Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Reagan's First Teeth!

Reagan got her first tooth yesterday, and her second tooth today, both on the bottom, and both without much fuss or bother.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

A Christmas Bat

Finley decided he really wanted a Bat for Christmas, and happily I had just the pattern for it. I especially love the tiny embroidered fangs on his little mouth:)
I think I'm in love with Bats now:)
 

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

My Little Seamstress

After begging me over and over to please, please, please teach her how to sew, we bought Haven her very own sewing machine for her birthday 2 years ago. She has absolutely loved it. I have tried to make sure she has a dedicated space to keep all of her sewing supplies so she can easily access what she needs and have her own creative space. I would be lying if I said I didn't absolutely love sewing along side her. Tonight, she is working on a mini doll quilt for Jensen for a Christmas present. It's going to be darling.

Monday, December 17, 2012

The Last Quilt...

I'm sewing the binding onto the very last quilt and I am so excited. I honestly wondered if I would be able to finish all of them. In total I made 11 quilts. The first quilt was just a test to see approxinately how long it would take to make it, and since it worked up fairly quickly  I went ahead. Sadly my second quilt was a total failure. I over-quilted it, used a low loft batting, and had waaaaay too many folds and creases on the underside get stitched down due to serious shifting issues while quilting. It was so frustrating. But I persevered. So for the next 9 quilts I went with a high loft batting, I spaces my quilting stitch lines much further apart, and I discovered the awesomeness that is spray basting. Things went much more smoothly from then on, and I am relieved to have all of the quilts done in time for everyone to open up on Christmas Eve.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

And Thomas Makes #10

This quilt gave me endless trouble when I was sewing it. The bottom kept bunching up and folding over as I quilted it, causing no end of frustration. I did my best, but I truly wish I had turned out a quilt without so many glaring mistakes. But ultimately, I know this quilt will be loved and snuggled, so I am just letting it go. There are more important things than perfection sometimes.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

My Spooky Little Weirdo

Jensen loves to put her blanket over head and be a spooky ghost (or as she says: a boo-tee doast). Doesn't matter that Halloween is long since past, she loves it. She usually walks up and down the hallway making her spooky sounds and bumping into things along the way. I had no idea though that spooky ghosts also ride bouncy zebras. I stand corrected.

...and Quilt #9

Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse make for a very fun quilt :)

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Binding Quilt #8

I love stripes, so I was happy to be able to use this blue and white striped fabric to bind quilt #8. I think it adds just the right pop of.color and fun to an already busy print on top, and it looks fantastic against the solid yellow on the bottom. Yay:)

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Panicked Baking

My husband suddenly remembers he needs to bring a treat to the families he Home Teaches. Six dozen cookies later...

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Quilt #7

My Mom was always making us quilts when I was growing up. Big snuggly flannel ones that she painstakingly pieced and quilted together, and they were much loved and constantly used. So imagine my surprise when I discovered a pieced quilt top and a matching patchwork  backing my Mom had started on (at least 20 years ago!) but had never finished.
Somehow the pieces ended up in with my sewing stuff, so I decided to add it to the pile of quilts I'm making for Christmas, it definitely needs to be finished. Using some of the matching flannel it had been stored with, I added 7-inch wide strips on all 4 sides to enlarge the quilt top to match the size of the patchwork backing. I sandwiched the batting between the two layers, pinned it together like crazy with basting safety pins, and it's just waiting for me to quilt and bind it now. Now I just have to keep up my sewing momentum as I am so close to being done with all of these quilts! 

Gingerbread Houses

My sister have us a boxed kit of five little gingerbread houses to assemble and decorate. I have seen these kits before and always wondered if they really were any good, and if the little gingerbread houses actually turn out cute if they're assembled and decorated by non-professionals and small children. As it turns out, they're lots of fun, quite easy, and every single one of the little houses turned out super cute. It looks like I'm a fan after all, and I will be buying these kits again for more Christmases to come. My kidlets were more than happy to pose for me with their little candy works of art.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Just laying around...

 Jensen decided to join Reagan on the floor for a little while. She's watching her favorite show, Dinosaur Train, while Reagan entertains herself and "talks" to anyone who will listen. Which is usually mama:)

Monday, December 3, 2012

A Hearty Appetite

Reagan has gotten the hang of eating baby food and rice cereal faster than any of my other babies. She had loved everything we have tried so far and is happy to polish off whatever is on the menu that day. So far pears are a heavy favorite, with applesauce coming in at a close second.

Reagan at Six Months Old

Of course time is flying y, and Reagan is already six months old. She is still an incredibly happy baby, and so quick to smile and giggle. She is quite the little talker and squealer, making tons of noise as she plays. And where none of my other babies have ever been content to play for any length of time, Reagan is more than content to play. She loves being on the floor for tummy-time and grabbing anything that even remotely resembles a toy so she can give it a thorough gumming as she hasn't cut any teeth yet, or bouncing like a tiny wild animal in her jump-a-roo while she gives out little squeals of delight.
She is awesome about taking naps, but has yet to sleep through the night yet. She wakes every night at least once, usually two to there times or more even, but we're working on convincing her that there is nothing fun going on at 2am, although so far she still doesn't believe us. Reagan is loved and adored by her siblings, and smothered with love and attention whether she wants it or not. Her extra happy and fairly mellow personality is such a wonderful addition to our family, we don't quite know what we did to ever deserve such a sweet and smiling little baby girl. 

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Jensen Turns 2

My sweet little punk of a girl turned 2 today! Jensen is so funny, sweet, and silly, we truly are enjoying every minute with her. She loves her big brothers and sisters and is always trying to keep up with them. She also loves being a big sister to her baby sister Reagan, sharing toys with her and always asking to hold her. Jensen loves to sing songs, her favorites being Popcorn Popping, Book of Mormon Stories, Happy Birthday, and Row Row Row Your Boat. For her birthday we made homemade pizza and had chocolate sheet cake with ice cream.
And just to make sure we know who the boss is, when we sang Happy Birthday to her, she ran out of the room crying, then came back in as soon as we were done, and happily opened her presents. She was especially excited to get her Bounce & Spin Zebra. Happy Birthday to my sweet little Jensie-pie. 

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Four Quilts In...

Sewing the binding on the fourth quilt. I don't know why I have set myself up like this. Sewing 10 quilts in time for Christmas?!? I must be crazy. Well, I'm in it now:)

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Thanksgiving Pies

Eighteen mini Pumpkin Pies, one mini Apple Crumb Pie, and one full size double crust Apple Pie. Yep, we're ready for family to arrive tomorrow for Thanksgiving dinner.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Too Much Sisterly Love

Jensen loves her baby sister Reagan. Really. Loves. Her. Like smother-you-to-death kind of love. Thankfully Reagan is happy to put up with it, for which I am incredibly grateful because Jensen shows no signs of stopping.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Faceplant

Jensen took a really bad fall this afternoon, landing on her face and smashing her mouth on the pavement. She chipped her front tooth and her top lip is badly swollen and scraped up. I'm just grateful that was all, it could have been far worse though, she could have knocked out her front teeth or blackened the, or gotten a concussion. Thank goodness it was none of those things. A few scrapes and a swollen upper lip are enough. 

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Reagan at 5 Months

Five months old and as cute as can be. Still easy going, still smiling at everyone, and still giggling at her siblings crazy antics. No teeth as of yet, and I still haven't started her on baby cereal or baby food, and no nap schedule yet either, but we're working on it.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Slow Cooker Potato Soup

This is my absolute favorite soup to make, it's not only incredibly delicious but it goes together quite quickly. And it's made even better and easier since it's cooked in a crock pot. I especially love it with a few dashes of hot sauce stirred in and copious amounts of french bread to dip in it. This is the perfect recipe for a hearty soup sure to chase any chills and hunger pangs away with the first spoonful. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Potato Soup

7-8 lbs. potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 small onion, chopped
2 TBSP. butter, softened
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. salt
4 tsp. chicken bouillon granules
6-7 cups water
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 -2 cups milk
1 lb. Velveeta, cubed (optional)


Place the potatoes, onion, butter, chicken bouillon, parsley, salt and water into a slow cooker. Set on low and let cook for 6 to 8 hours. At least 30 minutes before serving, whisk the milk and flour together until there are no lumps and mix into the soup. Cook for 30 minutes or until the soup is thickened. If you want a cheesy potato soup, right before serving add the cubed Velveeta, stirring until it's melted and well combined. Serve the soup with crusty french bread for dipping. 10-12 servings.
.

Saturday, October 13, 2012

KCWC #5 Lewis from 'Meet the Robinsons'

This 'KCWC' go round I decided to work on one of the boys Halloween costumes. Mathes decided this year he wanted to be Lewis from Meet the Robinsons, and since he has the perfect hair for it already, I figured why not? Add to that the fact that Lewis wears a simple enough outfit consisting of red shorts, a blue sweater vest and white shirt and I knew I couldn't refuse.
 It didn't take long to make, and I rather like the end results.
I made the shorts using a light weight canvas cotton, with an elastic waistband, and patch pockets on either side of the leg.
  For the blue sweater vest I took a blue t-shirt and cut off the sleeves, folded in the hem and stitched it down all the way around. Since it had a crew neck, I then carefully cut the neckband out and removed all of the loose threads from it and set it aside, cut the round neckline into a v-neck, then re-attached the neckband all the way around finishing off the new v-neckline. It looks great, and it was so much easier to find a plain blue t-shirt than it would have been to try and track down a plain blue sweater vest. And the t-shirt was only $3.50, even better. I also have a plain white t-shirt to layer underneath it to finish off his 'Lewis' ensemble.
Now to start working on Noah's costume, which frankly I have been dragging my feet over starting. It's going to take more than a few evenings to do, but I had better start now if I'm going to have it done in time for him to wear to the family Halloween party next Saturday.

Friday, October 12, 2012

KCWC #4 More Upcycled Baby Leggings

For my 4th 'KCWC' project I made a second pair of leggings for Reagan upcycled from a pair of Haven's leggings she outgrew. Little girl has outgrown her clothes and I'm just trying to boost her wardrobe a bit.
 Once again I used Lil' Blue Boo's Lil' Leggings pattern again, like I said a heavy favorite.
My next projects are Halloween costumes for two of my boys.


Thursday, October 11, 2012

KCWC #3 Baby Leggings

Any chance of sewing yesterday was a total bust, but I was able to get in a little bit of time at my sewing machine tonight to work on a third project for KCWC.
I made a sweet little pair of leggings for Reagan from some long sleeves cut from an upcycled pink and cream print adult sized t-shirt. I also stitched a little flower from the scraps that can be attached to a little baby t-shirt to complete the "outfit".

I used Lil Blue Boo's pattern for Lil' Leggings (a heavy favorite and well used pattern around here) and I just winged it with the fabric flower. I think these would look adorable paired with either a black or brown long sleeved tee. Cute and comfy, my favorite kind of clothes for little ones.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

KCWC #2 Re-purposed Baby Dress

Well, my 'KCWC' project time has been cut short, it seems I am needed as a mother more than a seamstress tonight so my plans were shortened and I was only able to finish this.
I had a great little tiered denim dress of Jensen's from last year was too cute not to re-purpose for her to use again this year..
 So with one cut just below the armpits at the sleeves, I was left with the tiered bottom half of the dress. I serged the top edge then folded it over to make a casing for the elastic, stitched it, threaded the elastic through, stitched it closed and I was done.

The entire project took about 15 minutes start to finish, and that included a good pressing. So now I have a cute little skirt for my little Jensen, perfect for the Fall and Winter months ahead and ready to be paired with some cute tights, boots and a funky cardigan.

Monday, October 8, 2012

KCWC #1- Old Jeans to New Patchwork Skirt

So for my first project for 'Kids Clothes Week Challenge' I decided to re-purpose a pair of too-short jeans into something new for Gracen. I turned the outgrown jeans into a knee length skirt by cutting the jeans off below the knees, unpicking the inside leg seams, laying it flat and using the leftover bottom leg pieces to fill in the spaces and stitching it all back together.

 Then I added the patchwork pieces of fabric to liven it up a bit, sewing the fabric pieces even to the bottom edge of the skirt, and leaving it bottom edge unfinished for the frayed effect (which will only get better with each wash). My cute little 7 year old recipient is in love with her new colorful denim skirt, and I am thrilled that I was able to sneak in some time at my sewing machine.
Now to decide what my next project is for KCWC...

Sunday, October 7, 2012

KCWC is starting!



Yep, I am so totally doing this.
I got so excited to sew that I started a day early.
Loving it!

Friday, September 28, 2012

The Super Fort!

I decided we needed a little extra fun around here...so I built a fort in the living room for the kids. A couple of sheets and some safety pins, and a few couches and chairs moved around, and the Super Fort was born! I think we need to keep it up for at least a week:)

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Friday, September 21, 2012

4 months old and oh so sweet!

Reagan is 4 months old today and is starting to get so big. She is finally growing out of 0-3 months clothing and into 3-6 month sizes. She is such a pretty little baby and has such beautiful big eyes that seem to take everything in as it goes on around her. I love her dark, fuzzy hair, especially if a tiny tuft of it sticks up like a bitty mohawk. She is very mellow, and so very different from all of my other babies before her. Every single one of my babies hated tummy time. Hated it! They also refused to be put down for the first 8 months of their lives for any length of time while they were awake. They were all sleeping through the night by 3 months. They all were fairly serious babies and didn't just hand out the smiles. When they cried it went from a whimper to an all out scream-fest, they cried like they were in pain. And they all fell asleep in their car seats within minutes of the car starting up.
But Reagan? Well...
 -Reagan loves tummy time. When I put her down she just hangs out for a while looking around, eating the blanket occasionally, and even laying her head down and taking a break for a minute, all while on her tummy. She loves it!
 -Reagan is happy whether she is in your arms, in her swing, laying on the bed, or sitting in her bouncy seat. She lets you know when she is done and wants to snuggle, eat, or play, but otherwise she is a seriously low-key baby and can just hang out for a bit without a cry-fest.
 -Reagan wakes up every 3-4 hours no matter what, how, or when I feed her. I'm hopeful she will grow out of this soon as I am more sleep deprived than I have ever been with any baby, but she is still only 4 months old so I figure she just might need a month or two more to decide to sleep through the night. (please?)
 -Reagan started smiling at 2 months, and she is definitely the happiest babies I have ever had. She gives huge baby grins all of the time, ones that light up her entire face like she just can't contain herself. It's. Awesome.
 -Reagan is a fairly quiet crier. She isn't a screamer, she just cries like she is kind of sad and put-out, but it never sounds like she's very serious about it. She just sounds like she wants you to please address the sad situation as soon as you get a minute, but until then she will just talk to you about it in a very sad voice.
 -Reagan hates her car seat. Hates. It. She rarely falls asleep in it, and most car trips with her that are any longer than 10 minutes have her crying the entire rest of the trip. So we don't go very far these days.
 -Reagan is easily entertained by the singing and dancing of her siblings. Anytime she is sad and starts to fuss a bit, she can easily be cajoled out of her sadness with a few made up songs or crazy dance moves by one of her siblings (usually Gracen). It's funny to see Reagan so intently watching their silly antics. Her siblings equal pure baby entertainment.
 I am enjoying every minute with Reagan. Yes, even in the middle of the night haha! She really is very happy and easy going. She is a perfect fit into our crazy family dynamic, and a pure joy to have with us!

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

First Day of School

Five little kidlets, all ready for their first day of school....


Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Back-to-School Night...

I took Mathes, Gracen and Finn to the elementary school , arriving exactly at 5pm when Back-To-School Night started. This meant we were one of the first to turn the kids registration papers in at the office, thus avoiding the long line that formed almost as soon as we exited the office. This also meant we were some of the first to meet their teachers, and so we were done and back on our way home by 5:30pm. Wow. That has to be a world record for us! And the best part is that Mathes and Gracen's classrooms are both down the same hall, and just off of the Kindergarten hall where Finn's classroom is. It will be so nice for them this year to be so close so they can easily meet up after school for the walk home. Now to get everyone ready for school to start next week!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Sleep!

After weeks of never sleeping more than 4 hours in a stretch ever, last night Reagan finally slept for 7 straight hours! Now if I can just get her to make this a regular habit...

Friday, June 15, 2012

back to her starting weight!

I gave Reagan a bath today and weighed her and she weighed 7 lbs. 6 oz. She has finally regained her birth weight, hooray! Now to see if we can pack some more ounces on this tiny little baby girl :)