chapter 104 : playing catch up...

so part of the reason i wanted to even do this blog was so that i would have a great place to express myself through things i am doing. here are some new and past things for me :

* i started teaching a dance class in my ward as an Enrichment Group. so if you want to come and get a great workout and learn a dance too, i teach on Weds. mornings from 9-10 and Sat. mornings from 7-8:30. children are welcome and we do it at my church building. let's just say that i really LOVE the ladies i do this for because mornings are not my specialty. honestly though when i got up and going this past Sat. and the sun was shining, it felt like a new start for me. it was a beautiful day and such a wonderful blessing for me to be able to share one of my talents with my great friends. thanks my little dancing divas!

* i'm super excited because i might be starting a graphic design program through BCC extended learning. more details to come if i do it.

* these are a favorite pair of shoes that i bought clear back in dec. so functional and add the perfect touch to my otherwise boring & frumpy Mommy wardrobe...i'm trying to get back in style.


* this is the color we painted our entry way...


* this is the blanket i made for a girl in my ward who just had her 3rd boy yesterday. i love the blue polka dot border and think it turned out pretty cute...



* my first attempt at flower hair clips for the girls. i've gotten lots better since then...


* the top of a baby blanket i started making from a pattern on my happy little life by Kelly McCaleb. love these colors right now and so i was happy to find these fat quarters for only .99 cents.


* so GRATEFUL i found my sewing machine manual online because as you can see below, i was having some MAJOR tension issues...luckily i got it figured out and the blanket finished the night before the shower.


* some hair clips i made for my friend Jennifer. too bad my camera was retarded on the focus part of things. they are lots cuter in real life...


* my new baby!!! isn't she beautiful. i think she should affectionately be called sweet stella!


* a fun pillow case i made by copying one of my best friends, Lynn's, patterns.


* i made all of these for the auction in our ward to help the Young Women be able to go to Girl's Camp. it was fun to make these to help them...


* i made this blanket for my little Bug. she told me she wanted monkeys and for my 2nd one like this, i thought it turned out pretty good. love the way the vine stitch goes so well with the pattern.


* this was my attempt to save money and go blonde at the same time. i ended up with copper instead. so 4 boxes and a couple weeks later, mr. clean asked me to go back to auburn and i did. so now i look almost like i did in this 1st picture...


* oh my Sweet Stella!


* this is the blanket i made for my little Chubbily Bubbly. i love the flower pattern and the decorative stitch. it is so me!


* just some of the flower clips i've made. they are getting cuter each time i make them. thanks to amy for her creative expertise.


* one of the cute designs by Carol that i made at her card making Enrichment night a while ago.


more to come in the future, especially pictures of the giveaway prizes.

yours truly.

chapter 103 : almost time...

so i'm going to pick the winner on Weds., May 21st, so there is still plenty of time to enter again or tell others about it.
i also decided to change my prizes a bit. i'm going to give like this :

the biggie :
* handmade flannel baby blanket (you get to pick the one you like out of 4 different ones i am making)
* handmade childrens pillowcase
* 3 hair clips for a little girl (you pick the colors)
* 5 handmade cards, designed by my oh so creative friend, Carol Calloway (she designs for a scrapbooking store)
* an original piece of artwork...most likely with a bird in it :)

2nd place :
* an original apron made by my super cute & fabulous friend, Amber Folkman. the apron is yellow and white on one side and a light grayish blue on the other...so cute!
* 2 hair clips (you pick the colors)

the runner up :
* 2 hair clips (you pick the colors)
* 5 handmade cards

i thought this way, i could share with more people. thank you all again for commenting here. i appreciate your kindness...even if you are blogstalking Becky! just teasing

yours truly.

chapter 101 : want more?

thank you all for your comments thus far. keep them coming and thanks for your support of my own little "creative corner" of the world.
are you wanting even more amazing stuff that i can make? go here to a fabulous local creator and check our her give away, buy something from her etsy shop or just smile in aww at her AMAZING creations.
congrats Sara on your 1 year etsy anniversary!

chapter 94 : blessed memories

some major points that are still looming on my mind :
* i haven't given up hope on being able to go to cosmetology school just yet, but i'm coming to ACCEPT that NOW isn't the right time for it.
* i DESPERATELY want a mini schnauzer. i think it would make my world a better place...some may disagree, but i LOVE puppies and so do my girls.
* i'm currently working on this baby quilt by the oh so FABULOUS Kelly McCaleb...oh and about a million other projects that i never finish...
* i'm so grateful for how MINDFUL my Heavenly Father is of me and for friends that let us invite ourselves to their house...not mentioning any names, jennifer!

my thoughts tonight though are turned to a very important person who i was privileged to know in my life, my sweet, yet bold Nana. today was her birthday. she was my maternal great-grandmother and i was so BLESSED to grow up so close to so many of my grandparents.
tonight, my hearts swells with gratitude for the woman she was; the caffeine-free diet coke habit she had; her soap-opera, Wheel of Fortune and Murder She Wrote addictions; the way she always welcomed us into her home without reservations because we were hers; her false teeth; playing Huskerdoo with me; the way she listened to the local police scanner and then would go and find out where all the "action" was taking place; the way she is still with me each day.

who would i be without the irreplaceable love that i was shown while i was growing up by these wonderful, faithful, kind and sometimes harshly honest elders in my life? the truth is that i don't know, but more importantly, i do feel a great connection to my past because of them. i learned some wonderful lessons because of who they were and i can only imagine how sweet our reunion will one day be when i can thank them for their aid in my life.

i KNOW that they are with me and help me get through hardships i face. i can feel them lifting and buoying me at times when i feel alone. what a BEAUTIFUL blessing from our Heavenly Father to know that i have extra help when i need it most. i am truly never forgotten even amidst my inadequacies.

so THANK YOU my sweet Nana, Grandpa Jim, Grandma Beth and Grandpa Elmo for your ever present strength and life. i love you, miss you and pray i can pass on who you were to my children if only through my memories of you.

yours truly.

chapter 70 : maybe i shouldn't attend baby showers...

thanks to Lisa for trying to help me kick my habit, but unfortunately i must report that after 2 brownie bites, 1 rootbeer and 1 baby shower later, i lost the fight again today.

there's still hope.

yours truly.

chapter 60 : afb (away from blogging)

i haven't posted too much lately and i'm blaming it on this and the Gilmore Girls dvds i borrowed from Lisa.

chapter 38 : understanding my normalcy

today's thankful thought : earlier today, i went with one of my super great friends, the photographer behind this site and this blog, to check out a boutique in west seattle. beside getting lost several times and making it to the store about 10 minutes before close, i had so much fun getting out with her.
i am so grateful for people who i can share myself with and who i know understands me. it is such a blessing to have wonderful friends in my life now, in the past and hopefully more in the future who help me to know that i am normal (ok, well sort of ;) ). i am thankful that i can be myself, am accepted for it and that there are those who still want to spend time with me despite my flaws.

thank you to all of you who do this for me.