Christmas Hands and Feet

This inspired pin was not as easy you'd think. However, I was dealing with the feet of of a 3 month and 5 month so they are a little free-spirited. I think the grandparents will cherish this one even with its straying toes. Three little cousins imprinted together for life... Priceless.

My Birthday Candles

It was my birthday last week and this is my birthday pecan tart.  I put 3 candles on it and went to change the baby. I came back and Walter had increased the number of candles. Evidently, he doesn't get the notion of repeating 38 for a few more years. So the carefully placed crooked candles were lit if only to remind me that you can pretend all you want about being 38 again in the end the candles get piled on there anyhow.

Lost their Lease

When I was pregnant with Walter, a quilt shop opened up near my husband's shop. This really was a dream come true for me. To be so close to such a shop was pure, colorful bliss.

I loved the little community of ladies (and a few men) who love color, fabrics, patterns and putting them all together into something amazing. I would lug my fat baby boy in his carseat and linger over the fabrics. Then, I would lug my ornery boy in a stroller with some goldfish and shop quicker! I imagined taking little Rose and letting her in on the art of combining fabric to make something fabulous while only having to drive 2 miles!

Alas, the email went out that the store lost their lease and so my quilt shop around the corner is closing up. I am so heartbroken. I have a lost my little escape. Escape into mingling with the people there and dreaming up new projects on my limited discretionary funds.

I felt a little guilty in light of the news of recent weeks, that I cried about this shop closing. I cried about the news too though. This one just touches me personally because I feel as though I am losing something really important to my creativity and sanity. There were days when, I just needed to get out of the house and look at pretty stuff and talk to someone who is taller than me and I would go to the quilt shop! I nearly burst into tears when I was there yesterday for their big sale.

One can only hope that gas prices will do down so I can go to quilt shops further away or I will make do with what I have in my material stash - though neither are likely.

Its been a good run quilt shop - I will miss you.

Countdown to Christmas

One of the nesting projects from this summer was getting this Christmas Tree quilt done. I love how it turned out. I love that it is done. I love that I have a place to hang it! To the right of the quilt you will see our Christmas Countdown chain. You will also see links strewn across my bedroom. (not pictured)

On each link, I wrote down one of God's "nicknames" - 25 of them- Hope, Rock, Savior, Wonderful Counselor etc. I attempted to explain why we call God each of those names to my son hoping something will stick. Then, it was my plan to read the scripture verse that goes with the name. I wrote it on there for easy looking up. Oh.... the best laid plans of men... It just seems to me that December barrelled out of control so fast I hardly heard enough Christmas songs. I didn't even get to listen to any Harry Connick Jr.  Why is it when the baby is in the belly the time creeps along but now that she is out I keep losing my hat time is flying by so fast? Needless to say "with time's winged chariot hurrying by", most days I forgot to get Walter to take a link off and more than most days I feel asleep before I could look up any corresponding scripture verse....

Also, each day we were trying to do something in preparation for Christmas. Buy a tree, make cookies, do a craft. I made a lengthy list of ideas. We did a little better on that than actually taking the links off.

The goal of it all was to help Walter understood that the reason for Christmas and giving gifts is to celebrate Jesus' birthday. Something must have stuck because on Christmas morning, he rushed to the nativity to see Jesus before he ever really noticed the gifts around the tree. Does a Momma's heart proud. Got a little misty.

We will try again next year with our countdown - maybe he will be better at reminding me then. I have no doubt though as with most Decembers it will fly by faster than we can imagine and I'll need to hold on to my hat again and hunt down my Harry Connick Jr CD sooner. I intend to do something with the links in my room... before I put them in the trash can. It just may be Valentine's Day before that happens!

The Wisdom of No TV

We haven't had a working TV in over 2 years now. Remember when President Bush sent out stimulus money to help jump start the economy? I did my part and bought a flat screen TV and it crapped out on us 2 months after the warranty was up. Typical.

My husband made several attempts to try and fix it by replacing different components but no luck. So the broken TV sits in our beautiful TV cabinet the one that could have killed us.

So why is it a wise to not have a TV? I know I would be watching it all the time, never having the restraint to turn it off. Whenever I am over my parents I watch it incessantly, like I am making up for lost time. I know though that I would do the same thing here if ours worked.

I also know how much healthier it is for me to not have a TV, because I was at my parent's this weekend and was glued to the TV watching news of the school shooting in Connecticut. I like everyone else was - am- sickened by it. Sickened because I am a mother. Sickened because for many years I worked in schools where the students become your little loves and you want only the best for them. I am brokenhearted.

It is so easy to get sucked into the sorrow when all you watch is sorrowful news. I know that because I am struggling to get images out of my mind of what happened or how it might have played out. The truth comes home to me once again the wisdom of not having a TV is I am unable to dwell on news to the point of obsession. One can still be moved to empathy and prayer without hearing things repeated over and over again. I know that is what is best for me. There is a wisdom in that knowledge that really makes me want to turn our TV cabinet into extra blanket or toy storage. Even after 2 years of no TV, having one would undo years of going without in a matter of hours.

School Projects.

Look what we did in school. Thanks in part to Pinterest.

A Walter Name Train

A painted traffic light

A muddy pig

Now I must admit I do feel like I like school way more than my son, which is a little frustrating because I love doing this stuff. He needs to be coaxed a little. I just have to think outside the box more to figure out his learning style and preferences.

I do feel like I scored big when I found this street and printed it out.... He has been lining us his cars and having them drive all over it for days now. If we weren't so low on toner I would print out his whole name!

http://www.makinglearningfun.com/themepages/RacecarABCcards.htm

5 Roasted Pumpkins...

 5 Roasted Pumpkins... sitting on the stove...

Easiest way to roast pumpkins ever.

Rub olive oil on them.

Stick in the oven.

Put a tray on the lowest rack to catch drips.

I think I set the oven for 400 degrees

Roast for 60-90 minutes

Poke with a knife take out if it feels soft.

Cut away the stem.

Start scooping.

You do have to be careful about not getting the seeds mixed in with the good stuff.

I got 16 cups of pumpkin out of my 5 little pumpkins.

Very pleased.

Totally sneaking the pumpkin into pancakes. 

Haven't been discovered yet!

Volvo Dreams

Once upon a time, I found out that Volvo's were top rated for being very safe cars. So I decided that when I had kids I wanted to have a Volvo...

As neither of us are mini-van people a stationwagon was a good family car for our growing family.

First, I kind of had to talk him out of getting me a 1996 Buick Roadmaster Estate Stationwagon ...
We then, decided to look for a Volvo stationwagon.

We sold my Honda Civic that I had for one week shy of 10 years! We sold it the day after I got out of the hospital. So many changes in such a short time... Then, the Volvo we had our eyes on sold. So I was left to drive my husbands Lincoln towncar -big boat that it is. He assures me its no bigger than the cars I drove in high school and college. Alas, I did get use to it.

Finally, after 2 and half months what we were looking for came up. This lovely 2004 white wagon. Its not in mint condition and I can only assume that most people looked at the great mileage and the few dings and decided it was worth it to them. But when you have a hubby who knows how to fix stuff -it makes for a great deal! Even if he didn't - its still an awesome car!

This car is not only the answer to prayer for a very present need, but is also the fruition of a very old dream which was to drive my kids in a Volvo.

A Rose

I had a Rose, the end of August. She's a beauty with red hair. So amazing to think a part of her (& Walter too) have always been with me.

I have always wanted a Rose and there were definitely days when I didn't think there would ever be a Rose or any children at all. God has graciously answered my prayers and then some.

I got to admit that one of the most shocking, wonderful and amazing things I ever heard was, "Its a girl."

Thank You Jesus for late summer Rose.

Pink Wonderland

 Seriously, does it get any cooler than this?

Longwood Gardens you just keeping doing new things.

I just got the feeling like I was caught 

in a little bit of a fabulous pink wonderland.

Cows in a Hurricane

As hurricane Sandy ravaged the East Coast - we waited to see if Chester County, PA would be hit too. We were prepared. I had food cooked and ready to be warmed on a propane cook stove or a grill. I had water in buckets, mason jars and jugs. I had a cooler. I had numerous containers -prepared days in advance- frozen solid to help keep the freezer chest cold. I was ready.

We waited and checked the news to see how Sandy was tracking.

The lights only flickered once or twice.

We woke up and realized nothing awful happened to us.

The floodgates in my hometown did what they were supposed to - probably because Sandy didn't come up the Delaware River like it could have. My hometown was spared.

God was very merciful to us.

As the rain came down,  the cows came out to graze as they do everyday. It just struck me as kind of funny as we looked out the window watching the rain and the cows and wondering what was going to happen. Weather is not as predictable as these cows.

Fall Creations

So fall has come and gone - and my drafted posts have sat because who knew two kids under 3 would be work. Somehow I did manage to accomplish a few crafty things.

Crafty things really do keep me sane. Except for when I have to decide, "crafts or bleach the shower curtain?"

To my right is an applique quilt I started at least 8 years ago and finally finished during my period of nesting. Thanks to my drillmaster, I have a place to hang up wall hangings!


 I saw this pumpkin on a magazine while checking out at the grocery store. Totally loved that. Totally did it in now time. Bonus: I was able to keep the rick-rack for next year.

Then, Walter and I decorated two more. I used the puffy paint and dotted out "Walter" & "Rose." Then,  in a moment of not thinking clearly enough let him use the puffy paint - which is not washable. Not gonna do that again. Ruined a shirt, stained the highchair tray. He seemed pleased with his pumpkin though.