I have been crafting again!

It has been awhile since I have been on my blog. Our family has been healing from an awful tragedy. Brian's father passed away and it was sudden and not expected...There is still so much pain but with each passing day, we strive to heal a little bit more. RIP Bob Madl, March 27, 2010. We love you and hope you are out of pain and at peace.

On a much lighter note, I have been trying to keep busy and get back into the swing of things. I am posting a picture of my homemade peanut butter eggs I made for Easter...I forgot to take one when I had dozens in front of me so these are the last two eggs. I gave 99% of them away so this is all that is left in our house and I still haven't touched them. I'm down 9 pounds and so I am watching what I am eating right now but that doesn't mean I won't soon split one of these 4 ways with the family...hehehee! Sorry the picture is a little blurry, I need a new camera desperately!

The next project I did was a couple of Monogrammed letters. These are so easy and alot of fun. I learned how at MOPS and now I plan to make some gifts for others. Here is one for Hayden and Vanessa. My pics are crooked but oh well, you can see the ideas. I plan on painting Vanessa's frame white to match her room better.

Now, I have two more projects I am working on and when I get finished I will post them. Have a great day!

St. Patrick's Day and Playdate

Vanessa had a friend over named Makenzie and they had a blast playing. They mostly played dress-up with anything they could find including Halloween costumes. They really were so cute! Here are a few pics!

Vanessa had fun coloring a shamrock for my best friend's birthday, which happens to be on St. Patrick's Day. Here is her artwork:

Notice how there is very little green...hehehehe. The whole shamrock is colored but she used yellow so it didn't scan in great. I know Regina will like it anyways!

I'm working on few projects that I will scan in as soon as I'm done. I'm making homemade Easter cards that are going to be so cute, I can't wait to send them out. Well, this weekend should be fun, we are going roller skating...woohoo! I will write again soon!

My Children

My children have such a way to bring so much joy in my life...it amazes me how many times I cry over their accomplishments or giving heart, they really do reflect what I teach them. Vanessa brought four "dollies" to me, that is what she calls them in her sweet little voice...I love hand sewn dolls that are soft with yarn as hair and Meijer sells one called Groovy Gals that are so cool and trendy. Well, one has long brunette hair that she named "Mary Kisses"...how cute...smiling big...and another has curly red hair she named "Princess Lea".

Then I got her two Culture Club Kids, which are very cute fabric dolls and one is spanish/mexican looking and she named her "Nancy" and one is asian and she named her "Milka"...all on her own she came up with these names and her favorite book right now is called "Can you say Peace?" where it tells you how to say peace in different languages. She really is starting to show her motherly nature in everything she does and something cute and funny that she recently started doing is, when I'm sitting on the couch she will come behind me with her stool and stand behind the couch and wash and style my hair...how cute is that!!! Could she be a future cosmotologist?

Vanessa is very much a fashion queen also, she has to be stylish and she is fussy! When we go shopping she will let me know for sure if she does not like something, it really is too funny and I do crack up when she isn't looking. Well after typing this I thought I should take a picture of the dollies and her favorite book so here they are below.

Now for my incredible son, Hayden. He amazes me everyday with his heart and intelligence. First, he colored some beautiful dinosaur pictures for different family members and wrote messages to each of them but what made me cry was when he brought me one and it said "I love you. This is for you Mom!"...It was so touching and so sweet.

We went to his teacher conferences and he is doing so well in the class that Miss McDonald wanted to change the report cards for him. Everything is rated 1-3 and she said Hayden needs 4's. How awesome is that! He blew us away with his reading level, for Kindergarten they should read at level 2 and he is at level 10, which Miss McDonald said is where 1st graders are right now. She said 1st graders have to read at a level 18 by the end of the school year and Hayden will start first grade at level 12 or 13. WOW!!! He may up like I did, in 4th grade I was at a 6th grade reading level.

His handwriting is better than some adults, seriously. He is just doing incredible, we are very proud of him and I'm pretty sure he is even proud of himself. He flourishes in school and really strives to be the best student. He comes home and tells us how many kids got warnings and ended up with a white card, how many got time outs and ended up with an orange card and how many had to see the principal with a red card etc... So then we will ask well what about you, what color were you...he says, "Green, I'm always on the green". Green represents good in class. Hayden has had one white the entire school year and it was for only the first half of the day and because another boy got him a warning. The second half of that day he was in the green and all the rest of the year green. Such a great kid!

Hayden has also taken up some new sports, skiing and ice-skating and really LOVES both, which is awesome and exciting! Vanessa even liked ice skating, she hasn't tried skiing yet. So, that is a slight update on the kiddos. I love them so much, they really make me laugh and giggle and just smile all day long. My pride and joys!!!

Crafts/Snacks

For Valentine's Day, I made these cute little snacks that the whole family gobbled up. I got the idea from a good friend who is always doing amazing things. All you have to do is take small pretzels and put a choclate star on top, place in the oven for 5 minutes and when you take them out you place an M&M on top! Easy!

Now I am working on a project that I started at MOPS, it is a banner for Vanessa's room. I'm so excited about it because when it is done it will be super cute! Here is my rough draft:

I will post more pics when I am done with it.

Next up is making some St. Patty's Day crafts and/or snacks...hmm...this could be really fun! I know I will have to do them while drinking my annual shamrock shake from McDonalds...I look forward to them every year. Kind of a funny thing but they are so good!

February already!

Oh my where did the time go? This winter is going by fast which is fine with me since I have the gardening itch...smiling. Lately, I have been doing some projects for ME, which I rarely do and I have done some things I am so proud of. First I made some aprons...I haven't sewn on a sewing machine since 7th grade...hehehe. So, this was very rewarding for me and I am posting some pics of them. If anyone wants the know-how just ask and you shall receive...smiling.

Here is the one I particulary wanted to do because we have an accent wall in the kitchen that is merlot red.

This next one was an extra one but turned out beautifully. I can't wait to use them!

The next couple of projects I need to take photos of and then I will post...Well, here is to me and my endeavors...hehhee. Good night!

Here at last...

It has been far too long since I blogged, it really is my diary to myself. This has been a great year and a sad year, the beginning started out losing a dear friend and just a week ago lost another dear friend. Makes you realize how short life is, how we don't know how long we have before we go to be with God. I just wish they would find a cure for cancer....

Life has been crazy busy this year, it seems more so than past years. Vanessa turned 3 in October and Hayden turns 6 in March. Amazing how fast they grow and yet it happens quicker than we want but it is exciting at the same time. Watching them discover themselves, what they like, who they are, what makes them laugh, what makes them mad...it is such a joy for me to share with them.

My life seems to be changing also, well...not my life persay but...me...smiling. I'm growing in certain ways, more confident, not so afraid, challenging myself and re-discovering old talents and finding new ones. I'm making so many things by hand now and getting many compliments. I also have taken a new liking to canning and preserving, growing all my vegetables, getting all my fruit from farms...I make delicious blueberry sweet cherry jam and yummy peach jam. My husband and I are always making new recipes and trying things we see on the food network.

Facebook has aloud me to reconnect with old friends and for friends to find me, it is so exciting. I have 300 true friends on there. I can't wait for spring I have two classmates coming to stay and visit, whom I have been dying to get in touch with...I will not let them slip away again....

I'm still working on my children's book, I need to find an illustrator now. I would do it myself but just do not have the kind of time it would require for me to put everything into it. I want it to be a joint effort also. Maybe get someone new and exciting some recognition. Oprah ends her show in 2010, I have to hurry if I want to be on!!;)

Well, it is late and I should go for now but will try to write at least once a week from now on...just put what I am up to and jot down some thoughts. Looking forward to tomorrow and spending some quality time with my children, just playing and having fun....that is the BEST!

It's been awhile but I'm still here

Let's see, it is February 2009 and life has zipped past these last few months. It started in October basically with my daughter's 2nd birthday. Then holidays, traveling, packing, another holiday, moving, birthdays and unpacking....WOW! Crazy I know but we are in our new home and it is beautiful and huge and I call it my grown up home...hahaha. This is our third house and each one gets bigger but this hopefully is the ONE. The one that the kids grow up in and move out of.

I decided to stop selling Tastefully Simple and also next year I will NOT be on the steering committee at MOPS. I have so much going on with the kids and Hayden is doing more activities now. I need to still go to MOPS but just as a mom and sit back, relax and enjoy myself. As far as TS, I don't have the time for it anymore. But, I am thankful I did it, it got me out meeting new people when we were new in town 5 years ago. I have made many new friends and it was fun while I did it.

Brian is so busy with work and in this crazy time of ups and downs with the market, he is doing just fine. But, he works hard and earns everything he does and gets. We are going to Hawaii again in July. I am so excited I could scream. This time it is a different island and it should be another adventure. Hawaii is so breathtaking and I could very easily live there.

Vanessa is getting so big and she is just so precious. She really is a love bug like her brother and they love each other like I have never seen siblings love one another. He protects her and acts like her dad and she giggles at him and kisses and hugs him. He is her idol and she is his...well...baby sister! It really is such a special bond they have, I love watching them.

Not too much more going on. I'm ready for spring. I want to ride my new bike and sit on my HUGE front porch. I just can't wait for warm weather. There are so many friends coming to visit this summer too so I am super excited. We are throwing a house warming party in spring also. That should be a lot of fun!

I'll write soon again. Goodnight!