we are so very blessed

Someone did something incredible for me and my little family on Sunday. I had forgotten just how kind people can be, to complete strangers even. I'm so very grateful right now (and have been bursting into tears sporadically because of this gift for two days now) that I just needed to tell you in case you were wondering- God is great and because of that, people are good.

Christmas Survey Thing-A-Ma-Bob

This little survey thing is pretty fun and as a bonus it could win me the thing Kimbal wants most for Christmas (not like "I could really use this..." more like, he would literally pee his new Christmas pjs if I surprised him with this stuff) and a bunch more stuff we hadn't even thought to dream of!

TodaysMama and GameStop are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What is your holiday wish for your family?

My biggest wish for my little family this year is to make some amazing memories and start some meaningful traditions. This is the first major holiday we'll be having with just the three of us so I'm really excited!

2. What is your Christmas morning tradition?

Our little family doesn't have one yet, but my family growing up had a few fun elements. We girls all got up and got ready together (pictures are taken, you don't want bed head), then we call my parents to make sure they're up. My dad calls downstairs to us with some playful taunting "Santa must have forgotten you this year..." and then lets us know when everything/everyone are ready for us to come up. I love it because we all rushed in to see the gifts and sparkling tree together. There was a lot of build up, but it's worth it!

3. If you could ask Santa for one, completely decadent wish for yourself, what would it be?

I can't think of one solely for myself, so for all of us... A home of our own (red brick with white trim, big backyard, lots of trees) or to have Kimbal's degree(s) done and over with or both, both would be nice.

4. How do you make the holidays special without spending any money?

Being the wife of a poor college student, I'm getting pretty good at "without any money". I'm making a bunch of our decor and gifts, I'm planning some free/cheap Christmas activities, and just keeping Christmas music playing makes a big difference in the level of spirit I have.

5. What games did you play with your family growing up?

We play a lot of card games; Progressive Rummy is our very favorite! We also played things like Scene It, trivia games, and a few PS games.

6. What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own childhood?

We're still at the stage of deciding what traditions from each we'll be carrying into our family, but so far we're doing similar goodies for neighbors, reading some of the same books, and taking a drive to see Christmas lights at least once every season.

7. Where would you go for a Christmas-away-from-home trip?

We're kinda "home for the holidays" kind of folk. If we were to go away though, we'd probably want to hole up in a cabin in the mountains someplace. I think Kimbal would really get a kick out of that and so far Logan adores the snow, so it'd be a good fit.

8. Check out GameStop and tell us, what are the three top items on your GameStop Wish List this year?

The Xbox 360 with Kinect is the top of our list (we actually spent at least 45 minutes playing with one in a store yesterday), I'd love a DSi for me, a Wii for all of us, and a bunch of games for each! My favorite games I saw were Zumba Fitness, Lego Harry Potter, and Epic Mickey respectively. Ok... That's way more than three. Forgive me, math is not my forte.

grey's anatomy

i'm watching it as i run around like a crazy person.

cool yes?

gah.

maybe...

i might be drowning in christmas projects, thanksgiving projects, and 1st birthday projects.

freaking out here people.

anyone want to come sew with me/take logan for a few days/give me a million dollars?

mmmkaythanks.

Happy Haunting!

Happy Halloween!

These are our costumes from this year. We actually had a different trio of costumes that were mostly completed, but I didn't finish them in time for the ward party on Friday so we came up with these three. Kimbal was a Mad Scientist, Logan went as Frankenstein, and I was some sort of Spider-queen-person.

Boog is in a fun phase where he thinks having his picture taken is awesome.

I had the big purple spider on my headband and a bunch of little spiders tucked into my bun. You can see the web on this side, the other side had one too, as well as a spider down on my cheek.

My mad scientist complete with goggles and M.A.D. name tag.

Close-up of Boog's onesie. I painted it for him to wear around town in the days before Halloween. His eyes even glow in the dark!

Aren't they cute!

because i'm a ninja

i NEED this shirt.

i will send you my address if you promise to buy it for me.

http://www.threadless.com/product/1989/Ninja_Heads_Will_Roll/tab,guys

updating

mr. joseph says working without his dominant hand isn't too bad, but he can't really lift things.

boog seems to be sprouting two more teeth. that'll make six in a month. yikes.

i got a bunch of stuff done for the nephews' christmas last night. i'm kinda psyched. i also kinda want to keep it, it's all so cute! i REALLY want to get going on the main part, but can't without some extra info. hint, hint sister girl.

i still haven't decorated for halloween. shameful, i know. i swore to myself that i wouldn't put up my decor until the place was all cleaned. apparently, i'd rather craft. i know you're shocked.

i miss my friends. russia buddies, mgs, neighbors. i heart you, why haven't i seen any of you in a bazillion years?

broken

did i mention that mr. joseph was injured on monday? yep. i made him close the window and it shattered. suddenly his hand was outside our apartment and blood was threatening to be outside of his body. ick. see, our windows have to be manhandled in order to open or close them. apparently at least ten people have suffered similar injuries since our handy maintenance guy was hired. lovely. we're a little peeved.

anyhow. two clinics, one burst of tears (mine), one person still in pjs (boog), 13 stitches, a lot of gauze, and one income verification later. all is fairly well with the world. mr. joseph goes back to work today. i'll let you know how that goes.

halloween

anybody want to make our costumes for me? mmmkay thanks.

I know, right?!?!

two posts in two days? i know. don't worry... i'll slack off to my usual self soon enough. just a few things on my mind.

i would really love a dishwasher. dishes are my least favorite chore. i kinda hate them. kimbal usually does them around here (i'm so freaking lucky) but with his new work/school schedule they're kinda piling up. why people think they can charge $200 for a used, ancient, tiny washer i don't understand. i do understand that i can't afford it though.

boog gives kisses now. possibly the cutest thing ever. ok, maybe his laugh or dimpled smile are cuter, but the kisses are new so right now they win. he's way more likely to give me kisses than his daddy, which i think makes mr joseph sad. i'm slowly, but surely winning the boy over to my side too. it's nice that he doesn't always leave me for mr joseph now.

netflix is pretty much amazing. not gonna lie, i have mr. mom playing in the other window.

if i had the money, i could probably blow through a thousand bucks on modcloth in about five minutes. easily. i find that frightening.

have you missed me?

you better. because i missed you. the three of us have all been sick on and off for the past three-ish weeks (more like a month). it's been gross, and sad, and generally unpleasant. i do think we're almost out of this though. i really hope that's the light at the end of the tunnel that i'm seeing and not just the stars you see before passing out.

for your viewing pleasure, here's a list of updates/things i've been thinking about/cool stuff-

boog had a cold, which caused double ear infections, which caused pink eye. sad and icky.

i've had the never-ending-cold/cough-from-hades.

mr. joseph had it fairly easy. lucky guy with that strong immune system.

boog has his front top teeth and two more bottom teeth threatening to pop in any minute.

i freaking love halloween.

related note- the dollar tree had some really cute halloween stuff this year. lucky me!

we've completely rearranged/repurposed our furniture. again. so far i like it.

the rearranging has lead to me desperately wanting a big long dresser to use as a tv stand.

we need to make friends with someone with a truck.

our car's registration is up at the end of the month. no idea how we're going to get it to pass.

i want a mini-van. desperately. does that make me weird?

mr. joseph is doing well in school so far this semester.

he's taking TWO math classes (yuck) and his earliest college class yet. i'm impressed.

i tried making these because hers are beautiful. it did not go well.

i utterly failed at the 30 days of music. granted, i was sick. still failed.

i'm getting nervous about finding a way to pull off our trio's costumes for halloween.

apparently, i HAVE to be difficult about these things.

boog is kinda standing on his own now. it's freaking me out.

i miss my family. they should come visit. munchkin, get on that.

the boog

is sort of crawling. holy freak.

days 7-9

a song that reminds me of a certain event- for good from wicked duet with mamacita in cave creek. we were pretty bomb. you probably want our autograph.

a song that i know all the words to- everything from beauty and the beast except for beasts solo song. that's what being in a play does to you.

a song that i can dance to- so close by jon mclaughlin i don't know what it is about this song, but everytime i hear it i just want to get up and dance. not the typical i know, but it's true.

slacking much?

yes. time to catch up on the 30 days of music

a song that makes me happy = feeling groovy by simon and garfunkel so much fun

a song that make me sad = space oddity by david bowie listen to the lyrics. bawl.

a song that reminds me of someone = lips of an angel by hinder ew. just ew.

a song that reminds me of somewhere = dancing in the moonlight by toploader reminds me of trips to mexico and bonfires on the beach

Day 2- Least Favorite Song

I don't really have a least favorite song either. I DO get super annoyed with songs, but only when they're played over and over on the radio. For a while I sorta hated Teardrops On My Guitar because it was basically on repeat on every station, but now that it's not I kinda like it. So, yeah... Lover not a hater or something.

Day 1- My favorite song

My favorite? Like very favorite? I don't DO favorites. Can't choose them. Never been able to. I can't choose a favorite color, animal, movie, etc. I can narrow it down to a few favorites though. Sorry I don't know how to put the youtube videos on here, I'm technology challenged. Just click the link ok?! For the sake of brevity, today I'll share my top five favorite songs. Without further ado, and in no particular order, my top five.

1. More by Bobby Darin.

If I was FORCED to choose a very favorite it'd probably be this one. It's Kimbal's and my song and it just makes me smile.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QQRLKXhjLE

2. Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen.

It's just amazing. This is the song I listen to when I need to get pumped for something. I know all the words and all the parts. Be jealous.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ9rUzIMcZQ&feature=av2n

3. Hotel California by The Eagles.

Such a cool, creepy, chill song. Seriously, add this to your playlist the next time you're making a long drive by yourself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgLfoQfmSQ4

4. Unforgettable by Nat King Cole.

Just gorgeous. One of the most romantic songs ever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8tRTZIx298

5. Everything by Michael Buble.

Fun, romantic, jazzy, and the source of some of the best one liners in recent history. I just love it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPUJIbXN0WY

30 Days of Music

Hokay so... I'm a day late in starting this among some of my friends, but I think it's a cool idea and I'm hoping to do most of the days at least. Feel free to join in!

Day 1 - Your favorite song

Day 2 - Your least favorite song

Day 3 - A song that makes you happy

Day 4 - A song that makes you sad

Day 5 - A song that reminds you of someone

Day 6 - A song that reminds you of somewhere

Day 7 - A song that reminds you of a certain event

Day 8 - A song that you know all the words to

Day 9 - A song that you can dance to

Day 10 - A song that makes you fall asleep

Day 11 - A song from your favorite band

Day 12 - A song from a band you hate

Day 13 - A song that is a guilty pleasure

Day 14 - A song that no one would expect you to love

Day 15 - A song that describes you

Day 16 - A song that you used to love but now hate

Day 17 - A song that you hear often on the radio

Day 18 - A song that you wish you heard on the radio

Day 19 - A song from your favorite album

Day 20 - A song that you listen to when you're angry

Day 21 - A song that you listen to when you're happy

Day 22 - A song that you listen to when you're sad

Day 23 - A song that you want to play at your wedding

Day 24 - A song that you want to play at your funeral

Day 25 - A song that makes you laugh

Day 26 - A song that you can play on an instrument

Day 27 - A song that you wish you could play

Day 28 - A song that makes you feel guilty

Day 29 - A song from your childhood

Day 30 - Your favorite song at this time last year

after all this time

lips of an angel still makes me want to vomit.

tuesday.

peeing my pants people. so freaking excited i can't even stand it. i have a billion things to do, but i'm still happy.

lonely

kimbal and boog are on a mini vacation in beaver without me tonight. i'm all alone here in our home and it's never felt so big or quiet.

thanks to momma who talked to me until i didn't feel so sad.

thanks to sweet neighbor who let me cry and show off all my craft stuff then brought me yummy cookies.

tonight i am alone, but i am also lucky. funny how that works.

ps. working on presents for cam and gray and some stuff to cute-ify our place. getting so much done and loving it!

NEW

i have a brand new nephew! YIPPEE!!!

sooooo wishing i was in az right now. only one month kid, then i'm gonna snuggle your little face off.

when did i get so old?

i have a CHILD.

he's been out in the world for SIX MONTHS now.

in two months i will have been married for TWO YEARS.

a friend i went to high school with now teaches my BABY sister.

he teaches my baby sister in HIGH SCHOOL.

kimbal and i have known each other for FIVE YEARS this summer.

this weekend i attended the WEDDING of my sweet little surrogate sister.

morgan, whose day of birth i can remember vividly, can DATE AND DRIVE in january.

friends of mine from school already have MULTIPLE children.

i worry a lot about WRINKLES.

i look at trendy things and just think, i can't pull that off- i'm TOO OLD.

WHEN did this happen?!

someday

i shall live here and all shall be fabulous.

the end.

Project Day!

Yippee! Kimbal has the day off today and we're gonna work on projects. I'm so super excited that I'm already awake. Lame? Probably. Crazy? Yes. True? Definitely! I'm hoping to get all of soon to be nephew's presents together/done and start working on my older nephew's big brother gift. Cam's gift is "the coolest toy idea ever" according to Kimbal and I FINALLY found the last thing I needed for it. I think it's gonna be pretty awesome. I'm not sure what other projects we're going to work on today, but I'm thinking probably my shelves and organizers for my craft area. If we have time maybe we'll work on some of the chairs as well. Or I'll sew some covers for the ugly pillows that have been glaring at me lately. YAY!

P.S. I still have one more spot for the hand-made-present-for-no-reason post that's going around. Speak now or forever hold your peace here.

Who doesn't love presents?

I got this from my sweet cousin Savvy and couldn't resist passing it on!

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! Completely one of a kind and just for you!

Restrictions, Limitations, General Warnings-

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make. I fully reserve the right to fail while trying to make something lovely.
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It'll be done some time this year. (I'll try to get it done soon)
4. You have no clue what it's going to be though if you so desire you may give me a list of color suggestions, current loves, inspiration, etc.
5. I can't make any promises as to how or when I get your something to you.
6. You must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so, and leave a comment telling me they did, win a potentially fantastic something made by me!

*Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!*

something you may not know...

the new toyota avalon ads are fabulous. i want to go live in one. the ads. not the cars.

oh. my. word.

Someday kids... someday.

http://www.slipperybrick.com/2008/02/coolest-home-theaters/

i'm addicted

to "projects". For seriously. It's ridiculous.

At this moment I can look over at my craft table and see two partially finished aprons, the bits and pieces of my would be organization system for all my supplies, partially completed pin cushions, jeans that need mending, an in-progress hat, several completed hats, a baby Gray present that still needs work, and a ton of random craft supplies.

Besides all of that we also have a tendency to bring home sad, lonely, stray furniture pieces that were abandoned by the dumpster and need to be fixed or refinished somehow.

Current count: 1 highchair, 2 door/things (not sure what they were originally, but we're going to use them as room dividers), 3 chairs (one huge and iron, one normal sized and painted wood, and one teeny-tiny and unfinished wood), and 1 coffee table.

Yikes. Just yikes.

Toasty Toes

So... I made some pretty rockin' non-slip socks to wear in the hospital when I had Booger. If you want to see how, read on. And please, enjoy!

Step 1- Trace your little (or in my case at the time, massively swollen) tootsies on some cardboard and cut them out. You need a cutout of both feet so that you can make both at the same time. You especially need both if your feet are different shapes or sizes like mine (ew). I used a cereal box.

Step 2- Once you have your foot cutouts, stare at them for a moment thinking about how weird/gross/amazing feet are. Snap yourself out of it. Flip the cutouts over (so that the bottom of your "feet" are up) now you want to slip your socks over them. I got these cute socks from the dollar store. Love. Make sure to carefully line up the bottom of the socks correctly on the cutout.

Step 3- Take some puff paint (I got mine for about $0.75 each at Walmart about two years ago and have used them for about a million different projects) and start making designs. I used a combo of dots and squiggles . I kinda wish I'd just done the dots, but that's just me.

Step 4- Let the puff paint dry for the time suggested on the packaging and put those puppies in your hospital bag. Allow complements from the nurses to follow. :D

easter p.s.

i DID have the basket done for easter sunday i just didn't get the pictures up and ready to be blogged until today.

mr. joseph and booger both really liked the basket which is a good thing because that thing took freaking forever and there would have been one very grumpy momma had they not oohed and awed appropriately but they loved it and all was well in the house of josephs.

and booger had a VERY happy easter.

how cute is that kid?!?! seriously. i could just eat him for breakfast.

booger's bunny basket

here's the story...

easter was quickly approaching. the stores were filled with cheap plastic grass and over-priced buckets for the collecting of fake huevos. booger NEEDED a basket. no, he can't even crawl. no, he wasn't going to remember this holiday. yes, it was a NEED. but i refused to pay ten bucks for something i could only mildly stand this year and would be sure to hate by next year. thus the FREE easter basket was born. brown felt (left over from the mail bag) a cereal box (for the base) and ribbon from a recent apron project.

the handle- i folded a long strip of felt into thirds, sewed the sage ribbon in the center, pinned like a mad woman, and top stitched both sides so it'd be sturdy.

the bottom- i hand sewed the bottom on. oh. my. word. took forever. two circles of felt with a slightly smaller circle of cardboard sandwiched in between.

the sides- two pieces of felt a few inches longer than the circumference of the bottom. don't look too closely. maybe i didn't finish the inside as nicely as i might have liked. i'm considering trying to line it somehow for next year.

the stripes- you know how grosgrain ribbon has a sort of edge to it? no? ok... go look at some. i'll wait right here.

see it? ok. i stitched right up next to that with cream thread so that the stripes would look perfect. the also held the two pieces that made the sides together and made it a bit sturdier.

all finished and stuffed.

all in all- it's not perfect, but i love it. mr. joseph was super proud of me for making it with what i had on hand and we think it'll last for a few years at least. i'm already picturing boog dominating at future easter egg hunts (this sucker is BIG.) and it makes me smiley. happy belated easter.

yeah, me too.

don't you just hate when someone says something hurtful about you.

don't you hate when that person is supposed to be your friend.

don't you hate when they say it to your face in the middle of a crowded room.

don't you hate when everyone else there gets to see your stomach fall through the floor.

don't you hate when you can't get it out of your head and it almost makes you never want to see pretty much anyone who was in that room again.

spring break

so mr. joseph had the week off of school last week. it was amazing. as a bonus, his boss had just gotten back from her second of three vacations in three months (jealous much? yes.) so she scheduled less hours for him than usual. what does that mean? well, it means that the booger and i had tons of time with kimbal ALL. WEEK. LONG. did i mention amazing? because it was.

we had planned to get a million things done but more than anything we just hung out. and napped. and rearranged the whole "great" room (which i've been dying to do basically since we moved in). the whole place feels like it has a ton more space. love it.

all you youngsters who went to wild parties or on vacation are jealous. admit it.

i might also need

these two patterns by my hero ashley over at make it and love it (easily one of my favorite blogs ever)...

love the lil' guy tie. love love love. must have one in every color for boog and my (soon to be) two nephews.

also needing these bradley booties. do you know how long logan was able to wear his first two pairs of shoes? probably about five times. total. lame sauce- the kid's feet are just too huge. with this i could make my own!

in desperate NEED

do you ever have days where you just NEED to make something? to make anything? today is one of those days for me. but every project i come up with i need something. something i don't have. something i can't afford. yikes. crafting is pricey. not the materials as much, but the tools. here's a few of the things i really want/need to own some of them are someday (as in if i win the lottery which would be cool since i don't enter the lottery) and some that i kinda need asap (as in preferably now)-

pinking shears. perhaps multiple pairs... i've seen some that are scallops that were so cute i nearly passed out. and of course i need the standard zig-zag-y kind.

a dress form. in my size but adjustable. because i'm adjustable too. have you seen how pricey these things are?! oh my.

a new sewing machine. i love mine and i'm SO grateful for it, but i want one that's a little nicer and that has more stitches.

a serger. yum.

rotary cuter and mat set. with a very BIG mat. thank you very much.

a large supply of... supplies. i'd love to have cute fabric and notions on hand so when days like today strike i can just go to work.

embroidery machine. yeah right... maybe when i'm 90 and can't even see what i've embroidered.

really, really good scissors. like my mom's scissors. she let me use them once. it was like butter. practically a spiritual experience.

lessons. because let's face it... i could use some work in the skills department. desire- check. inspiration- check. creativity- check. ability to read a pattern- um. no.

if you happen to know of anyone who's going to throw out/donate any of these things please let me know. we'll skip the middle man and they can donate them to me directly. please and thank you.

ok. now i'm going to get off my behind and hopefully i'll actually make something instead of just whining about how i want to. stay tuned and i'll tell you what i create!

i just might need this

what a fantastic pattern. too bad i don't actually know how to use a pattern that well. dang it.

today

was a rough day. overall. still tough. potentially getting tougher. pray for me. i just wanted to get on and record the highest point in my day because i'll probably need to come back and read it later.

today our maintenance guy had to come into our apartment because no one on our stairwell had had any hot water since yesterday evening. keep in mind this was at nine thirty in the morning. right in the middle of me nursing the boy. yikes. so i let him in. and our house is dirty. i mean really, really dirty. exacerbated by the fact that with no hot water i didn't wash any of yesterday or this morning's dishes. and i hadn't had a chance to take out the garbage yet. and i hadn't showered. and i was in my pjs. it was a lovely picture let me tell you. so the sweet guy comes in (after i threw on a sweatshirt to hide my nursing bra) and i'm apologizing profusely for the hazmat worthy state our living room is in and he turns to me with a big, warm smile and says "my mom used to always say if it wasn't a mess it wasn't a home." melted my heart a little. so thanks nameless-maintenance-guy for making me feel worthwhile even if my housekeeping skills aren't top-notch.

Nope, definitely not.

I will not be sleeping tonight. Mainly because it's not tonight anymore.

I have a million zillion dishes to do. Yes, that is the exact amount. Baby Boog is fussing (super) so I'll be dealing with him again soon even though he ate three whole times last night. I also need to finish cleaning my house (a hazmat suit might be necessary), do twenty loads of laundry, and reorganize Boog's closet since he's growing out of all his clothes. On top of that I really need to get a job. We just can't survive on one part-time job anymore.

Stress stress stress.

On that note- does anyone know of a nighttime gig that I'd be just perfect for?

Mmmkay thanks.

This might be my new favorite recipe

I've made a variation on this twice this week. It's insanely easy and SO good. Love love love.

http://www.pillsbury.com/Recipes/ShowRecipe.aspx?rid=12406

Here's tonights version. Ground beef, prosciutto, diced tomatoes, mozzarella, and tomato sauce. Delicious!

martha stewart

i want to be as awesome as martha when i grow up. but maybe not so scary... (seriously, she gives me the heebie-jeebies sometimes). i'm currently embarking on a fairly ambitious list of projects to make our little place more livable and today i open up marthastewart.com and the first thing is see is "96 reasons to sew it yourself". rock on martha.

faves so far...

towels turned shower curtain-http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/sewing-projects-for-the-home

and of course the matching caddy- http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/easy-sewing-projects#slide_11

a very handy pincushion-http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/sewing-projects#slide_18

simple sewing machine cover-http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/sewing-projects#slide_27

this leaf table runner- http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/summer-sewing-projects#slide_20

and i might need to make these baby booties in about a million different colors and styles-http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/sewing-projects#slide_9

mom saved the day!

yet again my mom swooped in at the last minute to correct my mistake! thank heavens for mothers! you all remember that i spaced photographing my first big sewing project that was done all by myself. well mom saved my (not so) little booty and had my sis take some pictures of her cute apron! woohoo!

when mom was here in utah she mentioned that she kept messing up her clothes when she was cooking. she bemoaned the fact that she couldn't find an apron to fit her right. we're fairly... um... busty women and most standard aprons don't offer enough coverage for us. so after she left i got to work on a pattern (oh yes, i even made up the pattern) to protect her clothes. i also wanted to make a cute apron that would match her kitchen, be cute enough to wear if she's playing hostess, and have multiple looks so it wouldn't get boring. here's the result-

the dark red side. bring it on marinara.

i included two different flower pins and a headband so she can switch it up.

the long ties go into super cute bows to stay on trend and make her feel a little bit june cleaver.

reversible!

showing off the striped side! it took me forever to find fabric that would match her kitchen, but this one was perfect!

let me know what you think!!!

please... :D

i'm not the photographer for a reason.

so... i might have made another apron. and it might have been a little fabulous. and just maybe it made my dear leanna a little happy. but unfortunately i didn't take a picture of it. or at the party. or anything like that. bah freaking humbug. i really do make cute aprons i swear. next one.

on an only-slightly-related note... i'm officially frightened of quilting. seriously scared. i keep seeing adorable patterns and they make me want to cry. can't. handle. it.

i'm still up

because booger has mixed up his nights and his days recently.

because we got heart attacked and i must bake cookies before passing it on.

because i bought fabric to make a present and i'm in that excited-project-planning mode.

because listening to my son talk himself to sleep is awesome.

because tomorrow we are having a pot roast and i want it to be amazing.

Cravings.

You all thought you were done hearing about what I was craving didn't you?! Ha. No. But at least now I'm not craving food. Whaaaaaaaat? I know. Now I've been looking through MADE's Celebrate the Boy crafts and I'm craving every. single. thing.

He'd be the coolest kid in church playing with robots and rockets in this quiet book.
Booger WILL have a shirt like this for next February.
First birthday in November? He'll probably be wearing this.
Luff. Luff. Luff.

i am awesome

for seriously. today i FINALLY finished my mom's christmas present. and because it's so late she's getting a few extra goodies. yay! it's far from perfect but i'm feeling freaking proud of myself because i made something all. by. myself. no pattern, no tutorial, nada. ok... one of the goodies was tutorial inspired, but that's it. i'm psyched to show it to all of you, but on the off chance that mom checks my blog today i'm not posting pictures until next week. i'm sure the anticipation is just killing you.

my living room is clean

it's pretty much a miracle

Dear Saturday

Today I love you. Booger and I watched cartoons during early morning meal-time. Not sure I love that I'm still singing that silly theme song, but the goofyness of it all was nice. Last night I slept for nine hours. It was in two shifts, but I'm still pleased. Now baby is sleeping and I'm taking a break from cleaning the house to blogstalk and share with you my love. Could life be like this more often? Thank you Saturday!

My son

he is the most beautiful little person i have ever seen. i can't help just staring at him.

admit it, you can't help staring either.

Times 2

Basically my life rocks right now. For seriously. Did you see the part where I won free Pearls? It was awesome. Then I topped that off with a win from RoomMates. They make repositionable wall stickers. I ordered one that says No Place Like Home. Bomb.

Sometimes I am such a lucky duck!

So... you all know I'm a blog stalker right? One of my personal faves is a fantastic design blog called Design Dazzle. Well, back in December Toni (the lovely writer) offered a giveaway of a $150 gift card from Pearl Paradise. I entered because, really who doesn't love free stuff?! Especially free jewelry! Love it. I didn't think too much of it though because really... who ever wins these things? As it turns out- I DO! Haha... sorry I'm still pretty psyched.

Haven't heard of Pearl Paradise? Don't feel bad. I hadn't either until Toni featured them. Not to brag but, there are a few things in the world that I know A LOT about. Jewelry is one of them. I love the stuff. So when I got over to the Pearl Paradise site I was floored. The pieces are gorgeous and the prices are phenomenal. Needless to say, it took me a while to decide what I wanted. I eventually decided on a bracelet and stud earring pairing in black freshwater pearls. I got them in the mail the other day and I have to tell you- they are even more gorgeous in real life! Not gonna lie, I squealed like a little kid on Christmas. They're amazing! They came in a beautiful velvet lined box with a little kit to help you take care of your pearls so that they'll last you a lifetime. I love them. I love having a gorgeous little present to me. Love, love, love.

If you're looking for a gift for some lucky lady in your life (including yourself) you really ought to go check them out. They have jewelry in any price range really including earrings starting in the $20s and full sets (necklace, bracelet, and earrings) starting at $140. Pretty amazing.

I'll put up pictures of them as soon as I come up with the energy to do my hair and makeup I promise. :D

Look What I Did!!!

Ok... the list of things I CAN do does not include figuring out how to put pictures on my blog in the order I intended. Yikes. Please just deal with the fact that they're in an odd order. Thank you.

Introducing my sweet little nephew Cameron's Christmas Present. The felt mail bag. I'm in love with it. Seriously- it was really, really hard to pack it up so he could have it on Christmas morning.

I based the bag on the pattern I found here. She's amazing. I'm jealous of her mad skills and so glad I found this in time to do this instead of making up some not-even-close-to-being-as-cute bag myself. Love.

Mini Van for the car magazine.

Bug.

Sports Car.

"Truck-uh!"

The cover of my Car Magazine.

They fit so perfect!

The whole bag of mail. I'm obsessed with how the red ric-rac looks as the post mark. The hand embroidery for the "addresses" took forever, but it's adorable. I can't wait to make a new letter once we know what Baby Van Allen's name is! P.S. We sister's each have a shorter, easier name for the nieces and nephews. Mo is Morgan. I am Nelly. Now you know.

I love how the lettering looks! You can't see it, but there is top-stitching all around the letters. I also love the little flag. It added so much for under a dollar.

I hope the little guy had a Merry Christmas and that he learns to love his new toys!