her back in bed multiple times before she fell asleep and then she would get up at least once sometimes three times each night.  WHY?  I couldn't figure it out.  It didn't make sense.  She wasn't afraid of anything.  She seemed wide awake.  She has been cranky during the day for the last week or so because of the lack of sleep.

Well last night I decided to try giving her some children's aspirin.  Now before you think I just drugged her to get her to sleep let me explain.  She has one tooth that just broke the skin, one just about to brake the skin and two more moving up.  She doesn't act like they bother her during the day but I can imagine that lying there at night with nothing to keep her occupied might have her noticing that it hurts.  So I gave her the recommended dose and put her down.  She got up once before I even made it downstairs but then slept all night.  I think I found the reason for the not very restful nights.

So needless to say "She slept through the night!"

Why would I do that again?

Thursday was the first day of fall break for us.  Our first.  I took my girls to the "big" park.  This is something I don't see myself doing again without another adult.  It was a lot harder to watch two kids who went in separate directions than I thought.  That might seem weird but I've had to protect my kids from other kids trying to push them off the top platforms.  I really don't my child to go missing or to have to go to the emergency room because of the park.  Yana was content to run back and forth from the top platform on one side to the top platform on the other side.  Sarah likes to climb and go down the slides.  Yana really liked to stop and look out the railing.

 I have multiple pictures of her looking through the railing.

 I finally got her to stop and look at me for a minute.

 I wanted to take them to the swings but couldn't get a hold of Yana so Sarah talked her into going down the slide with her.

 They love this swing and the other one was gone so they shared.

My kids are so easy to entertain sometimes.  They love boxes.  It's great.  It was a boat.

Friday my husband got back from a week in Michigan and my in-laws came to town. It was great.  We picked my husband up at the air port.  Then we did some things around the house.  My husband wasn't feeling very well.  I went and ran errands with my mother in law.  I needed some time away.

Saturday my husband bought me a chest freezer.  Not a huge one because right now I don't want one.  We don't need something that large.  After it ran for a few hours I moved the meat into the new freezer and loved the amount of space I now have.  I made a pumpkin pie and pumpkin cookies from scratch...starting with a whole pumpkin.  We made Jalapeno poppers and pork ribs and had a great evening.

Sunday was sad because we always hate to see the grandparents go.  Today is still fall break and so I decided to go to Joann's to get material for a couple blankets but after I got all the way down to the store I realized I had forgotten my magazines with their patterns.  I was very frustrated with myself.  That isn't a drive I like to make everyday.  So instead we bought material to make a few Christmas tree skirts.  I'll get some pictures taken for you when I start working on them.

Well I still have a lot to do today and I'm not sure how I'm going to get it all done.  So I better continue.  Have a great Monday.

Lovie with tags

A cute Lovie blanket with tags also called taggie blankets.  Here is one that I'm selling on my store.  It is very cute.  The polka dotted side is minky and the pink camo is flannel.  The tags are made out of different textures and types of ribbons.  Come check it out at my store.  Just click here

craft night and addictions

Well craft night was a success.  I can't say I got much one but being able to visit with other women while cross stitching was very enjoyable.  I can't wait for the next one.  One person brought a bib she was crocheting around the edge.  Another brought pictures to put in order before she put them in her photo albums.  Another brought her oils and gave hand massages and another just stopped by for a minute to visit.  I loved it.  What a great way to de-stress than visiting with good friends and crafting.

I was going to post yesterday that I realized I have an addiction.  Home made cookies and chocolate!  Store bought cookies aren't all that tempting but home made cookies are hard to resist.  So I decided Sunday night that I needed to do better.  I needed to do something about this addiction.  So I'm going cold turkey.  Yesterday my goal was not to eat any cookies, candy, sweets or anything that I could go overboard on.  I stared at the clock a lot willing snack time to come and go without me giving in to my cravings.  I was very tempted to at least have a glass of hot chocolate because although I really like hot chocolate I don't tend to go overboard on it. 

Well I did it.  I didn't eat anything I told myself I couldn't.  I ate a lot of grapes to get past the cravings.  Craft night helped keep me from eating after the girls went to bed.  I feel really good today knowing that I had enough self control yesterday.  So I am setting the same goal for today.  I am just going to take this one day at a time.  I can do anything for one day.  I'll just make the pumpkin cookies later when I have room in the freezer to put them so they wont sit on the counter begging me to eat them.  I'll let ya know how it goes.  I should be pretty busy today so it should help.

Seeing good friends agan

This weekend we went to visit some friends.  It was a good visit.  It was a long drive but well worth it.  We have been friends with these guys since we lived in Idaho and as luck would have it we lived here in Oklahoma in the same neighborhood for about a year.  That was nice.  Our kids play well together and have a blast.  They were blessing their baby so we went to support them.

Sarah was so excited that she actually went to bed without a fuss for two nights before hand.  Yana even remembered who they were and had a blast.  It was good to see them again and visit.  They had all grown so much since they moved a few months ago.

Sarah is already asking when we can go back and visit. 

I hope that you all had a great weekend and that your week is starting off right.

Brown and grey pullover bib

Here is another pullover bib.  This one is brown and grey.  It is made out of a towel with a knit collar.  They are great to have on hand if you have children or if you have children visit your house.  I can't even count the number of times these bibs have saved my children's clothes.  You can take them to restaurants, to grandma's house and even to friends house.  They are nice looking and so it is ok to take them out.

They are washer and dryer safe.  They make great gifts to others as well.  Come check it out on my store or if you want a different color come see what I have here.

An almost catastrophe!

This morning started off with an almost catastrophe!  Ok so I get up every morning with my husband and after he leaves I stay up and get things done around the house.  Well today when he left I just had NO energy so I decided to go lay back down.  I would get about 15 minutes of sleep before the alarm went off...that is if I even fell asleep.  I knew it wouldn't be much but a little rest would be better than nothing.  So my alarm went off and I hit snooze...or at least I thought I hit snooze.  The next thing I know the alarm is going off and when I look at what time it is it reads 8:05...which for us is when we have to start heading towards the car to get Sarah to school on time.

NO!!!  Ok so here's what I did.  I got out of bed and didn't bother to change out of my sweats and t-shirt and went straight to wake up the girls.  I get Sarah dressed and down the stairs in like 5 minutes (which is a record for us).  I put some fruit loops in a bag and milk in one of the sippies.  Then we went in the garage and opened the door and it is raining so back in the house I go to get her rain coat and a jacket for Yana.  Then I run Yana (still in her pj's) to the car and come back for Sarah.  Thankfully Sarah can buckle herself in so all I did was hold the door for her.  Once in the car and both girls had their bags of fruit loops and sippy's with milk in them we headed to the school.  Only 1 minute later than we actually needed to be.  Not too bad.

Then on the way there the rain followed us but luckily it wasn't down pouring yet.  After we dropped her off at school and headed home it really started to rain.  I mean I had to slow down because I couldn't see type rain.  Once home Yana and I sat in the car for a minute before I put her on my lap and counted to three and then made a mad dash for the garage hoping not to be too soaked.

Fun and hectic.  Lets just say I don't ever want to wake up that late again.  Have a great day.  Ours is going to be great despite the rushed start.

The other Halloween table runner

Here is the other Halloween table runner I finished.  It has more of a zig zag look to it.  It is also cotton with batting and is free motion stitched.  There are witches, polka dots and a green and purple checker board material used on this runner.  The backing is orange and the thread is black.  The binding was sewn with a rounded zig zag stitch in black.  It is bright and colorful and would help you decorate for Halloween.  Come take a look here.

A new Halloween table runner

 Here is one of the long awaited Halloween table runners Ive mentioned for over a month now.  I made this one like my other ones.  I piece the material together, sandwich and free motion stitch.  I like to use fun stitches on the binding.  This one has many different types of cute Halloween material - making it bright.  It has all the major Halloween colors on it.  Witches, candy corn, and polka dots.  I use cotton material and batting.

It is machine washer and dryer safe. It may need to be ironed after washing.  They make great decorations in any home on the kitchen, coffee table and book shelves.  Come take a look here.

A new pullover bib.

 Here is a blue and grey pullover bib.  My model wasn't quite sure of her smile for some reason.  She is 4.5 years old and this bib still fits her.  My 21 month old wears one the same size.  They are 100% cotton.  They are made out of towels.  The collar is grey knit.  They are very soft and easy on the neck.  My children tend to try and pull the other bibs through their necks and it doesn't feel very good.  I have found that they love these ones.  They also feel very independent because they can do it on their own.

They are very durable.  I'm still using the very first one I made and I made it about 3 years ago.  I love the fact that I don't have to care if the towel gets dirty or even stained because it keeps it from happening to my children's nice clothes.  My oldest stopped using them until school started and the school clothes came out.  Now she uses them every morning so we don't have to change her shirt before school if their is a spill. 

They are great on the go or just in your home.  This one is blue so would be great for your boys but as you can see they work for girls as well.

Pumpkin patch fun

Sorry I didn't post yesterday.  I meant to but.....I decided to start couponing again last Thursday or Friday but wasn't ready for my shopping trip yesterday.  I spent most of nap time getting ready. 

Today was Pumpkin Patch day for Sarah's school.  It was fun.  We met them at the pumpkin patch and Yana and I followed them around with lots of other parents and then I got to take her home from there.  She wanted to ride the bus again but I told her she would have other opportunities.

 She spent a lot of time holding her hood on her head.

 The first thing they did was have their classes go to different stations.  Sarah's first station was the tent...which was nice because the wind was really chili.  A lady read them a book about a scare crow.

 Then they got to color a scare crow and then glued fabric onto it.

 Yana sat in the stroller the entire time, watching.  She wanted to get down but I didn't want to have to chase her around the pumpkin patch.

 They played games after coloring and then they got to go for the hay ride around the property.  Sarah wasn't in much of a smiling mood.  She isn't feeling great right now.

 I just thought this was cute/funny.

This is the pumpkin she picked out and brought home.  She is very excited.  She loves pumpkins.

It was a lot of fun to watch Sarah having fun and to put a few names to the faces of her new friends.  A lot of parents came to watch their children.  Sarah really wanted to ride the bus back to school but I talked her out of it.  She really liked the bus ride.  It was her first.

Well have a great afternoon.

Projects and the weather...

I am loving the weather today.  I know many here do not like the colder weather but I am in heaven.  I would much rather be in colder weather where I can put more clothes on than in the heat where I have only so much that I can take off.

I've lit my candle in the kitchen and opened the blinds and have just loved it.

Anyway, on to other matters.  I have finished 5 of 6 seat cushions.  I just need one more zipper to finish the last one.  It is ok because the sixth chair is pre-occupied by Yana's booster seat.  So it will sit in the closet until the time when it is needed.

My other projects for today are to move my sewing machine back up to my sewing room, alter a pair of pants, fix a hole in my husband's slacks, and take pictures of the Halloween table runners so I can post them tonight.

Once all this is done I will sandwich the two Fall/Thanksgiving table runners so I can bind and post them.  I have two tops that I finished last year that I want to post this year.  At that point I need to get material for a quilt for Yana.  I will be giving her a quilt for her twin bed for her birthday in December.  I also have a couple birthday presents to get sewn.

Lots to do and I'm slowly running out of time to get it all done.

Meat, Meat, Meat...

Well I definately have something to blog about today.  I didn't do it for that purpose but it does help.  Today is the first day of the Big Meat Sale at our local grocery store - Reasors.  I have heard of this sale over the last couple of years but have never gone.  While my in-laws were here on Tuesday I had my mother in law help me go through the flyer and chose the meat that would be a good deal that I would use. 

So this morning after I dropped Sarah off at school Yana and I ran some errands and then went to Reasor's.  It was nice.  I went in and asked a gentleman for help.  He helped me find everything that I had circled and explained how to pick them and what the best use for them was.  He even went through and kind of picked out the best ones and then I picked the one I want.  Then they cut it up and wrapped it.  I spent enough money on the meat that I also got a free turkey.  So it took care of our meat (other than hamburger) for the next 6 months or more and we now have a Thanksgiving turkey that I didn't have to pay for.  It was enjoyable and I would do it again.

 I got 7 roasts, 2 lbs of stew meat, pork chops, pork ribs, and 14 1" steaks. 

This is our free turkey.

Now the tricky part was getting it all in our freezer.  I did it but now I have no more room for anything else.  So I'll continue adding freezer meals as we eat the meat over the next couple of month.

I hope you have had a great Thursday so far.  Talk to ya later.

Loss for words...

I sat here yesterday after my in - laws left and couldn't come up with anything to blog about.  Honestly I'm doing the same thing today.  I'm not sure what to blog about.  I finished one cushion Monday and have the other 5 left to sew together.  It shouldn't take too long I just haven't haven't had any energy to sit and sew.  Strange huh that I can sit and type but don't want to sit and sew. 

Anyways I hope you all have a great Wednesday.  I'll blog about something interesting tomorrow...hopefully.

Our weekend

Well my husband got home from Texas right after I hit the submit button for the last post on Friday.  It was nice.  I wasn't expecting him for another couple of hours.  Then we did some running around after nap time.  We bought the rest of the material I need to cover my seat cushions.  I'm really glad that he came with me because we ended up buying material we didn't even look at the last time we looked at the material.

Saturday we went to the temple with the youth and then when we got home we worked in the yard.  I mowed and he weed eated.  Then while he started to work on the brick I put weed killer and grass seed on our yard.  Then I helped with the brick.  I took off the top bricks and packed dirt in between the lower bricks.

Then I got cleaned up and went to the Relief Society dinner and yearly broadcast.  It was very good and I loved it.  It is good to get away and spend time visiting with friends and learning new things.

Sunday was the primary program.  It was the first for Sarah.  She was great.  All the primary kids (ages 3-11) sat up in front and sang songs and had lines.  Sarah's line was "I can follow Jesus by being good."  She did really well.  I was fun to see her.  She kept waving at everyone.

After church we had a soup social with the ward.  It was fun.  I made a big batch of Borshe and had taken our crock pot to the church earlier.  We tried a few different soups and visited.  It was a lot of fun.

After that we just hung out around the house with our girls.  I finished cleaning the kitchen after all the cooking from that morning.

Today I am about ready to start cutting out material for the seat cushions.  I haven't had time before now.  I've taken Sarah to and from school, went grocery shopping, filled the car up with gas, cleaned the bathrooms, filled snack bags, and updated the calendar on our wall to October.  I love dry erase calendars.

Well I need to get a moving before I sit too long that I fall asleep and get nothing done.  Have a great afternoon.