for the birds

At our home, taking care of nature is a must! Living on four acres here in the south, nature is our friend. You see, you get back what you give away. If you leave trash around, lack on yard maintenance or just simply allow nature to take over, you get pest. You'll have nice little creepy spiders, mice and lots of other unwanted guest setting up camp around you due to the junk. But, if you are clean, keep things stirred up with lawn mowing, trimming, raking leaves, etc. those pest will stay back in the woods and the beauty of nature will show face. Pretty creatures like birds, butterflies, rabbits and deer.

So, since I like the pretty creatures much more than the pest, Roxanne and I made some good use of our left over fresh cranberries from our Thanksgiving punch. We took the cranberries and strung them onto yarn, making an edible garland for our outdoor friends to enjoy. I let Roxanne use a yarn needle (not sharp) to pierce the cranberries and string them onto the yarn. She got a kick out of being able to do this by herself!

Once the garland was complete, we draped it onto several branches in a tree for the animals to enjoy. Make sure you return the favor and give nature a little extra TLC this winter. It's always giving so much to us, let's not forget to say thank you!

warmth

Ahhh, warmth. It's that feeling that only the holidays can bring. It's the warmth of a crackling fireplace, the laughter of family and friends, special holiday recipes that only seem to be placed on the table once a year and watching my little ones scurry about in the mix of all the holiday happiness.

I have been cooking Thanksgiving dinner for many years now. It started when my husband and I first got married. I felt the need to prove to him that I COULD cook! Anyway, the tradition began, and every year I cook "the feast" for my family. Regardless if we are joining around the table with others at their home, our family always enjoys our meal time together, just us.

My husband is always in charge of the Turkey. Every year he tries a little something different and it's always great. This year he decided to go the route of deep frying the turkey. Talk about yummo-licious! Holy cow, it was one of his best yet. The coolest part was that the bird was done in about 45 min. Yep, no all nighters/early mornings around here, it was great!

My favorite dish (besides my homemade cranberry sauce) is my sweet potato souffle, TDF!!! I also tried a new recipe, chocolate chunk pecan pie...oh my! I got a little festive and made a limeaide-cran punch that added a little pucker to the lips!

The girls and I made a bread basket/box to decorate the table. It was so much fun and it added such cuteness to the table. The girls faces would light up as they reached for bread from the box and Bryar would say..."I made dat", in her high pitch voice.

Just like clock work, the turkey laziness set in and Bryar was out! She fell asleep in her bed with her sunglasses still one, her Strawberry Shortcake book tossed behind her and her sippy cup just an arms reach away. This was my favorite memory of the day. It does a mommy good to know that little one (and big ones) are packed with food made from the heart and that their little heads have a resting place, warm and quiet. Ahhh, the warmth of the holidays...it's like no other!

sewing up some cuteness

I have had such a fun this week sewing, sewing, sewing. I have got some Christmas gifts made, my new Etsy items in shop, fall/thanksgiving outfits made for the girls and outfits made for both of them for Santa pictures! Oh, I love to be ahead of the game :) See, I told you I have been stitching away! OK, now for the fun part...the tutorial.

I have a little stash of old clothing items that are either too big, out of date or that I'm just tired of. Why do I have them? Well, I reuse them to make new things with, upcycle if you will. The other day I was in a rare mood to do something/make something a little different. I grabbed an old jean skirt that I had in my stash...too big and too long for me.

You see that picture up there, the capelet? That's right, it was made from that skirt. See, my stash is worth keeping - LOL

OK, so I've never posted a tutorial, so here goes, bare with me :)

*NOTE - this skirt did not have a vent/split in the back*

I took the jean skirt and measured about 14 inches from the bottom and cut all the way across the skirt. I sat the top portion of the skirt to the side. You won't need it for making the capelet.

Then, using the 14 inch section of the skirt that I cut off, I cut the skirt from the bottom hem to the top, straight up the middle (making an opening for the capelet). Once that was done, I serged the unfinished edges to keep them from fraying.

Once I had serged the edges, I folded the front edges under 1/4 of an inch, pressed and then folded them again 1/4 of an inch and pressed, then stitched.

Next, I used 7/8" grosgrain ribbon to gather my top edge. Take the serged top edge and fold it over, allowing room for your ribbon to pass through the opening. I folded mine over 1/2 of an inch. I then pressed the entire top serged edge over 1/2 of an inch, making a casting for the ribbon. I then stitched down the top edge along the serged stitches. Be sure that you do not stitch the sides of the casting. Leave it open to feed your ribbon through.

You should now have sewn edges around the top and front openings of your capelet. Now, you can feed your ribbon through the casting that you made at the top. Use the ribbon to gather the capelet at the top until the two front openings are almost touching (maybe an inch a part).

Put your capelet around your shoulders/neck to make adjustments. Once you have a good comfortable fit, pin the ribbon in place at the opening of the casting.
Then, you will need to stitch the ribbon in place to make it secure. Sew the ribbon in place by stitching over top of the stitch line that is already there. This will allow for a clean appearance of your stitches.

Your capelet is DONE!!! Now, you can embellish it with trim, buttons...you name it.

Have fun and enjoy!

all stocked up!

So, here's the big reveal... (drum roll) fabric flower pins and hair pins!!! As, if you could not have guessed from the picture posted - LOL

I am crazy in love with these little posies. They are simple and tons of fun, adding a splash of color to just about anything!

My ETSY shop is all stocked up and ready for the holiday season. With gift giving just a few weeks away, now is the time to get the good stuff before it's gone! I've got a variety of colors available. I have listed several colors in my shop. If you don't see the color you would like, feel free to email me for custom orders! Have fun shopping :)

Indians, poems and food...oh my

Last week my husband and I joined the girls at preschool for their thanksgiving feast. It's always such fun to be with them and watch them interact with their little friends. Their preschool offers a free thanksgiving meal to each child and their guest. Their school also serves their entire church family a thanksgiving meal as well. They make over 1,000 plates of food to hand out as a warm token of thanksgiving blessings.




Each year that we have attended the feast, the kids come out to join us dressed in some type of festive attire, hand made shirts, decorative hats, etc. This year the preschool purchased shirts for the staff members and kids to wear at the feast. The back of the shirt was printed with a thanksgiving poem that I thought was very touching and revealed true thanks to the Lord above for His goodness unto us.




Make sure to take time to reflect and give thanks. I pray a blessing of love to you and your family, happy thanksgiving!

petal bliss

OK, here ya go! As promised...a sneak peek at my new Etsy product that I will be offering very soon. I could just go on and on about this amazingly fun little item. However, I will hold off until the big reveal. Until then, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Next weeks post will be full of crafting goodness. Oh, and my tutorial, it's coming!

Giving thanks

It's the season to give thanks. Don't forget to let someone know that you are thankful for them! The girls and I spent most of the day Tuesday making Thanksgiving cards for family and friends...special times!

because I'm gonna miss this

The days of a diapered rump are slowly coming to an end. For me, the diapers, bottles, passy's, burpies and bibs are so hard to let go of. Most people enjoy the fact of the easier life once a baby hits the toddler stage. Not me, I like all the baby goods!

I snapped this picture of little Bryar the other day while we were playing a game of chutes and ladders. As you can see, Bryar was sitting on the board, so you can imagine how the game went - LOL She was just being her cute little, fast moving self and I noticed that she was in a diaper and not a pull up. So, I ran for the camera, not knowing when I might get a chance to capture her cute baby legs and belly with her bottom wrapped in a diaper again.

Moms, please tell me it gets easier. Please tell me that I will not feel this way about every stage that my girls leave behind to march through a new stage in life. Please tell me that I am not weird for wanting to hold on to these baby/toddler years with such a firm grip....please!

Jump on the wagon friends...

...we are on a ride to crafting goodness! With the holiday season on our heels, It's time to get down to business. Crafting business that is! I have been stitching away over here my friends. I have lots of fun little things to share with you all, very soon! I will be placing a new item in my Etsy shop soon as well...way cute! I also have a tutorial that I will be posting. This is for moms and daughters of any age/size. It's kind of a upcycle or recycle tutorial. So, check the blog daily this week. Lot's of good stuff to come!

The girls and I have been stocking up on seasonal crafts to warm our home with lots of fun creative stuff! There is nothing that I enjoy more than sitting in the floor with the girls in the midst of a newspaper surface and making things. Watching their tiny hands work like busy bees, it's just one of those simple things that makes me smile!

I hope that you all will find some time to create some unique holiday items as well. I would love to see pictures! Please feel free to show me what you have created. That's always fun!

It's a dogs life...

We recently added a new addition to the nursery. Everyone, meet Chimmy, a proud Luella Setter! The other dog is my Dad's, she's just hanging out in the pen until her new home/pen is complete. It was a package deal kind of thing and I think the dogs like it that way. It's too bad that Chimmy will be all alone when his sister leaves. However, I am sure with my two girls running about, he will soon find some cheer in their love and laughter as they run and play with Chimmy along side of them. Everyone, give Chimmy a warm welcome!

It's music to my ears!

I'll have to give it to her, the girls got talent! She's wired for it. Her Daddy and I both played the trombone in high school. She loves to tinker on musical instruments of all kinds. She sings like there is no tomorrow (on or off key, it doesn't matter). If there's a beat, her body's going to start jumping, bouncing or shaking to the rhythm. It's all music to my ears! You go Roxanne...Rock on baby!

What's your reason?

This is a very cute way to show that special someone(s) that they truly warm your heart!

Cleanliness is next to Godliness!

In today's world of crazy schedules, moms on the run find it hard to keep things neat and clean. Lets face it, it takes time to clean. So, if you're going to take the time to do it, why not do it right! My Mom introduced me to PerfectClean. She maintains a relationship through business with many sales reps. that work in the field of hospital supplies. The PerfectClean system is used in many hospitals around the US to maintain cleanliness on highly contaminated surfaces.



I was in love with my PerfectClean system from the moment I first used it. It's light weight, easy to store and super effective! The long mop handle and 360* pivoting head makes for easy cleaning. The detachable cloth heads Velcro on and off for easy rinsing during the cleaning process and you can just toss it into the laundry to maintain.



If you like the look of a clean home but like the fact of It really being clean even better, then check out PerfectClean. You might just find that being germ free isn't so hard after all!

Over my head

So, the post title isn't really all that out of the ordinary I guess. I think most days, my state of mind seems to be a little "over my head". I've either got craft projects that are half finished, laundry piles that are half sorted/folded, toys that are scattered about, meals waiting to be made...the list goes on.

You may have noticed that I have been a little slack in my blog post lately. Not that I have not posted, but I have not had many original post, things that I have created, originals. Not to be alarmed, they will return. It's just that I have been caught up in things seriously over my head.

Take the above picture for instance. Pretty gross, huh! Those weeds...way over my head!

Yep, that was my first thought. However, now...I own the grossness! What do I mean? Well, my husband and I have purchased this piece of property for a garden center. Yep, we are starting a plant nursery with a gift shop!

You may recall the post, "Green thumb"? That was a picture of the logo and business name for our garden center. Lake Dow is the community/area that we live around. It's not our city's name, it's just a community name. There's the shops at Lake Dow, Lake Dow Animal Hospital...etc. So, that's where the name comes from. Just thought that would make it a little more clear for you that are not from around my neck of the woods!

Our fabulous logo design (above) is all part of Lisa Bacon's wonderful artistic talent over at The Moxie Pear. Lisa and I have been friends for a couple of years and she is just the best designer their is. She did an awesome job on our logo design and she so fun to work with. Check out her work HERE.

A huge thank you to all of our family members for being so supportive and giving of their time and effort in this crazy new adventure. I think Tommy and I (more so, Tommy) have a knack for picking out projects that needs a tremendous amount of work. Then , somehow, mustering up the strength to rip, tear and remake the project into something new and better. I'm not quite sure why we do this, we just do. I guess it just goes to show that every family has a couple of nuts...that's us!

There will be more post to come about our progress on the nursery. We will be opening in the spring of 2010, March hopefully! I will share pictures every now and then on our renovations and for those of you in the area. Please, stop by sometime. I always love company!

Edible fun!

What's not to love about this cute little creature? You and the kids can get a little creative in the kitchen while enjoying a healthy snack. I am in love with this idea. How cute would this be to set our for the kids to enjoy at Thanksgiving.

Add a side of some caramel dip or fruit dip....YUM!!!

Check out what you will need HERE, along with other fun ideas!