Merry Christmas to me

I just had to show off my new Christmas table setting I got for myself for Christmas.=> Isn't it so lovely!!!! I got two boxes so I would have a setting for 8, but now I wish I had gotten 3 so I would have enough for 12. Oh, well. I had bought a different set a few years ago, (of just 4) telling my husband exactly where he could go to get my another one so I would have 8, but did he listen ??? NO! and then it was gone and I have this fun snowman set of 4 dishes. Really, what can I do with just 4 dishes????? So this time I just got what I wanted, just to make sure. I am especially excited because they match then table cloth and napkins I bought a year ago. It is hand embroidered from Singapore. I brought them home and washed down the table and the girls helped me set up the table all pretty so I could take a picture. => Then I put my table cloth away. We have eaten on the dishes, thought they do not sit out on the table. I am not that stupid!!! I hope you all have such an exciting Christmas!!! I know mine is made!!!!

'Tis the Season

So Christmas is offically on at my house. We finished handing all the lights outside yesterday. Amber and Clara helped me while the weather was nice. And what help they were. Then I also finished all the Christmas dresses and one Christmas tie. => Sew very VERY happy about that. And we got everyone all dressed up after dinner and took a picture and I ordered cards and they should be out very soon. All in all it was a very productive day and the kids are all in the holiday spirit. Now if only we had a tree.

Quilting

On Friday I took my last quilting class. It was so much fun!!!! Thank you Malauna & Tricia for watching my girls. I learned so much!!!!!! Quilting is such a different format of sewing then making clothes. It was so fun to sit there for 3 (yes 3!!!) hours and just learn and sew. I do believe I will be taking another sewing class in the future. (Probably far future because of the baby)
But on to the stuff I learned. I can now make a perfect mittered corner on a quilt. That has always been such a difficult thing for me. I also learned how to bind a quilt. I have always HATED binding a quilt and now that I took this class it all makes sense and it really isn't all that hard. In fact we practiced all this stuff on a practice square and the binding looks sew nice!!!! We also learned how to quilt on our sewing machines. We use this really cool foot called a "walking foot". It makes your quilting come out so smooth and non-bumpy. We also got to do free motion quilting, called "stippling". That was fun. It has always scared me to do that, but it is really fun and cool looking.
So now I learned all this really cool and neat stuff I am very eager to do it. Now I can finish a quilt I am making for Amber for Christmas. It is a crazy quilt with red, yellow, and blue colors. The top has been done for a couple of weeks, I was just waiting for this class so I could bind it. Now I can!!!!! I also want to make a quilt for Sara and Tessa. We will see if I get it done before Christmas or not. I can also finish my wall quilt we made to learn on for this class. It is in browns and blues. I did it to hang in the stair well. We made it in the Ohio Star. It is looking very nice!!!! I am SEW excited for all this stuff I learned!!!!!!!! I will post pictures soon of all the quilts.

Clara did it!!!!

So I am soooooooo happy!!!! I just had to share with everyone. We went to the store and when we got home Clara told me she had to go potty and then she pooped in the toliet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am soooooooooooooooo happy with that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just thought I would share our little success of the day with you all.

F.H.E.

This is what we did for fhe tonight. You have got to love fall!!!!!!!

happy hair

So this is what we did yesterday afterschool. We got a litte crazy with the ponytails and what fun we had. Sara & Tessa wanted to wear theirs' to school. I told them they would have to wait for crazy hair day. Also Clara has been dry for two days now, she even went poop in the potty tonite. YEAH!!!!!!!

The mighty hunter

So Doug went out with some friends to do what all good Idahoans do this time of year, HUNT. He was trying to be such a good provider and such. But he has the worst luck with that. Of the 5 or so times he has gone 3 times he has ended up hiking back into town vehicleless. It has become quite a joke with us, (okay, just me, but it is funny!) This time was no different. After going out on errands with the girls I get a call from him wondering when we will be home so he can take the suburban back out to retrieve his broken down truck. This time it was the alternater that stopped, so he hitch-hiked back down the canyon into town, leaving his friend and two boys up in the hills to hunt or freeze, (which ever came first). So he got the parts he needed and we deposited the girls at a friend's house and made the drive up the winding and narrow road the retrieve his truck and friends. It was actually quite a nice drive up and we even found a few hot springs. Then he tinkered around and fixed the broken part, (he is quite good at that, luckily) and we headed back into town.
And that is what my mighty hunter did yesterday.

What we did this weekend

The girls had Thurs. and Fri. off last week for teacher inservice. So we went on vacation at home. We spent the mornings cleaning and thinning and re-arranging the house. And then Doug took the afternoons off and we went on drives. One day we went up above Horseshoe Bend in the mountains to Silver Creek Plung. It was so beautiful!!! I love fall!!! The hills were just covered. Then we got to go swimming, outside, in a light rain, but the water was from a hot spring and was about 90 degress. It was heaven and we had the whole pool to ourselves!!!! Needless to say we were there for quite some time. Then on the way home we stopped at a little diner in Garden Valley for dinner and hot chocolate. YUM!!!!
We also got to go to Linder Pumpkin Patch for FHE Monday night. The weather was so nice. I couldn't believe it because it has been so cold, but the light wind was almost warm. The girls had fun walking through the fields to find just the perfect pumpkin. And Amber being so considerate of others had to get a tiny little one for the baby.= >

Quilting

So I have been taking a quilting class with Malauna
It has been really fun and I have learned so much!!!! I know, there is actually something that I didn't already know about sewing, IMAGINE!!! => I learned the right measurements for triagle pieces and how to clip the corners and how to sew triangles and make them match up. It was very instructional!! Even if I hadn't learned anthing new, it was nice to have a night away doing something I like!! I can't wait for the next half when we learn to machine quilt and bind it. I am only doing a small 4 square wall hanging in hopes that I get it done. I am using browns and blues to go up in our tv room.

So I have to interupt to tell a very funny story. As I am up stairs typing this the kids are all out front with Doug. Out the open window I can hear the beginning sound a music, yes, it is the ICE CREAM MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I brace myself for the onslot to come, and it came, four little girls came rushing in to the house yelling and jumping up and down, "CAN WE HAVE ICE CREAM??? CAN WE HAVE ICE CREAM???!!! HE'S ON OUR STREET!!!!" When that music comes floating down our block it is amazing how fast they come running. Maybe I should use that song when I want them to come clean. =>
But I panned them off this time by telling them to go find their dad and let him tell them no.

I just had to share that. Thank you.

Now I have lost my train of thought so I will go now.

Look-a-likes

who would have guessed???

Summer Post-view

So here is just some pictures from this summer. Pictures with our friends we saw in Utah and one from Sara and Tessa's sewing class.

Potty Training - Day 7

SUCCESS!!!!! Well, sort of. On Friday I was feeling so yucky I just let Clara run around in pull-ups. Which she really liked cause she could take them on and off by herself. She is all about independance!! Anyway, I realized that on Sat. that maybe it wasn't as much of a step backwards as I thought. At least now she would change herself everytime she peed, instead of wearing her diaper around until I changed it. Realization is a big part of potty training, right.
And today before church I caught her holding her breath and asked if she was pooping and she said yes and we ran for the toilet and she pooped in the potty!!! yeah!!!! We were all so excited and so was she to see it all happen and to see that it wasn't such a bad thing after all. So maybe we are going forward. Time will tell.

Potty Training - Day 4

I think I was celebrating too soon. Yesterday was a complete break down of her holding out. She held nothing in!!!! One accident on the way to the park, one while we were at the park, and one again on my kitchen floor. Also, I caught her pooping in her panties outside. Yuck!!!!!
But today, we had a golden moment. She peed in the toilet. Yes, it was a moment to cheer!! Luckily, we had a cheering crowd around her at the time. Maybe that is what she needs to use the toilet, a cheer section. When I potty trained Sara & Tessa we would all go in and then all cheer for the other when they went. Then they would return the favor for me when I went to the bathroom. It is quite something when your twin two year olds are cheering "Yeah, mommy went potty, yeah mommy!" (It's even funner when they do it for Daddy!!!)
After that she stayed dry for a while but she finished out the day went and poopy. I can handle the wet but I really hate cleaning poopy underwear!!! I just keep telling myself "You can do this, you can do this"

Potty Training - Day 2

So I was congratulating myself after passing the first day of potty training my 3 year old with no accidents. She even claims she went potty twice yesterday, although she flushed the toilet before I could get there and see. But she stayed dry. I do think she was holding it in all day, though.
I was expecting more of the same today, not so. Well, she started out the same. We would go and sit on the potty, talk, play, have treats, pass the time, still nothing. But then while we were outside I noticed she paused in her play, of course I asked her if she needed to go potty, she said no and walked away. Then she stopped again and I waited for the tell-tale puddle to appear, but again, nothing. Then she started saying "I pooped" Great!!! So I took her inside and we cleaned her up and the pooppy underware. I would much rather clean up pee than pooppy underware!!! And that is my day so far. Atleast I know there will be no more poop. = > I guess that can be counted as some success.

The Truth is Out

So yes, it is true, as you can tell from the wigget to the right, I am expecting!!!!! We finally told the girls and they told everyone. => They are all very excited and keep hoping for a boy. What are they thinking???? Well, except Clara who pipes in "and a little sister" every time Amber talks about how she would like a baby brother. I don't think Clara really realizes what they are talking about, she just likes to put in her two cents worth. They even have names all picked out. Amber likes Courtney, for a boy.
My due date is Feb. 5th. What a long time away. I am feeling a little better. I just have this aver gen to all food. Which does make it a little hard because I am starving all the time. Doug is even getting back into practice by holding all the babys at church. It is quite cute.

Little Girls Dressed in White

Here they are, my little girls dressed in white. We had such a great experience this weekend and got to baptise Sara and Tessa at our family reuion. It will always be such a great memory to them in the years to come that they got to be baptised with all their cousins. They were so excited and cute!!
(Tessa is on the left and Sara is on the right in both pix)

Here are there dresses that I made them for their baptism. They picked out the material and the patterns and I sewed them together.

Birthdays, galore!!!!

So we celebrated ALL the girls' Birthdays. It was a fun and cakey week!!!
We started with Clara turning 3 and she wanted a pink cake. So Doug made her a pink cake. He has become the Birthday cake maker in the family. And the girls are all very excited about that.

Then we had Amber's Birthday. #5, although someitmes she says she is turning 7. (Yes, her actual Birthday is in Sept. but all she understands about that is that everyone else gets cake and presents and she doesn't.) It has worked out well to get them all over. Her pictures were all blurry, because she never holds still.

Then we has Sara and Tessa's. They turned 8!!! Yes, they are so excited to be 8 and in a couple of weeks they will get baptised. I'm not sure who was more excited about this gift they got, them or Doug. (It's a pellet gun)

Here is Doug (the cake maker) with Sara & Tessa's patriotic cake. He did a wonderful job and everyone oooooed and ahhhhhhed all over it.

It is nice to have all the cake gone!!!

That which runs through. . .

We have just returned from my sister's in Omaha. We went there for her oldest son's baptism and her youngest son's blessing. (She has three others in between) Yes, it is a long drive, but it was a fun visit. And apparently I returned just in time. Because since that day (Friday) I have not been more than a few feet from my bathroom. Yes, it is the wicked downside of traveling, too much fast food. And boy they mean it when they say FAST!! Everything has quickly run through me, faster than I can eat it. So now I am on that wonderful -Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast, Yogurt- diet. Yes, BRATY is here again. Can I tell you a person can only live on bananas and toast for so long. It is not fun!!! I am grateful that I am the only one who seems to have come down with it. Hopefully, it stays that way. I hope all your vacations end more plesantly.

Oh, what do you do in the summer time?

Do you plot and stratigize with your neighbor?

Or do you picnic on an island with all who comes near?

Is that what you do?
So do we.

So.... what do you do in the summer time?
When asked what she wanted to do this summer Tessa said, "Sleep in until 10 o'clock." A very worthy goal. I told her I would support her in any way possible. So far Clara has made it the closest at 9:45. Way to go Clara!!!
Sara wants to swim and read, but not at the same time. And Amber just wants to have her Birthday. ( she is currently up to Birthday #6, going on #7 - pretty good for a four year old)
I just want to do as little as possible with a few trips in between and go to the park for free lunches and then maybe cool off with a nice little dip in the pool. ( if they ever get it working again). That is our plans for the summer, what are yours?

Sew Cute

Sew, because of my twins' whole pioneer thing at school, they get to do "challenges". Which are doing things the way they would have been done back then. So I helped my girls make a rag doll, out of - rags-. We hand sewed them and even made little clothes for them.
Sew Cute, huh!!!!!!

Sew Much Fun

My lattest sewing project involves making pioneer clothes for my girls to wear for the last 2 weeks of school. They get to pretend to be pioneers and go to an old fashioned school, write on slates, make butter, write with quill pens, and other such things. Anyway, my twins both needed dresses, aprons and bonnets. This is on such outfit I made (minus the p.j. top she is wearing with it) out of a dress my mom made and gave to me when she cleaned out her closet during our last visit. So, not only am I doing something wonderful for my girls, I am also being earth friendly by re-cycling. =>
It doesn't get a whole lot better than that.

Too Much Information

So what I want to know is when is info, too much info???? I mean I write it here and it is out there for anyone to find and they could do anything with it. Hunt me down and stare at my house or send me unsolicited mail or even take my whole identity. (Although, good luck with that, because I still don't know where it all went to.) So how do you know what to write and what not to write. It is a dilemma. Especially considering I have a hard time editing my stories, you know, the whole "change their names to protect the Innocent, or guilty" as the case may be. So, how do you know????

4 Things About Me

I got this from a friend and decided it would be a fun thing to put on my blog for information purposes.
Four Things About Me. It's a fun little thing, just 4 things about me you might not have known!

*Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Nanny, for twins, twice
2. Papa Murphys
3. Taco Bell
4. $2 Fabric Store (my fav)

*Four places I have lived:
1.Mud Lake, ID
2. Pocatello, ID
3. Logan, UT
4. Prove, UT

*Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. Dancing with the Stars
2. Crossing Jordan
3. Medium
4. Heros

*Four places I've been on Vacaton:
1. California
2. Washington, DC
3. Phoenix, AZ
4. Stoddard Creek

*Four places where I would rather be right now:
1. In bed asleep
2. In my sewing room, sewing
3. On a trip to anywhere
4. In bed asleep

*Four Favorite Foods:
1. CHOCOLATE, DARK
2. Ice Cream
3. flavored sodas
4. More CHOCOLATE!!!

*Four things I like about the person who sent this to me:
1. She is everywhere I am
2. past history
3. She likes me
4. Her smile =>

Succumbing

So I gave into all the pressure and hype and got myself a blog. Now when it all comes up in conversation I can join in with all the others and say "well, I wrote in my blog. . . " Fun, huh. I never was very strong when it came to peer pressure. We will just have to see now if this will be a keeper or just a momentary "new and exciting", but soon forgotten. I am so glad this has spell check!!! If you only knew how bad this really looked. = >
Here's wishing you all could be Sew Happy like me!!