not your typical Friday post

well this might not actually be a typical post any day, except after you’ve been to visit PAPA!! Listen closely my friends, because this is a secret I will share with you — whenever you get to become a Papa (or a Granny, as if that needed to be specified) you need to invest in a small and very TAME herd of cows! Yes, cows! Cows that you can walk through, cows that you feed table scraps to, and cows that will at any time be willing to come thundering across land or sea at the mere honking of a truck horn for cow “cookies”!! This is why your grandchildren will be willing to trek the 9 hour car ride, or remember explicitly who you are (at as young as 18 mons) when you talk to them on the telephone (Granny always says Papa is out feeding the cows and the kids know EXACTLY who they are talking to!!), or ask if we are going to Papa’s house EVERY time we cross paths with any bovine pastured up here in the tri-state area! This is the highlight of our trip down south!! Thanks Granny and Papa for always being so willing to load up the herd!! (i mean kids, here, sorry)

Everybody is loaded and accounted for — small babies get reserved seating inside the cab.

There is such a sense of determination — and the kiddos believe that you can only feed them ONE “cookie”  at the time. By the way these “cookies” are real actual cow food molded into pellet shape that we have deemed “cookies” only for the children’s sake of understanding that this is SNACK TIME!

I am telling you this is FUN! Can you think of anything more exciting that a bunch of sweaty, fly-swatting bovines literally galloping up to the truck to put their REALLY wet noses and extremely long tongues around these small bits of “cookies” that you are holding in YOUR hand?

Sorry for the yuck in this photo — even the poo is a part of the process! 

So the “cookies” have all been dished out and everyone (including Papa) are in high spirits!! 

Until somebody wants more!

Read Full Post »

The trouble with hand-me-downs

I took this picture of Cray at my family’s Christmas gathering right before he turned one. We were outside and playing on my sister’s driveway and he came crawling to me — it has always been one of my favorites! 

Then just the other day Hill was randomly wearing the same outfit (I really like it, one of those subtle Gator shirts) and I just happened to be sitting on the floor with the camera and he came crawling over to me! So after I got them onto the computer I thought about this other picture and searched it down to share with you!!

Read Full Post »

A little fun with a friend

So the other day I called up a friend that I hadn’t really spent time with in a while and invited myself over! We needed to get together and I had a pretty good reason — so I showed up at her house with sewing machine in hand and we made this

It is Amy Butler’s Frenchy Shoulder Bag. We used Amy Butler fabrics as well! It was a lot of fun to make and is going to look great on a fun spring day!!

Read Full Post »

Hill turns 1!

Today!! I really just can’t believe it — the year has gone sooo fast! We celebrated yesterday after church so that Aunt Melissa and Uncle Tom could be here! (Thanks for making the trip, you two!) No he isn’t walking — but he did get a new walker and some sporty new shoes, so it won’t be long now. Herrika made his cake (thanks, miss, it was awesome)! 

So here is a short list of things about Hill right now. He has 7 (almost 8 ) teeth. He says “mama, mama, mama”. He weighs a lot (I let you know the details after we head to the doctor this week). He loves rutabagas and hot dogs. His favorite toy is a large bouncy ball. 

Happy Birthday Hill!

Read Full Post »

Happy Day of Love!

Heading out to teach a class at the quilt shoppe, but before I go I thought I’d leave you with just a little love from my crew! Happy Valentine’s Day!

Read Full Post »

Audrey is IN!

Will keeps telling me not to get her involved — he keeps telling her “Don’t get sucked in!” — he keeps trying to claim her as his! Well I finally put my foot down! A woman will only take so much and then she has to take ACTION!! So I did! I found a simple quilt for Audrey! I pushed her right up under that sewing machine and this is what she accomplished!

I am so proud of her! (and Will was pretty excited too!) You know this whole idea of girls sewing and quilting is a part of our heritage. My mom loves it. My mom’s mom loved it. My mom’s mom’s mom loved it. I am so thankful that my girlie wants to do it! I think we can make it hip and cool and fun, so that this ART doesn’t have to be a lost one!!  And you don’t have to worry, she worked a couple of odd jobs around Grandma’s house to make enough money to have it quilted at the quilt shop and while we were there she found some cherry fabric that she came straight home and pieced together! I think she’s all IN!!

She used all a pattern called the Magic Nine Patch and a Moda print called Woodland Bloom.

Read Full Post »

A day in the life…

So this is my life right now! This is what consumes most of my day. This is what keeps me awake at night. This is why we eat peanut butter and jelly and not much else. (well not really, but I need to tell myself there is a reason)

Now there are three of us around for most of the day! THREE!! If ANY one of us gets to doing something for longer than 30 secs the above culprit escapes from the living room!! The three of us then RACE to the foyer to find (and I am telling you not more than 5 secs has passed since we’ve noticed he is gone) this:

This my friends is PRIDE and a sense of ACCOMPLISHMENT and the sly grin of one who KNOWS this is a VERY BAD CHOICE and will result in a CONSEQUENCE!! (I am a mean mean mother!)

This is obviously a sincere apology and the long garbled “I will not ever do this again… EVER!” speech that keeps the child alive!

 

At this point the poor little guy is shaking with fear, he realizes his next move could decide his fate forever. The obvious decision to sit patiently and wait for his mother to come and rescue him has come to mind…

 

and THEN this is the decision he makes! 🙂 

OVER AND OVER AND OVER all day long!! 

I love kids with spunk! This one has a whole dose of his own!! I love the display of his personality!! I love his spirit! I love this kid lots!! (No matter how many times I have to tell myself that I WILL NOT buy a gate!) 

Read Full Post »