having too much fun

...to be a good blogger lately! and who can blame me with these little fellas as nephews! God has most certainly blessed me with my family. My dear hubby and kids make everyday an adventure of some sort. But recently I have been extra blessed with my sweet nephews ( and new baby lillie of course). Almost exactly three years ago I had a hysterectomy at barely 30 years old. Let me tell you, it has been hard. We really thought we were done having children, but knowing there was never another glimmer was something altogether different. Somehow feeling like less of a woman at such a young age. But then came along David. He is the funniest little man. And ever so much like my brother. He is a free spirit and such a lover. Then came Charles. My sister's babe. Man, that kid can brighten my day in an instant. They both live close (one in town and the other in Kansas City) and I can get my baby fix on when I really need to. There is something about this time of year. Maybe its the hysterectomy. Maybe its my upcoming birthday. Maybe its the chaos that comes with May (dance recitals and graduations and weddings, oh my). Regardless, I am thankful for my sweet fellas to perk me up when I am a bit blue.



There are a few more over at flickr as well!!

mama's birthday

Seldomly does a quilt turn out better than I planned.  This one surprised me.  I ordered this fabric from sew mama sew awhile back, and wasn't quite sure what i was going to do with it.  Then I realized that my mother's birthday was coming  towards me at a fierce pace!  A strippy quilt was in order!  And here it is.  I adore the colors and the  size.  And I adore my mother.  Happy birthday mom.  These bright and cheery colors remind me of you!

rock chalk jayhawk

After an embarrassing amount of time without blogging I must safe a few brief words about my beloved jayhawks!  We went onto Lawrence today to see the victory parade!  A few pics for today, with more good posts to come this week!
Above,  the team and coaches!  About 100,000 were on hand for the parade!  Below, the best pizza in Lawrence!  So yummy.
And one long day for the little man.  The past month has been crazy busy, but should slow a bit now and I may even get my creative mind back.  Wish me luck!

spring break

Just a few pics from our trip into Kansas City this week to see my sister!  Enjoy the pics, there are a few more on flickr (click on the badge over in the next column)!  Happy Easter all!

meet lillie

Sweet little babe. Yes, I am trying to butter you all up with pics of my brand new niece Lillian Grace. Is it working? I am fully aware that I haven't blogged or read blogs for an entire month. What excuse do I have? None really. I just needed some time. Time to do other work on the computer (gag) and time to regain focus. Focus on my family and my creative spirit. Oh yeah, and I couldn't think of a damn thing to write. Sheez. The pile of fabric below will be baby blankets soon. More creative stuff to come. Spring is coming this week and I have the inspiration of new life everywhere I look. That can only be good! Any of you all still out there and reading? What fabulous things are going on your lives?

oh yeah, i make stuff

With all of the excitement of my random life I haven't been making much lately.  This is NOT good for my sanity.  I did however make this quilt for my sister's birthday.  That Heather Ross fabric is too yummy.  And I used a courdoroy backing so its warm and fuzzy too!  I have some baby blankets that need to be finished and a few bags rumbling around in my head.  I finally finished my taxes (gag) so I can free my creative brain again!  YEEEHAWWW!

a breath

I had the privilege his weekend of attending a vestry retreat in Atchison, Kansas at Mount St. Scholastica.  The Benedictine Sisters who reside there embraced us immediately.  My days normally revolve around kids and the house and church and laundry and dishes and ballet and friends and family and CHAOS!  I thrive on the energy of my life, but the pause I was given over the past few days was a precious gift.  In this season of lent it is right and good to pause our lives.  We attended morning prayer with the community.  They prayed for peace as they made our beds (something I never thought of, but have started doing for my children).   I know this is a hectic time of year, but try and pause... breathe.

like snowballs i say

I really am a good wife.  My poor dear husband arrived home from work at 6am.  He said it was pretty nasty out, but I had NO idea.  I opened the garage door, good wife that I am, to shovel the driveway.  Yeah.  Three feet of snow drifted up against our garage door.  And they weren't small drifts.  The whole width of our garage.  Then about 15-20 feet out.  So I shoveled.  Then I broke our good shovel.  The other one was like, well, shoveling huge drifts of snow with a tiny shovel.  Two hours later I had about half of the driveway done.  Then snowballs started falling from the sky.  Not flakes, snowballs.  I'm done.  The husband can finish.  I am only a sorta good wife I suppose!  

i'm pretending

I'm pretending its spring.  11 degrees is never an acceptable temperature.  We are suffering from a major case of cabin fever these days.  Winter moved in early this year and isn't going anywhere soon.  Any of you guys coming up with good ideas for being stuck indoors?

fabulous weekend

So much specialness for one weekend...where do I start?  Well I suppose I could start with that cute little ball of chub in the pictures above.  That is my nephew Charlie.  He turned one last weekend.  I think he may be too cute to be only one person.  And his sweet personality is really starting to shine through these days.  My sis came into town early on Saturday to help me set up for a baby shower.  My brother and sister in law are expecting a baby girl this spring and we couldn't be more ecstatic!  Blankets and bunting and cupcakes...oh my!  Add in a new company member gala for Ballet Midwest and dinner with some of my favorite friends and you have my weekend in a nutshell.  The flannel blankets were my gift to the new mama and I have a few more things up my sleeve for later this week.  

And last but definitely not least...its Abby's birthday today.  With all that she has been through over the past few months, she is still my first sweet babe.  Eleven years ago today the life of a 21 year old kid changed.  Sitting in that hospital room with such a tiny life in my hands, I could have never imagined where we would be now.  She inspired me to grow up and take responsibility.  She inspired me to go back to school.  She made me laugh when times were hard.  She forgave me for not knowing what the heck I was doing.  Smiling and laughing all the time.  My first born.  The one who made me a mom.  Gave me my favorite identity.  While I was holding her hand, she was holding my heart.  I wouldn't be the mom or the person I am today without her in my life.  Thanks for being my blue eyed, freckle faced, dimple cheeked girl.  I love you.  

about time

I think I am in heaven.  Why didn't anyone tell me these were so very awesome?  We got our very first Mac this week and I am officially a convert.  I still haven't figured out about 80% of the tricks, but I am pleased none the less.  I hit a wall over the past few weeks and the blog posts just weren't coming to me.  We were busy.  I've been crafty.  Just not much writing mojo going on.  My Mac makes me wanna write.  So expect me to be a better poster...at least for awhile.  Any of you guys know special tricks and programs I need to know about?

i am a lucky gal

Why yes. Yes I am. For starters, I was overwhelmed with the kindness and thoughtfulness of your comments from my previous post. You guys really are awesome! My gal is doing better, and after speaking with the principal and her homeroom teacher things are really looking up! But there is something more. Almost more than I can handle. You see that piano in the picture above? That is mine. All mine. And you wanna know how much I paid for this awesome piece? Nada. I think the moving boys may have consumed some beer, but that was it! It needs to be tuned, but I bet I can handle that! The wood and the simplicity of this piece is almost more than I can handle. It truly has a good home and will be much appreciated and played.

I also had an opportunity to photograph a master class at Ballet Midwest this weekend. The talent of the teacher and the company was stunning. The rest of the pics are over on flickr if you wanna take a peek. The teacher was a former company member that went on to dance with the Joffery Ballet and has danced professionally all over the country. Yes, I am a very lucky gal this week.

i need your wisdom

Those of you who read this blog I would count as my friends, my family, and those who inspire me. Your wisdom and insight is something I count on regularly. I could use that wisdom about now. Especially from you mamas. My oldest daughter is going through something that has thrown me for a loop. It seems that she is having a problem with one of her teachers. I think that may have stemmed the problem we are having now. She will be eleven years old later this month and she has been having separation anxiety attacks nearly as bad as she did when she was in Pre-K. Shaking and crying when it comes to even talking about school. She says she will miss me too much. As flattering as that is, I think there is far more to it. She gets straight A's, has scads of friends, and is adored by most of her teachers. The teacher in question has been yelling quite a bit lately. Is she too sensitive? Is there too much pressure? Doers she really just miss me? PLEASE HELP!!! Talk about feeling like a bad mama. I have NO idea what to do. I have listened and tried to talk, but to no avail at this point. Sigh. Wisdom needed. Now.

my new loves

Oh yes. I do have new loves. And they are fabulous. New boots from Simply. Check out this site. They are really doing fab things with eco friendly materials. And they are stupid comfortable! Oh and check the $120 tag on these online...got them on sale yesterday for $32. Yup. Another reason for loving them...I really didn't need another reason. And as if that was not enough, I stumbled on a new pro grade Kitchen Aid ON SALE! And not that 10% crap. It was on sale for 33% off already and after another 50% off I walked out with this beauty for $100. Gasp. $350 price tag to start. Did I mention that it compliments my kitchen perfectly?

My favorite new love came from my true love. I almost had a stroke when my husband gave me that rock for Christmas. Never thought I was a big diamond kinda gal, but I am totally mesmerised by this thing. Keep looking at it like I did when we were first engaged. Can you tell that I am feeling a bit blessed these days? If I could only get my voice back from this nasty cold I have had...all would be right with the world!

and a merry christmas to all

I don't know about anyone else, but we had a spectacular Christmas this year. We had the opportunity to see every single person in our family except one! That is a miracle considering the size of our families! And we even had a visit from Santa! My sweet nephew Charlie was NOT impressed. Check out the pictures on Flickr to get the whole story. So many good ones...it was hard to choose! The pic above is my boy and his grandfather. And Santa making his exit! The one below is of my sweet sister Kerry comforting Charlie. I love this pic because it shows how awesome of a mom she really is. Chaos is surrounding them, yet she is comforting her Santa traumatized babe like they were the only ones in the world. Sigh.

And these are Parker's blocks. Yes Parker's. Abby is in love with them. A budding architect for sure. You MUST check out the rest of these pics on Flickr. The thing ends up about 6.5 feet tall. So fun!
How were your holidays?

its over

A big thank you to everyone who has listened to me rant like a lunatic for the past month. My sanity (relative term) has returned. Nutcracker is over for this year. This is an amazing time of year for us, but I was in a coma Monday after all was said and done. The girls were amazing. The whole production was amazing. The picture above is from snow scene. The artistic director let me take some amazing photos during rehearsals all week. More on Flickr if you are interested.


Of course I had to post pics of the girls. Morgan was the Trumpeter in the Battle scene (a pretty decent solo) and a Polichinette in the Dream Scene. Abby had her first Pointe part this year as an angel. She took my breathe away. How could she be getting so grown up?

And the sweet Miss Lori braved the snow and drove in from Lawrence with her super sweet family! Now on to Christmas. Sigh. I love this time of year!

i think we'll stay in today

I suppose God has his ways of slowing us down this time of year. We woke up this morning to sheets of icy draped over our little piece of Kansas. Nutcracker is this upcoming weekend and this little day of peace and quiet is welcomed. The kids and I are watching the Polar Express and drinking hot chocolate today. Perfect.

I can't for the life of me figure out what to get our almost 11 year old daughter. She wants a cell phone or a laptop. After a bit of nudging I got her to make a realistic list last night that included her own bakeware, a sewing machine, and ballet "stuff". I can work with that. What I want to leave you with is the list that Parker made. Mind you Santa has been done shopping for this kid for a month.

1. Rocket ship with BIG windows
2. Jet pack
3. Boy Christmas tree (apparently ours are too feminine)
4. Chocolate toy
5. Toy kitchen
6. Another shirt
7. Drink holder
8. Piano

Poor kid. I didn't get him a single thing on his list. Sigh. I missed the mark on the jet pack. Staying warm in our new light wale cord blanket today!

peaced

I love when things come together and there is a sense of peace in my life. An awful lot of folks spend the holidays running this way and that and not really enjoying any of it. Not me. Not this year. I'm not saying that I am sitting at home meditating on the couch with bon bons and a glass of wine (hmmm that doesn't sound half bad). Not so much. But I have embraced the craziness of my life. Is Nutcracker crazy and full of four hour rehearsals? Of course. But what an amazing production to be a part of every year. Are there ten million things going on with moving back into our church after the fire at Christmas time? Yup. But we are coming home. And don't I have piles of hand made gifts yet to make? Duh. But I managed to piece together a Nutcracker throw for the girls to use during rehearsals at the theatre. And that gives me peace. Hope you all are enjoying the rhythm of the season.

thanks

All of the things to be thankful for. I don't even know where to start. It is often overwhelming to really think about all of the wonderful things that God has placed in my life. Health...check (unlike last year). Safety...check. Happiness...double check! My family...that one is obvious. I have an amazing family. My dear hubby and kids make every day such an adventure in love. And our extended families as well. I mean, I have a sister and mom who rock out the whole family thing! But I'm also very grateful for the opportunities that have been in my life as of late. Opportunities to serve and be a part f our community in a real and vibrant way. The March of Dimes asked me to donate a few baskets for their big Gala this year as a silent auction item. To be able to craft and give to a worthwhile charity at the same time is a true blessing. So is the opportunity to service at our church. The time and ability to give back to those who have done so much for me and my family...well, I really struggle to find words to express it.

And I want to thank all of you for being in my life as well. The photo above is some recent awesomeness I have received in the mail. A fall swap package from Hjori in Wisconsin (seriously awesome cards)! An awesome necklace that I wear all of the time from Rachel in France! And the apron from Erin in Kentucky! That woman has mad skills! I know we all talk about our blog friends and how hard it is to describe them. But you all are a real and valued part of my life. Thanks.

this time of year

Tis the season for Nutcracker. Did I mention that I designed all of the graphics and shirts and artwork this year? Yup. I did. And am therefore losing my sanity yet again!!! I adore being involved with this production (the only completely civic production in the midwest) and the girls have danced for the past 5 Nutcrackers. The shirts however were a bit overwhelming. Who knew they would order more than 600 shirts? That is three times the amount they sold last year! And who knew that they would have to be sorted and tagged in my living room!!! Whew! They are all done and out now. Just in time to make sure the artwork is accurate for the program. How do I get myself into these things? I have "sucker" permanently imprinted on my forehead.

On weeks like this my blogging seems to lag behind. The computer is downstairs and I haven't managed to make it down here in over a week. I generally read about 30 blogs a day. Give or take a few. Some I skim, some I look at the pics, and some I read religiously. I have not done ANY of that for a week and a half. I have 331 unread posts right now. God help me I'll get caught up!

And because we weren't busy enough, the first anniversary of our beloved church burning down was this weekend. Still seems surreal in so many ways. The girls were interviewed by the local media...in their Nutcracker shirts of course. More pics and swap awesomeness and crafty goodness in the days to come...I promise! Don't give up on me!