The Prince and Princess of Egypt

This year, the kids dressed up as the Prince and Princess of Egypt for the 2 Church Festivals that we go to every year during the last week of October. We found some pictures of costumes that they liked and then I was expected to duplicate them. After watching me sew for everybody else all year, they have high expectations for me when costume time comes around!

They were thrilled, and I thought they looked adorable, of course.

We spent a fun evening together going out to eat and then to the dollar theater to see Wall*E for the second time. Our early-to-bed children were dragging in the door at 9:30 when we got home, but we had a really fun time! They are growing so fast, and it's nice that we can start doing these kinds of things with them now.

More posts coming, as I have time!

Coming Soon!

Actual blog posts!! Probably about 5 in one day. I have pictures comin' out the ears--school pictures, the circus, costumes! I just need to find the time to upload and edit them all and then find time to blog about them!

I've been enormously busy with kids' activities, sewing orders, and just being a wife/mom. Add into that a little "something" that was dragging me down. I have no idea what was going on, but I couldn't get enough sleep and my body was just not "right" for about 4-6 weeks (no, not pregnant, but I'd have to say it was kind-of similar-feeling). Who knows. The good news is that I'm feeling SO much better and just have a pile of orders/piles of laundry/piles of dirt and dust to take care of.

I'm up and running, but need to play a little catch-up!

My Own Peppermint Patty!

Here's my all red and white Christmas dress. I love how all the trims look together! You can find it HERE!

HapPEA Holidays!!

My ebay design group The Lil Peas started a launch today called "HapPEA Holidays!" Here are my first 2 listings:

Dreaming of a Pink Christmas


Holly Jolly


I'll also be listing an all red and white dress in the next day or two, so check back!

Little Turkey

Here's my newest listing. I love this new Feliz dress pattern! It allows me to use many different fabrics. Notice the little applique turkey? You can find the listing HERE!

Raffstar

An online acquaintance of mine asked me to visit this site that her son helped co-found. Being a contest prize "junkie" (although I've never won anything), I must admit I'm hooked. It's a great way to support wonderful charities, and you just might win something FABULOUS!! The best part? IT'S FREE!! The more people who participate, the quicker prizes are won, and the faster new prizes are added....all for great causes so check it out!

(***Note: I am not affiliated with them at all...I don't get ANYthing if you visit their site! I just think it's fun!!***)

Here's a direct cut-and-paste from their website:

Raffstar is THE place to go for the chance to win prizes: absolutely, positively, 100% FREE; with no-strings-attached, no tricks or gimmicks, and no hidden catch whatsoever. All you have to do is register once, free-of-charge, and you're on your way to the land of unlimited prizes. Whether it's a cash prize, a new gaming console like the Xbox360, PS3, or Nintendo Wii; the chance to meet a celebrity one-on-one; a gift card to your favorite store; or the vacation of a lifetime- there's something for everyone at Raffstar. And with the ability for members to suggest future prizes, the prize options will remain truly limitless!

And by now you're probably wondering how we can offer all these prizes and not charge a membership fee? It's actually quite simple- all the prizes are either given or paid for by advertisers, so with no cost to us, we're able to offer memberships and tickets 100% free.

Believe it or not, Raffstar wasn't created just to give away free stuff- although I doubt any one will complain when they win! Raffstar's main goal is to generate awareness for charities and the issues they are working with. That's why each of our giveaways have a featured charity with a link to their site right on our page. So as you browse through the prizes,make sure you take some time to check out the charities' sites as well. And don't forget to visit the charities page where you can see a list of all the charities that you are helping support, simply by being a member of Raffstar.

That's right, by visiting Raffstar and entering in our free giveaways for a chance to win some amazing prizes, you are also helping people throughout the world. Bet you never thought that the simple click of a mouse could help change and save lives forever? And hey- who knows what prizes await? So tell everyone you know to visit Raffstar as often as they can; and don't forget to come back and win as many prizes as you can! Doing your part for the world just got a whole lot easier...

Busy, busy

It's hard to believe we are already into October! It seems like my "to-do list" grows longer every day, even though I am getting things done. I just thought I'd give a little update on US.

Last week was my husband's BIG week of work--he was gone from Tuesday through Sunday. He's taken the same trip every year for the past few years and it's always difficult when he is gone, because he is such an integral part of our family life (he does SO MUCH). I must admit, however, that this year was the easiest, by far! I think it has something to do with the fact that the kids are now 4 and 5 (instead of 3 and 4, or 2 and 3, or 1 and 2). The Prince really tried to play the role of "the man," and was taking care of me--so sweet! Every time he travels, my heart grows for the single parents out there! How they do it successfully is amazing to me!

The King's dad had surgery last Wednesday and will be in the hospital until later this week. He went up to the hospital to spend the night with him tonight. His mom is up in New York with her dad, as his health is beginning to deteriorate and she just needs to be with him. It all seems to happen at once!

I've kept quite busy with sewing orders and shuttling the kids around. I'm so thankful that we are able to keep me home--which is where I want to be right now!

The kids both LOVE school and being a former teacher, I LOVE that they love it. The Prince is continuing to read at amazing speed, and The Princess has already started sounding out 3 letter words. They have wonderful teachers, which adds to their excitement about school.

We have stayed healthy and gas in our city just dropped to $2.99/gallon--for these 2 things, I am EXTREMELY grateful!!

Off to clean my sewing room--when I get in a sewing "frenzy" I just start throwing patterns, fabric, spools of thread, etc. everywhere. Then, I have to take time to clean before starting my next "frenzy."

The True Meaning of Christmas

I have wanted to make a Nativity dress for the past 2 years and finally got to it this year. I truly feel that the birth of my Lord and Savior is the reason for the season, and I wanted one of my designs to reflect that. There are numerous details and appliques, and since I was going to have to line the dress anyway, I made it reversible!! You can find it HERE!

Also, I wanted a little set that was comfy, fun, and could be layered under most of the jumpers and dresses that I make. Find it HERE!

Here's Another

One of the moms in The Prince's class comes to every special event and documents it with pictures. I was able to snag this fabulous one of The Prince giving his Poppi a special picture he had colored at home to give to him on Grandparent's Day.

Grandparent's Day

Today was Grandparent's Day at the kids' school. They talk about this day for weeks before it arrives. This year my mom and my father-in-law came for the whole thing (they spent time in each class), and my dad was able to pop-in for a few minutes--which was all they really needed. My mother-in-law had planned to be there, but had to fly to be with her father this week as his health is deteriorating--and they TOTALLY understand it--they said, "She can just come next year!"

Pictures are distracting when they are trying to "perform" for the grandparents, but I managed to snap a few of them with their Grandma and their Poppi. I was taking some pictures with my mom's camera, too, and I guess I forgot to take one of The Prince with Grandma--she'll have to forward them to me (hint, hint).

I took them both home early when the event ended, because they were exhausted! I just love it when they are like this--close and cuddly!

My HEART!

There is no other way to describe how I feel about them...they are my heart!


I snapped some pictures of them right after their showers tonight. They were willing to cooperate and I snapped away! These were my favorites, by far!

Sweetness

A dress celebrating everyone's favorite "sweet" game, Candyland, which can be found HERE.


And, a sweet moment: Daddy reading books at bedtime. *sigh*

Today....

Today, I listed two sets. They are by far 2 of my favorite sets. They take FOREVER to make with all the detailed applique work, but those Japanese fabrics basically SCREAM at me to make appliques for them! The first is a new set requested by a favorite customer and inspired by Goldilocks fabric. The second is a relist of my poplular OZ--Over the Rainbow--set. You can find them both HERE!

Today, I also walked in on this:


The Princess had gone into my closet and shut the door. After a bit, I hear her talking "very authoritatively," about her "work" and having to find her "important papers." I just don't know WHERE she gets these things..... ;)

New Knit for Your Princess

I just got this fun, comfy and PINK knit set listed. Features Princess print knit and appliques. You can find it HERE!

This and That....

As you can tell, blog posts have begun to fall by the wayside as other events are seemingly overtaking my life--orders, laundry, taxi-service, school meetings, practices, lessons, dinners.... I have NOT given up on blogging, and will continue to post as I have time--or as there are things to say.

This fall, The Prince is playing soccer (again). The Princess has decided that she wants to play when the Spring season starts up (much to the joy of her father). They are BOTH in dance classes. Our dance studio started up a boys' hip-hop class and The Prince loves it!! He's learning a routine to the High School Musical basketball song. The Princess is continuing with ballet/tap and is enjoying it!

Here's The Prince at his first game this last Saturday. When I see pictures like this, it is uncanny how much he looks like his dad when he played. He scored 2 goals and it was fun to watch!

Both of the kids have been wanting to help with the cooking lately, so we are taking advantage while we can! Tonight they each took turns coating the meat with cornstarch.

Full Swing!

We are now into the full swing of the school year, and I'll tell you what--this getting up at 6:30 everyday is just GREAT. (insert sarcasm) I have never been a morning person. Let me stay up until 2 or 3 and get up at 9 or 10 and I'm happy. However with a 4 and 5 year old now attending school every day, that just isn't an option for me (OK, it wasn't an option before school started, but I wasn't getting up at 6:30!). I can go back to sleep once they go to school, but then I feel like I've wasted valuable time---and, I have.

So, I am working on re-adjusting my personal schedule. I've been trying to move back my bedtime, because no matter what time I go to bed, I still have to get up at 6:30...and I'm getting tired.

I am getting quite a few things accomplished in the mornings. I'm seeing the bottom of my long orders list. ALL (yes, all) of my kids laundry is washed, hung-up, folded, and put away. Two mornings this week, I've spent time on my treadmill. So, I'm getting into the swing of things.

The kids absolutely LOVE school--everything about it! We have soccer practice on Monday nights and dance classes on Wednesday nights. They, too, are adjusting to the new schedule and are pretty much zonkin' out when their heads hit their pillows.

When I finally reach the bottom of my orders list, I have about 3 things I am just itchin' to get made: something for your Princess, something for Fall/Thanksgiving, and just something pretty.....check back soon!

Celebrate!

I just listed two new things on ebay. You can find them both HERE!

This fun set, perfect for your trip to Disney!


This skirt Made to Match Gymboree's Birthday Girl shirt.

Time With Grandma and Poppy

This weekend The King was out of town on business. His parents called and asked if they could take me and the kids to the zoo--SURE! We are so blessed to live in the same area as ALL of our immediate family. All parents and siblings and their kids are here. Our children have the opportunity to grow up and have close relationships with their family and I realize how rare that is! They love their Grandma and Poppy and had a great day just hanging out with them, while I hung back as the picture taker.

Going into the zoo:


Feeding the birds:

New Toys

I finally broke down and bought some much needed photography equipment....a mini lighting studio. I've worked really hard on my photography this year and hated the thought that the winter months would bring me back down. So, I bit the bullet (the BIG bullet).

One of the best ways to showcase clothing like I make and sell is with "High Key" photographs. Basically (since the basics is all I know), it's photographs with an ALL white background. This is harder than you might think to accomplish--believe me, I've tried various "cheap" methods...without success.

Anyway, my equipment showed up today and I set it all up. OK, that sounded too easy because it WASN'T. There were NO directions and for a photography infant, like myself, directions would have been nice. It took me a LONG time to figure out how to put everything together, and I know for sure that one thing is still totally wrong! One nice thing is that the majority of it fits into a nice black canvas carrying case that was included and the breakdown only took about 15 minutes.

Here's how it looked set up in my front living room today:

Now, for those of you who may be high-key pros....I know that it's not set up right. I have a little adjusting and tweaking to do. However, feel free to leave tips in the comments! I'll take all the help I can get!!

After it was all set up, I asked the kids to come in and pose for me. These are the kinds of shots I ended up with:

Yes, I did edit them a bit, but nearly as much as I thought I would have to. Overall, I'm pleased and *think* I will view the whole thing as "money well spent."

***Edited***

I thought I'd add this information for anybody else who was interested:

I ordered from B & H Photo.

1250 Watts 3-Light Mini Boom Kit #IMFL1250MBK
****It's on sale for $204.95 and you get all this:
-3 Porcelain Sockets with In-Line Switch
-1 5" Floodlight Reflectors
-3 8' Light Stands
-1 Mini Boom Arm
-2 43" Translucent Umbrellas
-2 Umbrella Brackets
-2 ECT 500 Watt Bulbs
-1 ECT 250 Watt Bulb
-1 Light Kit Bag 2 (which I love, because you can pack it all up to put it away!)

I also ordered Super White background paper and an economy paper stand.

Changes

After 5 1/2 years of having at least one additional person with me, requiring things of me, sharing time with me...every...single...day, it has all changed.

Today BOTH of my kids started school. The Prince is going to school ALL day from 8:15 - 3:00, and the Princess is going half-days from 8:15 - 12:00. It was a bittersweet day for me. It is almost incomprehensible to me that I will have 3 hours to my self 5 days a week----unbelievable. On the other hand, that time has come when a period of my kids' lives has passed and I can never get that time back. The Prince now spends more of his waking hours away from me than with me, and it breaks my heart....just a little. The Princess (AKA "my baby") is gone.

Mostly, however, I've been excited for them...and that's all they've seen from me. They were more than excited for the first day of school and barely looked at us to wave goodbye when we left them this morning. This is a good thing! I am more than thrilled with the teachers they have this year--actually have NO concerns in that area, whatsoever. This, I know, is a blessing!

Here they are this morning:

Yes, we send them to a private school. It's the same school that the King and I attended, met at...we fell in love there. I also taught 2nd grade there for 8 years. We know many people there, and thanks to our alumni status (and the "Grandparent's Discount" since my dad works there), it is an affordable option for us. Not that it's really an "option." We'd do whatever we had to in order to make sure our kids could receive their education there.

Hmmmm....what else?

Last week, we took a short family vacation to Branson. We had a great time!! The kids have reached an age where travel is more fun than work. We shopped, went swimming, visited the King's sister and her daughter, went to Celebration City, and the Dixie Stampede. We've decided we can try something a little bigger next year, just not sure what.

The King has had to travel quite a bit for his job, and he is missed. Here he is reading to the kids the night before a recent trip.

I'm still sewing, and continue to be thankful that enough orders are coming my way that I can continue this work!

It will not be as long a wait for my next post...promise. After all, I have ALL this time on my hands, now! I did spend pretty much ALL my time with them these past few days, and I don't regret it!

Blog, Schmog

Sorry....that's all I've got to say.

To those of you who come and visit my blog on a regular basis and are greeted with the same boring post for over a week.....I'm sorry.

School starts for us on August 14th. I've been busy buying school clothes and school supplies. I've been busy signing the kids up for dance class (yes kidS--The Prince has decided to give the boys hip-hop class a try), and making sure they have the right dance clothes. I've been busy trying to keep 2 kids, who are ready for school to start, occupied and happy.

Today, roofers showed up to replace our shingles. It was necessary, since a major hail storm blew through over 3 months ago. The thing is, that a vast majority of the homes in our area had similar damage and the wait list was LONG. The good news is that they got the ENTIRE thing stripped and re-shingled in ONE day! They just come back tomorrow to do the finishing things--whatever those are.

Unfortunately, they pried (yes, pried--not "undid the bolts and removed) our satellite off of our roof, and our TV is all messed up. The upstairs tv will get either satellite or local channels--but, not both--and the downstairs tv gets NOTHING. They're having a special, though, and all service calls are free......we just have to wait until next Thursday for them to come.....UGH!

Next week we're taking a mini-vacation to Branson, MO. We are all looking forward to it, but in order to have some spending money, I've been busy listing some of the kids winter clothes from last year on ebay. For everything else, I've been busy setting up in a garage sale for this Saturday.

I've also been busy with orders, and for this, I am thankful--busy, but thankful. Currently, I have this Back to School set listed, along with some resells. You can see them all HERE, or click on the picture to go to that listing.

I don't have any "new" pictures of the kids, but these were taken at the Princess' birthday party. She's looking at the card from us that the Prince picked out--it's a Disney Princess card that sings. He's....well, he smiling for the camera with Robert on his head--what can I say.

Oh! And Monday, The King and I celebrated our 13 year anniversary. He took me out to super nice restaurant and we had a lovely, quiet dinner. We even tried pate and decided it was disgusting! We have been together more years of our lives than we were apart, and I am so thankful that our love is still strong!

It's a picture of a picture--I need a scanner!


We are well, healthy and happy.....just busy.

Is it July 22nd?

As usual, time is flying by. I must admit that's OK when it feels like it's 105 when you factor in the humidity. It is HOT!! We've spent quite a bit of time in our little pool, but I think that next year we'll have to upgrade. I'm actually pretty amazed at how far the kids have come with their swimming abilities. I'm guessing it's because they feel safe in such a small space. Tomorrow, we're going to my parents' home and they have a pretty decent sized pool. I'll have to let you know how that goes! At the beginning of June, The Prince was barely putting his face in the water, and the Princess would hardly move in the pool. Now, we're here:

Last week, our church had Vacation Bible School. They ended with a program during the Wednesday night service. Although we don't usually make it to that service (our kids are usually getting ready for bed when the service STARTS), he really wanted to go. My thoughts were "We will spend hours at soccer practices and dance classes, why can't we go this one night (you had to get there 1 1/2 hours early) for something that should be so much more important?" So, I took him for the rehearsal and The King brought The Princess for the performance. The Prince was thrilled...which was the point.

I am almost at the bottom of my customs list, but have these three listings that will be ending throughout the week (starting tomorrow). You can find each one by clicking on its picture.

Finally, a woman I considered a dear friend passed away this weekend. I taught with her for 8 years and she was one of the sweetest, loving, and most honest people I knew. She battled cancer for over 4 years, and I know that she is whole and healthy and at peace with our Father in Heaven. It's just sad for those of us here when we lose such a precious person from our lives.

The Birthday Girl

Today was The Princess' birthday. It's so hard to believe that my "baby" is now 4! We did many things to celebrate starting back on Sunday. It's more than worth it when she spends her entire birthday party telling all her relatives, "This is my bestest birthday ever!!!"

When I went to download the pictures I had taken of all the festivities, I realized I had taken 176 photos!! Here is a (much smaller) sampling:

She wanted to do something special with her 2 cousins. So, Sunday we dressed up like princesses and went to Build-A-Bear at the mall.

They ended up picking the same sparkly purple bear (what ARE the chances?), and had to wait in line to get them filled.

They gave their bears hearts and kissed them before putting them in.

They talked and giggled and I realized how quickly my baby is growing into a girl.

They all picked out pajamas and slippers then got them dressed and ready to sleep in bed with them.

Showing off the finished products.

This morning, following tradition, we went to IHOP for the birthday breakfast. She's wearing their coffee filter "birthday hat" while they sing their birthday song. The best part about the birthday breakfast is eating an ice cream sundae!!

She got to pick out what she wanted to do today, and she wanted to spend more time with Tessa.

We took some pictures of her birthday outfit. I bought the shirt at Gymboree and made the skirt to match. Of course, I'll be listing it.....when I have a little time. "How old are you now?"

The family came over for a little party tonight. She opened her presents and really loved the Disney Princess singing card.

And finally, we had some birthday cake.

Happy Birthday (you'll ALWAYS be my) Baby!!