Can you spare a little sanity please? Oh,never mind-

I thought today was going to be a very hectic day. I'm the yes girl. Every time some one asks me to do anything my automatic reaction is to say yes to whatever it is and then find out the details later. Wednesday night I got a phone call from Jeremy's friends mom. "Can I ask you an odd question?"-the rest is history. I volunteered myself to babysit one of Jeremy's friends (he's only been over once) and his older sister all day today. Normally I would have respectfully declined because I have so much to do and he's a real hand full and I don't really know them that well at all . I have 50 kits to put together for my wire tree and teach the class on Tuesday and I'm totally unprepared. I really could have used the time today to do that but something in me said "You can do the kits later and it won't be a big deal to watch them".
It wasn't a big deal at all, in fact I feel really good about it. Their parents were so appreciative and the 11 yr old was kind of my shadow all day but turned into a great helper. She kept asking me to fix her hair so I did and it felt really weird at first but I have to say she looked really cute when I was done. I realized she doesn't have a sister and probably really enjoyed having an older but younger girl to talk to and act "cool" around. I think I'm going to like having 11 yr olds around when my girls get a little bigger. Jeremy and his friend didn't cause that much mischief and I put them to the task of finding more acorns for my basket which was nice. The day just flew by and the kids had a ton of fun and I feel good, so why don't I do this more often? I really need to go out of my comfort zone to help more often, it feels so good.

Oh- and here's a pink *PICTURE* because every post has to have a picture (okay maybe I did lose some of my sanity today LOL!)

Hold the phone...

I just ran across a sample pattern from the book mentioned below and thought I would share it for anyone who's interested. I still don't have the foggiest clue on how to do a satin stitch so I might not try this until after I get the book (Cody- that means you) but here ya go.

A little eye candy and a teeny hint...

I've been eyeballing this book lately called Doodle Stitching by Aimee Ray. I think it looks soooo fun! I thought my sewing machine bit the dust which was quite devastating because Halloween is right around the corner and I have costumes to make. While on the hunt for a sewing machine quick fix I found the book. Spending a few days without my machine I thought I would have to learn to hand sew because a life without sewing is no life for me and heaven forbid I actually scrapbook before memorial day. I don't embroider well at all and this book shows stitches and some really great patterns and projects (I think). If my machine acts up again I want something fun to fall back on while it's being fixed. Thank goodness I just had to oil the snot out of it and it works alright now, I think. I might even get a wild hair and sew a dress tonight.

This part of the post is for the eyeballs of HE who says I never say what I really want during the holiday seasons. With the season approaching here's a little help in print. Because I've already had 2 birthday guns, a birthday car stereo, an anniversary wok, a Christmas pilates video (yes, you paid for that one), and a pile of hot chocolate mugs - all gifts I love dearly mind you- I wouldn't mind owning something like this book if you happen to be surfing the internet one of these days. I also wouldn't mind a new sewing machine, a serger, a subscription to the scarlet lime kits, a new hat like the rooster one, a movie and dinner, a new magazine, gum, I'm not picky . Chocolate's always a winner to. LOVE YOU!

Five years in the making

I'm the worst decorator in the entire world. I kid you not. I really don't like change. I never really decorate for any season. I have 3 Halloween decorations. I have 6 Christmas items. I just don't like moving the things I love everyday for something seasonal. It's a disorder of mine. If I find a piece of something that I think is flaming fantastic I hang on to it forever and keep it in the exact same spot forever. Granted most of the things I find I don't have a spot for so they live in a box or drawer for years. Five years ago I found a little package of the coolest metal leaves that I just had to have. I had no idea what I wanted to do with them so they have lived in my craft drawer ever since. Yesterday I decided it was time to change my Easter egg wreath (yes I said Easter, I love it so much I leave it up all year-for shame!) and replace it with something a little more season appropriate. This is what I came up with.

I love it, though I think I need to beat the leaves up a little and sand them down so you can see the metal. I just wanted to get it done and put up quickly before I changed my mind! Kira came yesterday to visit and she took the kids over to the park to gather acorns for me, thanks Kira! I love that they are still green and I get to see them change right on my wreath. Very fall. The neon bucket 'o acorns will be replaced with a cute basket 'o acorns as soon as I can find it ;o). I'm thinking something big and some frames with fall pictures.

I also made a tissue cover for my purse. I hate it when I go to grab a Kleenex in the middle of sacrament and everyone can hear the crinkly plastic so I sewed myself a cute quiet one. I feel so chain on the glasses, waist up to my chest, afghan old but it works!

Some craftiness

I finished some of my promised projects over the last few days and thought I would share. I only managed to brake my sewing machine once and cut my fingers a few times but they're done! The pictures are not the greatest I know but it's my blog and I have absolutely no natural light in my entire house what so ever so here they are in all there blurry fake light glory-




This is the sample for the craft class I'm teaching for enrichment. We are having the class on the 9th and the supplies aren't here yet so this is just the sample using things I had on hand. I had to have it done for tomorrow so I quickly threw the frame together last night (I'm dieing to add some ribbon or something but I don't have time!) but I think it turned out alright. We are just going to do the wire tree part in class. I found the idea here and I thought it would also be cute as a tree in a chunky wooden block with a vinyl title or as a rickety tree for a halloween display. Oh I wish I had the time to play more!


This is just random but when I was a teenager my best friend and I would drive to the gas station at lunch (or anytime) during school and buy gummy hamburgers. I loved those things!! They were the best candy. Well, I still have a huge sweet tooth and I confess I have a tender spot in my heart for gummy hamburgers. I love them. I've been sick this week and the kids are all snotty (sick style not bratty) and I've been stressed out trying to get the craft figured out and ordered and Cody brought me home a huge box of hamburgers. He bought all they had. How sweet!

Hip Hip!

It's premiere night tonight for my favorite t.v. shows!!! It's extremely sad that I get this excited but I can't wait. I've planned my entire night around this one 3 hour block. I have a parent teacher conference at 6 and I have to go get some milk and other groceries so I've orchestrated my day to flow around my shows this evening. SAD I tell you!

I really don't watch much t.v. at all, in fact we don't even have cable or satellite. We have a measly 8 channels that come through by way of bunny ears. I don't ask for much from my t.v., just Thursday nights for a few hours to vegetate and the occasional Super Nanny episode. If I get really bored pinning or hand sewing a project after the kids are in bed I'll watch a PBS documentary. Now I can watch my shows while I finish those burp cloths (and a half a box of chocolate covered mini doughnuts)- YEAHHHH!

Craftier things to come next post!

A little proof

That I do actually scrapbook at least once a season. I just haven't felt like scrapbooking - at all - lately. While I was making wrappers to cover 40 mini chocolates and scouring my paper scraps on Saturday (yes, it was for my lesson- over kill!) I found the beginnings of this little tag book I intended to finish for Jeremy.

It's going to be a book of important phone numbers for him to hang inside his backpack in case he needs to reach one of us. You know, when he *forgets* to tell me that he decided to go with one of his friends after school and would have called but he forgot my cell phone number and would have walked home but it got to dark and and and. This little book is supposed to nip that in the bud before it begins but it won't do much good if I never finish it. It's a good thing I found it because I ran across this blog post yesterday (is that not a great boy page!) and it made me think "oh yea, the tag book". I might actually finish it this week, after the burp cloths I promised to finish in August. I'm soooo behind!

He thinks he's so funny!

*This Post Is For Posterity Purposes*

This is Cody's last weekend to go hunting and to butter me up so I would "let" him go overnight he helped me so I could work on my lesson all morning uninterrupted, cleaned the house and it did look amazing - "Look, every thing's disinfected" was one comment I heard, took the a/c out, fed and tended the kiddos, and just did everything that I've been wanting him to help me with for awhile but he hasn't had the time. He's so helpful sometimes and I really appreciated it today! Thanks Love!

Before he left for the great outdoors he was gracing my ear with the lovely sounds of "elk lovin' " practicing his bugling and chirping. That's great when he's in the woods, doesn't bother me at all, but when it's in my ear 3 feet away it tends to grate on my nerves. Anyone with a Hunter husband is probably familiar with this sound.

I said - " I know that that's a sound that you LOVE to hear, but I don't so please stop"

He said- " No, this is a sound I love to hear- THUMP!"

Very funny mister wise guy!

I hope he gets one so he can stop hucking sticks in the woods and be at my bidding here at home ;o). Good luck my Elmer Fudd!

There's a lot of crying over spilt milk...

Kaci loves her milk from a bottle but it's time for her to give it up! She's almost 17 months old and I feel it's time for her to use a sippy cup. The other kids were super easy and were always trying to steal their older siblings cups so when we let them have one of their own they were ecstatic.

Not Kaci. She sees her bottle as an extension of her arm, a little pink fifth appendage.

The last four days with her feel a little like I imagine a rehab clinic would be. Not the big fancy Hollywood kind but the middle of the road version, there isn't a day spa here but we do take walks to alleviate some really bad withdrawals. There's been a lot of screaming, tears, hitting, yelling for "bah bah", throwing the unacceptable cups (over 20 different cups and none will do), and one relapse. Just when I thought I couldn't handle it anymore after 4 days of crying for up to 2 hrs at a time she gave in and gave up the sauce, a bottle full of milk that is.

Now the problem is getting her to go to bed without a milk cup and having less than 3 cups at any given time but that's a huge accomplishment for her!

She was so angry at me at one point she wouldn't let me touch her for hours, she would give me the stare down and scream and then go and hug Ashlyn- little stinker!

Good thing we sold my birthday gun...

Because according to this famous person personality test I'm none other than Hitler, yes Hitler! I know I've been grouchy this week and I haven't been feeling very good - nauseous, bloated like a stuffed pig, and a migraine (non-pregnant disclaimer inserted here)- but I don't think I've reached that level of evil. I just bleached my 'stache so I don't even have that going for me.

I've been good I swear! I took a family who just had a baby dinner and arranged for them to have dinners for a week and volunteered my husband to help them put their kitchen back together tonight. I'm teaching the Relief Society lesson this Sunday. I even shared my clothing label secret with a friend that wants to use them to sell things. Kira, you can come back - my house is clean now! There was a time in my life I think my family would agree with the test (being nasty and mean, not hurting anyone) but I think I deserve a different "grade" now LOL!

Thank you Melissa! That test actually made me laugh today. Sometimes it feels so good to just stop cleaning and worrying about what's going on and just taking a minute to fill out a silly little 18 question quiz. Here's a shout out to my friend Saddam, she and I apparently need a hug or counseling! Now I just need to focus on dinner. What sounds good tonight?