Craft night

My sisters, Breana and Cherie, came over to make gifts for Noelle's new baby girl. Cherie made a letter "A" pillow with a cute umbrella applique. Breana made one of Jewelia's famous hooded towels. They turned out so cute. I know Alia will love them. What's better than a night filled with good food (I made some new recipes), Dog the Bounty Hunter, and sewing?!

Oh Baby!

Congratulations to Corey and Sara on their new baby girl.

Kjerstin Sara

Born March 24, 2009

5 lbs 13 oz 18 in.

It's Alive!

Last summer we planted a weeping willow tree in our front yard. We turned off our sprinklers after a substantial rain storm, and didn't remember to turn them back on until we noticed the grass was dying. We thought we had killed the new tree for sure. A few weeks ago I saw white fuzz on the buds of our tree. I couldn't believe my eyes, our tree was blossoming!

Something Pretty

Let's just start by saying that I am a fabric hoarder. I have a habit of buying fabric and holding on to it until I can find the perfect use for it. I bought this Freshcut fabric by Heather Bailey when it came out like two years ago. I finally found a great reason to use it. My friend, Candice, had a baby in February and just recently brought her home from the hospital. Courtney, the baby, was born about two months early. I got to see her the other day and she is so adorable. So tiny and precious. Candice had mentioned she wanted a nursing cover, so I whipped one up and made a diaper wallet to go along.

Road Trip and a New Baby

On 3.19.09 my sister, Noelle, had her third baby. They didn't find out it was a girl until she was born. (I knew it was going to be a girl. Cherie you owe me a Jamba!) Her name is Alia Mae Reynolds. She is so new and fresh from heaven. Alia is so tiny she makes Collin look like Jabba the Hut.

Our family drove down on Saturday to see the baby and visit for the weekend. The kids are getting good at our 1 hour 45 minute drive to Price. The "3 hour" drive to Cedar city was a different story. Right around Scipio Tess got gum stuck in her hair, no joke. Why did we give her gum? We left the gum until Sunday morning, when we used peanut butter from the continental breakfast to get it out (not while we were eating).

We stopped for lunch in Fillmore and found an awesome local joint. Cluff's Car Hop Cafe. You can eat on the patio, in the diner, or in your car. We decided to let the kids take their time and eat. Two hours later we were on the road again. The food was really good, and we plan on stopping every time we are in the area.

Mike and Kurt were put in charge of the big kids while Noelle and I looked after the babies. The guys are good sports. They took the kids to the park and Snow Canyon to run them ragged. We had a great time visiting. I can't wait to get back, I know that baby girl will look so different the next time we see her.

I need something to cook

Last Friday I went out with the girls and we had our apron exchange. I had so many ideas of what I wanted to do and the pictured apron above is what I ended up with. There are a ton of apron patters free online, and even more fun ones to purchase in some of the local fabric shops. I forgot to bring my camera to the actual exchange, but Jewelia remembered. Click on the link to see all the cute aprons. There is talk of a bag exchange next and I can't wait.

You are so soft!

I found this book, Softies: Simple Instructions for 25 Plush Pals,

at the library. I had seen some of these homemade stuffed animals a couple of years ago, but didn't have the time to make any. This book comes with patterns to follow, and detailed info on how to do different sewing techniques. I havn't made any of the softies in the book, but I am planning on doing a couple. Flickr has a ton of photos from people all over the world. They share the softies they have made. I love looking at what other people come up with.

Tess is going through a Dora and Diego phase right now. There was a Diego episode with penguins. I created "Waddle" for Tess. Davis helped me by stuffing him. I weighted his bottom with dried beans so he can stand up nicely. We used the regular cheap felt from the craft store and buttons for eyes. I don't think I will use cheap felt next time. Waddle is looking pretty nappy after only a couple of weeks. Tess was dragging him around by his arm and I thought for sure we would need to do a repair. I was surprised at how tough the stitches are. I whip-stitched his arms and bottom on.

I have a bunch of ideas for other softies, and am trying to find more time to make them.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

There is not a better way to start the day, than to have green pancakes and green milk. Davis was hesitant to eat the pancakes, he thought they would taste minty. On Monday, the kids made rainbows for the leprechauns to find. Little leprechauns visited our house while we were sleeping, and left gold chocolate coins, and foot prints by the rainbows. There are no gold coins in my picture because the kids ate them almost before I got out of bed.

Here are some St. Patrick's Day tidbits I got from my friend Melissa :

1 - Saint Patrick was actually born in Britain around 380 A.D.
2 - He was kidnapped and brought to Ireland
3 - He studied religion in France, and the pope named his Patricius (Latin for Patrick)
4 - He lived the rest of his life in Ireland as a Bishop teaching the people
5 - He died March 17th, and the Catholic church made his a saint
6 - Green is worn in honor of and ancient Irish custom, meaning fertile land, "The Emeral Isle"

Super Hero Tess

A couple of weeks ago Mike and Tess were playing on the floor. Tess was being really sweet and cuddly. All at once she leaned up on Mike and said "I superhero, I tickle your eyes." Before Mike knew it Tess had her fingers gouging his eyes. He grabbed her hands, but she kept digging his eyes out. This whole time she was saying "I superhero! I superhero!" When it was all over, Mike was lucky to get away with only a scratch on his face.

Big "D" Turns 5

Thursday, at preschool, Davis celebrated his birthday. He got a gold crown to wear and didn't take it off until Friday night when he got ready for bed. He requested a chocolate cake with turquiose (his favorite color) frosting. After a long day of waiting, Friday night we took the family and two of Davis' friends to Chuck E. Cheese. The kids had a great time. We rationed their tokens so all wouldn't be spent in the first two minutes. When Davis was opening his presents he exclaimed "Whoa, I'm spoiled!" Did I mention the grin on his face?

WHICH IS BETTER?

(A game Davis invented on the drive home from Price)

Q. A frog carved out of rock, or a poster of the presidents carved out of rock?

A. A poster to help you remember the presidents

Q. Me or Tess?

A. Me

Q. Mountains or boats?

A. Boats because they can move.

Q. Red or black ants?

A. Black ants because they don't bite.

"This is a tricky one"

Q. Which is better: Snow, rain, a flag pole, or paper?

A. Paper is better because it can fly in air.

Q. Beetles or Ants?

A. Beetles are better because the are stronger, and they have bigger brains to solve bigger problems.

Price Or Bust!

Sunday night we loaded up the car and the kids and headed off to Price. Davis was so excited to go he packed five buckets of toys. Mike has made the commute for the last month, so we knew the trip would be 1 hour and 45 minutes. Our little Tessie decided to grace us with her crying for the first forty minutes of the drive. Tess kept telling us to go home so she could go to bed. Collin was awesome in the car, and Davis talked non stop. At nine o'clock p.m. I told Davis it was bed time and he couldn't talk anymore. This is about when the kids fell asleep.

When we arrived in Price, Mike thought he would give me a tour of the shopping in town. I was more concerned about getting the kids in bed. It turns out the tour took all of two minutes. We pulled up to our condo and proceeded to unload the family. Mike had a funny look on his face when he opened the door. I walked in to the smell of natural gas (which by the way doesn't smell like rotten eggs, but more like a camp stove). We decided that it wasn't a good idea to stay, and headed for the Holiday Inn. It was 10:30 at night and the kids were screaming again. We had all had it. "Get me out, I go bed," Tess screams. Mike called the gas company and they met him at the condo. Sure enough, it was natural gas. The pilot light from the stove was out, and the whole place was stinky. We let it air out for the night and came home in the morning.

The first project I did in Price was a no sew tutu for Tess. I started a salsa experiment (it never progressed any where). Davis and Tess have drawn several pictures, dug for dinosaur bones, and crafted popsicle stick flowers. Collin is really relaxed and just loves being entertained. Although, he didn't like it when Tess gave him pretend shots.