Honest Scrap

Thank you, thank you, thank you Serena for passing this award to me!

The Rules:

** Thank the person who gave you this award (thanks bff!)

**Post 10 honest facts about yourself

**Pass the award on to 7 others (i'm only passing it on to one though)

10 honest facts:

1) I was not happy to be having a 3rd baby. In fact, up until the night before Henry came i was really not thrilled. and then he was born. and i feel so oddly connected to him, in a way i didn't feel to the other 2 (not that i am claiming him to be my favorite- that title goes to the first one who can bring my coffee to me in bed) but, well the only way i can think to describe it is that i feel like having Henry allowed me to see a different of my heart. and made me realize, that i definitely would want at least one more.

2) 98.9% of the time I am right. i won't be so bold as to say i am always right, but more than most of the time, i am right. not because i am just so snazzy. its that i tend to not weigh in on something unless i know for a fact that i am right. sam finds this very annoying- as he is never right.

3) i constantly feel like someone is shouting in my brain "stop talking mary!"... i think i keep muttering nonsense when there is a lull in conversation instead of stopping the endless chatter that comes out of my mouth.

4) i am the most comfortable when i am the hostess. and i have somehow worked it so most of my friends come to me. i use the excuse that my house is the most central with a easy location for everyone. when the truth is- i just never leave.

5) i have mad skills at a speed card game called ERS- which is an odd combo of WAR and slap jack. i am undefeated. another thing sam is quite annoyed with.

6) something always has to give. and honestly when i started working sewing into my daily life, cleaning my house dropped off into the distance. i will cook, do my dishes, keep up on the laundry and try and declutter the madness... but when it comes to really cleaning... well, if you want to see a clean house better call before you stop by.

7) either i am a huge procastionator, or i work really really well under pressure- either way, i am always waiting till the last minute on things.

8) i never, never, ever read or follow the news. i know what is going on with people on facebook, and via blogs, but unless the news is interrupting my soaps- i don't know what is going on.

9) one of my dream jobs would be to direct music videos. i'm not sure why, but when i listen to music i see stories that play out in my mind.

10) i really believe that if i were to devote a tiny bit of time every day to writing i could produce something wonderful. i have a fairly excellent idea for a story, but keep putting it off (see #7). when i was in 8th grade i would get up at 6am every morning, walk to school to use the computer lab and work on a creative writing assignment. the assignment called for 10 pages. i wrote 100. i really wish i could get that book back.

i'm passing this award on to my sister! have some honest fun ash.

camping.

that's right, we are headed out for some camping fun. just one night, and i have already scheduled a post for thursday (for those of you who just can't imagine one day without something of mine to read).

and while i have your undivided attention about camping, i would like to let you know about sam and my new blog:

Our Family Outdoors

this blog comes from 2 ideas worked into one. sam and i are on a mission. to camp as much as we can with our 3 little kids (and anymore that come along the way) and to have FUN doing it. some of our friends just flat out refuse to camp because they are convinced it is impossible to do with children. we think that just isn't true. we believe that with a little careful planning (ok a lot of careful planning) a strong determination, and the ability to be prepared to laugh when things go south really fast- it CAN be done!

and so will be the point of our new blog. don't worry, i'm still blogging here (i mean, i do other things outside of sleeping under the stars, praying nothing is crawling on me) but sam and i have dreams about this blog. we want people to find it useful, we want to post about the amazing places we see as a family, what works- and what just doesn't. i'm sure there are many blogs like this out there, but we are trying to camp with 3 kids, 3 and under- that adds a spin, right?

who knows where this new blog will take us? i see long term vision, and i'll be honest, wouldn't it be amazing if we could somehow turn this idea into something we did to provide for our family? i don't have all the details worked out, but i am a hard worker with a lot of belief in loving what you do and getting paid for it.

with that being said- head over to the new blog, see what its all about, perhaps add it to your reader, or follow it- i promise you will be entertained, and you may learn something you didn't know before about camping.

and about kids.

blog block

i have noticed as of late that several of the ladies who write blogs that i love to read have been suffering with a little bit of bloggers block. there's nothing worse than wanting to blog, but staring at a constant white space. i haven't necessarily been suffering from blogger's blog, however i have been suffering from brain overload.

this is the best way i can describe it:

remember playing dodge ball in school? well i feel as if i am on one team all by myself, and an entire class of second graders is pummeling me with little rubber balls. and i can't seem to dodge or catch a single one.

the balls in this analogy being all my constant and ever changing ideas, all the tasks i am doing, all the tasks i should be doing, and ..... i could go on and on.

nevertheless, i am enjoying the game.

for those suffering from the dreaded blog block, one small idea, why not share an answer for this question: if you were to be surprised with a trip to anywhere in the world- where would you go and why?

my answer?

if sam were to show up on the door right now and say drop everything, i'm taking you away. my answer would probably always be disneyland (however in my fantasy here disneyland is not crowded at all). i love disneyland. and i always will. sam and i have never been just the two of us (i know, whoa is mary, right? i mean, there are some people who have never gone, and i am complaining?) and i think that going just the two of to my favorite magical place would be so special.

what about you?

best zucchini muffins

i love zucchini. i didn't always, but as an adult i grew to develop a liking, and then a loving of it. sam's parents just made (is that the right word to use?) a beautiful garden. and in it are (obviously, i mean what am i posting about after all?) zucchini.

me so happy.

what makes me even more happy? when a friend wanders over with a zucchini from her garden and its as big as a good sized butternut squash ( in fact for these muffins, i only needed that one zucchini).

we are going to be out for a couple of days this week, and i needed to cook through this zucchini more it went to waste.

after i had henry, another friend had brought us a loaf of really delicious zucchini bread (this was my first ever encounter with any zucchini baked goodness) and with that memory in my mind, i decided i wanted to try to make muffins.

why muffins and not bread? a very silly reason, i am still adhering to the points system of weight watchers, and it quite simple to know how many a servings a recipe makes when you can count individual muffins, instead of trying to guesstimate with slices.

sadly, i am not super inventive in the kitchen. however, i am have mad skills when it comes to "googling", and i was directed to Simply Recipes where Elise Bauer (as a 24 fan, gotta love the last name) had posted a truly fantastic recipe for Zucchini Muffins.

as stated before, i am not inventive in the kitchen, so i stuck to the recipe- except that i used whole wheat pastry flour (i use it in almost all of my baking) and didn't add walnuts and craisens. they are wonderful right out of the oven... they tasted ok the next day... but definitely good enough to make again!

this love for zucchini.... i have a few of my own zucchini inspired creations (plus one that is floating in my brain) perhaps several zucchini posts are in order????

a well worn gift

on july 11th my brother-in-law levi celebrated his 25th birthday. i love making gifts for those i care about, but is always so difficult to figure out gifts to make for guys.

i was going to make something different, but in the spur of the moment i was inspired to step outside the realms of patterns and whip something up.

levi is currently on a gerson diet which involves a lot of raw, raw, raw. also, levi is really interested in re-purposing things (he wants to make shoes out of old pieces of leather).

these 2 facts and the extra tidbit that levi is a fairly talented artist were my inspiration for his gift.

i took an old pair of sam's cargo pants that were way to big for him, i sliced up one of the pants legs, and had my fabric: re-purposing.

i decided (as you can see from the above picture) to create a little carrying bag for small sketch books and pencils for said sketching.

to create a more "raw" look, i sewed nothing right sides together. instead i just placed the pieces of fabric how i wanted them, and sewed.

i sewed the front to the back, leaving exposed edges. i used a small zig zag to create the slots for the pencils and the sketch books.

i wanted the carrying bag to fold 3 ways in. i designated where the folds would be, and on the "front" of the bag made an "L" for levi.

i am particularly proud of the button- also re-purposed, as it is the button from the cargo pants.
the bag/portfolio... not quite sure what to define it as, all folded up.

i apologize for the quality of the pictures, they were taken in our car on the way to levi's surprise birthday party.

as an additional side blog note, this post took 5 attempts to get published. i believe a combo of blogger and an overly filled computer caused for excruciating slow loading of pictures, which resulted in "bad error". but i stayed the course- and have now shared this project!

a family fun friday

i am often amused by companies and organizations that try and woo families into their product or place my defining their specific thing as "fun for the whole family".

well i am all for family fun, however, below are 5 things i wish i could convince my family of being fun for the whole family:

1) sitting patiently on the couch for 45-60 minutes while momma works out.

2) sitting quietly around the sewing table as momma sews in peace.

3) sleeping.

4) sleeping in. and yes, those are 2 different things.

5) blogging.

perhaps some day? i wonder if i made a fun family book and sublimely inserted those 5 things with colorful pictures and exciting fonts- would they catch on? perhaps.

down to the wire

i've been looking at this amount of thread for the last few sewing projects. i really need to get to the store and buy some more- but i am desperate to see how far it would stretch.

and believe it or not (cause it is honestly true) but this little spindle ran out at the exact time the bobbin did! how wonderful!

i am in love with this fabric. it always takes me forever to pick out which fabric to use for a project. i am a fabric chipmunk- i stuff it away, never wanting to use it, because of course- once it is gone, its gone forever. i am happy with this choice for this project (pictures to come) but was hilariously disappointed that the fabric is almost gone.
sam came home from work today early (especially early because i have been sending him out to spend alone time) and took campbell and mason out for about 1 1/2 hours and i was finally able to have a little bit of uninterrupted time to sew. i'm in the middle of about 5 projects, and getting closer to being done. but of course, there are about 30 to start.

hopefully this weekend will prove to be productive, and some of the projects for the etsy store will be ready.

7 years.

last week sam and i celebrated our 7 year anniversary. sam had 2 little surprised planned for me. we don't usually do presents but he had secretly saved up some driving money (he gets paid for every mile he drives for starbucks, and i have never seen this money and i always just assumed it was being spent on food) and had bought me the new ipod shuffle.

pretty cool, huh? a blackberry and an ipod shuffle? i sure am becoming a techno gadget kinda gal.

second surprise?

he was taking me here for dinner. you can't really tell from the website, but the Rainbow Lodge is a fairly big deal up here. and i had never been before.

so we dropped the older two kids off at paul and donna's and headed the hour to the restaurant.

the following story is being told to help other couples not go through our little disaster.

Problem 1: driving an hour at bedtime with a 3 month old in the car.

henry fussed on and off the entire drive, it really set the mood.

Problem 2: making sure the restaurant is truly serving food.

sam had called and made reservations. we arrived early to the lodge. and it was pretty dang dead. as we unloaded and walked in, a beautiful menu was posted to the door. glorious food options were offered.

we entered, and were greeted by: no one.

eventually a waitress found us, brought us back- not to the actually dinning room, but to the lounge in the back, where we were given a bar menu. come to find out that the lodge doesn't serve dinner on thursdays or mondays. and we were there on a monday. you'd think they would have told sam that when he called to make reservations.

so we ordered chicken tenders to split (sam was starving) in the hopes that we could try another restaurant back in town.

Problem 3: trying a new restaurant that hasn't been given glorious reviews.

so henry was still overly tired, and we were pushing 8pm when we arrived back to town. we had debated getting a couple of our old faithful favorites, but decided to just try something new. a restaurant that had just opened up a few blocks from our house.

we pulled in, were seated instantly.

and received terrible service, food served all at once (instead of spread out) and for entertainment got to watch the teenagers who were working in the kitchen basically dry hump all evening long.

the salad was watered down, the garlic bread consisted of 2 ingredients: bread and butter, and my chicken marsala tasted like noodles just cooked in oil, with mushrooms and chicken thrown in.

it was so disgusting.

and henry was screaming bloody murder, so i ended up enjoying our anniversary outside on the curb.

we gave up and headed home. sam dropped me and henry off, and went to get the other two. he brought home a screaming mason (who was pretty darn sick).

so there we were, 10pm, both exhausted and disappointed. and i was starving. i had saved all my points (weight watchers) for our special evening, and hadn't really eaten anything for dinner.

i was able to nurse my wounds with a root beer float. that was my food highlight.

so what lessons can you learn from this? sam and i sat down the next day and discussed our mishaps:

1) you should never try a new restaurant on a special night. you won't be disappointed, there are always times to try new things, but keep special nights special with things you know are good.

2) you should not bring overly tired babies to new restaurants- it truly affects the ambiance.

3) you shouldn't bring a baby on a special night. if you can't leave the baby at home, the celebrate your special night with take out. we should have eaten locally, then we could have left little henry as well.

there will be several make-ups for this failed attempt at a dinner out, so we aren't to terribly disappointed. we have years of special nights ahead of us. and we won't make these mistakes again!

sam and i,

standing in the same place we were married 7 years earlier.

a little bit of chaos.

what 3 kids, 3 and under, looks like when you are trying to take a family shot.

and here, a tad more organized.

the return.

home at last. and i need a vacation.

3 nights away from our little house, in an even smaller cabin with more people. yikes. have you ever noticed how 3 little children's cries are suddenly quite louder in less space? its funny.

sam's family reunion was held in lake of the woods, oregon. i have decided that while yes, the little resort is located in the woods, and yes- there is a lake. this title truly doesn't grasp an accurate description. let's try this:

lake of the how in the world can there be this many mosquitoes living in one place, and what are they, some kind of super breed that uses insect repellent as a way to extend their life?

hmmm... something tells me that title won't attract as many victims... i mean guests, to lake of the woods.

all misery aside, it was hotter than heck, and the kids were stressed to their core.

wait- all misery aside right? whoops.

i am really glad to be home. and do feel in desperate need of a vacation. so one of these days i just need to pick some time to take a long break (with my nursing baby in tow).

family vacation was the perfect time to play around with my brand new blackberry.

although, i could not figure out how to blog from it, i was able to check up on my reader, but not able to make a ton of comments... wait- none.

perhaps i will get a handle on this whole technological thing.

still not quite sure why i have a cell phone, seeing that i am either home, or home, or home, or glued to the computer, or home, or home, or home.

but now i can text sam, and that makes me happy. and it proved to be most useful when i needed to send some texts to my sis and some chats to the bff during the stressful legs of our vacation.

for now, i am home. and wondering what a vacation without children will look like.

a little trip.

i'll be away from posting for the next few days. my husband's side of the family is having a reunion up somewhere in oregon. it should be a jolly ole time.

however- campbell and mason have been sick this week, and tonight henry cried for about a solid hour (hopefully he's not getting sick).

i had really wanted to schedule out some posts (i'd been a bit creative with the sewing machine last week) and talk about my anniversary dinner ( a disaster) but blogger isn't letting me upload my pictures, and my pounding head isn't helping the equation at all.

so, alas... when i return.

everyone has a lovely weekend!

if i can figure out how to blog via my new blackberry (yea! i am no longer the only person in the world without a cell phone) then perhaps you will hear from me.

a wednesday wow!

how cute are these little slippers (well slipper, it was strangely hard to take a picture of both slippers while standing)? i cannot take credit for these beauties! they were a present from Serena. i just think they are super cute. and they are so comfortable. plus- the fabric? purple rhinos? does it get more fun than that? only when you find out that the fabric was once a sheet.

thanks Serena- i love them!

another new dress.

how i love this dress.... can i count the ways?

nope. i just love it so much!

it is loosely made from this free pattern.

if you are bored and want to compare it to the other dress i made, you can see that here.

i had planned on making a matching dress for mason, and then was discouraged (or blessed) by all the dresses she has right now. however, after seeing how wonderful this dress turned out (not meaning to brag, but i love this dress) i think i may just make her one for when she is 4.

which means tons of times to procrastinate.

my favorite thing about this dress? first of all, that i decided to do a band on the bottom of the dress. second, that the straps and bands would match. and third (kinda still the second) that they would be in a different color!

if you have the time (hee hee) to smock.... this dress is so worth it.

not what i expected

in september of 2001, i was a sophmore at simpson college in redding, ca. i had just returned from an ill-advised, disaster of a nannying adventure in paris. did you know that under stressful disastrous situations one can tend to overeat? especially in what has to be the pastry capital of the world. seriously, i guess somehow i just thought that i could eat 3 chocolate croissants a day and it would be just fine.

now, i'm 5'4'' and in high school struggled to maintain 140 as a weight.

when i came back from paris? 165. i am not lying.

so after a couple of months at weight watchers i started to slim down, but i returned to college still trying to stick to the program.

well one september day (i think it was september) i was attempting to refresh my self with a diet pepsi (cost $1 and 0 points). so i went to my vending machine in my dorm, pressed the diet pepsi button, only to receive a mountain dew.

not what i wanted.

first of all- i hate mountain dew.

second- no way was i going to waste 3+ points on something that didn't have chocolate in it.

i hate losing money (yes it was only a dollar, but i am thrifty) so i grabbed the mountain dew and headed across the way to the next dorm (the boy's dorm). evidently in my mind only men drink mountain dew.

i was searching for someone to buy the mountain dew off of me.

a door opened to a room stuck in the back, and out walked a guy who i gave my desperation plea to. he shrugged his shoulders, and handed me a buck.

i was flored! i gave him a huge hug, grabbed my diet pepsi (from their dorm's vending machine) and skipped along my merrily way.

over the next few months i did see this young man again, and anytime i did, i ran to him and gave him a huge hug, still expressing my thanks.

little did i know, he was secretly pinning away for me.

then one evening came along, where i had been duped by another guy, and i was letting jimmy talk me out of my emotional baggage, when i saw this guy again. and i said-"he's a nice guy, why can't i go for a nice guy?"

so i did. i was kind of a flirt. and not afraid to go after what i wanted.

anyways. i asked him out several times. he turned me down.

he actually told me once, "i've already driven my car off campus today, i don't want to again,".

somehow, i wore him down. and in december of 2001, he confessed his love for me, and his desire to marry me.

and in july of 2002, i married my the guy who bought my diet pepsi.

and today, its been 7 years.

accomplishments.

if you haven't noticed i have been feeling a bit overwhelmed lately. well, i am getting pretty tired of using this blog as a podium for complaining. yes, there are awful days (and truth be told, this week has been pretty dang un-fun) but i have so much to be thankful fore.

and really, all i need is a good plan.

i do not function well in disorganization. and in my house were are currently suffering from of disorder called "clutter", have you heard of it? i hope no one has caught it from me.

as i said, i do not function well when there is a mess of clutter surrounding me.... well any mess in general.

so, in order to stop feeling so overwhelmed, i need to start tackling some of the major offenders in the house.

be prepared to gasp and awe (gasp over the disaster, awe over what i have done)

Fabric

before: fabric storage

After: fabric organized by color.

the process.
a place for started, yet unfinished projects

my favorite thing, a tub with bags of scraps, organized by color.

My Back Room

this is where laundry is done and food and fabric is stored.

Before: chaos.

After: organizational bliss.

fabric stacked oh so neatly.

The Hallway

Before: this hallway (our only hallway) is found between our 2 bedrooms, the bathroom is to the right. i thought it would be brilliant to bring in a shelf so we could have more space for stuff. seeing that i didn't decide what that stuff would be, it just came a place to set,throw, and dump "stuff".

After:

i designated a shelf for everything!

top shelf: games are on the top shelf, next to a green tote that is full of information and documents i need to keep handy.

next shelf down: all of my homeschooling books for the kids, in one handy place that i can get to regardless of who is napping.

next shelf down: all workbooks for homeschooling, plus all my planning and informational books for homeschooling. the beautiful little polka dot bag is where i can keeping everything i need for my devotions (Bible, journal, pen, and whatever devotional book i am reading)

down another shelf: 2 blue baskets (i need to get one more, i love you dollar tree) one basket if for clothes that aren't dirty, but just aren't put away yet. the other basket is for dirty clothes that are coming out of the bathroom (either pjs or clothes we've worn for the day). now i can move dirty clothes to the back, and clean back to the bedroom.

under the shelf: 3 green baskets: workout clothes. i usually work out when someone is napping, so i need to be able to access these items quickly, and without waking someone up. sam's stuff is down there as well!

needless to say, i am thrilled by all of this new organization. it has given me quite the boost that i need to tackle the long days ahead!

stay tuned: my sewing area is currently undergoing a face lift.

sorry for the long post. i am just so proud, i had to share all the pictures.

and sorry for complaining so much. not really what i wanted to do when i started this blog, and stay tuned for this little blog of mine to take a more consistently positive turn.

$5 Real Simple

yup!

i found this article in my google reader today, and was pleasantly surprised.

$5 for a magazine subscription? for a magazine that is $5 in the grocery stores? that's nicer than nice.

you can follow the above link to get your subscription, or just click here.

just so you know, i am not promoting this deal, nor am i getting anything for blogging about it.

i am just uber passionate about great deals, and i happen to love getting magazines in the mail (especially when i will flip through it glowing in the fantastic-ness of the price).

so if you like the magazine, get it. or it may make a nice gift for someone.

bff, i ordered it.... you don't need too... we can share.

my sewing apprentice.

a funny thing has been happening to me. it seems that when i sit at my sewing machine i suddenly have a lovely little lady crawling up from behind my chair, and easy feat to do when momma is leaning over to sew. if she can start a little sewing at this age, as opposed to me at 26, who knows what she will be able to do?

smo' good.

i dare you to not run out and make these right now. yummy.

this is just one of twenty-some Smore Cupcakes that i whipped up yesterday. and yes, they are as good as they look.

why Smore's Cupcakes? well, a year ago i was asked/volunteered to make these cupcakes for a wedding of two of my best friends from college. side note: this marriage happened because i was best friends with both of them, when they first dated i encouraged it, and when they broke up over and over again over 6 years i continued to push them back together.

i take full credit. however, as Shauna said last night, "yes it was you... and our love".

oh yeah. that too.

anyways, on july 12, 2008 they were married. i was a bridesmaid. and i made over 200 of these cupcakes. yup- 200. it was all the more impressive that they had to be made 2 days in advance, and travel 3 hours to the wedding spot, where they had to be kept chilled another day, and frosted the morning of the wedding (*** this frosting runs in the sun, in case you are wondering)

last night, these two extra special people drove 2 1/2 hours out of there way on their road trip vacation to come see (to quote Jimmy's facebook status) "hot Momma Mary, her three beautiful kids, and the old man she married"... which is an ongoing joke, Sam's 16 months older then me, but Jimmy just loves to tease.

i thought as a fun surprise i would remake the cupcakes (seeing that their anniversary is on Saturday, and traditionally you eat frozen wedding cake on that day) for them to enjoy.

everyone loved them (look at the picture again if you question this) and the four of us had a wonderful time reminiscing about our college days (we all went to Simpson College), laughing about old times, and dreaming about the future (Jimmy's wants babies now, i want them to move to Roseville-Lancaster is to far away!).

true old friends are the ones who you can not see for a year, then spend one evening with and not skip a beat.

love you guys.

struggles.

am i content? i tell ya, everything just seems to be over crowding my brain right now. a couple of times in the last few days i have felt like just throwing the towel in and giving up. we hear stories about how women will up and leave their families. and you think "how can do that?".

they're tired. emotionally exhausted to the point that they just become numb.

well, there's probably a tad more involved in that (including some form of selfishness that comes when you abandon your family) but still, i am starting to slowly see myself reaching a breaking point of sorts.

the sorts? feeling absolutely out of control. my home is in a constant state is disarray, my 3 year old just will not listen to me, my body is so hormonal out of whack as it attempts to figure out some sort of "cycle", my hopes and plans are gathering dust (along with the mess), and the sewing- there is just sewing everywhere.

and of course, i leave out the husband who i am trying to spend time with. the two babies who make me smile and scream. and the quiet devotional time i am desperate to get.

stay-at-home mom's truly deserve a tax stipend.

aren't they looking for ways to create more jobs? government sponsored apprentice positions... in the form of house-cleaning for stay-at-home moms?

so the above is one whole mess in itself. all that isn't getting done.

and then i look at my babies (all 3) and just feel frustrated (especially in this midnight hour as the oldest will not sleep). i spend half of my time looking at my new baby so sad that he is already getting so big, wondering why he isn't my little newborn... wondering how the other 2 have gotten so big so fast, why the tiny baby stage doesn't last longer.

and then i look at all of them, especially when they are making me work the hardest, and think "i am just looking forward to when they outgrow this, when this or this will be different".

why can i not be content with the age they are?

all of this complaining really comes down to one thing: my heart.

yes, i have a lot of balls i am trying to juggle. but i can do it. the Lord won't give me more than i can handle. it may feel that way, but i just need to readjust, reevaluate, and refocus what is important in my life (something Sam and i did tonight).

i need to find some sort of peace and basically accept what is my life right now. sometimes things are going to be out of my control and my plans are not going to be so smooth.

but its ok.

and as hard as every age is with my children, i will always miss the baby stage, and always hope for a fast outgrowing of the difficult times.

i have many lofty goals for tomorrow. so many projects in the works; sewing related, school related, etsy related, friend related, family related.

hmmmm.... perhaps part of the problem is biting off more than i can chew. not that i need to stop doing something, but perhaps remembering that i don't only have breakfast. there is lunch, dinner- and all the snacks i eat!

4 years.

beware.... a long and sappy post.
suddenly june came, and now july. and i realized, i have lived in this tiny town for 4 years now.

and then i realized, that last week, basically marked the 4 year anniversary of when i met my bff.

life had gotten out of control a little over 4 years ago. so one june day i moved to our little town. sam followed a few weeks later. i had a temporary summer job at a local high school's summer school. however, we were leaving with sam's parents and basically starting over as far as fiances were concerned (plus we were thinking of trying to have a baby) so i decided to try and find a second job. that lead me back to starbucks, where i had worked once before.

i filled out an app, and the almost reconsidered going back to interview. but i did, and i was hired.

how a simple thing like that could profoundly change my life... it is crazy.

i will never forget walking into starbucks and "seeing" my future bff for the first time (this sounds like a romance story... it isn't. i promise) sitting at a little table snacking on some pizza.

no, i don't usually notice everyone. but the manager was talking to her (she also worked at starbucks) asking her if she had any strange pregnancy cravings.

and i was instantly jealous. i sat there watching the pretty gal sitting there enjoying her pizza, talking about how she only had a craving for broccoli, and just being so jealous.

i had just had a miscarriage a few months before, and i so desperately wanted to be pregnant like she was.

well, i started working for starbucks, and one day before starting my shift i wandered back to our back room and there she sat eating her lunch, and she was so kind (i knew no one) and started talking to me.

we had talked about babies. and i confided to her (and she was the first and only person who ever knew this) that i thought i might be pregnant. who would thought a stranger would get so excited? well after 4 years, it all makes sense- she's baby crazy.

i was pregnant. and i began to enjoy every time i worked more and more, because it meant i got to see her! she was 3 months ahead of me, and we watched our bellies grow behind our starbucks aprons.

the one day, she asked if i wanted to do a women's Bible study with her. this was so huge for me. i was so new to the area, and had zero friends. and here, this sweet gal wanted to include me in something.

well, her pregnancy was ahead of mine, so she left starbucks before me.

and she had her sweet little girl and 3 months later i had my little boy.

we hadn't spent a ton of time together during the ends of our pregnancy. one of my biggest regrets was that i didn't head up to the hospital to see her little girl, it was a misunderstanding on my part- i thought she wanted privacy ( i was up for baby 2 a LOT!), but she was one of my only friends (heck, at the time one of my only friends) who came to see me at the hospital.

she helped when i struggled with nursing, and then one spring day, she showed up to hang out.

after we discovered that we both loved scrubs and lost, and that reading was our passion, and that we both were committed to homeschooling, we were literally like a match made in heaven.

and then came the sewing.

the reason for the picture on top? that was a burp cloth she gave me. and that burp cloth was what inspired me to learn how to sew.

and she held my hand through the whole process.

it actually took 2 years for me to tell her she was my bff (i figured she had many- she has 6 sister-in-laws) and i was so thrilled to learn that i was her bff!

at first we would overly apologize for EVERYTHING. constantly worried we would somehow offend the other. now we can be found sternly talking to each other's kids, knowing that its ok.

we've come a long way in the last 4 years.

i don't think a day goes by that we don't have find the time to either talk (on the phone) or chat on the computer. she's seen me at my worst, listened to every time i needed to vent, helped me through a hard time with sam, and will do anything for me or my kids.

as i reflect on the last 4 years, it still makes me laugh to think that this little town was only supposed to be the place where we started over, not where we would settle down and live.

but i am so glad that the Lord brought us here.

because this is where my bff was.

i love you bff! i am so happy that you are in my life.

i am most looking forward to more sewing, home-schooling, more children (hopefully), more trips, more stories, more food... everything!

basically, the forever part of bff.

i hope everyone is so blessed to have a friend as good to them, as you are to me!

apron creation.

so the angry chicken was having an apron contest ( she's already started the next one) and i thought it would be kinda fun to whip something (its not like i have a pile of unfinished sewing projects currently taking over every surface of my living/dining room).

i am so happy with the apron. although, if you enlarge the pictures you will see countless mistakes. so its not great, not sell-able... but it is definitely a wonderful starting ground!

the apron design was formulated in my brain. i love the flower pockets. and i loved using elastic thread in the neck strap (and in the body of the apron as well).

the colors are a tad wild, but that was part of the fun.

anyways. back to the disaster that is now my house (everything gets overlooked when i am sewing... i think sam thinks if i am busy sewing, he should be busy on the computer). suffice it to say, there are dishes, laundry, and toys that need my attention.

oh, and yes... the children.