5 Days till Christmas

 I am finally done with my "to-do" list and now I have started on my "want-to" list.

Like....
Spending time with an awesome young lady yesterday and helping her sew some Christmas gifts.
Drinking LOTS of Cinnamon tea.
Working on Christmas gifts for my family.
Playing Lego Harry Potter years 5-7 on my DS. (An early Christmas gift from Hubby).
Re-reading the Christmas chapters of the Betsy Books.
Reading and re-reading Advent books.
Baking Cookies.

Today I even was able to let go of perfect and focus on the memories. The girls and I made cookies together.

Tonight I am taking a break from cleaning and watching The Incredibles with the girls on the floor.

Tomorrow Josh is off and the day is full of plans of breakfast with friends, hair cuts, last minute grocery shopping, a quick trip to the craft store, and finishing up Christmas crafts.

Merry Christmas All!!!

Should Be

I should be doing a good many things right now. The girls are sleeping and I have personal and work to-do lists pages long. I could be cleaning, sewing, wrapping gifts, paying bills, folding laundry, doing dishes. But I am not. I am taking a few minutes and drinking hot tea. Listening to favorite Christmas song on the computer. Catching up on my family's facebook page. Reading blogs. Eating a Christmas cookie. And all in all slowing down and just being.

Thought I would share something I stumbled across last year at Christmas. Tells the Christmas story in a whole new way and I love it!



Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Winter Market

Sorry I haven't been around much. Lots of craziness with Winter Market. Here is the sign I made for my booth. Next time will do something less busy, but the good thing is there is a nice black and white sign above this one.

And a snap shot of my booth. More pictures tonight. :)

My Memories Give Away!

So a while back I was asked if I wanted to review My Memories on my blog and host a give away. I wasn't overly excited at first since I am not big into scrap booking but I figured it was worth trying. Ended up LOVING the software! My Memories Suite is digital scrapbooking software and so much more!

I love all the print word art things I see online so used the digital scrapbook software to make my own!! This is a poem that my sister shared at my brother's wedding. It has become very special to my family so I thought it would be fun to create something we could all frame and put in our homes. The best part is that it took me about 10 minutes.

Things I enjoyed most about My Memories.
1. Instant gratification.
2. Free embellishments are available as well as very reasonably prices packs.
3. Allows me to do cool digital word art with out the confusion and expense of other programs.
4. I can do paper art with out cluttering up my house with tons of stuff.



Now for the cool part. I have a coupon I get to share with you all!


Simply use the code STMMMS34808 when you order and get $10.00 off the software and $10.00 to use toward extra kits!!


And the best part one of you will even win a FREE copy!!

Simply head on over to www.MyMemories.com and check it out. Then come back and tell me what your favorite kit is and what you would use it to make. The possibilities are endless. Scrap Books, Family Cook Books, Holiday Cards ect...

Winner will be chosen Tuesday November 15th.

Magic

22 Days until Thanksgiving. And today I am thankful for magic. Not card trick/disappearing act/illusionist magic or voo-doo/witches/wizard magic. But the magic of childhood.

Magic that turns weeds into wishing wands.
Fireflies into fairies.
Dollies into best friends.
Brooms into noble steeds.
Blankets into princess capes.
Cardboard boxes into castles.
Puddles and closets into magical portals to another world.
Swings into spaceships.
Playgrounds into pirate ships.
Daddy's into super-heroes.
And Mama kisses into the worlds strongest medicine.

Cape

Bear is having a princess birthday party on Saturday. We are trying to keep birthday gifts low key this year and low budget. I traded for a copy of Growing Up Sew Liberated. I was able to find some satiny fabric at Joanna's in the remnant bin that combined with a yard of on sale Crushed Panne Velvet was just enough to do a rift on the reversible dress up cape. I did an eye and hook closer and added a fabric flower with sparkle center on a pin. All in all a pretty cute birthday gift for under $15.00 bucks!

23 Days till Thanksgiving: I am thankful for amazing friends and family who have been a huge helping during a very busy time of year!

Show Prep

Just when I was getting back into the rhythm of blogging again life get's crazy. We have Bear's birthday this weekend which means sewing gifts, cleaning house, prepping for a party ect. I am also working on a ton of custom orders, trying to keep the shop stocked for holiday shoppers and preparing for the two shows I'm doing this year. But, I wanted to drop by in the midst of the craziness and share some show prep I have been doing! If you are going to be in the Montgomery County area in Maryland Nov 12th or the Lynchburg, VA area Nov 18th-20th you should stop by the shows and come see me at my booth! :)

My Style

My style has definitely been evolving a lot lately. I chopped all my hair off over the summer. It is now super short. Like pixie short. I love it! It's inspired me to bring a casually girlishness into my accessories since since my three requirements in my wardrobe are simple, basic, and comfortable. Pretty much anything that is in my wardrobe my fit into one of these categories. Fitting into all three (like my favorite jeans) guaranties you will be worn till you fall apart.

The one problem with this is that is ends up being a little boring. However, since I am very unwilling to change my wardrobe requirements, I have been having a lot of fun with my accessories. Red shoes are a new favorite. As are my standard blue flats. Those add such a fun pop of color to ANY outfit. Rings, and bracelets have been my other go to since I feel like dangle earrings just don't work with the new do.

Vintage Wrist Warp

Basic Gray Wrist Wrap

Blue Rose Cocktail Ring

Bow-utiful Ring

These four pieces are ones I have made for my shop, but they are all very indicative of how my style is growing lately. A any of them is a great way to dress up jeans, t-shirt, and cardigan.

Bear's Birthday

Picture Curtsey of Amy Stillings Photography.

Bear's birthday is just around the corner. Two weeks from today in fact. I am so excited. I am, for the first time ever, attempting to make clothing for my girls. I am starting with a winter coat made out of fleece. Truth be told it rarely gets THAT cold here in VA so they don't need anything to heavy duty. I am using this pattern. Can't wait to get started. Also hoping to get a couple skirts made for Bear before her birthday. Hoping I can use some fabric I have on hand so all I have to purchase is thicker elastic. Add a couple Mama Made hair sparkles and I think it will be a pretty special birthday.

Sunday

It's really starting to feel like fall around here. A couple weeks go we had our pictures taken by a friend of mine Amy Stillings . She is a local photographer who does great work and a good friend of mine.

This Sunday we are laying low. Goose has allergies and sounds like a purring kitty cat she is so congested. So it's been lots of naps and cuddles and hot baths and reading blogs and watching foot ball and the first fire in the wood stove. All in all a pretty good Sunday.

Two Years of Dollies

Three years ago I fell in love with a beautiful style of doll known as Waldorf Dolls. They are beautifully simple dolls made by hand out of all natural materials. I literally spent hours drooling over these dolls (at the time made primarily in Europe) on Etsy and Ebay. Two years ago I was looking for a special gift for my Bear's second birthday and found myself re-visiting Waldorf dolls. Having more time and determination than money I attempted to make Abi Bear a doll.

Annie was made by trial and error. Including Bear taking blue marker to her face before I could get around to putting a face on her. Since the natural materials usually used to make these dolls were not available locally I used whatever I could find. My sister loving knitted the poncho and scarf.

Tacy (named after a character in one of my favorite books) was made last week. She is made with wool stuffing, wool yarn hair, cotton interlock, the works. She is so precious and it's fun to see two dolls so similar yet showing so much improvement. I really love what I do!

Painted, Aplique, MOPS Oh MY!

I have had a CRAZY fall. One of the many reasons I haven't been on the blog much. One of the things I have added to my plate is being the creative coordinator for my local MOPS group. (If you don't know what MOPS is and you are a stay at home mom with ANY children under the age of 6 click HERE to learn more about this amazing organization.

We try to keep our crafts useful since no mom needs more random junk floating around her house. Our theme is games this year and the game our group picked for October is Apples to Apples. We discussed personality types last meeting and tomorrow we are going to make tote bags. I was originally inspired by this bag and the idea of apple stamping. However, then I came across this  bag on pinterest and fell in love with that to. In the end I bought supplies for both as well as made a bunch of iron on appliques for those who have no desire to pain. Here are some pictures of my demo bag.

Doily stenciling.

Finished bag.

I can't free hand anything for the life of me so I opted to put an applique in the middle rather than an initial.

Not sure if I will keep this, use it as a holiday gift or a hostest gift at my next Scentsy. I do know it will get put to good use though. 

p.s. New post over at Grace and Manna

Central Park Make Do Quilt.

Central Park Make Do Quilt

A little under two years ago I had chance to meet and get to know an amazing gal Chelsea. Since then she has become a dear friend. She is a huge inspiration to me spiritually as well as creatively. She is the talent behind Scrapped Crafts and responsible for the art on our Ebenezer wall. Back last summer she gave birth to an amazingly cute little guy named James. This is his very, very late baby gift. I tried a bunch of new techniques on this quilt. Some worked, some didn't but over all I really like it. I hope James and his Mama enjoy it as well.

White Spaces Quilt (Or what I did today).

My back is killing me.

My house is a disaster. 

I over cooked the pot roast.

I forgot to make dinner rolls.

The carrots are undercooked. 

BUT!

I am almost done with my custom dolls list.

AND!

I am almost done piecing my first ever quilt just for me. Very exciting! 

I am kind of wishing I had done a solid border and then the pieced one. But I was trying not to spend money on more fabric and use what I had. The longer I look at the picture the less I like the pieced border. What do you all think?

http://howtonestforless.com/2011/09/15/cute-idea-fall-bucket-list/

Saw this bucket list on pinterest and loved it. Took me a while but I found the original source!!! She actually has it as a printable! Can't wait to down load it and get it printed. Such a cute idea. Today I am enjoying the beautiful of early fall sunshine; the smell of baking bread and fresh baked gingerbread; the hope that comes from peculating dreams.

Favorite Yeast Dough Recipe Ever

I am not sure why it has taken me so long to share this recipe. It is really a major staple in our house. It is hands down the most divers recipe I have ever used. I could go on and on about this recipe. It captures my child hood to me. I love the stories that go a long with this bread. I love the food that you can make with it. So with out further ado....

Refrigerator Dough Recipe 

Ingredients

 1/2 cup warm water

1 package active dry yeast (NOT fast rising)

1 table spoon sugar

3/4 cup vegitable oil

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

2 cups warm water

6-8 cups flour

Directions

1. Take the first three ingreddients and combine in small bowl. Set aside and let proof.

2. Mix sugar, vegitable oil, and egg in large bowl until well blended.

3. Add water and 2 cups of flour. Mix with whisk until smooth.

4. Add the yeast, water, sugar mixture. Whisk until smooth.

5. Switch to wooden spoon and add remaining flour a cup at a time.

6. Turn onto a well floured surface and kneed until smooth and elastic.

7. Place in a slightly greased bowl and cover with lid or clean towel. Set in a warm place and let rise until double.

8. Make into any number of items or put into fridge. Dough will last up to 10 days.

Dinner Rolls

To make rolls simply pull off enough dough to form the size roll you want.   

(Small rolls are great to serve along with a meal. Make larger rolls and use as sandwich buns, hamburger buns, or for amazing heart sloppy joe buns.)

Shape into smooth balls and place on greased baking sheet.

Let rise until double. 

Brush with melted butter and bake at 350 until rolls are brown on top. 

(Time will depend on how large your rolls are)

Take out and brush again with butter. 

Enjoy!!

Growing up Sew Liberated

Enjoying a low key day here at home with Hubby having the day off and not having to be any where. But I thought I would throw this out there.
I am  looking for copies of "Growing Up Sew Liberated" and "Little Things To Sew" if any one has copies they haven't used and would like to trade for dollies or dolly stuff let me know. :)

The Need For Community

My amazing older sister with my two little girls!

I don't often blog about current affairs. There are plenty of other blog writers, new writers, radio talk show hosts, news anchors ect. who are more than willing to discuss the current hot topic to no end. But lately there is one topic that has been heavy on my heart so I am listening to this tug and sharing some thoughts that have been on my mind.

It was only a few weeks ago where you couldn't log onto the internet, flip on the tv, or tune into the radio with out hearing about Casey Anthony. It seemed like the entire country was up in arms when she wasn't found guilty for the death of her daughter Caylee Anthony. It seems every one but the jury was convinced of her guilt. However, the out come of the trial is not what has me saddened. The question on my mind is how on earth did she get there?

Guilty or not guilty of murder Casey Anthony clearly was not in a normal state of mind. I don't think any one would doubt that this woman was seriously disturbed. How on earth did no one see this earlier? A woman doesn't just wake up one day and hurt her children. It's a process you get to slowly. It's a build up of pain, frustration, and hurt that eventually erupts. Raising a child is not easy. Doing it a lone is even harder. Doing it with out some kind of support system is nearly impossible. My point is not to excuse her behavior, pass the buck or expunge her of responsibility.

But rather to pose a challenge.

Reach out to one another. Mother's, wives, business women, sisters, daughters. We need each other. You never know when a hug, a phone call, a helping hand may change some one's life.

A Trip To Nana's

Goose enjoying one of Nana's famous cinnamon rolls.

It's been a busy summer. Especially with Josh's new job. But last weekend we manage to slip away to my parents for a couple of days. We played in the neighbor's pool, cooked out, went to church, hung out with new friends, ate cinnamon rolls and German Chocolate Cake.

The girls slept for most of the trip there and back making it a perfect time for Josh and I to catch up. Eight hours with nothing to do but visit, be quiet together, listen to music, pray ect. It was the first chance we had in a while to really sit down and take stock of where we are and where we are going. We are both very introspective people and every so often with both need a good "take inventory" conversation.

Josh challenged me to be writing more. Especially devotional type stuff. When we first met I had a devotional blog (Back on xanga. Any one else remember xanga?) I had quite a few followers and updated on a regular basis. Josh claims that blog is one of the things that made him fall in love with me. A year ago I tried to start up another blog of the like here on blogger. I posted once and gave up. I am hoping to pick it back up again. I have no idea where I am going with it. But, if I have learned nothing else in the past five years, I have learned that Josh sees things in me I don't even see myself. When he pushes me to do something, he is usually right. :)
So you can check out my second blog Grace and Manna  if you are so inclined.

Dolly Love

Some Dolly cuteness I have been working on this summer.

 

The heat of summer, stress of the new job, and a jumble of other things has had me in a haze. I am slowly coming out of it though and enjoying the simple pleasures of summer. Last week we splurged and purchased half a dozen perfect lemons! 

 And of course, when life gives you lemons, the only thing to do is to make lemonade!!!  Hubby's new schedule means days are long and often slow, but isn't that the charm of summer? We are enjoying long Saturday afternoons at the pool with grandparents and staying up late. Every season (in nature and life) has it's beautiful moments if you are willing to slow down and look for them.