New home

Havn't posted any photos of the progress of our new home.  It's coming along with the stucco in process!  We are getting excited as things happen see each day and the sorting and packing of 18 years of stuff in this house continues.  It'll be an adjustment to move to a wee little house but welcome for less upkeep and the yard is about 1/8 of what we have now!!!!  We will have to get used to neighbors very close by but I think we have good things planned for inside and out to make it feel like home! Amy's boys wanted to see the house again so we met them out there one evening before going to get some great bean burritos for dinner! They love running around figuring out what room is what.  Most important is where are the toys going to be and what room to we get to have spend the nights!

 Here is part of the inside, I'm standing where the TV will be so you are looking back thru the family room and then where the kitchen table will be and then the kitchen.  That arched opening goes to the laundry room which is kind of a hall to the garage.  Ken is standing in the pantry door. The kitchen window is at the sink and looks out at the back yard. Now that the electric is covered up I hope we thought of everything for placement.  Me and my graph paper drawing of rooms and furniture, it's getting tattered with getting looked at so much!

And here's the other direction in the same room. I'm standing in the kitchen sink :-) and looking back at the little niche where the TV will hang.  That first hallway goes to the right to the front door and the doorway you see at the back is where one potty is :-) and then then the other way to the master bedroom.  I'll take some more photo's another day with more progress!

Circle of Geese

Remember that fun pile of American Jane Potluck fabric I was playing with....here's what's happening!  Circle of Geese! Was that ever fun and easy to do!  I'll be making more and then we'll see what it becomes when it grows up!!!! Stay tuned as you'll love this class next year!

All Cut Up for November

Alright here's just another little sneak peek at something I got to play with!!!!!  These darling fabrics from an organic line new at ETC.  It's not quite as expensive as other organics so it was fun to get the challenge to use them for something for our next All Cut Up in Nov.  It's a baby quilt, took 6 fat quarters and a background and I had the top done in 4 hours from just starting to read the directions to putting it in the bag with the back pieced ready to go to the quilter!  I love my design days!  Can you believe they pay me to sew!!!!!  So here it is, come to the All Cut Up at ETC in Nov. and you can see what I did with these darling pieces!  You can't beat it, it's only $5, you get a quickie demo from me, you get the pattern and best part is staying in the lab to sew with friends ALL DAY !  

Disney 2013

Here's your warning, there are a ton of photo's so feel free to ignore this post!!!!  I HAD the best time going to Disneyland with 3 of my Grandsons that you could ever had! In fact I would turn around right now and go right back!!!!  Yes we were tired upon coming home, mostly cuz we drove all night after doing the 12 hour day at the park! ( poor Chris).  But oh it was so much fun.  So here are some favorite shots!  This was on our way, stopping at In and Out Burger!

 Garrett with some of the fun Halloween decorations that are everywhere!

 We had 3 full days spent at both parks and just loved it. weather was wonderful, crowds not so bad.

 I absolutely loved approaching each ride and each of the boys claiming who they'd ride with!!!!  Wonderful there wasn't to much arguing knowing next ride they could sit next to me and such!
Ethan and I ready to fly away on Dumbo!

 Alot of the rides we could all go together!  Amy had great jackets and shirts all matching for the boys each day so it helped so much in the head count we all seem to do!

 Garrett got chosen on the Storybook land Canal boats to sit up in the front with the guide!

 
 We put in 3 big days opening the park, We had the stoller so Ethan could take a break and mostly we could put our junk in there!  Sometimes Garrett would rest his legs.  It spent alot of time parked while we did an area. But was so handy at 8:00 each night when Ethan would literally crash and be done! Chris got us great parking spots all the time but it was good to have the stroller by the end of the day to get back to the car.

Amy packed us lunches each day so we'd find a fun spot to eat our lunch.  Dinner we got to eat out at the park.  We got to buy one treat a day, some days the boys choose to save their treat money for a souvenir....sometimes Grammy came to the rescue and bought ice cream for everyone!

 Was fun to see them row a canoe for the first time!  Garrett loved it!

 This is so blurry but it makes me remember how cute Ethan was on the autopia ride. He picked me to ride with him, course he couldn't reach the pedals so he steered and I pushed the gas and away we went.  He was very serious about this driving adventure and upon coming to the tunnel he said Grammy Hold your breath!  Like it was just what you do when you drive thru a tunnel no matter how short the car!

 We had a great hotel to stay in right across the street, b-fast included so it was fun to see the boys each morning bright eyed and bushy tailed ready to go again!

 Sometimes it just so happened on rides that I'd end up with 2 kids so adults got to go at it alone!

 Yes I go on all the crazy rides!  In fact one day I looked down and we were back in line on one of the little roller coasters and here it was just me and the 3 boys. All the other adults bailed!

What a great time, I hope we can go again soon!

paper piecing in 2014

So here's another 2014 tease!  Louise and I are doing another technique class on paper pieceing and you will love what it makes.  I picked the new PotLuck by American Jane to play with  along with butter yellow!  Love the repro look of it! You are going to love what we have in store for classes coming up!  ( can you tell I'd much rather be sewing and designing then packing...yikes) It's a design in progress, think it'll become baby size, but stay tuned to see what happens with this fun pile!!!!  

playtime with Noah and Elijah

I had the privilege of getting to have Noah over one morning while he and his Mommy were here from Tucson visiting with Jamie's sister and son that are here for a visit from Brazil.  What fun to see them all!  Noah came running in the door and made a beeline for the toys.  It's amazing at 2 how they DO NOT forget where the fun stuff is!  

Here's Noah's cousin Elijah. He's about 5 months younger than Noah, but they are just as tall as each other now.  Last time we got to see Stephanie and Eli he was just crawling so I'm so happy to get to see them often since Jamie's parents live here too!  They did their fair share of pushing and pulling and MINE but I thought they just got along great.

We had an early little lunch as Jamie had to get them both home for naptime before it became impossible !!!  Noah and Elijah I hope you come again soon!

I love the Tucson Zoo

Last month we got to go to Tucson for an overnight and enjoyed time of course with this little guy!!!  We spent the morning going to the zoo and it was wonderful. I'm so glad they live so close to it and have the opportunity to go very often!

 The elephants were wonderful, they have a wonderful family of them there unlike the phx. zoo which has 2 that don't get along so you only see one in the enclosure at a time and so there is no interaction!  I was amazed watching them, they have a huge area to be in with interactive things along one side of the exhibit and I loved just watching them, they are very touchy-feely kind of animals which I didn't know since at the Phx. zoo you only see one elephant at a time.  They stand close to each other and have their trunks running over each other all the time.

 They went for a swim even which was amazing!  I could have watched them for hours.

 It's very close to where you stand, that's Noah there in the red hat.

 So it was a fun weekend and fun to go to the zoo, I hope we can go back again soon. Maybe before Jeremy deploys.

Circle of Life

So remember those circles!!!!  Here's the next in the progress photo's!  Darling Riley Blake line, love it!  3 part class, applique with no raw edges done soooooo simple!  Come and learn or fine tune what you know about applique!  more hints coming.....Stay tuned!!!!

October All Cut Up at ETC

Just another photo of some "old news" but a big day always in my life to do the demo for All Cut Up at ETC.  The October project was great and I've seen several and heard of a few that have made several of the project. It went together fast and easy out of a charm pack.  What a fun gift this pillow would make. So if you missed it you can get the pattern yet at ETC, but join us for the next All Cut up!  You get the pattern for free, the demo is $5 and best part is getting to stay and sew in the lab all day!  It's a deal and you'll have fun doing it too! Novembers is using fat quarters!

Sew N Go sneak peek

Alright here's just a wee little tease for the next Sew N Go at ETC.  November is right around the corner so I'm just dropping 2 little hints....aren't you lucky to get 2!!!!!  Not really saying what it is....

 hmmmm, so there are buttons....and pieces..... gonna be cute!  Something new!  You can even use it for a gift.......  :-)

My Birthday

So I had a great birthday dinner this year hosted by Amy and Chris at their home.  Lots of photo's here in case you just want to bypass!!!!  But you can't get the feeling of craziness without seeing some of it!  Loved that my parents could come!  My Mom's looking at Bode's very special spooky spider cupcakes he helped make!

 Wonderful appetizers...I could have just been happy with this plate of wonderful goodness!

 2 kinds no less!

 So I asked for a photo with all my little boys.  They were all together in one spot, no one was asleep, no one crying, no one in time out! wow!  We even had an extra, Sawyer Aiden's friend joined in there on the right!

 Part of the fun getting 6 little boys in one photo is what it takes to get there....so here it is, can you imagine the noise!.......

 Brock really wants those candles!

 And then we get a stick in the action!  Hey we did it!  whew, thanks guys for all the help that took! we did it!

 The "cousins" are all just so enamored with being together, they love it!  Noah walked in from the drive up from Tucson, and made a beeline for the preschool room, he knew where the fun was! How fun to have a "cousins" table to eat at!

 Lots of action in the kitchen, wonderful pasta and wonderful home made meatballs, you could smell it walking up to the front door!

 Part of the fun of family gatherings is all the prep

 Then yes you have the youngest son sneaking up in the chaos with the little boys nerf bow and arrow, shooting thru the kitchen at his brothers......

 Everyone helping get the food ready! ( this is when Jeremy was shooting his brothers!...why not right!

 So yes it was a great night, lots of good memories, brothers photo bombing sisters picture!  Time for hanging out, it's sort of chaos with us all but maybe your family is calm, I don't think I'd trade  tho, these kids are fun!