Finished Cowgirl Quilt

Kaycie & I finally finished up her quilt. She could hardly wait for me to wash and dry it!

I have a feeling this quilt is going to get tons of LOVE!

If you remember, she did all of the piecing and sewing for the quilt top. I did the back and the actual quilting. I'm very proud of her!

I love how the binding turned out. I just kept the backing 2" wider all around than the top. Then wrapped it up & over the top; stitched it down and that was it! Super simple and because I had put some patchwork pieces of left over fabric on the back, it shows around on the binding.

I'm definitely going to do binding this way again.

For the quilting, I alternated with free-hand stars and a square spiral. In the corners, I did X's. No measuring or using a ruler, just completely funky sewing.

Here's a close-up of the star quilting:

And one of the square spirals:

Now I have the boys asking for their own quilts.

Ryan wants Oregon State fabric. Isn't that a surprise!?

Kyle wants one that we saw that had American History images in the fabric. Like Civil War and pioneer scenes. I think this one may be a challenge.

But for now, I'm pleased with the finished cowgirl quilt and glad it's done.

Easy Cheesy Manicotti

My family loves stuffed manicotti but I don't make it often because it is time consuming and messy.

But.... I saw this recipe that may change all that.

Instead of making the cheese mixture for the filling, just use string cheese!! How easy is that!

It turned out pretty good. Definitely a time saver.

1 package manicotti

1 lb ground beef ( I used ground elk)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 jar spaghetti sauce

14 single serving string cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella

Cook manicotti according to package directions. Meanwhile, brown the ground meat and onion. Add the spaghetti sauce to meat. Drain Manicotti and place one string cheese in each manicotti shell.

In a greased 9x11 baking dish, spread 1/2 of meat mixture. place stuffed manicotti in pan. Spoon remaining meat mixture over the manicotti.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes; covered.

Uncover and sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake for another 10 minutes.

There you have it: Manicotti Made Easy!!

Blackmail Photos

Don't you ever think to yourself, "Boy, this will be a picture to show his/her fiance someday." or "This one will go up on the Senior bulletin board showing baby pictures."

I have bunches of those kinds of pictures. And alot of them are my very favorites. They are just so real, and so perfect.... for blackmail, that is. You guys are getting a sneak preview.

Yes, Kyle, you used to take baths with your little sister. I can just hear him now. "Uuuuckkk, Mom. You let us take baths together!!!" (don't worry, that's just a birth mark on Kaycie's chest)

Gotta love those potty training days.

Mommy's bathing suit and brother's goggles. Silly girl!

Yes, that is actually his face. It was pretty scary at the time (accidentally jabbed in the face with a stick. Broken nose and many vision checks. It all turned out ok.) But to look back, i can't believe the color of purple that his face was! - and this picture was not the worst of it. It got worse as the days went by. he was purple for over 2 months!

Ryan the Lucky Lephrachan. This costume got played with until it was in shreds.

Don't tell her that I put this one on here, ok? She dislikes this picture very much. (I love it!) oh, by the way, that's mud. she fell in a puddle.

The kids modeled in a bridal show a few years back. They had fun then, but now these pictures embarass the boys! Mr. Cool Ryan!

Thanks for taking a walk into the past with me. I'm sure my kids will love the fact that these pictures are now on my blog. But they are so cute, they should'nt be saved away on the computer, never to be seen again. Right?

Fireproof

If you haven't watched this movie yet, GO RENT IT AND WATCH. Better yet, buy it! I intend to. This is a movie that everybody, married or not, should see.

It really gets to the heart of marriage and what that committment means.

Marriage is a choice. When all the "honeymoon" feelings have gone, all that's left is the decision to love (unconditionally) that person whom you don't always want to love.

The movie focuses on a few problems that occur in marriages. Adultery, addictions, disrespect, and most importantly, not putting God first in the relationship. And how these things can really begin to break down the bond that a husband and wife should have.

LOVED THIS ONE!

It spoke to me in a very personal way.

My Morning

I seem to get more accomplished in the mornings if I start it off right, by reading my Bible with a cup of coffee in hand.

Maybe it puts me in a mood to do more, maybe it lifts my spirits enough to keep me moving.

This is what my morning has been like so far:

-- started a cozy fire.

-- went out to feed the animals and let the chickens out.

-- kids up and off to school

--Ephesians 2:8-10 My Bible time



-- made some delicious banana bars.

-- got bread dough rising and ready for baking soon

-- gave Lindsey a bubble bath, her favorite!

-- got a load of dishes in the dishwasher & a load of laundry in the washing machine.

-- went outside and "Febrezed" the new truck. Previous owners were smokers, ick!


-- finally got pictures in my LOVE frame that I got for Christmas from my sister. I haven't been sure what to put in it. I decided on a picture of Ken (4 yrs old), our high school prom picture (1992), and a picture of me (3 yrs. old ?)

-- The kids made these little scrapbook albums about 4 years ago, I think it's time to do it again. So I'm going to get the supplies ready so that they can work on them (maybe this weekend).

-- Got information about youth soccer (Kaycie wants to play again).

-- Made dentist appts. One for me, and one for Kyle.

-- now I'm taking a break. Reading my favorite blogs, checking emails. And looking forward to watching Fireproof tonight.

God's Will

At Bible study tonight, the topic was knowing/discerning God's will for our lives. It was an interesting topic and one that i've been thinking about lately.

We are to ask ourselves questions to determine the course of action to take when faced with a decision (whether it is God's will or my own human desire ) :

1. Am I putting God's desire ahead of my own?
Matthew 6:33 "Seek FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."

2. Will it help me to love God and others more?
Matthew 22:37-39 "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind."

3. How does it relate to my involvement in fulfilling Christ's Great Commission?
Matthew 28:18-20 "Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you;..."

4. Will this help me to lead a more holy life?
1 Peter 1:15 "but as He who has called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct"

5. Will it increase my personal knowledge of Christ?
2 Peter 3:18 "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ"

6. Can I be thankful for whatever the results, or however it works out?
1 Thess. 5:18 "IN EVERYTHING give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you"

When I read the scriptures and put them into questions to ask myself, it helped me understand what God's will is for me. And anything outside of what His word says, is probably not His will.

This really makes sense to me. If my human desire or course of action doesn't answer these questions according to scripture, then I need to take a step back and refocus. And ask God to reveal to me what I should do.

Because ultimately, I want my life to be in His will!

Wedding Weekend

Boy, it's been awhile since i've been on here. we had a busy week last week.

With all the valentine's parties at school, a field trip, basketball games and practices, and then on saturday my little brother was married.

I only have rehearsal pics right now. Maybe later i'll put up some of the wedding photos.

Levi & Sara at the rehearsal

It was a simple, beautiful wedding. I had my box of tissues right beside me, and i used them! Levi sang the most precious love song to Sara and i'm not sure there were many dry eyes in the church.

Kyle was a wonderful ring bearer


The reception was a blast! We had a great dinner, and the dancing was so much fun. Everybody got out on the dance floor. The littler kids were having the best time dancing around. We danced and partied until almost 11 pm.

Kaycie sure was a cute flower girl

Our sweet Amaris. Very excited that her mommy & daddy are getting married!

First Ponytail

Lindsey's hair is now long enough to pull into a little curly-q of a ponytail. of course i had to pull and pull and smooth it to get it in the tiny rubber band.

And here she is soooo very proud of it:

Such a milestone in a little girls life!!

Maybe it's more exciting for Mommy than for her.

Another Easy Valentine Idea

This is what the kids made for their teachers.


Just a tube of hand lotion, cut-outs of the kids' hands, and sticky dots to adhere the hands to the lotion.


The front:

It says , "You deserve a hand!"

And on the back:

The To and From label.

I think the teachers will appreciate this Valentine.

Valentine Bookmarks

These are the Valentines that Kaycie has been working on. I saw this idea in Family Fun magazine and loved it.

Very easy and they are usable!

Bookmarks made from an old calendar.

Pretty self-explanatory how to make them.

Snow Surprise

I don't watch the news. Never have.

So this morning after taking the kids to school, imagine my surprise when it started to snow. Now here it is 10:00 and it's still snowing!

Right now, looking out my back door:

And in just the 5-10 minutes since I took these pictures, the gaps between the deck boards are not visible anymore.

Flakes the size of Lindsey's palms are floating down in huge amounts.

Needless to say, I didn't go to my quilting group this morning. I figured I'd better stick close to home (and school) just in case!

Did you all know this was coming or are there others out there surprised this morning?

Almost 15 Years!

In May it will be 15 years married to this man!

Ken and I were just talking about that the other day and it made me think of our 10 year anniversary. We took a cruise to Mexico and had so much fun together.

I began to look at the pictures from that trip. It was the first time I had left our kids for more than one night at a time. But we had a great vacation with each other.
To be able to laugh, joke, snuggle, and just enjoy each other was so wonderful!
No time schedule, no body needing a nap (except Ken), no baby needing nursing, no diapers to change. It was sooo weird for me! But much needed.


I can't even begin to describe how beautiful it is out on the ocean. The water is amazing, a color i can't put into words. It was so calming and peaceful.



I would love to go on another cruise, especially to Alaska. Or maybe the Panama cruise.



The ship was great. The staff was helpful and friendly. We were spoiled like we've never been spoiled before.

Two small town country kids on a huge elegant ship. How crazy it seemed to us at the time!


I appreciate this man so much.
How hard he works so that I can be a full-time Mommy. How he loves us, and provides everything we need.

God has blessed me.



I took this picture cracking up because here is my 285 pound, 6 ft. 3 inch hubby wearing this little orange life jacket. It did look pretty ridiculous. We had to go through an emergency plan before the ship could leave port.


We haven't made plans for our 15th anniversary. Not sure what we'll do.

But I do look forward to the big 20 year (which we already have planned what we are going to do: we are going to Savannah, Georgia. My husband loves Paula Deen, so we plan on eating at her restaurant and hopefully meeting her!)


Sometimes I need to take a step back and recall why I love him. What made me fall in love with this man? There are so many reasons that when I think on those, the negatives or frustrations don't seem so important.

I know that God has a wonderful plan for my family.
I know that He placed us together at just the right time.
I know that He will fulfill His promises to me. When?
I don't know. I need to wait on the Lord.
In His timing is His perfect will.


"Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord." Psalm 27: 14


"Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved." Psalm 62: 1 & 2

Answer to a Question

So in answer to a question about my previous post...........
here are the kids' reactions to the elk bone, straight from their mouths........

Ryan - "Nasty!" (as he was gagging)
Kyle - "that is the awesomest thing i've seen!"
Kaycie- "eww... what is that?!"
Lindsey - "uckuckuckuck!" (that's baby talk for "that is gross!")

If You Have a Weak Stomach, Don't Look!

The face of innocence, right?.....

Wrong!!!.....................

Look what she brought me after a little tromp through the fields out back.............

Thanks so much, McKenzie! I've always wanted an elk bone/hoof on my porch!

Time for New Jogging Shoes

I'm actually working on one of my goals for 2009, to say "bye-bye" to those 10-12 lbs hangin on after having Lindsey!


Here is my new workout partner:

bought for $150 from my Dad. They had it for 2 years and used it only 4-5 times. Not a fancy one, but it does the job!

I guess it's time to get some new jogging shoes. Mine are old and yucky but for me to go shoe shopping is like pull-my-tooth-out-with-tweezers enjoyable. I dislike shoe shopping!

And here is where it gets really CRAZY!

I'm actually going to put a picture of myself on here!. Just got done with 1.5 miles (3/4 mile of jogging, 3/4 mile of fast walking). Glistening forehead and all!!

I'm gonna start slow and small and just work my way up to more distance.

It's not much but I feel good... I'm happy!

IT'S A START!

UPDATE: i couldn't stay off the thing and ended up doing another .5 mile. Total for the day= 2 miles!

Kaycie's Quilt - Front/Back

Kaycie has finally finished the front of her quilt. She did ALL the sewing for the front! (7 YEARS OLD!!)

I put together the back. She picked out the red flannel for the back but we didn't have enough so i put together 2 strips of left over squares to widen it to fit.

Here's the front:

And here is the back. It got all wrinkled when I flipped it over and for some reason it looks orangy-red but it's not. It's just a deep red. :

Now it's ready to get quilted. yeah! She will be so excited when she gets home from school to see that I have the back done.

Joys of Having a Busy Baby...

Anybody else out there...

Ever have to clean up soggy raisin bran out of the bottom of the dishwasher?

Have to pick up a whole package of printer paper off the floor?

Have to pick out nasty cheerios from the heating vents?

Ever walk into the bathroom only to find 2 whole rolls of toilet paper unrolled all over?

Find a bottle of lotion squeezed out onto their bed?

Find curdled milk cups hidden away in a corner of the closet (all stacked up neatly on the back shelf)?

I'm curious... is it just my home or are there other busy little-one's terrorizing homes across the world?

Or is it just my home....

Where in the morning, a cuddly, warm baby with rosy cheeks climbs onto my bed and lays her sweet head on my head?

Where pink little lips pucker up and say , "nigh-nigh"? (interpret: night-night)

Where I get to cuddle and rub noses with the sweetest little baby on earth?...

I love having a busy baby!!